My Menu Blog

For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas

Directions

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

• 1 bottle (1 liter) plus 1 cup (225 ml) of red wine
• 1 onion, cut into a 1-inch (2.5-cm) dice
• 1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices
• 1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch (1-cm) slices
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tbsp (14 g) whole black peppercorns
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 whole chicken, about 3.5 lb (1.35 kg) “trimmed”–meaning guts, wing tips, and neckbone removed
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp (28 ml) olive oil
• 6 tbsp (75 g) butter, softened
• 1 tbsp (14 g) flour
• ¼ lb (112 g) slab or country bacon, cut into small oblongs (lardons) about ¼ by 1 inch (6 mm by 2.5 cm)
• ½ Ib/225 g small, white button mushrooms, stems removed
• 12 pearl onions, peeled pinch of sugar

DAY ONE

The day before you even begin to cook, combine the bottle of red wine, the diced onion (that’s the big onion, not the pearl onions), sliced carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns, and bouquet garni in a large, deep bowl. Add the chicken and submerge it in the liquid so that all of it is covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

DAY TWO

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Put it aside. Strain the marinade through the fine strainer, reserving the liquids and solids separately. Season the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. In the large Dutch oven, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter until almost smoking, and then sear the chicken, turning with the tongs to evenly brown the skin. Once browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside again. Add the reserved onions, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and golden brown. That should take you about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix well with the wooden spoon so that the vegetables are coated. Now stir in the reserved strained marinade. Put the chicken back in the pot, along with the bouquet garni. Cook this for about 1 hour and 15 minutes over low heat.

Have a drink. You’re almost there …

While your chicken stews slowly in the pot, cook the bacon lardons in the small sauté pan over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels, making sure to keep about 1 tablespoon/14 g of fat in the pan. Sauté the mushroom tops in the bacon fat until golden brown. Set them aside.

Now, in the small saucepan, combine the pearl onions, the pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter. Add just enough water to just cover the onions, then cover the pan with the parchment paper trimmed to the same size as your pan. (I suppose you can use foil if you must.) Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated. Keep a close eye on it. Remove the paper cover and continue to cook until the onions are golden brown. Set the onions aside and add the remaining cup/225 ml of red wine to the hot pan, scraping up all the fond on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and reduce over medium-high heat until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Your work is pretty much done here. One more thing and then it’s wine and kudos …

When the chicken is cooked through—meaning tender, the juice from the thigh running clear when pricked—carefully remove from the liquid, cut into quarters, and arrange on the deep serving platter. Strain the cooking liquid (again) into the reduced red wine. Now just add the bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons/28 g of butter. Now pour that sauce over the chicken and dazzle your friends with your brilliance. Serve with buttered noodles and a Bourgogne Rouge.

2 lbs. of beef stew meat, cut into 1 in. cubes
3 tbs. of veg. oil, divided
1 cup water
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, sliced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. of salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 (14.5 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs. beef boullion granules
1 sugar pumpkin

1. Heat 2 tbs. oil in a large saucepan over med.-high heat. Place beef in the saucepan and cook until evenly brown. Mix in water, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, galrlic, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 2 hours.

2. Dissolve the bouillon into the beef misture. Stir in the tomatoes.

3. Preheat oven to  325°.

4. Cut top off the pumpkin and remove seeds and pulp. Place the pumpkin in a heavy baking pan. Fill the pumpkin with the beef mixture. Brush outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil.

5. Bake in the preheated oven 2 hrs., or until tender . Serve the stew from the pumpkin, scraping out some of the pumpkin meat with each serving.

1 (10 oz.) can chicken, drained
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup diced cucumber
2 tbs. sliced green onions
4 tbs. prepared teriyaki sauce
2 tbs. sliced almonds
1 head iceberg lettuce, washed cored and leaves separated

1. In a bowl, combine chicken, carrots, cucumbers and onions.
2. Top lettuce leaves with chicken mixture.
3. Drizzle with teriyaki sauce and top with almonds.

Serves 4.

3 tbs. canola oil
1 (4 lb.) boneless rump roast
3 onions, sliced
2 tbs. Hungarian sweet paprika
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups reduced-fat, low-sodium beef broth
1 cup water
1 cup dry red wine
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs. new potatoes, scrubbed
8 carrots, cut into 1½” thick pieces

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
3. Add the roast and sear on all sides. 8 to 10 min. (a good dark brown sear)
4. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
5. Reduce the heat to medium.
6. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 min.
7. Add the paprika, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and garlic. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
8. Add the broth, water and wine. Bring to a boil.
9. Return the roast plus any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven.
10. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hr.
12. Turn roast, add the potatoes, carrots and stock. If necessary, cover and bake an additional hr. or until tender.
13. Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the roast to a warm platter.
14. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm.
15. Remove and discard bay leaves.
16. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
17. Spoon sauce and vegetables over roast and serve immediately.

½ lb. bacon, diced
2 (6½ oz.) cans minced clams, juice reserved
2 (8 oz.) cans oysters, chopped, juice reserved
2 med. onions, chopped
3 cups diced red potatoes
2 cups sliced baby carrots
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 lb. veleeta cheese, regular or pepper jack
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ cup to 1 cup milk
Pepper and salt to taste.

1.  In a soup pot, cook the bacon over med. heat until crispy. Pour off the grease.
2. Add the juice only from the clams and oysters (reserve the clams and oysters until later.
3. Add the onions, potatoes, carrots and butter to the pot.
4. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 min.
5. Add the cheese and garlic powder and stir until soup comes to a simmer.
6. Add the reserved clams and oysters, then enough milk to bring the mixture to the consistency of a thick soup.
7. Season to taste with pepper and additional garlic powder; use salt sparingly.

1 lb. lean beef for stew
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
20 peeled baby carrots
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup brown rice
2 cans (14 oz. each) fat-free beef broth
4 cups water
1 can (14½ oz.) petite diced tomatoes
Black pepper to taste.

1. Cut any large chunks of beef into pieces that are no more than ½”.
2. Place the beef in a 4-6 qt. slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the beef.
4. Peel and chop the onion, and layer it over the beef.
5. Add the carrots (whole, with any extra-large ones split lengthwise) and garlic.
6. Sprinkle the rice over the rest of the ingredients.
7. Add both cans of broth, the water and the tomatoes with their juices. Make sure the rice is submerged in the liquid (pressing any stray pieces into the liquid—but do not stir).
8. Cover the slow cooker, and cook stew on low for 8 to 10 hrs.
9. Season with black pepper to taste and stir well.

1 cup dried cherries, chopped
½ cup crumbled bleu cheese (about 2 oz.)
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup mayo
Vegetables, for dipping

1. In medium bowl, combing cherries, blue cheese, and walnuts.
2. Stir in sour cream and mayo; mix well.
3. Chill about 1 hr. to blend flavors.
4. Serve with veggies such as celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green or red bell peppers.

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound dried rice vermicelli
2 carrots, julienned
1 cucumber, halved, peeled, seeded and sliced into thin halfrounds
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup finely shredded napa cabbage
1/4 cup chopped dryroasted nuts

1. Place the garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, honey, lime juice, fish sauce and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until almost smooth.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Drain, rinse well with cold water and drain again.
4. In a large bowl, combine the sauce, noodles, carrots, cucumber, mint and napa cabbage.
5. Toss well and garnish with peanuts

1 tbs. cornstarch
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup honey
3 tbs. red. sodium soy sauce
¼ tsp. ground ginger
2 cups sliced celery
1-½ cups sliced carrots
4 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½ strips.
¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts
Whole grain brown rice.

1. Prepare rice.

2. In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a wok or skillet, stir-fry celery and carrots in 2 tsp. oil until crisp tender. Remove and keep warm.

4. Stir fry chicken until no longer pink.

5. Return veggies to pan, stir in OJ mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil.

6. Cook and stir 2 min. until thickened. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve over rice.