Veal Stew with Potatoes, Tomatoes and Oregano

This photo does not do this dinner justice. 

This meal was prepared yesterday. I was going to follow the recipe and bake it in the oven. But suddenly it was summer again. The air conditioning went on, and oven cooking not happening. 

But we have the slow cooker. I browned the veal and the onions on the stovetop and then everything went into the slow cooker.

Yesterday being a football day I made Pizza Roll-up as an appetizer. No, I did not take a photo. Too bad as they were quite good. After devouring them we did not want dinner. So we had the stew tonight.

Tonight we reheated the stew and Wow!! Really good. The meat was so tender. The only thing is I should have increased the salt and pepper. 

This recipe is from a 1997 issue of Bon Appetit that I was holding onto. It was the Italian Countryside Edition. I remember my mom made Veal Stew quite often when I was little. I have never tried making it. When I was flipping through the magazine I notice this recipe. The plus was that it was from the Campania Region.

On a side note, I have been subscribing to Bon Appetit for a number of years. My question is where have all the recipes gone? This is a photo of this months recipe list and the recipe list from May 1997.

Veal Stew with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Oregano

Ingredients-

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds veal stew meat, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces

16 boiling onions, peeled

1 1/4 pounds large red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried

1 1/2 12-ounce baskets cherry tomatoes, stemmed, halved

Method-

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle veal generously with salt and pepper. Add veal and onions to pot. Sauté until veal is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Mix in potatoes and oregano, then tomatoes. Bring stew to simmer. Cover pot; transfer to oven. Bake until veal and vegetables are tender, about 2 hours. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle stew into shallow soup bowls and serve.

Slow Cooker Method-

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle veal generously with salt and pepper. Add veal and onions to pot. Sauté until veal is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper.

Put potatoes and oregano, then tomatoes in the crockpot. Add veal and onions.  Cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours, I went for just 4 hours.

Ladle stew into shallow soup bowls and serve.

I Love My Crock-Pot!

Crock-Pot Italian Wedding Soup. 8 hours to a delicious meal. As a bonus, there is enough for two nights! I worked from home today so I started this first thing this morning. As the day went on the aroma was getting better. I used some of the homemade broth I had in the freezer. The broth was so light and the meatballs were just the right size.

I found this recipe on Crock-Pot Ladies. There are a couple of other recipes on that site that we will have to try very soon.

Ingredients-
1 pound ground beef lean, or ground turkey (I used ground beef)
1 whole egg slightly beaten
1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
6 cups chicken broth
1 whole onion medium, diced
3 – 4 whole carrots medium, diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 cups escarole
2 whole bay leaves
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup acini di pepe pasta
1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated (for serving)

Method-
In a medium bowl combine ground beef/turkey, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper & parmesan cheese until well mixed.

Form meat mixture into very small meatballs.

Place meatballs on cookie sheets and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients except escarole, acini di pepe pasta and remaining parmesan cheese in a 6 quart crock-pot.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 1/2 hours.

Add acini di pepe pasta and escarole to the soup and cover and cook an additional 30 minutes.

Serve in bowls topped with additional parmesan cheese.

Company For Dinner

Thank you, Lenore for checking in on Archie and Lucy while we were away last week. We had Lenore and Ralph over for dinner tonight. I saw a video for this recipe, Hasselback Pork Tenderloin, on Facebook and was intrigued. It was a slow cooker recipe. It might be just me but I was not nuts about the dish. Everyone went back for seconds but I just had more wine.

Now the appetizers where another story. I made Cheddar Olives, always good, and Frizzeles. The Frizzeles were my Mom's recipe. You can not eat just one.

Dessert was the Apple Crostata that I made last night. The perfect autumn dessert. And top it with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Forgettaboutit!

Best Beef Stew Ever

 "Best Beef Stew Ever."

That is a direct quote from Chris. The recipe was in the little booklet that came with the Crock Pot. A simple recipe that resulted in the "Best Beef Stew Ever."

Tonight was the Super Bowl. Neither of our teams was in it this year but we still watched. Well, I watched until Downton Abbey came on. To start off, or pre-game, I made a hummus from Cannellini Beans, Kalamata Olives, and Capers. Winner! The recipe comes from Jeanette's Healthy Living site.

Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups cooked Cannellini Beans, or 1 can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained well
1/4 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

Method-
Place beans, olives, capers, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until almost smooth.
Gradually pour olive oil through the feed tube.
Add lemon juice.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now about that stew. So easy!

Ingredients-
2-4 pounds beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup four
Kosher salt and pepper
3 cups beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
6 small potatoes, quartered
2-3 onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, sliced

Method-
Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over meat. Place meat in Crock-Pot slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 5-6 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir thoroughly before serving. 

The only thing I would change about the recipe is to add carrots. It could have used a little color. 

And I had to make something to go with the stew. I was at the grocery store waiting in the Deli line, one of the circles of hell and was reading an email from Food52. It was a recipe for Slap Grilled Cheese. A focaccia bread sliced in half and filled with cheese and then reheated to melt the cheese. That's what I went with. I made the Jim Lahey Focaccia recipe, starting it last night. Nice. The bread was, of course, delicious and the for the cheese inside I used Sharp Cheddar and Gouda. Yeah, this recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients-
Foccaccia
Cheddar or comparable cheese grated

Method-
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Slice the focaccia so that you have two equal slabs.
Sprinkle your preferred grated cheese for as little or as much coverage as you'd like between the slices of focaccia.
Weigh the whole thing down with a heavy-bottomed pan—that's right, put a pan right on top of the focaccia—and bake at 375°F for about 8 minutes.
Slice as small as you'd like to serve. 

Snow Day!

It's snowing. Winter Storm Anna. When it snows I bake bread. I started both of the breads I made yesterday. We all have our ways to prepare for a snow storm.

The Jim Lahey No Knead Bread was started yesterday morning. Click here for the recipe if you have not tried the No Knead Bread yet.

 

The Chocolate Babka recipe was started last night. I cut the recipe was cut in half. I did not want 2 large loaves of bread. This week I picked up to small loaf pans, thinking I could make 2 smaller loaves. It worked out nicely. The bread is really good. I did over bake it a bit but it retained the flaky quality. And the chocolate filling, well forgetaboutit! The recipe is from Food & Wine. Click here for the recipe. I had time today to check out the new Bon Appetit, the Bread Issue, and they have a Chocolate Babka recipe. I will have to try that one next.

Then there was dinner. I make a Crock Pot Chili. "Wow!' Yes that was a quote from Chris during dinner. It was the perfect dinner for a snowy day. I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven blog, I love the name of this blog!

Slow Cooker Chili from Gimme Some Oven -

Ingredients-
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium red or yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped (*add more for extra smokyness and heat)
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (**see below for substitution ideas)
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 cup beer or beef broth
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
(Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips or strips, thinly-sliced green onions, sour
cream, salsa, etc.)

Method-
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the beef is completely browned, crumbling the beef with a spoon as it cooks. Drain about half of the excess fat. Then transfer the beef into the bottom of a slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.

Serve warm, with desired toppings.

And I made Homemade Cheez-Its from Food 52 to go with the Chili. You can not eat just one. At first I thought I put in too much salt but heck no! Perfect amount. Next time I will try adding some cayenne pepper.

Homemade Cheez-Its from Food 52-

Ingredients-
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
7 1/2 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) finely grated sharp cheddar
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Method-
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and cheese and pulse until very well combined. Add 2 tablespoons water and pulse until the dough is just wet enough to hold together when squeezed. Add up to 2 tablespoons more water if necessary.

Divide the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Press each half of dough into a flat square, wrap well, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Working with one square at a time, roll the dough out to a scant 1/8-inch thick. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 3/4 inch-wide strips. Then cut the dough in the other direction to make 3/4-inch squares. Use the flat end of a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center of each square. Freeze the dough until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Brush half a sheet with the egg white and sprinkle with salt. Use an offset spatula to gently break the egg washed dough apart and place the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until puffed and set and browned on the bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. (Make sure to cook them well so that the finished crackers are crisp. Completely frozen dough may take a few extra minutes to bake.) Transfer the parchment with the bake crackers onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining frozen crackers. Store the cooled crackers in an airtight container. 

And The Nominees Are...

Yes, we have a nominee for the best of list for 2016. I know it is early in the year, but the fact is this will be tough to beat. Tonight we had the leftover Beef Bourguignon. I had put the leftovers in the freezer and they were as delicious, if not more, delicious than the night the dish was made. Let's see if we can do anything else this month that might beat out the Beef Bourguignon.

Thank You Irving Naxon!

Who is Irving Naxon? He invented the Crock Pot. Tonight was our first Crock Pot Dinner.
The hardest part was cutting up all the ingredients. I put everything in the Crock Pot and stepped away. I did leave the house to run to the library to return some books and pick up a couple of Crock Pot Recipe books!

 

I asked Chris to pick tonight's dinner from the recipes that came with the Crock Pot. He suggested Beef Bourguignon. Nice!

 

The house smelled so good. And there is enough for one if not 2 more meals. Yes I am happy.

 

Beef Bourguignon, serves 6-8

Ingredients-

• 3 tbsp. flour
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 3# Beef Chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 6 strips cooked bacon
• 1 10-oz can beef broth
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 springs fresh thyme stemmed
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

Method-

1. Coat beef in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Sear beef in a skillet on stove top.
2. Place Meat in Crock Pot and add remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 5-7 hours, or until the meat is tender.

We used the leftover Polenta Parmesan Gratin as a side. The potatoes were Perfect! The meat was amazing! I Love My Crock Pot!