Beer and Beef Skillet Stew

Thanks to Ellie Krieger, I have discovered how to make a quick dinner that resembles stew. Real stew, like the kind my Grammie makes, takes hours. I do not have that time on weeknights.... Let's be honest, I don't often have that time on weekends, either. To make a quick version, here are four easy steps.

Chicken with Lemon Potatoes

I recently made this simple dish for dinner. It's so easy because the chicken and potatoes are all cooked together in one large frying pan. The recipe is here on the Donna Hay website.

First the chicken is browned in some oil. Then wine, stock, and lemon juice are added, thinly sliced potatoes and sprigs of thyme are thrown in, and it simmers away until everything is cooked. See, simple.

Ask Sarah: Soups Based on Cauliflower

Johnny asked: "Any ideas on what I could use to make an interesting soup based on cauliflower?"

Cauliflower is an excellent choice for soups because, like other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, the more you cut them, the more pungent they become. In a pureed soup, cauliflower's flavour really comes out. To balance it, you can use potatoes, cream, or milk.

Bacon, Leek, and Potato Soup

This is not your usual pale, creamy, and smooth leek and potato soup. This is a chunky, flavourful, heartwarming dish with big bits of bacon, diced potatoes, and sweet leeks. It needs about 20 minutes to simmer, which is the perfect amount of time to make some rolls or a salad to go alongside. (Recipe for cloverleaf rolls coming this weekend.)

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This soup doesn't have any cream.

This soup does have a creamy, smooth texture and taste.

Furthermore, this soup contains a full head of cauliflower, two leeks, and a potato. The potato is the secret to the creamy texture.

This warm and creamy soup could not be more satisfying in cold weather. It's easy and cheap to make. It dresses up well for company, when you can garnish it with parsley leaves, fresh ground pepper, and some sunflower seeds. It can be made in advance and reheated when needed.

This soup is the reason you need to buy cauliflower this week!

weekend links #18

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--"What does a 2000-calorie diet look like?" from Eating Well. This is an informative article. But don't assume that the pictures are representative.
--Where can I get myself a ginger beer plant as a pet? It's like a sourdough starter but for ginger beer and it sounds intriguing (from The Guardian)!
--Here's a Channel 4 Food article about the best bread blogs, and it features our very own Fresh from the Oven! Neat-oh.

recipe links:
--How to make pizza dough with vegetables instead of dough: use potato or cauliflower (from LRX Cuisine and Your Lighter Side). I think you could also use spaghetti squash or onions in a similar way.


--Seared watermelon slabs (pictured above): a summer appetiser. Intriguing idea (from Herbivoracious).

off-topic links:
--We all know the two main components to managing our weight and health: eat healthy food and exercise regularly. The third essential behaviour is not as obvious: get enough sleep (from LifeHacker).
--Beautiful photographs of icebergs, including a video of an iceberg rolling (from TED).
--Mellissa at A Fit and Spicy Life recently provided me with some important wisdom about being more authentic and less "perfect" online. Good on her for her transparency; her humble cheeriness is very affirming.

creamy potato salad - but with no mayo!

I do like potato salad as a side dish, but I hate the mayo-laden monstrosities I sometimes see. Yet there is something comforting about a forkful of creamy potato that I find irresistible. So I developed this recipe to fill the spud-shaped hole in my belly.

hasselback potatoes

Say hello to the easiest potato dish ever! Yet somehow so impressive, with the fanned out slices of roast potato. These tiny taters are perfect party food, ready to be nestled in the corner of your plate piled with pot luck goodies. They are from my new-to-me Nigella Lawson cookbook, Forever Summer. Nigella's recipe is simple and unfussy, but contains a gem-like tip for slicing the potatoes for this recipe.

Peruvian dishes: ceviche and papa rellenas

The best part about taking part in food blogging events is all the new things I am pushed to try. Take, for example, the Daring Cooks. Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenged us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau, and Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.

I have never made or eaten any Peruvian food before, but fortunately we have close friends who lived in Peru. They were very willing indeed to come over for dinner, assist in the assembly of the food, and comment on its authenticity.

eggs with potatoes and greens (oeufs vert-pre)

I like to learn new things--hence this blog, and also copious link lists of things to read, printouts of journal articles in my work bag, CDs with new languages on it, and stacks of books next to the couch. I guess it's good practice to learn something new each week. What will it be this week? Poaching eggs. The proper way.

curried potatoes

Sometimes it's time for comfort food. For Anthony, my husband, potatoes are the best comfort food. He grew up in a "meat and two veg" household where potatoes were a daily enjoyment. I saw this recipe on Simply Recipes and knew that it would be a happy night when I made it for dinner for him.

potato salad

Every dish needs that little surprise: a interesting texture, an unexpected flavour, or a vibrant colour. Otherwise, food can become boring. Potato salad is an item that has been made badly so many times. I remember eating it at church potlucks as a young person; the older ladies smothered the potatoes in mayonnaise and there might have been some pepper sprinkled on top. That is a boring version of potato salad.

This, on the other hand, is the kind of potato salad that is worth writing about. In Ruth Reichl's book Tender at the Bone (which I read recently for the Kitchen Reader group), she writes about her Aunt Birdie's potato salad: the only recipe Aunt Birdie could make. And Reichl's father would kiss Aunt Birdie's cheek, saying reverently, "You make the world's best potato salad."

What makes this potato salad special is that the onions are just barely cooked in a little vinegar. The result is a slight bite that is still crunchy and very tangy. It's a nice offset to the creamy potatoes. Exactly this kind of little surprise texture and taste is what potato salad needs to stay interesting.

Aunt Birdie's Potato Salad
adapted from Tender at the Bone
serves 2

450 g baby potatoes, unpeeled
salt and pepper
1 t sugar
1/2 onion, diced very finely
1 T vinegar
2 t water
2 T vegetable oil

Boil the potatoes until just tender. Cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Put the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, in a small saucepan. Heat briefly until the liquid is close to boiling and the onions are just a little soft.
Toss the onion mixture with the potatoes and oil.

brunswick stew (for the Daring Cooks)

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.


Brunswick Stew was easy to make and very satisfying to eat! The recipes are huge and were more than enough for several days of hearty lunches at work. Perfect when served with a salad or cheddar cornmeal scones.

Mum's best ever meal

My parents go to a little beach resort in their province when they want to get away together and leave the city behind. They rent a cottage on the beach, and even if it's blustery outside, there are walks to go on, and a fireplace to snuggle up in front of each evening.


They were there for a night last week and ate in the resort's restaurant: a gleaming crystal and silverware affair, with a menu to match. My Mum told me on the phone that during their most recent visit she ate what had to be described as the best meal of her life.

Wow, that's high praise! Can you pinpoint the best meal of your life? I can think of two (restaurant) meals that might currently qualify. Both were memorable and extremely tasty. I was eager to hear what Mum had eaten. The food blogger in me was quietly taking notes as she waxed eloquent about her food.

Starter: spinach salad with blue cheese, pecans, apples warmed with cinnamon and maple dressing

Of course, this sounds delicious. And easy to make at home. I bet the pecans were toasted and gave the perfect crunch, the spinach was dark and fresh, while the maple dressing wasn't overpoweringly sweet. It sounds like a great mix of health and indulgence, doesn't it?

Main course: pan-fried haddock with a creamy lobster sauce, served with roasted smoked potatoes

Fish and lobster in the same main course? What an idea. She said the lobster was in chunks, not loads of it, but enough to add the touch of luxury to the dish. The smoked potatoes were wonderful, she reported. She had never tasted anything like them before; nor have I ever heard of it. I did a bit of reading, and saw that smoking potatoes can be done in a double boiler. Put oak chips in the bottom (no water) and the boiled potatoes in the top with the lid on. Open a bunch of windows and turn the heat up to high. Let it smoke for five to ten minutes. (So I suppose you could do this at home, but I have a feeling I'll leave it to the professionals for now.)

My Dad talked about his dessert, but Mum didn't say if she had any. I guess the first two courses were enough for her to sit back with a contented sigh and update the list of great food she has eaten.

I'm interested to hear about your best ever meals. I reckon there should be a separate category for best restaurant meals and best home-cooked meals. Over to you!

easy and yummy soup

Here's a supper idea that was quite easy. Use only things I always have around (spinach, potatoes, onions) and turn them into a meal! I made this easy soup and served it with some fresh tea biscuits (or scones, as they should be called) and a steamed piece of fish.

Cream of Spinach Soup
serves 4 to 6
adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

2 T canola oil
1 T butter
2 c chopped onions
1/2 c chopped celery
salt
3 c chopped potatoes
2 1/2 c stock or water
300 g fresh spinach, washed
1 1/2 c milk (or evaporated milk, or half milk and half cream)
1/4 t nutmeg
salt and pepper

In a soup pot, warn the oil and butter. Add the onions and celery and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the potatoes and stock or water, cover, and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, cover, and set aside off the heat for 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.
Puree the soup (in batches in a blender or using a hand immersion blender).
Stir in the milk, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Reheat.
Serve with croutons, if desired.

soup

I pulled up all the rocket left in my growing tub yesterday. It was getting a bit woody and too peppery to eat raw. So I was excited to use it all up in a soup recipe from my new favourite cookbook, GI Meals Made Easy.


The soup also uses finely chopped onion, courgette, new potatoes, and garlic, shown here from right to left. After some sauteing and sweating, and stock added, the soup is blended with the wonderful invention of the handheld immersion blender. Ant did this part because I am notoriously messy with the blender.


The addition of some goat's cheese topped off the lovely light green soup.

Rocket and Goat's Cheese Soup
adapted from GI Meals Made Easy: 150 Quick and Delicious Meals for All the Family

1 T olive oil
10 g butter
1 leek, sliced
1 medium or large courgette, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 new potatoes, diced
600 ml vegetable stock
100 g rocket
75g firm goat's cheese

Heat the oil and butter and saute the leek, courgette, garlic, and potato over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Then reduce heat, cover, and allow to sweat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add rocket and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend the soup.
Crumble in goat's cheese when serving.

a new meat!

Well, almost new. Ant's Nan sent him a box full of beef for his birthday this summer. (Beef! I ask you.) It was delivered by courier straight from the Scottish highlands. It's from the same beef farm that provides beef to the Queen's household. Tonight we ate our first two steaks--one sirloin steak and one fillet steak. I am not a big beef fan and I have been scared about cooking it since it arrived. But Ant says the reason I always make nasty beef is because I do not start with a good enough cut of meat. Well, these are the best pieces of beef I have ever laid eyes on.


We cooked baby potatoes and roasted parsnips, carrots, onions, and squash to go with the steaks. We deglazed the pan with some mushrooms and let the beef rest before plating up.


It was delicious. Even I, who don't really like beef, must admit that is was amazing.

But I also must add that the roasted vegetables were the best part of the meal.