Braised Lamb Shank

Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank

OMG. I made these lamb shanks the other night and they were superb. We both picked ours up and ate from the bone. Makes me feel very primal! This is a super easy method that is good for pot roast, short ribs, or any sort of lamb roast. I like shanks because they are affordable and super tender when cooked for hours.

Lamb Shanks (Serves two)

2 lamb shanks
1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 cup of red wine
2 cups of chicken or beef stock
1 bundle of thyme, tied with butcher string
EVOO
salt/pepper

Salt and pepper your shanks. Pour some EVOO in the bottom of a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Sear the shanks until browned (maybe like 3-4 minutes per side). Once seared, remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. Add vegetables and saute. Season with salt and pepper. You want to brown them a bit. This imparts flavor. When browned, mix in tomato paste and move it around on the bottom on the hot pan. Cook the tomato paste slightly. Add your garlic in. Deglaze with wine. Stir and let it reduce by half. Then add you stock. Mix around and add back in your lamb shanks. Throw your thyme bundle in. COVER! Put it a 325 oven for 1.5 to 2  hours. Make sure to turn the shanks over after 45 minutes. They are ready when the meat is tender and has pulled away from the bone. When ready, remove and cover with foil. You are going to start reducing your yummy liquid. Taste your liquid for saltiness. Add more if necessary. Turn up the heat and reduce! Reduce that yummy liquid for a good bit, maybe 15 minutes. It should be super thick. Serve the shanks with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mashed parsnips or rice. Polenta would be amazing too. Pour the sauce over the shank. Cork a bottle of vino tinto and you are good to go.

Enjoy!

A Rough Guide to Soups and Stews

Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

So, it is officially fall here in Chicago. I have been making soups already. They are sort of the perfect fall and winter meal. I like to use what I have in my fridge. The pot lasts through the week, which means leftovers for work. I wanted to discuss how I approach soups and stews. They are really easy actually once you have a method.

Truly you need like five things: meat, vegetables, olive oil or other fat, some sort of liquid (chicken stock, wine, water, tomato juice etc.), and seasonings (herbs, chili peppers, salt/pepper, garlic). Soups can use any sort of meat. I like to add vegetables, like onions, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, celery, peas, greens, mushrooms, and peppers. Obviously, I don't add them at the same time...Canned stuff works well too, like beans, tomatoes, corn etc. Then you add liquid and cook for long periods of time.

For example, start with any protein, like chicken, beef, pork or even ground meat. Put oil in the pot and brown your meat. When browned, remove and set aside. Put whatever veggies you want in the pot the same pot. Add more fat if you need to. They need to saute too. Once vegetables are sauteed, remove them and set aside. Deglaze with some sort of liquid. Scrape up any bits on the bottom. Add your meat back in and season with salt and pepper. Add canned tomatoes and stock until the meat is covered. Cook on low for several hours. Remember that your vegetables will break down at some point. I sometimes like to add my vegetables later in the process (maybe after hour one). I hate soggy veggies. This is about it.

Time saving tip: buy a rotisserie chicken for the soup. Keep the carcass for stock.


Tip number 2: start soups with carrots, celery, onion and garlic. They are good with everything.


Tip 3: Keep a good spice drawer. Some of my faves: chili powder, paprika, cumin, ginger, fennel, italian herbs, onion powder, black pepper, curry 


Tip 4: Use stock for the liquids of your soups. Chicken stock is good in everything. 


Tip 5: Keep your bones. I like to add beef or lamb or pork bones into soups. I keep them in the freezer. They impart tons of flavor for your soups. Remove them before serving.

Soups are perfect for cheaper pieces of meat, like pork shoulder and beef stew, which you can buy in a roast and cut yourself. Ground beef, turkey and chicken also work well. Keep canned tomatoes and tomato paste on hand in your cabinet. Also rice and pasta work well here. I don't make those at my house, but you could add them if you want. Sometimes I will make my hubs some pasta and pour the soup over it. Here are some other ideas:

Pork shoulder soup with white beans, tomatilla salsa, onions, peppers, and garlic (chicken stock)
Beef stew with butternut squash (beef stock as the liquid)
Ground beef (or turkey) chili with beer, beans and tomatoes (use your tomato paste here)
Ground chicken soup with potatoes, carrots, and celery (cook pasta on the side)
Rotisserie chicken soup with beans and vegetables (chicken stock as liquid)
Beef stew with sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots
Pork shoulder soup with tomatoes, beans, and corn
Ground beef soup with canned tomatoes, corn, and green beans
Taco soup: ground beef, corn, beans, green chilis, tomatoes and chili powder
Posole: Pork shoulder soup with hominy and green salsa (garnish with cilantro)
Chicken noodle soup with mexican spices, like cumin, chili powder, and paprika
Split pea soup with ham
Curried chicken soup with chicken breast, vegetables, coconut milk and curry paste
Beef stew with mushrooms

Truly, the possibilities are endless...


Happy Soup Cooking!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Chicken with bacon and goat cheese

I am a chicken breast hater. I understand that it is probably the most popular meat in the United States. It is very boring to me and often over cooked. This is a yummy chicken recipe mostly because it involves two of my favorite things...bacon and goat cheese. I made this the other night. I had some extra jarred tomato sauce that I added cream to. That is sort of optional. It would be good without the sauce. Here is what I did.

Chicken with Bacon and Goat Cheese


2 Chicken Breasts
2 pieces of bacon
1/2 tsp of italian herbs
2 ounces of goat cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
1/8 cup of heavy cream
Salt/pepper
Olive oil (your preference of how much you use)


1) Make a slit in the side of the chicken
2) Put your finger in there to make a hole for the goat cheese
3) Put one ounce of cheese in each breast
4) Salt and pepper the chicken
5) Season chicken with herbs
6) Wrap the chicken breast with one slice of bacon (you could use two if you like)
7) Pour olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan
8) Brown chicken on both sides
9) Transfer to 350 preheated oven
10) Cook until done
11) For tomato sauce, heat up sauce and add cream. Pour it on the plate and place chicken on top

Enjoy!

The Perfect Paleo Breakfast (or for any one who likes eggs!)

Check out this super easy (I mean super duper easy) egg recipe. Mark Bittman, who is pretty much a big deal in the cooking world, talked about cooking simple yet elegant egg dishes. Buy his book, How to Cook Everything. It is a great addition to your cookbooks. He uses ramekins, but I don't have any of those. I improvised by using muffin tins.

Egg Cups (Serving size: 1-2 eggs per person)

Using your muffin tins, spray or butter each tin you intend on using. Put a piece of cooked bacon or proscuitto in the muffin tin. You can add a tomato slice if you like. Spinach would work well too. Crack your egg, being careful not to break the yolk. Add salt and pepper to the egg. Drizzle a little bit of cream or put a tiny pat of butter on top. I added hot sauce, of course. Sprinkle with cheese. Whatever you want. Get creative. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. I cooked mine for 15 minutes and the whites were slightly undercooked. My hubs likes his whites cooked, so his eggs were in the oven for 18 minutes.

At this point, you are done. This is the easiest egg dish I have made in a while. Serve with fruit or a salad, if eating this for dinner. Enjoy!

Curried Chicken and Vegetables

Curried Chicken with Vegetables and Peanuts

I came home from a wonderful weekend in Fayetteville, AR visiting friends. I was hungry and knew that I was going to cook something for dinner. I had the hubs pick up some chicken, asparagus, and cauliflower. I had coconut milk, curry paste, and fish sauce at home. This is another reason to keep a stocked cabinet! I whipped this together in under an hour. There are short cuts that can be made, which I will point out as I go. The hubs ate his with rice. I ate mine as is. This made a ton, which is wonderful for a family. We have three tupperwares of leftovers for the week. Yippee! Here is what I did.

Curried Chicken and Vegetables (Makes 5 servings)

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 yellow pepper
1 small Zucchini
1/2 bunch of asparagus
1.5 TBLS of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
2 TBLS of Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
Coconut Oil or EVOO for sauteing vegetables
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Caveat: I sauteed the vegetables individually starting with the cauliflower then the peppers and then the zucchini. I did not saute the asparagus, but threw it into the pot at the last minute. This is totally unnecessary and will save you time if you omit this step.

1) Cut up vegetables into bite sized pieces
2) Using 2-3 TBLS of fat (whatever you like), saute your vegetables. Season them with salt and pepper
3) After 3-4 minutes, remove the vegetables
4) Season chicken on both sides. Begin to brown
5) Remove chicken and set it aside. It only needs to be browned. It will cook in the curry.
6) Once chicken is removed, deglaze with 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Scrape up browned bits
7) Add curry paste to the chicken stock
8) Add coconut milk. Stir
9) While the coconut milk is bubbling, cut chicken into bite sized pieces
10) Add chicken to coconut milk mixture. Cover the pot and let gently simmer for 10 minutes
11) Add vegetables into the mix. Let cook 5 more minutes. Add Fish sauce to the mixture. Stir
12) Serve into bowls and garnish with chopped peanuts

*This sauce was so good. I commented that I wanted something to sop it up like rice or bread. You can make this vegetarian very easily. Simply use vegetable stock instead of chicken and add one can of drained garbanzo beans.

Enjoy!

It's Octoberfest Y'all

Ok, ok, I have sort of started to embrace my Midwestern life....well, maybe a Polish or German life really. I now love many things that are foreign to my upbringing. Merck's cheese spread, cheese curds, bratwurst, any sort of encased meat and italian beef (the list goes on) are sadly some of my favorite things to eat now. My obsession with bratwurst rivals my obsession with wine and with beef. I will say though that nothing satisfies more than a grilled brat. So the other night, I made this super easy 4-ingredient dinner. My husband had three servings of this. He loves any sort of grilled brat. Add sauerkraut, mustard, onion, and Giardinara and he is one happy man.

Try this recipe now. Feel free to use turkey sausage if you prefer, but those don't really make much of a rotation at my house. If using turkey, you may need to add some additional fat so they don't dry out on the grill.

Jarred sauerkraut and beer

Quickly grilled onions to add to the sauerkraut mixture

Grilled sausages on top of sauerkraut, onion and beer mixture. Be sure to nestle them down into the sauerkraut.

Grilled Sausage and sauerkraut. Serve with hot mustard and pickled hot vegetables.

Grilled Sauerkraut and Bratwurst (Potentially serves 6, but for us, 3 servings)*


6 Fresh Bratwurst
1 Onion (sliced)
1 28 ounce jar of sauerkraut
1 lager beer


*This can be made in the oven instead of the grill. Simply saute onion and sear sausages in a pan. Then pour sauerkraut in a oven safe casserole dish. Place browned sausages and onion on top of sauerkraut, pour beer in and bake for 30-60 minutes at 350.


1) Preheat grill. Make a medium sized fire with coals on one side
2) While you are waiting on the fire, quickly saute one onion in a little bit of EVOO. 
3) Place onions in a grill safe casserole dish. You can use a skillet too, but only copper, stainless steel or cast-iron. 
4) Cover with sauerkraut. Set aside until ready to go on the grill 
5) When the coals are ashy, place the sausages on the hotter pot of the grill
6) Monitor the sausages. Turn them when they begin the brown. Make sure they don't burn
7) When browned, simply place casserole dish on the hotter part of the grill. Add sausages on top of the sauerkraut and pour beer in. 
8) Make sure you sort of bury the sausages in the sauerkraut and beer mixture
9) Cover the grill
10) You may want to check to make sure that the mixture is simmering not boiling 
11) Cook for 30 minutes on a covered grill
12) Serve with mustard and Giardinara. YUMMERS!

Fall in a Bowl!

I love the fall (except that for us, it means that winter is just around the corner and Chicago winters are tough). Fall reminds me of butternut squash, apples, braised meats, soups, pumpkins and fallen leaves. I made a recipe that was inspired by Emeril. I don't often like him but I have had to get creative and think out of the box since giving up carbs. My husband and I went on an adventure to Wisconsin this weekend. We bought brats from a meat market in Lake Geneva, had lunch in Lake Zurich with our friends, and hiked in Eagle, Wisconsin before returning home. This is the supper I made when we got home. It was a one pot meal with tons of flavor.

Apple Brandy Chicken with Cabbage (serves 4)

6 organic Chicken thighs with skin and bone
3 slices thick cut bacon or 6 slices thin bacon diced
2 granny smith apples diced
1 bulb of fennel sliced
1 head cabbage sliced
1 large onion sliced
1 cup no sugar added apple juice
1/3 cup Brandy or apple brandy
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and Pepper
1 TBL of fennel seed (optional, but delicious)

1) Get out your biggest dutch oven. Mine is a 7 quart red beauty that I got for my birthday from Pat
2) Dice your bacon and put it in the pot
3) Brown the bacon. While this is happening, start your prep
4) Slice your fennel first in half vertically. De-core (like an apple) and thinly slice
5) Slice your cabbage first in half (vertically) De-core and then thinly slice
6) Slice your onion and dice your apple after it is de-cored too
7) Remove cooked bacon to a plate and remove all but 2 TBL of bacon fat. Fat=flavor!
8) Salt and pepper your chicken thighs on both sides. (make sure that you are working with medium hi heat)
9) Place chicken SKIN-SIDE DOWN in the pot. It will be crowded, but give it some time
10) Let them cook for 5 minutes or so. Take a peak and see if there is a crust
11) Flip chicken (the first side should be beautifully browned)
12) Remove chicken and begin cooking your vegetables. I poured out some of the chicken fat before adding the vegetables. It is your choice. 
13) Fennel and onion go in the pot first (saute maybe 5 minutes)
14) Remember to season every layer as you go. Lightly salt and pepper the fennel and onion
15) Add 1/2 of your cabbage. Begin to saute the cabbage
16) After 5 minutes, add the rest of your cabbage
17) Add your fennel seed. Season with salt and pepper. Remember to do this with every layer of food
18) Once the second batch of cabbage is wilted slightly, add your brandy. Stir the brandy and it will help to deglaze your pan...i.e. pick up yummy bacon and chicken bits from the bottom. Let it evaporate
19) Place chicken on top of cabbage mixture
20) Scatter apples around the chicken (I don't like mine mushy. Add them earlier if you want)
21) Carefully pour one cup of apple juice and some chicken stock around the chicken and cabbage
22) Put a top on and let it cook on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour
23) Serve in bowls with juice
24) Garnish with fennel fronds (the green tops you cut off the fennel) and some diced raw apple
25) This was YUMMERS as my hubs says. It was not too sweet. The brandy and the apply juice produced a slightly sweet rich sauce.

*There is a caveat. I like crispy chicken skin. I removed the chicken from the pot at the last minute and crisped the skin on my cast-iron griddle. This is unnecessary, but I liked the effect.

Thick cut bacon rendering in the pan

Chicken browned in the bacon drippings

Sauteed fennel and onion. The brown on the bottom of this pan is called the FOND. It is flavorful and the brandy helps to pick up those yummy brown bits. 

Arrange your chicken on top of the cabbage mixture. Scatter apples around the chicken at this point

Finished product. Raw apple and fennel fronds are great garnishes for this meal.