Crock Pot Beef Stew November 4, 2009

Today a friend asked for a recipe for Beef Bourguignon using a crock pot.

This is a slightly altered version of Julia Child’s, the big differences being this doesn’t include bacon and I replaced butter for olive oil.  Sorry Julia.

Beef Stew

2 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, full-bodied
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
4 cloves smashed garlic
1 large onion, in large chunks
carrots, peeled, in large chunks
4 celery stalks, in large chunks
1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 teaspoon of each: thyme, parsley, rosemary, sage
3 bay leaves

*Instead of cooking the whole thing in a large pot, sauté the beef in a pan and deglaze the pan with wine after transferring everything to the crock pot. *

Place flour in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches, add beef to pot and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove beef and toss in flour. Return all meat to pot. Add wine, garlic, broth, ketchup and herbs. Cover; simmer for about 1/2 hour. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on a low temp for 2 hours or longer.

I do, You do, we all Fondue March 9, 2009

Someone asked about using a crock pot instead of a fondue pot, which works in a pinch; and inspired a new recipe.

Enjoy!

Apple Cider Fondue

4 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 pound)
2 cloves of garlic
dash of nutmeg
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup hard apple cider
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brandy, apple or pear brandy even better

Toss cheese and cornstarch in large bowl to coat. Bring hard cider, vinegar, nutmeg and garlic just to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low (mixture should be barely simmering). Add a handful of cheese to simmering cider mixture. Stir until cheese is melted. Add remaining cheese 1 handful at a time, stirring until melted between additions. Increase heat to medium and cook until fondue begins to bubble, stirring constantly. Stir in brandy. Season to taste with pepper.

This is a little sweet and works well with meats, potatoes, apples and of course bread.

Freeform yummy September 6, 2007

I had the idea of making a Moroccan inspired chicken dish, I had the ingredients in mind but no recipe to speak of. So I winged it and it was super tasty.

I’m not sure if I’ve got the proportions exact, feel free to adapt this to your liking and let me know if you have discovered a fantastic addition.

1 lbs Chicken, boneless in sections
2 cups rice
½ cup dates, chopped
¼ cup Spanish olives with pimento, chopped
¼ cup capers
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
½ cup leeks, sliced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 ½ chicken stock
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili pepper
1 tbsp ground black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon

These instructions are for the oven, but would make an excellent crock-pot recipe.

Place rice in bottom of a deep casserole dish, chop dates, olives and tomatoes and sprinkle over rice. Place chicken pieces on top evenly leaving some spaces between so fluid can reach rice. Sprinkle chicken with spices and let sit while preparing liquid.
Chop leeks and garlic, heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté leeks until slightly brown, add garlic and brown a little longer. Add wine and stir to release the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let liquid reduce for a few minutes, then add chicken stock or water and bullion, heat liquid slightly and pour over rice and chicken. Cover casserole with lid and bake at 450 for 2 hours or until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice – if you have time to cook it longer at a lower temp, even better.