9 Search Results for: label/stock

Slow Cooker Turkey Stock

Published by Mike Vrobel

Thanksgiving night.Exhausted. Too much turkey.Too much wine.Too much stuffing. Ready to collapse. One last thing to do: make turkey stock.Break up turkey carcass to fit in the slow cooker.Add an onion, a carrot, a celery rib, and bay leaves.Cover with cold water.Set cooker on low for 12 hours. Stumble to my bedroom and sleep for 12 hours. Wake up the next morning to the smell of turkey soup. What could be a better way to spend the day after Thanksgiving? Recipe: Slow Cooker Turkey Stock Cooking time: 12 hours Equipment: 6 quart or larger slow cooker (Preferably with a removable insert. I love my All-Clad, but I hear good things about this Crock Pot model.) Ingredients Carcass from a roast turkey, broken into pieces so it will fit in your slow cooker 1 large onion, trimmed and halved 1 large carrot, scrubbed and halved 1 celery rib, halved 2 bay leaves Water to cover (about 4 quarts) Directions 1. Slow cook the stockPut everything in the slow cooker and add the water to cover. Slow …

Pumpkin and Squash Soup

Published by Mike Vrobel

Diane had an unexpected bonus in our garden this year. Tim, our youngest, planted a seed while he was helping Diane, and it gave us a mystery squash that we were puzzling over for most of the summer. We assumed it was a rogue zucchini, but there was only one of them, and it kept getting bigger and rounder. It had tendrils reaching out to our deck, and was taking over one side of the 4 foot garden box it was planted in. Eventually, it became obvious, even to a garden novice like me – Tim had planted a pumpkin! Tim was so excited. He loves helping mom with the plants, and now he had a pumpkin of his very own. Every time he saw it, he would wiggle with excitement. Finally, it was a nice, bright orange, and it was time to pick it. Now what? I had to do something worthy of Timmy’s pride and joy. I went with a recipe I learned from Patrick Payet while I was in Provence. This recipe …

Beef Burgundy

Published by Mike Vrobel

And now, for a stew that is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party…if I ever had such a thing.*I just “have people over”, as Pam Anderson says. Beef Burgundy, Julia Child’s way, is a tour de force production.  It was the recipe she made in the first episode of “The French Chef”, and she chose it for a good reason.  The big chunks of beef, bathed in the velvety wine sauce, with browned pearl onions and mushrooms mixed in at the last minute…amazing. Julia’s recipe takes a maximum effort, and gives a maximum reward. I’ve made Julia’s version.  Once. I loved it, but I’m using a simpler version here.*I’ve heard that this recipe plays a big part in Julie and Julia.  As of this writing, I haven’t seen it yet.  Yes, I know, I’ll have to turn in my foodie membership card. I follow what I think of as my basic stew technique.  Brown the beef (in some bacon fat…yum…). Saute the aromatics in the leftover fat, add the liquid (burgundy…yum again…), and simmer in the …

Lentil stew, Umbrian style

Published by Mike Vrobel

This recipe is another example of how to vary the flavor profile of a dish.  I’m using the basic technique from my Lentil Dal stew.  We’ll change the flavor from Indian to Italian by switching some of the aromatics and spices.*Oh, and by adding a little pancetta.  You can never go wrong when you add a little bacon to your beans.I also get to use some fennel from my CSA box.  Only a few more bulbs to go! Recipe: Lentil Stew, Umbrian Style Ingredients: 1 slice pancetta, diced (or 2 slices thick-cut bacon) 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 fennel bulb, diced 1 tsp kosher salt 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional) 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 small sprig fresh rosemary (No more than 4 inches long) 1 lb lentils, (preferrably Umbrian Lentils or Lentils Du Puy) picked over and rinsed 4 cups water 4 cups chicken stock (Homemade stock, please.  If you don’t have homemade, use water instead) salt and pepper to taste Directions:1. Sort and rinse the …

Lentil stew, Dal style

Published by Mike Vrobel

Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything was the first general purpose cookbook I bought. Unfortunately…I didn’t like it. The recipes are very stripped down, and I could tell. Some were simplified to the point of missing out on some of the flavors in the dish. That, and I’m obsessive. And since I’m obsessive, once I found Cooks Illustrated, I felt right at home. Years passed, and I stumbled across Bittman’s Minimalist column in the New York Times. It’s become one of my favorite food resources. Maybe it’s because I’ve learned enough about cooking to appreciate a recipe stripped down to its bare bones? Or where to fill in the blanks? Either way, I get my daily fix from his blog, Bitten. Once a week I find myself flagging a recipe for future use. This particular recipe has quickly become one of my favorites. It’s a weeknight meal that has an Indian flavor profile I really love. It’s a soupy, stewy mix of lentils (dal) and aromatic vegetables, with a hit of curry to give it …

Slow Cooker Caribbean Black Beans and Rice

Published by Mike Vrobel

I have three young, picky eaters at home. The book that helped us get through this tragedy is “Child of Mine” by Ellyn Satter. Her theory is a division of responsibility at the dinner table – a parent’s job is to put a healthy meal on the table; the kid’s job is to figure out if they’re going to eat or not.* And have good table manners while they do it. No whining! Hint – always serve bread and milk, and they won’t starve. This has worked for us, sort of – we usually don’t get into life or death power struggles with a 7 year old over dinner. But, two of my three kids won’t eat ANY vegetables, and one of them won’t even eat fruit. I keep hoping that they’ll come around, like Ellyn says they will, but I haven’t seen any evidence of it after five years. So, I’ve started to try to push “just a taste” of things I think they might actually eat. Of course, this results in the aforementioned …

Quick Couscous

Published by Mike Vrobel

Here’s another quick weeknight recipe. Couscous will give you a starchy side dish in almost no time at all, especially if you have an eletcric kettle to boil your water in.  Also, because it’s fairly bland, the kids will eat it!OK, two out of three of my kids. I can’t get THAT lucky. Recipe: Quick CouscousIngredients: 1.5 cups instant couscous 1 tbsp butter (optional) 2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp table salt) 2 cups boiling water Directions:1. Cooking: Combine the couscous, butter and salt in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water into the bowl, stir to combine, and cover.  (I use a dinner plate).  Let sit 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork, and serve. Ready for the boiling water Variations:Replace the butter with olive oil Replace the boiling water with boiling chicken stock for some extra flavor. *Add 1/4 cup raisins (or even better, the tiny raisins called Currants) with the other ingredients before adding the boiling water *Sprinkle some chopped parsley over the top as a garnish.  (I can’t do this – …

Rotisserie Cornish Game Hens

Published by Mike Vrobel

When my Grandpa would make his annual visit to my parent’s house, Cornish game hens were always on the menu.  Grandpa and my dad would work on their yearly home improvement project, and he would always want “little chickens” with rice pilaf stuffing when the project was over. But, before that, I’d get to help, and watch my Dad and Grandpa interact.**”No, no, no, not that way, you’re doing it all wrong!”**”But we measured it twice – it will fit…ok, it should fit…hmm. Back to the hardware store.”***”What do you mean, we’re taking a break? It’s only 90 degrees.” “But we’re sticking to the roof because the tar shingles are melting!” This is how I learned to talk with the other men in my family.  We only communicate while working on a project, or watching sports.*My wife thinks this is a tragedy. I think it’s just how most men communicate. Tomato, tomahto. Recipe: Rotisserie Cornish Game HensOverview:See my rotisserie poultry overview, for a discussion of the general techniques used with this recipe. Equipment: Grill with …

Choucroute Garnie – Sauerkraut with pork and sausage

Published by Mike Vrobel

Choucroute Garnie is a specialty of the Alsace region of France. It’s a collection of different types of pork – smoked, cured, sausage…but Choucroute Garnie is really all about the sauerkraut. You see all that wonderful pork, and think that it’s the important part. But it’s not. Now, don’t get me wrong, the pork is good. Really good. But it’s real purpose is to give the sauerkraut its wonderful flavor. I learned that at Brasserie Flo; this was the best meal I had in Paris. And that’s saying something! They bring a platter with a huge pile of choucroute, and various types of pork to your table, along with a selection of mustards to dip with*. I started with the different cuts of pork, but by the time I was finished I was ignoring the pork, and trying to figure out how to fit a little more of the sauerkraut into my poor, stuffed stomach. *And with a carafe of dry Alsatian Riesling…I have to go back to Paris, if just for this meal!I’ve been …