Pot Roast, old style

Sure, gadgets and food fads are the solid way to go, a lot of the time.  Sometimes, however, you want to go old school because the reason something is a classic and has been made the same way forever is because, simply, it's delicious.

Take a day, a cast iron dutch oven and a few ingredients and you will be in culinary comfort food nirvana in, well, hours and hours but really, even though it takes all day, you don't have to DO anything so...c'mon, let's get comfy! 

In an oval dutch oven throw in some potatoes, carrots, celery, bay leaf, garlic clove, salt and pepper, parsley stems, tyme leaves, herbs of choice, an onion chopped into 4, drizzle some olive oil over it all.

   

 Plunk (it's a culinary term) a 5 lb chuck roast (that's been salted and peppered) on top.  Pour in chicken stock or water to barely cover the vegetables.

  

Put into 275 degree oven, go have a life, come back in 5 hours. WOW that'll work!

 

Take your roast out and put it on a plate, in the oven to keep warm.  Pull out the carrots and potatoes and drain the rest of the juice.  Put the juice in a sauce pan and boil like crazy... add a slurry (flour+water) or cornstarch mixed with a little water or a beurre manie (butter+flour) to thicken the sauce to your liking. 

I put the potatoes to the side for another day and nuked some peas and mashed some potatoes for tonights version.

Serve meat, potatoes and vegetables. OR you can do the potato valley gravy holder

 

OR, like me, flood it all... eat with abandon and be happy in the depths of your soul.



Go make a pot roast, old school, fabulous.

/tracy

Perfectly Poached Eggs (for 1 or more than 1)

There are few things so simply lovely as a perfectly cooked poached egg.  Really, a soft yet firm white and a runny but warm yolk that runs over your toast when you break into it.

In my humble opinion, I'm a rock star egg for 1 cooker.  Seriously, it's one of the short list items I am proud of.  I have found the perfect cup, ratio and time on my microwave to produce, consistently, the most perfect microwave poached egg on earth.  Truly. I'm more proud of being able to do one simple thing equally as well every time than being able to do a major holiday meal with all 9 veggies and meats.  Sometimes simple is more important.

For my easy microwave egg for me.  I break 1 extra large egg into 1/2 cup of water in a small glass cup, it has to be straight sided for some reason, the slanty ones don't cook so evenly.  Oh and I know, I've made a zillion.  I also don't like them cooked in ramekins, too shallow.  I'm rather persnickety about it I guess.  Back to my egg, I poke the yolk with a needle, cover loosely with plastic wrap and cook for 1 minute on High (I have 1,000 watt microwave.  I drain it with my tuna can strainer, tip it onto toast and eat.

Now then, on those days I simply have to eat more than 1 egg (they happen) or if I have a friend here who wants an egg at the same time as me or if hubba or offspring want one, well that's where the problem happens.  I haven't mastered multiple egg poach cooking in the microwave.

Enter, my mother's brilliant throw away comment... 'oh, hi, yeah, I got the knife, I'm going dancing this afternoon, I made myself a perfectly poached egg in a jar this morning, I don't know what pants to wear with this sweater, oh and how's your day?"  WHAT?  You made an egg in a jar?  When did you think of that? Oh, d'uh.  I cook everything in jars, chicken pie, apple pie, molten lava cakes, cold pork pie, mince pie, apple crumble - why not eggs?  She used to coddle eggs when I was a kid in cool little egg coddling jar thingys with silver lids, I hate them.  But calling it poached eggs, and doing it in a jar, that's got to be tastier!

It's silly simple and I'm almost embarrassed to post it as a recipe.

You need 1 egg per mini mason jar.  Butter the jar and crack an egg into it, salt and pepper lightly and put the lid on.  Shove it in the fridge until you want to eat.

Bring the jar/jars out to room temperature so you don't have an explosion, only a couple of minutes. Take the lids off the jars if you are going to freak out about a sealed jar in the water, I cooked mine with the lid for these pictures but then did another sample cook without the lid, they cook slightly faster without the lid.
  

Bring enough water to come 3/4 up the side of the jars to a solid boil, throw a piece of paper towel in the bottom to prevent clacking and very loud jiggling of glass against metal.

Put the jars into the water, (IF you've taken the lids off the jars then cover the saucepan)  Cook them for 8 minutes. The beautiful thing is that you can see how cooked they are, easily, and cook them longer if you want or less if you're really into soft whites.  I am not.

   
Carefully remove them from the water, use a tea towel to hold them.  Run a knife around the side to loosen and plunk on a piece of very crispy buttered toast. 
 
Break it open, add salt and pepper and eat.  Oh and feel free to repeat, often.

/enjoy

OTHER RECIPES that I make in my beloved little jars are: 

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2011/06/pie-in-jar.html

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/01/mini-pressure-cooker-cheesecake-in-jars.html

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2012/04/meat-pie-in-jars.html

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/03/pressure-cooker-steamed-pudding.html

Chicken, Stock, Rice and Ground Beef, Cooking for the week

I'm cooking for the week, not because I have to (I homeschool now *feel free to go see what we're up to*  http://tracyhomeschooling.blogspot.com/    so there's gobs of time to cook) but because I WANT to!

In the fridge is some cooked chicken, a couple of lbs of ground beef and some left over mashed potatoes.  I need a weeks worth of food, part fun, part necessity, part challenge!

SUNDAY WEEK COOKING: 

STOCK: 

In the pressure cooker, the backs, bones, skin and any 'other' bits from the roasted chicken pieces in the week.  I have a giant container of beautifully cooked chicken and now, the otherworldly parts will do my bidding.

I added a couple of small carrots, a large celery stick, some herbs duProvence and some thyme, a bayleaf and I covered it all with water, time 15 minutes pressure. We will have chicken stock.

MEXICAN STYLE BEEF

In the dutch oven while the stock does it's stocky thing.

Sweat a couple of onions, some carrot, celery, garlic in some bacon fat (oh yes)

When the veggies are soft and lightly colored, add the 2 lbs of ground beef you got on sale for $1.00 and brown it dark.

Add a little flour to seize the fat and tighten the meat up and then throw in a can of tomatoes with chili and a small can of tomato sauce. I added some of the chicken stock to make it soupier, after all, it is going to cook a while.

Season with salt, pepper, cumin, taco seasoning, chili powder, a tablespoon of cocoa powder and some Worcestershire sauce.

Throw a lid on it and put it in a low oven, 275, for a while, maybe a couple of hours hour or so then we'll look.

I keep this concoction on hand for the week.  It will be put in soft tacos one night.  It will be combined with nibblets, put in a casserole dish and covered with cornbread batter and baked then served upside down with dollops of sour cream and gratings of cheese.  It will be added to some additional meat and made into mini meatloaf (baked in a muffin tin) and served with mashed potatoes and and a tomato based 'gravy'.  It will be rolled in tortillas with some cheese and refried beans and baked with plain tomato sauce on it. It will be mixed with rice and eaten in a big bowl.

I like my mystery Mexican style meat mixture :)

RICE

Stock is strained, drained and separated.

In the pressure cooker, I tossed a little bit of bacon fat, and 2 cups of rice.  I fried it around a bit until the ends looks a little translucent.  It truly keeps the grains separate and this is 'in the week' rice so I need it separate.

To the 2 cups of rice I add 2 cups of the stock and 2 1/4 cups of water, lock and load, 8 minutes.

DING!  8 minutes later, release pressure and spread it out on a sheet pan to dry, then bag it.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY

In the pot;  large pieces of 3 onions, garlic, ginger.  Fry until they look delicious in a little, um, bacon fat?  No, I use peanut oil for this.

Toss in some pre-made curry paste or powder and fry fry fry.  IF you don't have any prepared paste or powder then add cumin, tumeric, fennel seed, corriander seed, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar.  I always add a little of the fresh spices to my powder anyway to fry around.  It matters.

Pour in some coconut milk or cream (I just found coconut cream sold in mini tetra packs!) Then add more of that chicken stock.  Shred in some of the cooked chicken and a few large potato chunks.  Be sure the liquid covers all the good stuff by at least an inch.  Adjust the stock/coconut milk ratio to your own liking, I like it heavily coco-nutty (yes, that is a word!).

Simmer until it all thickens and the potatoes cook.  I toss frozen peas in during the last 5 minutes but you can keep it green free if you like.  A little chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon freshens it up nicely too at the end.

Serve over...RICE!

CHICKEN SALAD


Shred some of the leftover cooked chicken.  Add a blob of mayonnaise, a little dijon, a little tarragon and a little tyme.  Sprinkle a little curry powder in.  Add one rib of celery chopped fine and one shallot, also chopped fine.

It's going to make a fine chicken wrap/sandwich in the week with crispy romaine.  I'm making ciabatta tomorrow so it'll be a hearty sandwich for sure!  I may add tomato and bacon and make it a club!

SALMON CAKES

In a bowl, throw in the left over mashed potatoes, there's about 2 cups, a drained can of salmon, bones and skin removed, liquid reserved.  Add some chopped scallion, salt, pepper, some sauteed shallot and an egg.  Mix it all in and then add fresh bread crumbs as needed to make it just combine and stick together.

Form into 2-3 inch sized balls and throw it into the fridge to set up.

Dip the balls into a couple of beaten eggs then into panko bread crumbs and flatten into patties at this point.  Put them on a tray and throw them into the fridge or freezer.  Ready to fry up, in a little peanut oil butter combo.  You can bake them too. Whenever the mood hits I am fishcake ready, I like Heinz beans in tomato sauce with them and buttered, thinly sliced, homemade white bread.

QUICKIE CHICKEN FRIED RICE

I'll beat 2 eggs with a pinch of salt a drizzle of soy and a splash of water and throw it into a hot hot wok and fry it fast then remove it.

Add fresh peanut oil in the hot wok then add grated ginger and garlic and shush it around.  Add some cole slaw mix (I have some in the fridge), and fry it around then add a couple handfuls of cooked rice.  Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy, pepper, chili garlic paste and toss/fry until it's beautiful. Taste taste taste. Add shredded cooked chicken, see how that's being stretched out?!?!  and the scrambled eggs and some frozen peas..  Fry Fry Fry quickly for a moment or two, drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over it, toss about and tip into bowls.  Eat greedily with Rooster sauce on the table.

DONE!

Everything holds well, saves well and freezes well so I'm good.

I have a few things to do to each meal to get it ready, make a salad, add a veg, make some bread or naan or  tortillas but really, we'll be laughing this week.  It's noon on Sunday and I am done, I think I'll have my husband take me to the movies.  That way we spend time together but really, don't have to say a thing...  perfect.

/go cook!

Tracy

White Bread, my Daily Bread

 

I've had loads and loads of people ask about the white bread loaf I make.  I've passed the recipe along but here is the pictures, the play by play.

In the bowl of your kitchenaid 

1 cup of warm milk, 1 T sugar, 2 T melted butter, 2 T vegetable oil, 2 1/4 tsp yeast.  Mix and leave it there to come to life!

 

ADD 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3 cups flour.

MIX slowly with dough hook to combine

 

This looks a little sticky so I shake in 1/4 cup of flour
 

There, that looks better
 

CRANK up to high and let it go for 5 minutes
 

After 5 minutes, it's soft and has cleared the bottom of the bowl!


Put on lightly floured surface and flatten it, knead it a couple of times and turn it into a ball
  

I put a dollop of room temperature butter on the top of the ball, smear it around with my hands then gently roll and and pull the dough ball under itself which distributes the butter all the way around. Roll it around in your hand creating a smooth surface and it'll feel lovely and happy.

(*I will do a video because I've been asked)

 

I put it in a plastic container to rise, these don't need to be greased at all, pop a lid on and I put in the oven with the light on for 60 minutes.
 

After 1 hour, look how HAPPY it is!!  It's easily tripled.   THANK you, bread dough, you DO love me!


On a lightly floured board, dump it out (the corners make me giggle).  Flatten it with your hands, fingertips actually then fold it into 3rds
  

Fold the top third down and the bottom third up.  Then turn it 90 degrees.
  

Flatten it a bit then roll from the bottom, tightly, (keep the edges even!) and seal the edge over.  Pinch it hard!
  

I roll it lightly in flour and put it, seam side down, in a greased loaf tin.  Sorry mine is really grotty but I love the bread this makes and the shape is right.
 

In the oven with the light on with a dry towel, for 45 minutes, then peek.
 

OH HAPPY risen bread!!


Pop it into a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. If your oven isn't completely even, spin it at 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.  *LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS IS!* and remove from pan immediately and leave to cool.
 

THAT is how I make my daily bread, every 3rd day or so.  I hope you make it, I hope you love it, I hope you show me how yours comes out!

(You CAN substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for a/p if you feel but do not substitute a higher percentage!!)

/enjoy!