Chicken Green Chile Stew

I made this stew a while back for one of my SoupGroup meetings. I seldom try new recipes for SoupGroup because of my fear of failure. The stew is a variation of my green chile sauce. The potatoes and corn makes a pretty hearty meal. I like to top it with shredded jack cheese and serve with a tortilla or two.

This recipe makes enough for five quart-sized containers and then some. Tonight I scaled it down a bit. I am really trying to learn how to cook for one (and sometimes two).

It is not green chile season so I used frozen green chiles and enhance it with some fresh roasted poblanos and jalapenos. During chile season I still like to use a roasted jalapeno or serrano. It adds a little dimension to the chile flavor. Don't use canned Hatch green chiles. They are vile.

- 4 lbs chicken breast; cubed
- 3 cloves garlic; crushed
- garlic powder
- cumin
- mexican oregano
- sea salt
- black pepper
-fbacon drippings or oil
- Flour
- 1 Onion; diced
- 2 quarts Chicken broth
- 3 jalapenos; roasted, peeled, deveined, de-seeded, and diced
- 3 poblanos peppers; roasted, peeled, deveined, de-seeded, and diced
- 1 cup roasted peeled green chile
- 5 diced tomatillos (or a 7 ounce can of Herdez salsa verde)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (I think it was a 14-15 ounce can.)
- bay leaves
- 5 red potatoes; peeled and diced
- 5 Yukon gold potatoes; peeled and diced
- 1 bag frozen super sweet corn (I used a gold and white mix.)

1. Marinate chicken breast with garlic, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Make a blond roux using equal parts bacon drippings or oil and flour. Set aside.
3. In a sauté pan, brown chicken breast in bacon drippings or oil. Transfer to large stockpot when browned.
4. In same pan, sauté onions with a little oil. Transfer to stockpot.
5. Place stockpot on medium heat. Add jalapenos, poblanos, and green chile. (I usually add half first, taste, and then add more later if I want more flavor and heat.)
6. Add tomatillos or salsa verde, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaves.
7. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are slightly fork tender.
8. Add roux and bring to a boil. Roux will thicken stew when it comes to a boil. (I usually will make the roux with about half a cup of flour and add in small quantities until I get the desired consistency.)
9. Adjust seasonings and add frozen corn.

I tried some pre-cooked tortillas.

I'm not sure if I like them. I think they are supposed to be closer to homemade tortillas. They were a little too thin. I like the handmade tortillas at Casa Guadalajara.

Dried Longan Drink with Agar Agar "Noodles"

I know this drink doesn't look very appetizing. The brown color from the dried longan makes the liquid a cola brown. I used to order this drink in Vietnamese restaurants back home but I don't see it on menus out here. Vietnamese restaurants have the best dessert-drinks. You will usually find three-color bean drink (layered sweet beans, pandan flavored chendol, and coconut milk), shinh to (tropical fruit smoothies), salty plum soda, egg soda, fresh squeeze orange juice, Vietnamese coffee (Cafe Du Monde coffee with chicory), and other yummy and not so yummy drinks. I love the Avocado shinh to but only if it is made correctly. You couldn't pay me enough to drink egg soda.

One of my friends told me that the dried longan can be found in the grocery store. I tried to recreate the drink. The version at the restaurant had other ingredients that I did not recognize. My version has dried longans and noodles made from agar agar powder.

2 boxes dried longan, rinsed and soaked
1 tablepoon agar agar powder
sugar, to taste
water

1. Rinse the longan in hot water. Soak a few minutes and rinse again.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the dried longan until soft. Discard boiling water.
3. In another pot, bring about 1.5 cups of water to a boil. Add agar agar powder and 2 tablespoons of sugar. When agar is dissolved, pour into a flat pan (I use a small square cake pan).
4. In a pitcher, dissolve some sugar in cold water. Add boiled longan.
5. When the agar is set, cut into long "noodles". If you use a serrated knife you will get nice ridge edges on your noodles. Add noodles to pitcher. Serve with ice.

Dried longan comes in little square boxes.

Agar agar (or kanten) is supposed to be really good for you. It contains fiber.

Boiled longans:

Agar noodles:

Bread Machine Buttermilk White Bread

I tested out my favorite buttermilk bread recipe (Peter Reinhart's recipe for white bread using the buttermilk variant) in the old bread machine last Friday. For the first go around I decided to follow the recipe exactly and see if any adjustments were even necessary. I tested the bread with the new inexpensive bread flour from Costco. I got 25 pounds for about 6 bucks. The bread was really tasty and the crumb was actually better than my last few attempts. I think the draft-free environment combined with the controlled proofing temp made for a better rise. The only problem I had was the 2-lb loaf rose a bit too much and crawled up higher than the pan. It touched the lid of the bread maker and it expanded so much at the top that the handle on the pan tore the crust. The top crust didn’t brown.

When the bf saw the loaf he asked, "what is that?" He said it looked like a “giant mushroom.” I don’t like the shape of bread machine loaves. Most bread machines have odd-shaped pans. I’ve been considering purchasing a new bread machine. The one I have is very old. It is plain white with no fancy bells or whistles. Other than the shape, it made a great loaf. It was also very convenient with a “set it and forget it” functionality. I do like the process of making bread but sometimes I just want it automated. This buttermilk bread recipe is one of my faves and I make it all the time. Some days I do not want to stick around and wait to complete all the steps. I just want bread.

Since I was very happy with the texture of the bread, I didn’t want to change the proportion of yeast or salt. High altitude adjustment guidelines are only guidelines and you do not always have to adjust the proportions. I’ve had success making this bread pretty much as is. I attribute the success to the buttermilk. Since the only problem I had was the excessive rising, resulting in a larger loaf and airier/fluffier bread, all I had to do was reduce the amount of dough.

Below is the original recipe reduced by 20%. This reduction yielded a perfect fit for my 2-pound bread machine. I didn’t reduce the egg. The measurements are a little strange but it was necessary. You can alternatively reduce the amount of yeast or increase the amount of salt but I think that will create a denser loaf.

1.2 cups (9.6 ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
1.2 teaspoons (.30 ounces) salt
2.4 tablespoons (1.2 ounces) sugar or honey
1 large (1.65 ounces) egg, slightly beaten, at room temperature
just under ¼ cup (2 ounces) butter, melted
3.4 cups (15.2 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1.6 teaspoons (.176 ounce) instant yeast

Method:
Measure all ingredients into the pan of a bread machine. Select the regular/basic cycle and light crust. You may need to help the machine out by scraping with a rubber spatula. The dough will eventually form a ball and take care of the corners but a little insurance doesn't hurt. The entire cycle will take approximately 3 hours.

My bread machine is over 10 years old but it is still practically brand new. I think I used it a handful of times and gave up. I was using the Red Star yeast from Costco. The yeast yielded so many failures and for years I was afraid of baking yeasted breads. I tried using the machine for banana bread but I was never happy with the mixing. It did fine for mixing yeasted bread. I do help it out a little bit by scraping down the sides with a spatula. With the banana bread, I felt like I had to continually help it out. It was easier for me to mix by hand and bake in a regular oven.

I’m considering purchasing a new bread machine. I have to admit that the main reason why I am considering a new one is for aesthetic purposes. I really like the way the Cuisinart looks. I know the Zojirushi is one of the best bread machines on the market right now but it is not aesthetically pleasing. The shape of the loaf is preferable but it is definitely not something I would leave on the counter. Perhaps I should wait until the current bread maker die since it works just fine. I have no complaints other than the unattractive white color and the awkward loaf shape. I’ve been doing some research on bread machines and most are unattractive. Not very many manufacturers still make them and very few department stores still carry them.

This was the first attempt. The dough rose too high and touched the bread machine's lid. The top crust is flat and did not brown. I stuck it in the oven for a few minutes to brown but I didn't want to dry out the bread so I left it. The crust is a little darker. I used the medium crust setting. The crust was a little too thick.

This is the second attempt. I adjusted the recipe and reduced ingredients by 20%. The top crust is still not completely brown but I intentionally chose the light crust setting because I wanted a lighter, thinner crust.
This was the first attempt. The dough threatened to overflow even before the baking cycle began.

The second attempt. The finished loaf was the perfect size with a perfect crown.

My bread machine doesn't have a removable paddle so the paddle bakes right into the loaf. It is actually really easy to remove. The whole loaf slides right out of the pan.
A slice of attempt number 1. The bread had really good texture and I loved the fluffiness.
Texture of attempt number 2. I think the adjusted recipe had even better texture.

Another picture of loaf number 2.
Free-form slicing. I think my next purchase is a slicing guide. I would love a professional bakery slicer but they are sooo expensive. I didn't do too bad using my slicer knife. The key is to not to apply too much pressure.

Laotian/Northern Thailand meal: Isaan Sausage, Papaya Salad, and Sticky Rice

The great thing about growing in southern California was the variety of ethnic food available. I grew up eating not only my family’s style of asian cooking but also the cooking styles of other various groups. My family is from Xishuangbanna prefecture of Yunnan province. Because of the proximity to the Burmese, Thai, and Lao borders, our cooking has influences from all three countries plus China.

I was exposed to this wonderful Asian Panethnic cuisine. (I am borrowing the words from Yen Le Espiritu, one of professors in college. http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/898_reg.html) I ate Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, Cambodian, Chinese, and everything in between. Even with my classical European-centric culinary training, my taste buds still crave the addictive flavors of Asian cuisine.

When we ate out and wanted flavors closer to our own home cooking, my parents would take us to Trieu Chau restaurant. I’m not sure how to categorize this restaurant. The food is Trieu Chau/Chiu Chow style. Trieu Chau is the Vietnamese pronunciation. I have a good friend who is Trieu Chau. She explains it as ethnic Chinese with a Vietnamese flair. Her own family is ethnic Chinese but moved to Vietnam. The Chinese influence is prevalent in many Asian countries.

Before I go to bed at night I think about what I want to eat the next day and plan in my head what I need prep. I wanted papaya salad. I rarely ever make my own papaya salad. I don’t have the required mortar and pestle. I’ve successfully made it without the mortar and pestle and I do have most of the ingredients on hand (except for the papaya, tomatoes, limes, and long bean) but it is easier to buy some at the Cambodian restaurant for $6. The restaurant has the strangest name “Woody’s Wings ‘N Things.” They were originally a hot wing restaurant and I think they added the Cambodian cuisine.

I really like their papaya salad. There are various versions of papaya salad. The Lao or Isaan version is too aromatic and too spicy for me. I prefer it made with shrimp and crab paste instead of the fermented fish (pa dak). I also like the Thai version, especially the one with real seafood in it. My mom just learned how to make this style. She makes a syrup using palm sugar and perhaps tamarind? I’m not sure what all goes into it but she does poach shrimp and/or scallops and mixes it all together. I do have a preference but I’m not that picky. I will eat the Lao/Isaan style just as long as someone else makes it.

I have one last package of Lao/Isaan sausage or Sai Oua in the freezer. I brought it back on one of my trips to San Diego. My mom has been purchasing sausage from a Laotian lady for years now. We didn’t eat it too often at home because once I decided to stop eating red meat, my brother and soon my sister soon followed suit. My dad didn’t like the “smell” of the sausage. I have to admit that it is a bit strong. A lot of Asian food has strong odors. I’m sure a lot of people also find our fermented soybeans a bit smelly. Smelly food has a special place in my heart.

To complete the meal I must have sticky rice. I don’t cook sticky rice often so I don’t have a sticky rice steamer. Growing up we used to cook two types of rice every day. At night my mom would soak two jack fruit cans (her measuring cup) of sticky rice. We always had to choices of rice for our meal (sticky or jasmine). As life got a little more hectic, the daily sticky rice sometimes disappeared and only reappeared on occasion. Sticky rice has become a real treat for me. I have a huge 5 gallon bucket in my garage but I seldom cook it.


So what was the point of my rambling post? I'm posting about my unconventional method for cooking sticky rice.

1. Measure out some sticky rice. I did about 3 cups. The unsoaked rice is very white and opaque. (This is how I can tell the difference between the sticky rice and the jasmine rice.)

2. Soak rice over night or at least 6 hours. You can also do the fast soak method by soaking in hot water for at least 2 hours but the texture of the cook rice will be a little uneven. There will be some soft and some crunchy grains.

The rice should be a little more translucent and the grains look like the have cracked.

3. Drain rice in a strainer. You want to get most of the water out. You don't want water-logged rice grains.

4. Prep the steamer. I am using an all-purpose steamer since I do not own a sticky rice steamer. You can devise your own steamer. A pasta pot with a steamer insert also works. If the holes are too large, line it with a cheesecloth. My parents had a bamboo insert made especially for one of their steamers.

5. Add the drained rice and cover with the cloth. I'm using my favorite flour sack towel.

7. Steam rice for about 15 minutes (at high altitude, because water boils at a lower temp, I find that I need to steam the rice almost twice as long and the quick soak method is almost always a disaster). Halfway through the cooking, you want to "flip" the rice. It is a little tougher to do this in my jerry-rigged steamer. When the rice is done, use a wooden spoon (wet it with water so the rice doesn't stick) and gently flip the rice to cool it.

Storage: Most Asian families store their sticky rice in a bamboo sticky rice container. Not every household will have one of these containers. I store mine in the damp flour sack towel that I steamed the rice in and then I place it in the strainer. The holes allow the steam to escape. My grandma now stores her sticky rice in a small igloo ice chest lined with cloth. My mom sometimes place serving size portions into little sandwich baggies. She leaves the baggies out for the day and then place them in the refrigerator for later. She takes a little baggie out and microwaves for about 30 seconds and it is as good as freshly steamed.

Uncooked sausages:

I like to steam the sausages for about 10 minutes and then bake until slightly golden but not for too long or the sausages will be dry. My mom likes to deep fry the links.Wait until they are slightly cool before slicing.

Post Blizzard Breakfast: Sourdough Buttermilk Pancakes

So we finally got the snow that I have been waiting for. It wasn't bad in the AM so I decided to go to work. The ground has been so warm that the snow initially melted as it hit the ground. We monitored the roads throughout the morning and they didn't look so bad. After a few hours, the ground cooled down and the snow started coming down quicker than the ground could melt. I think we waited too long to close the office. I sent the email to close at 1:00 pm but as I sent the email, I turned around to look outside and I saw that the weather had turned around. I left at noon, right as the blizzard was picking up steam.

Ever try to drive in a blizzard in a rear wheel drive car? It is a lot of fun. I got stuck going up a slight incline. I also got stuck as I was trying to pull in the garage. There was zero visibility. I was not a happy camper. I was so traumatized that I didn't even spend the snow day baking. I threw together a quick mac n cheese for lunch and a quick chicken noodle soup for dinner.

As I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking about breakfast. It was feeding time for the sourdough starters. The discard was perfect for making pancakes. I also had a half gallon of buttermilk in the fridge. I made sourdough pancakes a few weeks back but I've been wanting to try them with buttermilk instead of regular milk.

The night before: Empty your sourdough starter in a large bowl and stir in one cup of water. (This is assuming that you only have about 1 cup of stored starter like I do.) When dissolved, mix in a cup of flour. Stir to aerate, cover, and let stand at room temp over night. (I take this opportunity to clean out my starter storage container.)

The next day: Scoop out one cup of batter into your starter storage container and return to fridge. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk to the remaining batter. Add 1 cup flour, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Mix gently. Just before cooking, gently incorporate 1 teaspoon baking soda. .

I like my pancakes with real maple syrup.

The bf likes his pancakes with strawberry syrup.

Oven-Braised Beef Stew

I’m still cooking meals for the new parents. I wanted to make something that reheats well and tastes better as it sits and the flavors meld together. I was talking to a co-worker and she swore by the Barefoot Contessa’s beef stew recipe. She said the recipe is called “Parker’s Beef Stew” but there are two variations of the same recipe out there. The recipe currently posted on the food network is the inferior recipe. She said the “good” recipe had bacon.

I searched and I searched and I found it online. I'm the google queen. When I got home I also found the recipe in my Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook. This is what I don’t like about Ina Garten’s recipes. She publishes several versions of the same recipe. You make something and then you go back to find the recipe again and it has morphed. I realize she probably alters it as the recipe evolves but she should make sure that the recipe posted on a site like the food network is the most recent recipe.

My co-worker gave me a few tips for making this recipe. She said she only uses enough wine to cover the beef. The recipe calls for an entire bottle for the marinade and then to discard all but 2 ½ cups. Why waste good wine? My co-worker also said to use less wine (just over a cup of the 2 ½ cups Ina calls for) or else the wine flavor will be too overpowering. I also read a few reviews about the wine flavor. I doubled the recipe and I only used about 2 ½ cups wine to cover the 5 pounds of beef.

I found the recipe a little flawed or at least a little harder to successfully orchestrate. The recipe may make sense to a seasoned cook but can be a recipe for failure for an amateur. This recipe was not written for "Beef Stew for Dummies." I read many reviews on the food network. The recipe posted was the inferior recipe but it was very close to the newer improved recipe. There shouldn't be so many varying ratings. Many people raved about the recipe and said it was the best beef stew recipe ever. Many people also rated it 1 star and said they tried eating it but ended up tossing the entire pot of very expensive stew. I'm posting the original recipe as written and then I am posting what I did. I think recipe itself is pretty good with some minor changes and interpretation. I did double the recipe and some of method changes were due to pot and pan constraints.

Five pounds of bottom round steak. Ina said to use a chuck but the bottom round steak was on sale and it is suitable for stew. I left some of the fat on the cubes because it helps with the browning and the flavor. However, I did remove the sinewy pieces.

PARKER’S BEEF STEW
Ina's favorite winter dish is easy to reheat and tastes even better the next day!

Serves 6

2 1/2 pounds good-quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
1(750 ml bottle) good red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
6 ounces bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
All-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered
1 (14 1/2 ounce can) beef stock
1 large (2 small) branch fresh rosemary
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (not petits pois)

1.  Place the beef in a bowl with the red wine (I use a good one since it’s an important flavor), whole garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight.

2. The next day, preheat the oven to 300˚F.

3.  Brown the bacon in a large (12-inch) sauté pan for 5 to 7 minutes, over medium-low heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Combine 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. In the sauté pan, brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in the Dutch oven with the bacon and continue to brown the remaining beef, placing it all in the Dutch oven.

4. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the onions to the sauté pan, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven with the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade (discard the rest) to the sauté pan and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring it to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250˚F or 275˚F.

5.  When the stew is done and the meat is tender, whisk 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of the sauce together and pour it back into the stew. Simmer for 3 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.


Malisa's Take on Parker's Beef Stew
serves 12

5 pounds good-quality boneless bottom round beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 1/2 cups good red wine, (I used a Pinot Noir.)
6 whole garlic cloves, smashed
6 bay leaves
Rendered bacon fat, as needed (I didn't think it was necessary to actually cook up some bacon since it will disintegrate into the stew. I already have a reserve of rendered bacon and duck fat in the fridge.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chopped yellow onions
4 tablespoons minced garlic (8 cloves)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 pounds small potatoes, halved or quartered (I used rose gold potatoes. The skins are red but they act just like a yukon gold.)
2 (14 1/2 ounce can) beef stock
2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (12-ounce) package frozen peas (not petits pois)

1.  Place the beef in a bowl with the red wine, smashed garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight. (I marinated the beef almost 24 hours because of my schedule.)

Cubes of beef marinating in pinot noir, bay leaves, and garlic. The beef smelled really good after sitting in the marinade for almost 24 hours.

2. The next day, preheat the oven to 300˚F.

3. Strain the beef and reserve the marinade. (I did this immediately when I got home and changed. This is important because I read that by lifting the beef cubes out of the marinade into the seasoned flour, as instructed by Ina, the beef was coated with too much flour resulting in a too thick stew and the liquid in the beef made it difficult to brown.)

4. Add bacon fat to a heated cast iron dutch oven.

5. Combine 1 cup of flour with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

6. Dredge the strained beef cubes in the seasoned flour and brown the beef in batches. Discard the bay leaves and garlic. Place the browned beef in a large bowl. (The original recipe called for 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of black pepper. Many people complained that the recipe was too salty, too peppery, and too thick. I don't think Ina intended the entire 2 cups (in my case it would be 4 cups) be used for the dredging. When you dredge, you usually have more flour in the bowl but you don't use it all. Also there is a difference between kosher salt and finer grain table salt. I am currently using a finer grain sea salt so I adjust my recipes accordingly.)

7. When done browning the last batch of beef, return the previous batches to the dutch oven. Add the marinade to deglaze. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the dutch oven. Bring to a boil, add the beef broth, allow to come back to boil and reduce to a simmer.

8. Meanwhile in a separate pan on medium heat, saute the potatoes in rendered bacon fat. Cook about 5 minutes or until slightly golden. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Saute the carrots in rendered bacon fat about 5 minutes. Transfer to the large bowl with the potatoes. Saute onions in bacon fat about 3 minutes, add minced garlic and saute about 1 minute longer. Transfer onions and garlic to bowl with potatoes and carrots. Stir to mix. (I did this in a separate pan instead of the same pan as the beef because I wanted the beef to get a head start with the simmering. I also had to cook the veggies in batches since I doubled the recipe.)

9. Add rosemary, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to simmering beef. Simmer the beef about 45 minutes. (There are two reasons why I decided to braise on the stovetop for 45 minutes. The first reason is to make sure the alcohol cooks off. The second reason is because I didn't want the vegetables to get mushy with the long oven braising. Many people said that the simmering helps with the over-powering wine flavor. Some people also said the vegetables virtually disintegrate after two hours of oven braising.)

10. Divide the sauteed vegetables between two dutch ovens, two covered casseroles, or any combination of oven-proof covered cooking vessels. Divide the simmered beef and liquid between the vessels. Stir to combine the vegetables and beef. Cover and braise in oven for about 1 1/2 hours. (You can also braise at a lower temp for a longer time.)

This is after the combining and before the oven braising.

11. While the stew is braising, toast the leftover dredging flour. You can do this in the oven or on the stovetop. This is just in case you may need more flour to thicken the stew. By toasting the flour, you will get rid of the "raw" flour taste. When the stew is done and if it needs a little more thickening, whisk the toasted flour with some of the stew liquid and mix it in the stew. Return it back to the oven and braise a few minutes more. (I didn't make a roux because there was enough fat already in the pot and I didn't want to add any more. Many people complained that the stew was too oily. They probably used a lot of fat to brown the meat and vegetables. Ina suggests whisking 2 tablespoons of flour with 1 cup of the stew liquid and pouring it back in the stew. I don't like this method. You can use cornstarch or arrowroot as a last minute thickener but cornstarch will break down and lose its thickening power in about 10 minutes of cooking.)
12. When stew is done, taste, adjust seasonings, and add the frozen peas. (Ina gave amounts for salt and pepper in her recipe. I don't usually like to unless it is a baking formula. Many people complain that the recipe was too salty and too peppery. I think they added all the dredging flour to the pot and/or they used table salt while Ina calls for kosher salt. I tend to under-salt my food since I have a pretty sensitive palate. Maybe as I get older, my taste buds will start to die off and I will need to be a little heavy-handed on the salt.)

After 1 1/2 hours of oven-braising, the meat was tender but the veggies were not mushy.

I actually don't know how the stew tastes. I don't eat beef or at least beef when it resembles beef. Everyone said it was delicious.

Whole Foods Tuna Salad with Sun-Dried Cranberries and Lemon - revisited & tripled

My good friends welcomed a baby boy a few days ago and I've been trying to help the new parents by coordinating and cooking meals for the family. Co-workers and friends have all been eager to help with meals. Yesterday I dropped off the food and they were so thankful. My friend delivered via cesarean and the baby is feeding every few hours so cooking is the last thing on her mind. She said she was so exhausted that she would even consider eating tuna noodle casserole. I assured her that no one made tuna noodle casserole.

I noticed that everyone was doing dinners and I wanted to make sure she had some things for lunch. I know how much she loves the Whole Foods Cranberry Tuna Salad. I haven't made it in a while. It is easy enough. This time I tripled my recipe (which was already doubled the original recipe). Original recipe can be found published on this Boulder website. http://www.boulderclassifieds.com/food/recipes/04frecq.html

Whole Foods Tuna with Sun-Dried Cranberries and Lemon

6 cans solid white albacore tuna
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
juice from 2 fresh lemon
3/4 cups finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sugar (I found that you need a little more approximately 3 tablespoons)
3/8 cups coarsely chopped unsweetened sun-dried cranberries (I like it with a little more.)
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients except for the tuna. Drain the tuna and add to the other ingredients. Combine gently, making sure to not overmix. (This helps keep the tuna in more solid pieces.)

The tuna salad tastes wonderful with the Whole Food Country boule.

The shrinking can of tuna. A can of tuna used to be 6 ounces, now it is 5 ounces. I didn't have enough cans of the Whole Foods 365 brand tongol tuna so I picked up some Bumble Bee albacore fillet.

Quick Monday Night Dinner - Pulled Chicken Sandwich

Weeknight cooking has to be quick and easy. It is just not worth it for me to work all day and then come home and slave over the kitchen for several hours especially since I cook for one. Weekends are a different story. I cook for two and I usually have time to mull around the kitchen. Dinner had to be especially quick tonight since I got home a little later than usual.

A co-worker made slow-cooker pulled brisket today and it looked so yummy. When I got home, I reached in the freezer a grabbed a bag of chicken thighs. I didn't even think to use the boneless skinless thighs. I grabbed the first thing I saw. I attempted to thaw it out in hot water. It took too long. I managed to separate the pieces, wash them and in they went into the pot of simmering water. I had everything done in less than half an hour. Rachel Ray eat your heart out.

4 chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion flakes
1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used a local bbq joint's bottled sauce. The place is called Brother's BBQ.)
salt
black pepper

1. Simmer the chicken thighs in about 4 cups of water.
2. When chicken is cooked or in my case, mostly cooked, shred the chicken.
3. In a medium saucepan, cook chicken with barbecue sauce, garlic powder, onion flakes, and about a ladle of the liquid from cooking the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on buns.

Dessert tonight was Haagen-Dazs Rocky Road ice cream.

Israeli Couscous Soup

It looks like we will have winter temps tomorrow. I’m so excited! Temps have been in the 70s lately. I feel like I have been cheated out of a winter. The precipitation levels are quite pathetic. The mountain resorts have really suffered. Some winters we have so much snow that it takes up all the good parking spots in the parking lot.

The 2006-2007 winter shut down the city for a few days. I managed to get on a plane the night before the blizzard. I didn't even realize that Denver was covered in over two feet of snow. The storm came in quick and dumped the snow in just a few hours. And because I am usually away that time of year, I also missed the second blizzard on the December 28th/29th. My friends emailed me tons of pictures of their cute dogs playing in the snow. When I came back a few weeks later, I saw the massive mounds of snow everywhere. I felt a little cheated. I missed the blizzard I've been waiting for.

I took this picture from my bedroom window. This was a few days after the second blizzard. The seats are Coors Field still had snow on them.

In the years since moving to Denver, I've been waiting and waiting for a blizzard. I missed the 2003 blizzard by a few month. I believe that in Denver, blizzards come in cycles of about 3-4 years. I was hoping we would get a blizzard this March. I said March 15th because I think it sounds sort of cool to have a blizzard on ides of March.

The problem with Denver is that the city does not take snow removal very seriously. The blizzard that shut down the city shouldn’t have. If we had proper snow removal like most major cities, we would be able to get places. Denver has this idea that the sun will come out and take care of it all. I’ve lived in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Do those states come to a screeching halt when it snows? No. Plows are out all night.

Since it will be 39 degrees tomorrow (according to my car thermometer, it was 84 degrees today), I decided it was time to make this wonderful Israeli Couscous soup that a fellow SoupGroup member made a while back. I’ve been hounding her for the recipe and she finally sent it a few weeks ago. I'm also trying to make something light since we had dinner at Brasserie Felix last night. I ordered the duck breast and duck confit in an orange gastrique. I didn't eat the duck confit. I never eat the duck confit because I find it too salty for my taste. We also ordered a basket of pommes frites.

Israeli couscous is not the same as the north African couscous that most people are used to eating. It is very different. Israeli couscous is a pasta made with wheat flour but unlike regular pasta, the couscous is shaped into tiny little balls and then toasted. The taste is smooth, nutty, and delicious.

This is the only brand I was able to find. They do not sell Israeli couscous in the bulk bins.

I didn't exactly follow the recipe. I omitted the cilantro and the mint. I don't recall seeing cilantro or mint in the SoupGroup version. I did add a little dried parsley for the green color. I think dried parsley has very little flavor but it does add a bit of color. I dried the parsley myself. I also toasted the cumin in the pot before adding the stock. I didn't season the soup with salt, pepper, and cayenne until the very end.

Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous (adapted from Jewish Traditions Cookbook)
Serves 4 to 6

30 ml/ 2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, diced
400 g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ liters/2 ½ pints/6 cups chicken broth (veggie broth can be substituted)
200g-250g/7-9 oz/1-1 ½ cups Israeli couscous (came in 8.8 oz package)
2-3 mint sprigs, chopped, or several pinches of dried mint (omitted)
1 ½ ml/¼ tsp ground cumin
1/4 bunch fresh coriander or about 5 sprigs, chopped (omitted)
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and ground black pepper
dried parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and carrots, and cook gently for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, half the garlic, the stock, couscous, mint, ground cumin and coriander, with the cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste.

2. Bring the soup to the boil, add the remaining chopped garlic, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer gently for 7-10 mins, stirring occasionally, or until the couscous is just tender. Serve piping hot, ladled into individual serving bowls.

**If you buy the chicken stock in the 32 ounce cartons like I do, you will need 1 ½ cartons. Use the other ½ to thin out the soup as the couscous starts to absorb more water.

This recipe makes exactly 2 quarts.Pacific Natural Foods chicken broth is the brand that I use in many of my soup recipes. I buy them by the case from Costco. I think they come to just over $1.30 per carton. I go through a lot of chicken broth for SoupGroup. I also use it for my curries when I don't want to use a whole chicken.

My pepper grinder was out of peppercorns. I went to look for the container of peppercorns in my pantry and I couldn't find it. I thought I was out of peppercorns. I swore I bought a huge container at Costco. I finally found it with the other spices that I gathered for my spice re-org project that I am just not motivated to complete right now. Why did they package it in a container with a spice sifter? I couldn't get the peppercorns out of the container and when I tried to pry the sifter off, the peppercorns went flying.