mooflyfood » potatoes

Pot Roast

mooflyfoof — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:20:47 +0000

I know, I know, it’s the middle of summer. Who wants pot roast in July? This foggy San Franciscan does! A few days ago I had a sudden craving for pot roast. I think it’s because I’ve been eating mostly vegetarian lately and I needed to make up for it. My mom had given me a recipe for pot roast that she’s been making, so I decided to give it a shot. Large chunks of meat are generally not my area of expertise so I was excited to try something new.

Pot Roast

Adapted from Relish’s Classic Pot Roast

INGREDIENTS

2.5 to 3 lbs chuck roast, about 2″ thick
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 stalks celery, diced
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1.5 lbs small red potatoes, whole
1 pound mushrooms (crimini/portabello or shiitake), sliced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
8 ounces canned tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups red wine (merlot is good)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS

Take the beef out of the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature.
Set up your mise en place: Chop all vegetables. Put onions, carrots, celery in one bowl. Put mushrooms, garlic, chili powder in another bowl. Mix together wine, bay leaves, thyme, tomato sauce, broth in a third bowl.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat a large, enameled dutch oven (or other non-reactive, oven-safe pot) on the stovetop on high.
Sprinkle beef liberally with kosher salt and ground pepper on both sides; rub in. Heat oil (a few tablespoons or so) in dutch oven, then carefully add the beef. Let it brown on one side for five minutes without disturbing it. (Disturbing it will affect its ability to form a good brown crust.) Turn the meat over and brown the other side for five minutes. Remove beef from the pan and set aside.
Add a bit more oil to the pan and then saute onion, carrot and celery until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic, mushrooms, and chili powder to the pan. Cook 3 minutes.
Return beef to the pan, trying to get it underneath the vegetables. Add broth, tomato sauce, red wine, thyme, and bay leaves. Add potatoes and make sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Bring to a boil.
Place in oven and cook covered for 3 hours. Remove cover and cook another 1/2 hour, until beef is fork-tender. There will be lots of liquid, which is delicious sopped up with bread.
Enjoy with a glass of red wine!

Italian Sausage Soup with Croutons

mooflyfoof — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:53:23 +0000

I’ve discovered the wonders of soup-making just in time for this ultra-rainy San Francisco winter. It’s so easy and satisfying! There’s nothing quite as lovely than a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup to slurp as the rain drips outside and the heater struggles to keep your home warm.

Italian Sausage Soup

Adapted from this recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground Italian sausage
3 cloves garlic, smashed
6 leaves fresh basil, ripped
2 carrots, peeled, cut into rounds
2 red potatoes, peeled, cubed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 15oz. cans beans (butter beans are good, and so are black eyed peas), drained
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
26 oz. container of Swanson’s beef stock (the good stuff, without MSG)
1 15oz. can’s worth of water
Splash of olive oil (1 tablespoon?)
Splash red wine
Salt, to taste (1 1/2 teaspoons?)
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste (1/2 teaspoon?)
Crushed red pepper, to taste (1/4 teaspoon?)

DIRECTIONS

Chop all veggies. Drain beans.
Remove sausage from casing and separate into chunks. Heat olive oil in large pot. Brown sausage in oil till cooked through.
Add onions, garlic, and basil. Saute a few minutes.
Add everything else except the beans. Stir well. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Cover and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Add beans. Simmer another 5 minutes, covered. Make sure potatoes and carrots are soft enough. Serve with baguette croutons (recipe below).

Baguette Croutons

INGREDIENTS

Sweet baguette
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss slices of baguette with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, and garlic salt, to taste. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip each crouton over and bake another 10 minutes, checking to make sure they aren’t getting burnt. Croutons should be golden brown and crispy.

Malaysian Chicken Curry… sorta.

mooflyfoof — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:30:58 +0000

Well, I’ve never actually had Malaysian curry before, so I have no idea how authentic it is — but this turned out pretty damn well. We had some frozen chicken breasts, coconut milk, potatoes, an onion, tomato paste, and a lot of spices. I knew I should be able to throw something tasty together. A quick search yielded this yummy-looking recipe, which I used to base this dinner on.

INGREDIENTS

3 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large clove garlic, smashed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ lb. potatoes (I used 2 small purple ones and one medium red one), cut into uniform bite-sized pieces
3 oz. tomato paste (about ½ of one of those little cans)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 ½ cups water or chicken stock
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sugar
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (¼ cup fresh would be way better)

DIRECTIONS

Chop up your potatoes, onions, and chicken.
Mix all spices and sugar together in a small bowl. If you’re using fresh cilantro, leave it out till the end; otherwise, add it now.
Whisk together the coconut milk, water or chicken broth, and tomato paste in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sautee until translucent.
Add chicken and cook it a little, a minute or two.
Add spices, liquids, and potatoes. Mix well.
Cover and cook until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. Taste and adjust spices as necessary. If you’re using fresh cilantro, add it just before serving.

Serve over brown rice. Yum yum!