Beef Stroganoff in a Slow Cooker

The man I dated during the 1980s loved this recipe and the roasted chicken with rice and broccoli. Those were the two he always debated between for any special occasion, like his birthday. I really like this, too, although it is rather rich. It's a very untraditional Stroganoff, using ground beef instead of cubed or thinly sliced beef and adding tomato paste. What can I say? With apologies to the purists, it's good and it's easy! (If you don't have a slow cooker, you could use a lidded casserole in the oven -- Low is equivalent to 172 degrees) This is also a great party dish, as part of a buffet. You can serve it from the slow cooker or transfer to a fancier chafing dish. The pasta in another chafing dish, a big bowl of salad, and a basket of sliced French bread.

Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons shortening
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 taablespoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspon pepper
1 cup beef broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups sour cream blended with 4 tablespoons flour
(6 tablespoons red wine)
Brown beef in a skillet. Put all ingredients in slow cooker and stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours. Serve over hot cooked noodles or rice (I like it on those curly egg noodles).

You need something crisp and tart with this, to balance the texture and the richness. A Romaine salad with vinaigrette is good. Silver Palate makes a bottled raspberry vinaigrette that would also add a fruity flavor. Or try grating a small raw beet (beets always seem Russian -- I guess because of borsch) and a small onion over the Romaine before tossing with vinaigrette.

Duke of Windsor Sandwich from Neiman-Marcus Mermaid Cafe and Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup

The Duke of Windsor Sandwich was always my favorite thing to order at Neiman's. I think I was first just curious to find out what a duke would like to eat (I was about 7 years old). Besides, the other girls always got the chicken salad and I wanted to be different! At that time and at my age, chutney -- and even pineapple -- seemed quite exotic. I still love it.

This recipe is not from Neiman-Marcus. They have a cookbook available on Amazon that does include the Duke of Windsor Sandwich recipe, but I don't have it. This is the closest I could come to recreating it. The only snag is that it is much, much better with actual sliced roasted turkey rather than the prepackaged slices. Your grocery deli might have something close enough.

Duke of Windsor Sandwich

1 canned pineapple ring
2 slices egg bread, toasted
1 1/2 ounces Olde English Cheese Spread (sharp cheddar)
1 tablespoon Major Grey chutney
2 ounces sliced turkey
1 lettuce leaf

Sautee pineapple ring in butter and cut in half.
Spread cheese on one slice of toast, then spread chutney on top. Add pineapple halves, turkey, and lettuce. Top with other piece of toast. Trim crusts and cut in half.

Potato chips or corn relish are good with this. Or how about this recipe from the old Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Gallery Buffet Soup Cookbook?:

Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup

1 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/4 cup half and half cream
salt
white pepper
1 teaspoon green onion (including top), chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Add yogurt to chicken broth and mix well. Grate cucumber and add to broth and yogurt. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Adjust seasoning. Chill for at least 4 hours. Garnish with a pinch of dill.

Shrimp Lemon Pepper Linguine

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com, where I have found several good recipes. They have a rating system and a well-used comment section for feedback. This recipe got rave reviews, and I agree.

If you like a lot of sauce, try doubling the sauce ingredients. Cut back the amount of pepper if it sounds like too much.

This would be wonderful with grilled shrimp, if you are so inclined. Add with the pasta and cook until the ingredients have blended, but don't let the shrimp overcook. Asparagus or capers are good, added with the pasta. Also crushed red pepper (instead of the black pepper) and/or freshly grated Parmesan.

The comments indicate this recipe doesn't really work as well with other types of pasta. The broad linguine allows it to support enough sauce to balance the shrimp.
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Shrimp Lemon Pepper Linguine

1 8-ounce package of linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
salt to taste
2 teaspoons fresh grated black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup butter
chopped parsley*
chopped basil
(chopped asparagus)
(capers)
(crushed red pepper)
(fresh grated Parmesan)


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook to al dente. Drain.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sautee garlic about one minute. Add chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by about half.
Add shrimp, butter, parsley, and basil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in cooked linguine and continue to cook another 2 minutes or until the pasta is well coated.

*a word about parsley: I know several people who consider it "garnish" or as merely serving a decorative function to add color. Not true! Besides having a fresh flavor that balances the richness of a dish, parsley has lots of vitamins and many nutritional benefits.

Moros y Cristianos (Cuban Black Beans and Rice)

I have received a request for a vegetarian entree recipe (Hi Marian!), and this is also a good Lenten Friday supper dish. The name -- Moors and Christians -- reflects the Spanish heritage of the dish, referring to the black beans and white rice.

This is another dish introduced to me by my cousin Mary Hobart. She always used the recipe on the label of the canned Goya black beans, with a few changes. But when I checked the Goya web site, I found the recipe there to be slightly different. The following is the version I've made before -- I know that it's good. But I include afterward the web site ingredients in case you'd like to try them.

A crisp green salad and French bread are good with this.

Black Beans and Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper (or any combination of green, red, and yellow peppers), chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 can of black beans, with liquid (or canned organic vegetarian black beans)
1 teaspoon oregano
3/4 cup water, orange juice, white wine, cider vinegar, or Rum (I like the orange juice with a little water)
1 Bay leaf
chopped parsley or cilantro

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, pepper(s), and garlic. Cook until tender -- about 8 to 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except parsley/cilantro), stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to one hour, adding more liquid if needed.
Remove bay leaf and serve over hot white rice, topped with chopped parsley or cilantro.

The Goya web site adds "Sazon Goya" -- packaged seasoning I'm not familiar with -- and Adobo sauce, which is good though I've never tried it with this. It also omits the bell peppers, which I really like. One version also adds uncooked rice and two cups water at the same time the beans are added and directs to simmered covered for 25 minutes and allow to stand for 5 minutes, then drizzle each serving with olive oil. I'm sure cooking the rice with the beans gives more flavor to the rice, but I like having the leftover beans separate to munch on as a snack!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans and Rice

This is a great recipe for leftover chicken and rice. It's adapted from an old spiral-bound cookbook (c. 1978), "It's a Long Way to Guacamole," written by two homesick Texans who were living in the Washington, DC area with their families. Recreating the Tex-Mex food of  their native state provided comfort, and eventually expanding friendsips as their informal dinners grew into a large gathering of people of varied backgrounds who shared an appreciation for this tasty cuisine.

Traditional Mexican cooking can be quite time-consuming. I have simplified the recipes quite a bit. Of course making fresh salsa or enchilada sauce or making the refried black beans from scratch would make the meal much better. If you do want a fresh sauce for the enchiladas, add a little chicken broth to my recipe for Salsa de Tomatillos (12-6-11), puree in the blender, and simmer in a pan with a little vegetable oil for about 15 minutes (add some green food coloring if the color of the cooked tomatillos is unappetizing to you -- that's what the restaurants do!). A lot of people make their own tortillas and they are really easy and delicious...just follow the directions on the bags of Masa Harina (in the same section of the store as the flour). But if you're feeling a little lazy (as I am today), but still want a nice home-cooked dinner the following is easy and delicious!

Green Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 jar green chile salsa (I like the SafewaySelect brand salsa verde)
2 cups chicken broth, warmed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 325.
Place shredded chicken, onion, chicken broth to cover, and a little of the liquid from the salsa in a bowl. Add cumin and white pepper to taste and toss with a fork to combine.  Allow to sit uncovered for about an hour, adding chicken broth as the chicken absorbs the liquid.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, dip each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds -- until it softens. Drain on paper towels. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, add a sprinkling of cheese, roll, and place flap side down in a greased casserole dish. When the enchiladas are arranged in a single layer in the casserole, spoon more sauce over them and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Black Beans

canned black beans
chopped onion
chopped garlic
chopped jalapeno
Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

Because this is the lazy cook's Mexican dinner, I've just used canned black beans. The Goya brand is good, but so are others. Season them to taste with sauteed onion, garlic, chopped jalapeno, etc. while heating over medium heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors, then -- with the heat on low -- mash with a potato masher (adding a little vegetable oil if you like) until you have the consistency you want. Top with grated Monterrey Jack cheese and serve immediately or transfer to a casserole dish and warm in the oven until needed.

Easy Spanish Rice

1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup green pepper
3 cups canned tomatoes
salt

Sautee onion, garlic, and green pepper until onion is translucent. Add rice. Stir to mix. Add tomatoes with liquid. Stir. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Classic Roasted Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

Is there any more nourishing and satisfying meal than roasted chicken with rice and a vegetable? Not to me. It could be ancestral memory, since roasting was one of the first ways of cooking meat -- although that was on a spit over an open fire. Roasting on a spit or rotisserie still produces a delicious chicken, but a plain ordinary oven can give us a  fine bird, too.

Even for such a simple dish there are many controversies and variations:

To truss or not to truss

Most serious cooks seem to think trussing is important. I have heard some say that this cooks the chicken more evenly in addition to the obviously superior presentation. But I have also heard and read that not trussing allows the heat to circulate around the legs and wings more easily for more even cooking. I don't do it because it seems like a lot of trouble and I like the results I get without it just fine. Go ahead and truss if you like. Some people do recommend releasing the legs and wings for the final 30 minutes or so of cooking to better roast the inside skin.

To stuff or not to stuff

This is really a matter of personal taste. Many people were brought up with stuffed roasted chicken and, for them, stuffing is essential to a good chicken dinner. To me, it's too much. I like the purity of a plain roasted chicken. There are many good recipes for stuffing, but I won't recommend any since I am not a fan.

Vertical or Traditional

The main claim of the various vertical roasters on the market is that they solve the age-old problem of thoroughly cooking the chicken without drying it out. The chicken is straddled on a metal cylinder, so that the heat works from the inside as well as the outside for a more evenly cooked bird. I bought one of these back in the 1980s, and loved it. But I find now that I always use my traditional V-shaped roasting rack. I think either method is good. A chicken roasted on a vertical roaster needs to be carved on the roaster, which doesn't make much of a presentation. But it is extremely easy to carve -- falling off the bone, really, so that carving is hardly even necessary. The vertical roaster is also more difficult to clean. The essential thing is not to have the chicken sitting in its own juices so that the bottom becomes soggy.

Local, organic, free-range

By all means, if you have access to and can afford local, organic, and/or free-range chicken go for it! This chicken is not only healthier but much more flavorful. Local food is fresher and, because the chickens have lived in the same environment that you do, they supposedly can provide immunities for allergies, etc. Organic food eliminates harsh pesticides that can also trigger allergies and have many other unpleasant repurcussions. Free-range chickens are less fatty and, although I don't enter into the moral issues, this method is obviously more humane as well.

I'll limit my discussion of controversies to these four, though I could go on and on. The variations are so numerous as to be almost without limit, so I won't discuss them at all. Just google "roasted chicken" for as many recipes as you can imagine. Here is my favorite:

Roasted Chicken

1  3-4 pound chicken
2 lemons
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
paprika
rosemary
sage
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Trim the excess fat from the chicken, rinse it, and dry thoroughly inside and out (I didn't understand why recipes called for the rinsing and drying until I read that it allows the flavors from the herbs in the cavity to penetrate and for the skin to crisp more nicely). Rub the skin with olive oil. Squeeze half a lemon into the cavity and then place the other lemon half there along with a bay leaf. Pour the juice of the second lemon over the chicken and then season with salt, paprika, rosemary, and sage, rubbing to  spread evenly and adhere well to the skin.
Place in roaster and cook, basting often, for about 1 to 2 hours (about 20 minutes per pound), or until the internal temperature is 165 (this is James Beard's recommendation, although Joy of Cooking recommends 190...use your own judgment, but remember that the chicken will continue to cook after leaving the oven).

Giblet Gravy

I like chicken and rice moistened with just the pan juices thinned with some chicken broth. Plain pan gravy is good, too. But giblet gravy is really delicious and something special. It's a little more trouble, and some people don't like the giblets. I love them! This is James Beard's recipe:

giblets from chicken cavity
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 grinds of black pepper
sprig of parsley
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
(hard-boiled egg, chopped)

While the chicken is cooking, simmer the above ingredients (except the chopped parsley and hard-boiled egg) for 15 or 20 minutes. Strain the broth and reserve. Chop the giblets and reserve. When the chicken is done, remove it from the roasting pan and drain or spoon out all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the broth and giblets to the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes, stirring and scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil over high heat until reduced to your taste. Add parsley -- and hard-boiled egg, if desired -- and pour mixture into a gravy boat.

Rice

There are many types of rice and many cooking methods. I like Texmati rice, and follow the directions on the container. Then I add  pan juices or giblet gravy and a little chopped parsley. But you can cook the parsley in the rice, cook pine nuts in the rice, substitute chicken stock or broth for water to cook the rice...the possibilities are endless!

Broccoli

A green salad is good with chicken and rice. So are green beans or any other vegetable. But my favorite accompaniment is broccoli.
Many people think they don't like broccoli. I think that's because if it is overcooked or undercooked it is awful, and the stems can be tough and tasteless. But the florets, steamed until just fork-tender, are delicious tossed in lemon butter. And, topped with Hollandaise (see previous recipe for Easy Skillet Hollandaise), broccoli is sublime! I would suggest, however, sticking with the more simple lemon butter sauce if you are serving gravy with the chicken. The Hollandaise would be too rich in that combination, and the flavors would compete.

Beef Hash with Poached Eggs and Easy Skillet Hollandaise

This recipe is an attempt to recreate a wonderful brunch dish I had years ago in the restaurant at the El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon. I believe their beef hash was made with tenderloin or some other fine cut of beef, but I have made it with leftover brisket, pot roast, and various types of steak. It works especially well for leftover beef, since there are often leftover potatoes. It's quite rich and filling, and would be good for supper, too. Of course, the hash is good by itself -- or with the sauce and no egg, or with the egg and no sauce.
My Cuisinart food processor broke down a couple of months ago (it was only 30 years old!) and I haven't been able to replace the parts yet, but it occurs to me that chopping the beef, potatoes, and onion might be well suited for it. I would think you would first chop the beef and onion, then add the potatoes. Probably just a pulse or two for each...

Beef Hash

4 tablespoons butter
2 cups finely chopped or shredded beef
3 cups finely chopped boiled potatoes
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup milk
fresh ground black pepper
chopped parsley

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Combine beef and potatoes in a bowl and add the onion and milk. Stir to mix.  Add pepper. Spread the mixture evenly in the frying pan and cook over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally or loosening edges with a spatula. When the hash is well browned on the bottom use the spatula to fold it over like an omelet.  Divide into individual servings and top with parsley. Or, if you will be adding the poached eggs and/or Hollandaise, put the hash in a low oven to stay warm. Don't add the parsley until ready to serve.

Both poached eggs and  Hollandaise require close attention. But both cook quickly. I suggest poaching the eggs first and allowing them to rest and drain on saucers with a paper towel while you make the Hollandaise, because the Hollandaise really is better served immediately. When it's time to top the hash with the eggs, grip the paper towel and tilt the saucer to slide the egg onto the hash (they may need a little prodding with your finger or a spoon).

Easy Skillet Hollandaise

I have always had success with this technique, which I found at Cooks.com, but I read somewhere else that only experts should attempt it. I don't know why. I'm really not an expert. But this seems a lot easier and less cumbersome than the double-boiler method, and more flavorful than the blender method.

4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 sticks butter (1/2 pound) in chunks
pinch cayenne
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
pinch of white pepper (optional)

Beat egg yolks over low heat in a small skillet for about 5 minutes.  This is the tricky part.  The eggs should be heated until you can see the bottom of the pan with a stroke of the whisk. If the temperature is too hot, the eggs will scramble. If it's not hot enough, the sauce will be too thin and may separate.
When the eggs are ready as described above, lower heat to the very lowest setting and begin to add the chunks of butter, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Then stir in salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.

Turn off the heat immediately when the sauce has reached the desired consistency.

Remove hash from warming oven, and place servings onto plates. Top each with a poached egg and a spoonful of Hollandaise, and sprinkle with parsley.