I realized that this will probably be my final new recipe review for 2020. Goodness! My "End of Year Review" of life in general will be posted on Jan 1. Meanwhile, four new recipes for your enjoyment - not much in the way of pics, sorry about that.
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Headwaters of the Mississippi (my corner of the world)
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Mouth of the Mississippi, New Orleans, LA
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The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftover Spanish Stew (S) bear steaks and stuffing
Sun (L) leftover Spanish Stew (S) bear steaks and stuffing
Mon (yoga - leftover stuffing and cranberry sauce
Tues - gumbo
Wed - gumbo
Thurs - gumbo
Fri (L) leftovers (S) leftovers
Sat (L) leftovers (S) leftovers
Lunches - Bean and barley Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Bone Broth (Wholesomliscious blog)
I've never made beef broth and we bought some beef bones earlier this year that were now taking up awkward space in the freezer. It was time to make beef broth!
What I learned - I really don't like the smell of roasting beef bones. And this was super easy to make in the slow cooker. I'm not sure I had the "right" kind of bones for this, but when all was said and strained, I had beef broth. The advantage of waiting is I can freeze my containers out on the porch.
I got 10 cups out of this recipe (2 quarts and 2 cups)
3-4 lbs of mixed beef bones oxtail, knuckles, neck bones and/or short ribs
2 medium carrots chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
Water between 8-10 cups
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place bones in a single layer on a sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil to evenly coat.
Roast for 30 minutes, then, flip each bone over and roast for an additional 30 minutes.
Place chopped vegetables, roasted bones, bay leaf and cider vinegar and place in your slow cooker. Cover completely with water and set your slow cooker to low.
Simmer for 24 hours. Throughout simmering, add water as needed to keep all the ingredients submerged.
Once the broth has reached a dark rich brown color, turn off slow cooker.
Discard the bones, vegetables and bay leaf and strain through a cheesecloth. Cool the broth to room temperature.
Pour into jars and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
When you are ready to serve, skim the condensed fat off the top of the broth and heat to the desired temperature. Sip in a cup or add to your favorite recipe.
Southwestern Three Bean and Barley Soup (Eating Well, Soups) vegetarian
I modified this one greatly to use canned beans rather than dried and the modifications are reflected below. Reason for this was I didn't want to putz with, nor did I have on hand 1/3 cup each of black beans, great northern beans and kidney beans. In addition, cooking dried beans with my calcium-rich water can have iffy results.
Another benefit - less cooking time. Going from 2 1/2 hours to maybe 30? Yup, win-win.
I prefer my soups on the creamier/thicker side and this hit the spot. I didn't find it spicy, maybe even a tich bland? But it hit the spot with temps sitting around 10*. Some lime corn chips added a nice counter point. A rather versatile recipe as you can easily tweak it to suit your tastes and needs.
This made about 6-8 servings.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large 1 large stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 cups (32-ounce carton) reduced-sodium chicken broth, “no-chicken” broth or vegetable broth
½ cup pearl barley
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans
1 can (14.5 oz)great northern beans
1 can (14.5 oz) pinto beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon salt
extra water as needed to thin out the soup to your preferred consistency
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, barley, black beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes (adding more water, ½ cup at a time, if necessary or desired). Season with salt.
Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo (modified from Kevin Belton's Big Flavors of New Orleans)
I did some modifications from the original recipe which are reflected below. I cut back on the oil/flour quantities and I used 1 8 oz bottle of clam juice in combination with the water. I would have used chicken stock but I didn't have any on hand and I forgot to buy extra. I really should have used 2 bottles of clam juice but I didn't fully read the recipe before grocery shopping.
I also cut the salt way back. There's salt in the Creole seasoning and I didn't want this tasting like a salt bomb.
With all of that - I LOVE gumbo and I loved this. It works "okay" for a weeknight if you start early/have the time - it does take about an hour and a half from start to table.
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup flour
2 cups onion, chopped (about 1 large softball sized onion)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp pepper
3 tbsp Creole seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups basic shrimp stock (or chicken, or water)
1 1/2 lbs andoui8lle sausage, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
2 lbs (16-20) shrimp, peeled and de-veined
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil. Gradually add the flour to form a roux, making sure to stir constantly to prevent burning. When it reaches the color of chocolate (I went with "milk chocolate"), add onion and cook until transparent, about five minutes. Add bell pepper and celery and cook until softened about 4 minutes. Stir in the seasonings.
Add the stock slowly wisking continuously. Add the andouille and stir. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice.
Perfect Every Time Waffles (modified from Barefeet in the Kitchen blog)
I haven't been happy with the last couple batches of waffles I've made; one batch had severe problems with sticking, another batch they formed oddly in the waffle maker. So, I tried a new recipe and this one will be a keeper! Not only were the waffles really good, but I quite enjoyed the topping options she discussed. Mmm! Breakfast ideas!
My modifications are reflected below. I swapped one cup of AP flour for WW, and I added an extra teaspoon of almond extract. These were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yummers! Recommended.
I got 5 1/2 Belgian style waffles out of this recipe.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 2/3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat the waffle iron. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl. Add the milk and the eggs. Whisk to combine. Pour the melted butter and the vanilla into the batter and whisk until mostly smooth.
Pour onto the hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve warm or let cool completely.
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photo from barefeetinthekitchen.com
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