Pot Roast with Carrot Dill Sauce is What I'm Craving

After making soups for this last month, I wanted to start on a series of salads but the truth is...salads aren't my strong suit. Who am I kidding? It's cold and rainy and I'm really not feeling the salad thing.

You know what I'm craving on this cold rainy day is a wonderful tender juicy pot roast. So lets get started. I love slow cooking a roast as there is little work and high pay off in flavor. So lets get started.

Pre heat your oven to 325. Start by trimming the fat from a chuck roast and slicing one onion.

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, brown the meat on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove the roast to a separate platter

Now sauté the onions for about 4 minutes.

Add the beef broth, bay leaf and return the roast back to the Dutch oven. Place the lid on and transfer the pot to the oven.  liquid should be about half way up the roast, if not add some water.










Leave the roast for about 2 1/2 hours.

Peel the carrot and slice into 1 inch pieces and add to the pot. Cover the pot and place back in the oven for about 30 - 40 minutes until the carrots are tender.


Remove the pot from the oven and place on a separate platter tented with tin foil.

Remove the carrots and 1/3 cup of the cooking fluid. Pour the remaining fluid over the roast.

Place the carrots and broth in a food processor or blender and purée.

 Add the dill and sour cream and blend til creamy and smooth.

 Please note I used my mini processor out of pure laziness. My family was hungry and whinny at this point so should have put it in the blender to get the texture right. But that is real life and so my sauce is not as smooth as I like it....moving on. Check the sauce and adjust for taste. I didn't add any salt as it didn't need it but perhaps you will.

Serve the roast and pour the sauce over. This is one of my family's favorites. The usually ask if we are having the roast with the orange sauce.


Pot Roast with Carrot Dill Sauce
Recipe
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine
Serve 4-6

1 chuck roast
2cups of beef broth
I onion sliced
1 bay leaf
2 Tbls of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
2 carrots peeled and sliced
1 1/2 tsp of fresh dill
1/4 cup of sour cream

Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees
Trim the fat from the meat and sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven add oil then brown the chuck roast on all sides. Set aside on a separate platter. Sauté the onions for about 4 minutes. Add the beef broth and bay leaf. Return the roast to the pot and cover. Transfer the Dutch oven to the oven and leave for about 2 1/2 hours. Add the carrots to the pot for an additional 30-40 minutes until the carrots are fork tender.

Remove the pot from the oven and take the roast and put on a separate platter and tent with tin foil. Remove the carrots and 1/3 of the broth from the pot. Pour the remaining fluid over the roast. Place the carrots and broth in a blender and purée. Add the dill and sour cream and blend until it is smooth and creamy. Add salt only if necessary.

Serve the roast with the carrot dill sauce along side.

Warm Up With Turkey Chili

There's nothing better on a cold winter evening than a hot bowl of chili. I use ground turkey in this recipe instead of beef. This is one of those times that a swap out of turkey for for beef really makes sense.

I made this particular batch of chili pretty spicy but you can make it as mild or spicy as you like.

My daughter is someone who runs in the opposite direction when it comes to spice. So I planned in my mind that I wouldn't even attempt to make this chili for her. She takes picky eater to a whole new level. So no problem, I'll whip up something more suitable for her. So as this wonderful pot of chili was slowly simmering on the stove...guess who asked for chili. My heart was crushed at a great opportunity to expend her palette dashed by my thinking I know her so well. Go figure.

This recipe below is a pretty spicy version, if you have little ones at home you can tone it way down...like I will do next time I make my turkey chili.

Lets make some chili. Chop onions, mince your garlic, chop bell peppers, and mince you jalapeño      (leaving as many seeds as you are willing to brave). I usually try to exclude the seeds.

Gather up you spices, cumin, chili powder, salt, oregano, crushed chili pepper ( once again here is where you hold all the power to make this chili mild or spicy).

Heat up a large pot over medium heat and add 1 TBLS of olive oil, sauté onions bell peppers, jalapeño for about 4 minutes, add garlic for 30 seconds then add ground turkey. Brown the turkey.

Add stewed tomato, tomato sauce, all the spices over medium heat once it starts to bubble lower heat cover pot and simmer for an hour.

After an hour you chili should look like this. Drain and rinse your kidney beans. Add to the chili, cover the pot and let simmer another hour.

Season to taste. If the chili is too spicy try adding a spoonful of honey or molasses to help temper the heat.

Recipe
Adapted from a Recipe by Trudy Hale
Serves 4-6

1 lbs ground turkey
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves if garlic minced
1/3 bell pepper chopped
1 jalapeño seeded and minced
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
1/3 cup of tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of oregano
1 TBLS of chili powder
1/2 tsp of crushed red peppers
3/4 tsp of salt
1 can of kidney beans drained and rinsed

In a large pot on medium heat add olive oil and sauté onions bell peppers and japalenos. Sauté for about 4 minutes and then add the garlic sauté for about an additional 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey to the pot of onions etc and brown the meat. At this point if you are sowing the recipe with beef drain the fat but I don't do that with the turkey. Once the turkey is browned add all seasonings, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce. Give it a good stir and when it starts to bubble lower the heat to low cover the pot and let simmer for 1 hour.

Drain and rinse the kidney bean and add them to the pot of chili. Cover the pot and let it simmer for another hour. Season to taste.

Chicken Noodle Soup Hits the Spot

I don't know what it is about chicken noodle soup but it has a way of making me feel better. So very soothing and comforting. I think it makes me think of my childhood but I think mostly it makes me think of my mother. For me, that is always a comforting feeling. I always feel a connection with her in my kitchen and so it is appropriate that I am doing chicken noodle soup, thinking of my mom as she would have celebrated her birthday this week.
She used to make a wonderful chicken soup and although this is not her recipe, I do think its a tasty one I hope you enjoy. Happy Birthday mom, this one is for you.

So lets get started.

Now that the broth is made, it's time to make the chicken noodle soup.

Since most of the work is already done by having a great broth at the ready, the soup practically makes itself. Gather up the ingredients.


Chopped onions, carrots, celery (any other veggies you want to add). I infuse the stock with more herbs as I love a flavorful soup. The chicken breast that I roasted while I made the stock is what I will use as the base of the soup.

Sauté onions for 3-4 minutes then add the carrots and celery for about another 4 minutes. Add broth, tie the herbs to the side of the pot. Add the chicken and noodles. Add salt, cover pot and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

It's a tasty soup, and an even tastier soup the next day.
Now that the broth is made, it's time to make the chicken noodle soup.

It's a tasty soup, and an even tastier soup the next day.


Recipe

6 cups of chicken broth
1TBLS of olive oil
2 carrots pealed and chopped into bite size pieced
1 celery stalk- sliced
1 1/2 cups of chopped chicken breast and thigh (cooked)
1/2 cup of egg noodles
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of dill
2 sprigs of sage
Bay leaf
12 inch string of kitchen twine (used to tie all fresh herbs together.)
1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Gather up your fresh hers and tie them with the kitchen twine. Set aside
Chop the onions carrots and celery. Set aside

In a large pot add 1 TBLS of olive over medium heat and sauté onions for 4 minutes, add carrots and celery and sauté for another 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and tie the herb bouquet to the side of the pot. Add noodles and bring broth to a boil. Lower the heat, add the chicken and salt. Cover the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the fresh herbs and season to taste.

Taking Stock

Its the beginning of the year and I'm starting mine off with a winter cold....ugh!  So I decided since I was going to write about soups, I should tackle Chicken Noodle soup.  Which led me down the road to stock.

Well...the truth is I rarely make stock from scratch.  Yes it's true I usually buy Kitchen Basics or Swansons chicken broth.  So since this blog is supposed to help inspire me and push me to be a better cook, I guess starting with the basics of making chicken stock is a good idea.

Many moons ago I used to make my own stock but its been quite some time so I turned to the Cooks Illustrated experts to help guide me through this process.  And guess what, they really know what they are doing.

Lets get started.  Take a whole chicken and cut it up.  I took the chicken breast and thighs and roasted them in the oven, as I will use that for my Chicken Noodle soup and maybe even some chicken tacos (my daughter's favorite).  The rest of the chicken I chopped up (the back, wings legs, neck) so the bones are exposed and the bone marrow is free to escape into the broth.  At the same time boil 8cups of water. 

Then chop one onion, carrot, and celery.  Heat up a large pot and drizzle with olive oil.  Brown half of the chicken part and set aside on a plate, the brown the second half and set aside.

Sauté onions carrots and celery until onions are translucent.

Add chicken back to the pot lower the temperature cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.  

After 20 minutes the you should have wonderful chicken juices in your pot and now it's time to add you 8cups of boiling water, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs of rosemary, thyme,sage, salt.  Bring to a boil, lower the temperature, cover the pot and let simmer for another 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes you should have a beautiful chicken stock.  Run it through a fine mesh strainer and let cool in a container for about an hour and refrigerate over night.  At this point all the fat will come to the surface and make it easy to defat your stock.  

Save the fat, we are going to need it to make the chicken soup.  You can freeze some of the stock ( it should last 6months in the freezer).  I used to pour my stock into the ice molds and the keep them in baggies in the freezer and when I needed to add chicken broth to a stir fry or sauce it was easy to do.  I think I will use half in a chicken soup now and freeze the other half for later.

Next up Chicken noodle soup.

Recipe:

Basic Chicken Stock
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated "The Science of Good Cooking"

8 Cups of Boiling water
1 Whole chicken (Cut up) 
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Celery rib
1/2 tsp of salt
2 Bay leaves
2 sprigs of Rosemary
2 Sprigs of Thyme
2 Sprigs of Sage

Boil 8 Cups of water
Remove the chicken breast, and thighs and roast for Chicken Noodle Soup
Chop up the chicken so the bone is exposed and bone marrow is able to seep into the broth.
Chop 1 carrot and celery rib and onion

Brown 1/2 the chicken in a large pot for approx 7 minutes, set aside and brown the 2nd 1/2 of chicken for approximately 7 minutes and set aside.  Saute the onions and then add carrots and celery Saute for approx 5-7 minutes.
Add chicken back to the pot and lower the temperature cover the pot and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add boiling water and add salt, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and sage.
Bring to a boil then lower the temperature, cover the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken and herbs and run broth through a strainer.  Let cool and defat the broth.

Soup Time

Well Christmas is over and it is time to take down the Christmas decorations and locate my fat jeans....sadly I'm already wearing them so that leaves me with one choice. Rein in my holiday eating and head into the kitchen and make some soup.

So gather and prep your ingredients. Peel and cube the butternut squash. In a large mixing bowl add the olive oil, sherry, ginger powder salt and crushed chili pepper if you are using them. Add the squash and coat. Place I the squash onto a cookie sheet and pop it in the oven.


While that is roasting it is time to prepare the broth. I like the infuse the broth with flavor while the squash is roasting. So chop the onions, mince the garlic, slice the ginger root ant lets get started.

In a large pot over medium heat sauté the onions. Once translucent add the garlic and sage. I lick to add a pinch o salt here. The garlic and sage take maybe 30 seconds or more. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the broth with all the rest of the herbs and let simmer on low while the squash is roasting.

After 45 minutes your butternut squash should be done. Remove it from the oven and the remove all the herbs (rosemary, thyme, ginger, sage). I like to leave the bay leaves, then add the squash and let simmer for another 20 minutes.

Motor boat time. Pull out your immersion blender, if you don't have one then transfer portions of the soup and purée. Either way purée until the soup is smooth. Remove from heat and add the cream.

Top with parmasean cheese in the serving bowl. You are ready to eat. Enjoy!













Recipe
Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4-6
Ready Time :  1 hour and 25 minutes
Pre Heat the oven to 400 degrees


1 Butternut Squash (Peeled and cubed)
3 TBLS of Olive Oil
2 TBLS of Sherry
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper to Taste
1/2 tsp crushed chili peppers (optional)
1 small onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
6 cups of Chicken Broth
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
4 sage leaves
Ginger Root cut into 1/2 inch disks (about 4 of them)
1/4 Cup of Cream
2 TBLS of Parmasean (for topping the soup)

About me

I had the good fortune of growing up in a home with a wonderful mom who was an awesome cook. She was the kind of cook that never measured anything and never worked from a recipe. It was completely intuitive for her. How I wished I spent more time writing down the recipes so we would have a roadmap back to those wonderful dinners and memories. We lost my mom over 10 years ago to cancer but I feel most connected to her when I spend time in the kitchen.

I not only had the good fortune of growing up in a house with a great cook, but I also had my aunt who could bake some of the most tasty deserts around. She lived around the corner and was such a generous and patient teacher. I am grateful for their inspiration.

My intention for this blog is to share some of my recipes, as well as learn some new recipes. And maybe at some point my kids will end up here when they want to try making some of my recipes. Hopefully it will bring back fond memories for them.