Have been reduced to a bobblehead with a wonky neck spring. Brain function reduced to a trickle. Discovered don’t have a waist upon trying on Julia Child outfits (Oxford-style shirt, tied apron, which makes me look more like Paul Prudhomme) in front of full-length mirror.
Ghoulash for dinner. Wanted to tell you about it. V. good on brown rice. Leftovers. Better after a day or two in the fridge. Freezes well.
Pulled Pork Ghoulash
adapted from Jamie at Home, by Jamie Oliver (a stunning book-I highly recommend it!)
canola or olive oil, for cooking with
4-5 lb. pork shoulder, preferably bone-in
1 large purple onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 hot chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. hot or 1 Tbsp. mild smoked paprika
1 19 oz. (598 mL) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste
½ cup sour cream or crème fraiche (optional- Jamie spikes his with lemon zest and a handful of chopped fresh parsley)
Brown rice or warm cornbread, for serving
Heat a drizzle of oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder on all sides. Transfer it to a Dutch oven or slow cooker. (If you want to cook this in the oven instead of the slow cooker, preheat it to 325°F.) Add the onions to the pan and cook until they start to turn brown; add them to the Dutch oven or slow cooker; ditto the peppers, chile peppers and garlic. Add them to the pork and onions, and add the paprika, tomatoes, vinegar and sugar as well.
If you are using the oven put a lid on the pot and put it in for about 3 hours. If you are using a slow cooker, set it on low for 6-8 hours. Take the lid off and test the meat – it should pull apart easily with a fork. Remove any bones and continue cooking with the lid off if you’d like to thicken the sauce. Skim any fat from the surface, or cool the pork completely, then refrigerate it overnight; this makes it easier to pull the solidified fat from the surface, and it always tastes better reheated the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to improve.
Using two forks, shred the meat and distribute it through the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice or split cornbread, topped with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche. Leftovers are grand, and freeze well.
While I emceed an event, M and W had leftover turkey chili (I think – they might have eaten Ichiban and Cheezies in my absence) – a recipe I had to make as soon as I saw it. It’s not your traditional chili – although it does have beans (black) it’s more loaded with chunks of butternut squash and apples, with a curry quality brought on by a can of coconut milk. Très fall. Apparently it’s pretty fab made with leftover roast turkey – I had some ground in my freezer, but I’ll be sure to make use of turkey leftovers in a couple weeks (HOW DID OCTOBER SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THIS?).
Or sooner, because I just discovered you can cook a whole entire turkey in your CrockPot. Oh yes, and you don’t have to debone it in order to cram it in! I’ll fill you in on the details soon – experiment #1 is chilling right now in its pot in my barbecue.
I love when the temperature dips to near freezing overnight and I can use my backyard as a second fridge.
My sister dropped off sick kids this morning and left them to languish on my couch all day while W tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to rouse them and I tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to get stuff done. I had bought some skinless chicken thighs and drums to test a “faux fried chicken” recipe, but instead decreed that they should spend the day in the CrockPot becoming butter chicken.
So I threw it all in, the drumsticks partially frozen, even, without bothering to brown anything first. (Which isn’t necessary, but does boost flavour.) At 5 I stuck a pot of brown rice on to boil, and stirred a bit of plain yogurt and a bit of cream into the finished chicken. After cooking all day the meat self destructed upon being stirred; I just plucked the bones out. You could start with skinless, boneless chicken, but any meat cooked on the bone has far more flavour.
Better Butter Chicken (in the CrockPot)
It’s easier to find chicken pieces with skin; I just pull it off at home.
4 each: skinless, boneless chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. curry paste or powder
pinch cinnamon
1 28 oz. (796 mL) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (optional)
1-2 tsp. garam masala (optional)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup(ish) half & half or whipping cream
salt and pepper
steamed brown basmati rice, for serving with
Throw everything but the yogurt, cream, salt and pepper into the CrockPot, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Uncover, stir in the yogurt and cream, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot over rice. Serves 6.
I am quite slow on the uptake. That memo probably took awhile to get out.
I have been meaning to revisit the Thai chicken thighs since a conversation broke out on the topic months ago. I have just now gotten ’round to digging some skinless chicken thighs out of the freezer and throwing them in the slow cooker with a cup of salsa, a couple big spoonfuls of peanut butter, a squirt of soy sauce and lime juice, and a small spoonful of grated ginger. Served over leftover rice, fried up in a little canola and sesame oil with some frozen peas. V. tasty. In fact, my parents popped by tonight after a meeting and almost finished the leftovers cold, at the kitchen counter, standing up. My Dad asked what was in it. (This is a v. good sign.)
Seriously, this is about as easy as it gets. It looks a little watery at first, but give it a chance – the sauce will cook up nicely. Just be gentle with them when they’re done; if you take of the lid and give it a stir, all the thighs will come apart and you’ll wind up with juicy chunks with naked bones swimming around the pot.
Thai Chicken Thighs
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 cup salsa
1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter (any kind)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. grated ginger
Put everything in the slow cooker and set on low for 6 hours. Serve warm over rice.
I’m not really sure what we had for dinner tonight, to be honest. Or whether we technically did have dinner – we kind of skidded right through and suddenly it’s after 10 and I’m making creme brulee and curried squash soup, which would have actually made a fine dinner. I have two events tomorrow that require food, and because I didn’t get the final details of one until around 4 I headed out to grocery shop over dinnertime, thinking I was smart to go during the Grey Cup. It seems a lot of people had the same kind of smarts.
I made some chicken drumsticks for the occasion (Grey Cup) – threw them in the Crock Pot and sort of forgot about them, except for the occasional waft that crept by my nose. I am a big fan of chicken wings, but not a fan of all that skin and fat, which is really all there is to a chicken wing. If you pull the skin off of chicken legs they are far less in fat, have much more meat, and you can still eat them with your fingers. Try them with any kind of wing sauce and cook them in the oven, on the grill or in the slow cooker.
Sticky, Spicy Drumsticks
These are reminiscent of sweet and sour chicken, but with a spicy kick. Use less hot sauce if you’re feeding kids; more if you like to live dangerously. These do the trick when I’m craving a big sticky basketful of chicken wings. Cook them under the broiler or throw them on the grill for a smokier flavor.
8 chicken drumsticks, skinned and trimmed of any fat
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Combine everything but the drumsticks in a medium bowl. Add the drumsticks and stir to coat.
Grill or broil the drumsticks, brushing with marinade, for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. If there is extra marinade, bring it to a boil in a small pot and simmer for a minute, until thoroughly cooked. Serve with the drumsticks for dipping.
Makes 8 drumsticks.
Per drumstick: 144 calories, 2.2 g total fat (0.6 g saturated fat, 0.7 g monounsaturated fat, 0.6 g polyunsaturated fat), 13.3 g protein, 18.6 g carbohydrate, 47.7 mg cholesterol, 0.3 g fiber. 13% calories from fat
So those sort of got picked at over the course of the afternoon. And because my sister was coming by I made a crab, spinach and artichoke dip (faster than it sounds) which was baked until bubbly and eaten with grainy crackers.
Hot Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Omit the artichokes if you want just a cheesy crab dip, or replace it with half a package of frozen spinach, thawed with the extra moisture squeezed out. If it seems too thick for your taste, thin it with a little milk.
1 – 8oz. (250 g) tub light cream cheese
1 cup low fat sour cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. grated purple onion
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small clove garlic, finely crushed
2 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 – 1 lb. lump crabmeat, cartilage removed (or 2 – 170g cans, drained)
1 – 14 oz. (398 mL) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
half block of frozen chopped spinach, thawed with moisture squeezed out (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or old cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Stir in sour cream, lemon juice, onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir in the crabmeat, artichoke hearts, spinach and cheese.
Spoon into a shallow baking dish or pie plate and bake for 20-30 minutes, until heated through and bubbly around the edges. Serve warm with baked tortillas, crackers, pita or bagel chips or fresh veggies. Serves 8.
Per serving: 165 calories, 8.6 g total fat (4.8 g saturated fat, 2.5 g monounsaturated fat, 0.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 12.3 g protein, 10.2 g carbohydrate, 41.4 mg cholesterol, 2.3 g fiber. 46% calories from fat
Altogether it sort of counted as dinner, I guess. And good news: I’m making samosas tomorrow, so I’ll post the recipe rather than tease you about it!
