Chicken and Mushroom Stew

Ingredients:

2 lbs Chicken breast, cubed
1 Sweet onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2-3 Russet Potatoes, cubed
8oz Mushrooms, sliced
4 cups Chicken Broth or Stock
About 1/8 cup cashews, chopped
1/4 cup Red Wine
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/8 tsp ground Thyme
1 Tbs fresh Rosemary, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried Parsley
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup AP Flour
Olive Oil
Heavy Cream

Directions:

Add about 2 Tbs olive oil to a large pot or Dutch Oven over Medium High heat. When the oil is hot, add chicken to pot and season lightly with some salt and pepper, toss to coat and smooth the chicken to cover the bottom of the pot in one even layer. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces with tongs. Cook chicken for another 3-4 minutes and remove to a separate bowl with a slotted spoon.

To the pot, add the onion, garlic, and potatoes to whatever liquid is left over from the chicken and coat the vegetables in it. If the pot is dry, add a little more olive oil. Cook roughly 6-8 minutes before adding the sliced Mushrooms. Continue to cook until the mushrooms release the liquid into the pot, return the chicken and any liquid in the bowl back into the pot.

Add the flour, measured salt and pepper, and the herbs and spices listed above. Toss to coat and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the flour looks cooked and everything is nicely coated. Pour the wine into the pot and stir, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour over the chicken broth and stir, adding the cashews as you do so.

Bring the stew to a simmer, and reduce the heat low enough to maintain the simmer. Cook the stew for 20 minutes. Add a splash of heavy cream to the stew, and warm through. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed and serve.

Potatoes and Ham

This is my take on the classic scalloped potatoes and ham. I don’t use the classic shape, though, which usually requires a mandolin. Its a great way to use up leftover ham from big meals, such as Christmas.

Ingredients:

8 to 12 Dutch Gold Potatoes, scrubbed and peeled

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole small onion, diced

1.5 tsp Salt

1 tsp black ground Pepper

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

A pinch of Nutmeg

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1.5 cups ham, cubed

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup ap flour

Directions:

Quarter the potatoes, and then thinly slice each quarter. Add potatoes to a bowl with the ham and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large ovenproof Dutch oven, melt half the butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic to butter with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute 3 to 5 minutes, until onions are softened and garlic fragrant. Add the remaining butter to the pot. Once melted, add in potatoes and ham. Cook and stir over medium heat, adding remaining salt, pepper and the Paprika. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring to keep cooking even and bottom from browning too much. Add flour and stir in, cooking for 3 additional minutes. Pour the milk over the mixture and stir everything together, adding the Nutmeg at this time. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. Lid the pot, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Once the hour is up, remove from the oven and allow to cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes before plating.

Guiness and Steak pot pie

A good way to use leftover steak.

Ingredients:

2 cups good cooked steak, cubed

1 large can Guiness draught (2 to 14 oz)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 minced cloves garlic
2 potatoes and 2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tbs fresh Thyme, chopped
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp Worstershire sauce
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
2 Bay leaves
1 cup beef broth or stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
A generous pinch of Nutmeg
2 pie crusts, savory
4 Tbs butter
1/2 cup plain flour
1 beaten egg, to wash the top of the pie.

Directions:

Melt butter in large pot. Saute garlic, onion, and vegetables in the butter along with the Thyme on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until tender. Add meat and stir about a minute, then add flour, and about a tsp each salt and pepper, then cook and stir for about 3 minutes to take the raw edge off of the flour. Pour Guiness and broth into the pot and add rest of the seasonings. Warm to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes to an hour.

While filling is simmering, preheat oven to 400°F. Once filling is thick, check seasonings and adjust to taste before transferring to a 9inch pie tin lined with one of the savory pie crusts. Smooth filling and top with remaining crust, sealing the edges. Cut vents into the top of the pie, then brush gently with egg wash. Cook in the oven over a baking sheet to catch any rogue filling for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven once pie crust is golden and filling bubbly. Let rest at least 30 minutes before serving.