Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew

Ingredients

 

2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups baby carrots
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or other if you don't have Lawry's)

What to Do
 

1. Place beef, tomatoes, carrots, onions and celery in slow cooker.
2. Mix water, cornstarch, Italian seasoning and seasoned salt in small bowl until well blended. Pour over beef and vegetables. Cover.
3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. I know it is difficult, but don't remove the cover while cooking.  Set it, go to work, and then come home, sniff appreciately and stir before serving. 

Lentil and Sausage Soup

It is almost March, which means spring is arriving (or has already) in many places.  In northeast Wisconsin we have had what passes as a very mild winter for this part of the country.  Nonetheless, outside the window I see a blanket of white snow, and more is in the forecast.  It is not time for me to put away the scarves and mittens.  March is very unpredictable here.

How about where you are? 

Mindful of the chill and the snow, I'm sharing a hearty comfort food.  This is simmering on the stove right now, and the house smells wonderful!

Ingredients
1 lb. or about 2 cups lentils
1 tbsp. olive (or other) oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. wine vinegar, or juice of one lemon
8 cups beef or chicken broth (or use part water if you need to)
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cumin

1 large (28 oz.) can stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes

1/2 lb. or about 2 cups, Italian sausage, cooked and chopped

What to Do

Brown sausage and onion in oil.  Drain  and set aside. 

In dutch oven or large soup pot, combine washed lentils with half the broth, celery and carrots.  Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes.  Add spices and remaining broth. Bring to a boil again and then simmer about 15 more minutes. (Some people like to puree the soup at this point.  I leave it as is.  Up to you.)  Add tomatoes, vinegar or lemon juice, and the onions and sausage; cover and cook 15 minutes more. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices if desired.  Serves 8.

Note
Also try this with a bit more broth (or tomato juice) and a package of frozen spinach, thawed and added when you add the sausage/onion mix.  You can also use about a pound of fresh spinach.  Garnish with parmesan cheese instead of the parsley.

Corn Chowder with Chicken and Curry

This delicious chowder is from "Reverent Irreverance" -- a Rev Gal Blog Pal Blog from a priest and Pampered Chef consultant. How can you beat that combo? ;-)

½ cup chopped bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green pepper,
seeds and membrane removed
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup diced pared raw potatoes
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ bay leaf
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, divided
2 cups whole-kernel corn
2 cups diced cooked chicken
Chopped parsley (optional)

Sauté bacon pieces slowly until lightly browned. Add onion, celery and green pepper and sauté until lightly brown. Stir in curry (add more to taste). Add potatoes, water, salt, paprika and bay leaf and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. In a small saucepan blend flour and ½ cup milk. Bring to the boiling point and blend with soup mixture, removing any lumps. Heat about five minutes. Heat 1½ cups milk until hot. Add milk, corn and chicken and heat through. Do not boil soup. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.


Makes about 8-9 cups.

Roasted Fruit Soup

Plums are starting to appear in the grocery stores around here. This is another recipe from my mother that I found on a slip of paper, jotted in pencil. That means she was at someones home and tasted something she wanted to learn how to make. In this case, I think it was another of her sister, Pauline's, wonderful dishes. It might sound strange, but it is delicious. It can be served as a hot or cold soup.

1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium pear, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 medium cooking apple, cored and cut into thin wedges (I like a Figi apple for this.)
3 plums, any variety, halved and pitted
3 cups cranberry/apple juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 or 3 pieces stick cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In baking dish, stir together cranberries and brown sugar. Add pear and apple wedges. Roast uncovered in oven for 20 minutes or till just tender. Add plum halves. Roast uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or till fruit is tender and edges begin to brown or curl. Stir gently to combine.

Meanwhile, in large sauce pan, combine the cranberry/apple juice, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and them simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and discard.

Gently stir the the roasted fruit into the juice mixture. Pour into six bowls.

Roasting is perfect for fruit that is not quite ripe. For a real treat, serve this as a warm dessert with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Texas Cowboy Stew

I am slowly sorting through some of my late mother's recipes. Yesterday I found this one, jotted in her lovely handwrting in pencil on a small slip of paper. It is quite faded, so I am saving it here. I had three cans of pinto beans still in the pantry from when she lived with us!

I tried it tonight and it was tasty--very thick. I would have called it Cowboy Goulash!

Your guess is as good as mine as to can sizes. I am assuming not small and not large, so a "regular" sized can. That is what I used and it was fine, though thick. The pinto beans and the bacon make the recipe, I think.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
garlic powder to taste
6 bacon slices, fried and crumbled

Brown all together in a soup pot. Add the following:

2 cans diced tomatoes (I'm thinking 3 would be fine too.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can pinto beans
1 can cubed potatoes
(I intend to use about 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed potatoes.)

Add these ingredients to the pot. Simmer for 45 minutes or so. Nice with corn bread.

As you can see from the photo, I ate it with some Fritos, and I liked that too.

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

Did you think pumpkin was only for pies and cake? Try this savory recipe--not sweet!

2 tbs. butter
2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 leeks, chopped
2 1/2 lbs. pie pumpkin, or butternut or acorn squash peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about nine cups)
7 cups chicken broth (vegetarians can use vegetable broth)
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
4 cups chopped green cabbage

salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs. fresh tarragon

In a 5/1/2 to 6 quart stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.
Add cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for one minute.
Add leeks and cook for two minutes, stirring to coat leeks with spices.
Add pumpkin cubes and broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes.
Add rice, cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Add cabbage and simmer for 5 to 10 more minutes or till rice and pumpkin are tender.
Add salt and pepper.
Add tarragon just before serving.

Don't like cabbage? Try adding chopped jicama, brocoli or spinach instead.

Serves 10 as a side dish or first course. Serves 6 as a main course.

Pizza Soup

This is easy and tastes wonderful on a chilly day. You will need about an hour for the soup to cook. If you want to make a smaller batch, use 1/2 lb. of the meats, and use 1 large can crushed tomatoes, one can diced tomatoes and one can tomato sauce. Or if you are cooking for two, make the big batch and freeze what you won't eat, except don't add the cheese to the batch that is going into the freezer.

Serve with a tossed green salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
one large onion, chopped
Mozzarella cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese
sliced black olives
mushrooms
green bell pepper, chopped
two large cans crushed tomatoes
one large can diced tomatoes
one large can tomatoe sauce
two large cloves garlic, minced
about 2 t. basil
1 t. pepper
about 1 T Italian seasoning

What to do:

Brown the hamburger and sausage in a large pot, adding onion and green pepper about hallway through the process. Drain. Add the tomatoes and the spices. My amts. are approximate, so adjust to suit your taste as necessary. The green pepper, olives and mushrooms are optional, but do use them if you like them. Amounts are up to you. Fresh mushrooms are best, but canned will do. Add water if you need more liquid or if it seems more like sauce than soup.

Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn heat to low for about an hour. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle grated Kraft-type Parmesan cheese on top. Add a generous amt. of grated mozzarella or jack cheese on top and heat in microwave or oven till cheese is nicely melted.

I've never tried this in a crock pot, but I assume you could brown the meat and onion and then add all the other ingredients and cook on low while you are at work. If you try it, let me know in comments how it worked out.

SingingOwl's Camp Stew

This stew works well at home on the stove or over a campfire in a big dutch oven. The pot of stew in the picture is cooking on the stove right now, and it has to be the best I ever made. There is only one thing different about it, and that is the Ro-Tel tomotoes (diced tomoatoes and green chilies). Yum! I don't use a recipe, so the amts. I'm giving you are the best guess I can make of quantities.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chuck roast, cut in cubes

1 large onion, chopped in large pieces

About 3 stalks celery, chopped in large pieces

green beans (or peas, or whatever you think sounds good)

carrots and potatoes, chopped into chunks

2 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
one bay leaf
2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic
two 14 oz. cans beef broth
one 10 oz.can Ro-Tel tomaoes (this is diced tomatoes and green chilies)
flour
oil
soy sauce
browning sauce (Kitchen Boquet or similar)
salt and ground pepper, to taste

Look closely at the picture and you will see my cute pepper grinder.

What to do:

Pour about 1/4 cup of oil in the bottom of a dutch oven or large pot. Add stew meat and about 1/2 cup flour. Stir to coat meat, and brown over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup soy sauce and a nice glug ;-) of Kitchen Boquet. Add garlic, onion, Ro-Tel tomoatoes and seasonings. Add just enough water to slightly cover meat, if needed. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beef broth. Cook till beef is tender, add vegetables. Cook till veggies are tender, adding liquid if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like, you can add a can of diced tomatoes, but this is not recommended if cooking in cast iron.

I plan on making corn bread to go with it. I think it will go nicely with the slight zing of the chilies.