Soups and Stews: Part 3

We're always on the lookout for new bean dishes.  I found out about Rajma a while back.  Apparently Rajma, in India, is kind of like Chili here in the South-everybody has a recipe!  The spices in it can vary greatly, so please feel free to use this as a "guideline". You can make it as hot as you want, depending on your variety of peppers and how many you want to put in! We like the "curriness" and the paprika.    

(Seen with Roasted Brussel Sprouts)

Rajma (Indian Kidney Bean Stew)

2 tablespoons of neutral oil, like canola

4 cloves garlic minced

1 large red onion, divided

5 Serrano chili peppers or other hot peppers, to taste. Seeded and chopped

2 cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can crushed or diced tomatoes

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 stick cinnamon or ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

1-2 cups water, if needed.

Reserve one quarter of the purple onion, cutting cut it in fine slivers. Chop the rest of the onion. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in oil over medium heat until they begin to brown. Add everything else, except the reserved purple onion slivers and the water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour. Add water if needed. This should be pretty thick, about like chili.

Serve over rice, (we use Elephant God Brown Jasmine Rice), Garnish with the reserved slivered red onion.

An additional benefit of this recipe is that except for the onions and peppers, it all comes from  a moderately well stocked pantry. Dried peppers could probably be substituted for the fresh ones. I'll try that next time we make it.

Soups and Stews: Part 2

Alice's family is from Scotland, where this recipe has been around in one form or another for about 500 years.  Obviously,  this is a crowd pleaser. And it much more palatable to folks than Haggis ever will be!  If you skim some or all of the chicken fat off the top you can pretty much call this health food. If you don't,  well. . . .you know.

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

2 whole chickens, either whole or cut up in quarters or halves. About 5-6 pounds.

½ lb carrots sliced

4 quarts water, approximately

Seasoning Salt to taste, start with 1 teaspoon.

1 cup white wine

1 cup of old fashion oatmeal

3 large leeks, washed, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into half moons, 1/8 inch thick.

This is not an easy soup to make, but it is well worth it, especially if you’ve got Scottish heritage. I cannot emphasize too much how important is to WASH the leaks. Wash them under running water after you’ve split them down the middle. Peel back each layer. Wash, wash, wash.

Sprinkle chickens with seasoning salt on all sides. Roast at 325 degrees for 1- 2 hours, turning once. You want them nice and golden. When they can be pulled apart at the joints without too much effort, put in them in a large stock pot and cover with about 2 inches of water. Pour all the dripping from the roasting pan into the pot. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Use some of the simmering water to deglaze the roasting pan, pouring it into the pot.

After 30 minutes or so, remove the chicken back to the roasting pan and let cool for a while. Strain the broth if you need to. After the chicken is cooled enough, pick the meat off the bones and shred it up with your hands. You want it really broken up, like good pulled pork barbeque.

Add the meat back to the pot along with the carrots, oatmeal and wine. Simmer for 30 minutes until the carrots are done. As soon as they are done, turn the pot off, and stir in the leeks, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then dig in!

This is great with nice fluffy scones!

Soups and Stews: Part 1

Winter Beef Stew

I have a new beef stew that I've made 3 times so far this winter. I stole/adapted it out of Garden and Gun. 

¼ cup high-quality olive oil divided

2 large carrots, diced

2 large yellow onions, diced

4 ribs celery, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs. beef cut for stew

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2-3 cups chicken stock divided.

4 tbsp. high-quality Worcestershire sauce

10 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Salt and black pepper to taste

In a large cast-iron Dutch oven or stock pot, sweat carrots, onions, celery, and garlic in half the olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Remove veggies. Add a little more oil if needed, then brown the beef, working in batches if necessary. When beef is browned, drain off oil and add bay leaves, tomatoes, half the chicken stock, Worcestershire, thyme, and Dijon mustard. The stew should be slightly soupy. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low, simmering until beef is soft and tender, 1-2 hours, adding more chicken stock as needed. Remove Bay Leaves. Depending on the tomatoes and Worcestershire, you may not have to add salt.

Serve over rice.