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Sunday Slow Cooker: Pot Roast With Horseradish Gravy

YumSugar — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:00:19 -0800

If you associate pot roast with Mom's mystery leftovers, then think again: this pot roast, with its horseradish and white wine-spiked gravy, is not your mother's. Chuck roast is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat that is typically tough, but when it's been slow cooked overnight, it becomes pull-apart tender and soft. Serve this atop a bed of rice or mashed potatoes, and you're guaranteed to please the whole family.

For the easy recipe, read more.

Slow-Cooked Pot Roast With Mustard and Horseradish Gravy
From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled and cut in half widthwise
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, root trimmed but left intact, and sliced into 4 wedges
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large bay leaf
3 whole cloves or allspice berries
1 cup homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-1/2 to 3 lb.)
2 Tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. brandy
1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp. grainy prepared mustard
2 Tbs. sour cream
1 tsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Put the carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and cloves or allspice in the bottom of a slow cooker.
In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the broth, wine, and tomato paste to blend.
Set a large heavy-based skillet over medium high heat. Pat the roast dry with paper towels, rub both sides with the olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sear the roast in the skillet until a dark crust forms on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and sear the other side, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and put the roast on top of the vegetables in the crock.
Add the broth mixture to the skillet, bring to a simmer, and scrape the pan bottom to loosen any browned bits. Pour the liquid over the roast and cover the crock; don't stir. Turn the slow cooker to low heat; cook gently without lifting the lid until the roast is fall-apart tender, 8 to 10 hours.
Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Strain the contents of the crock through a sieve set over a medium saucepan. Discard the solids. Skim the fat from the top of the strained liquid (or use a fat separator). Bring to a boil and then simmer rapidly until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the brandy, horseradish, and mustard. In a small bowl, mix the flour into the sour cream, stir in a few tablespoons of the sauce, and then pour the sour cream mixture into the sauce, whisking vigorously to blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Meanwhile, slice the roast thinly. Serve with the gravy and a sprinkling of parsley.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Beef and Sweet Potato Pan Roast

partysugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:30:09 -0700

The classic pot roast gets a quick, modern makeover in this delicious recipe. Instead of slow roasting a large piece of meat, petite pieces of beef tenderloin are pan seared.

Then, they're tossed with fleshy sweet potatoes for a rapid roast in the oven. This recipe also uses the last of the season's cherry tomatoes.

A fresh parsley gremolata finishes off this robust dish. To make this meal for your family, read more.

Beef and Sweet Potato Pan Roast
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. bottled roasted minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lb. medium orange and/or white sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
4 6- to 8-oz. beef shoulder petite tenders* or 1-1/2 to 2 lb. beef tenderloin
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Chopped Parsley Topping, recipe below

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a bowl combine Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper. Stir in olive oil. Divide seasoning mixture between two large self-sealing plastic bags.
Place sweet potatoes in one bag; shake to coat potatoes. Spread potatoes in a single layer on greased shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place beef tenders in remaining bag. Shake to coat. In a skillet brown beef tenders over medium-high heat, turning to brown evenly.
Stir sweet potatoes in roasting pan and push to edges of pan. Place beef tenders in center of pan. Roast, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes; roast 10 to 15 minutes more or until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of thickest part of tenders registers 145 degrees F for medium-rare or 160 degrees F for medium doneness.
Let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Sprinkle with Chopped Parsley Topping and serve.

Serves 6.

Chopped Parsley Topping: Stir together 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley; 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel; 2 cloves garlic, minced; and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

*The versatile petite tender is relatively new to the market. This juicy, lean cut from the top of the shoulder requires little or no marinating. Serve it roasted, grilled, or stir-fried. Each tender serves two.

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Sunday Dinner: Pot Roast with Vegetables

YumSugar — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 08:56:24 -0800

Sometimes life gets too hectic to plan a great meal every night. Which is why I like to make up for it on Sundays. With nothing pressing to do all day, I can try out new recipes and then invite friends over to feast on them. Join me each Sunday for a new tasty recipe.

This Sunday's Dinner is a scrumptious pot roast courtesy of Tyler Florence. I caught an episode of his new show, Tyler's Ultimate, and knew that this traditional dish would be the perfect recipe for a lazy Sunday meal. And if somehow it's not enough food, you could try serving it with a side of fluffy mashed potatoes. For the recipes read more

Pot Roast with Vegetables
From Tyler Florence

1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 14oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water (or broth)
2 yellow onion, halved
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch baby carrots
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced in half
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.

Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

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Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
From Diana Rattray

Use baking potatoes, or Russets, for best texture. Scroll down the page for more mashed potato recipes.

* 2 1/2 pounds Russet, or baking potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks, about 8 cups of cut up potatoes
* 1/4 cup milk or half-and-half, or more to taste
* 1/4 cup butter
* 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes thoroughly. For the smoothest potatoes, you can put the potatoes through a ricer at this point. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl. With an electric hand-held mixer, beat potato mixture until light and creamy.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Roasted Chicken Legs With Potatoes

partysugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:43 -0800

If roasting a whole chicken seems like too much work at the end of a long week, consider this recipe that combines chicken legs with potatoes and kale. It's the perfect one-pot meal.

All you have to do is toss everything into a roasting pan, throw it in the oven, and about an hour later, you'll have a flavorful dinner on the table.

Of course, chicken breasts can be substituted for the legs, but the dish may lose some of its rustic appeal. To get the uncomplicated and savory recipe, read more.

Roasted Chicken Legs With Potatoes
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds tender, young kale, stems and inner ribs removed
1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 whole chicken legs (about 10 ounces each)
1 teaspoon paprika
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a very large roasting pan, toss the kale, potatoes and onion with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer.
Set the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down. Slice halfway through the joint between the drumsticks and thighs. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the paprika and set on top of the vegetables.
Cover the pan with foil. Roast the chicken in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and roast for 30 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon the vegetables alongside. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 8.

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Top Chef Vegas: Episode Six

partysugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:30:51 -0700

After roughing it while camping last week, this time around we saw the cheftestants get magical. Again. Oh wait, I'm confusing this challenge with one we saw on Top Chef Masters! The chefs deconstructed classic dishes like clam chowder and pot roast. Penn & Teller guest starred, while Michelle Bernstein was the guest judge. Did you watch? Do you say pie-eh-ya or pie-elle-a? Want to discuss in detail? Read more.

Must-Read: Lobel's Meat Bible

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:03 -0700

I have a confession to make. Although a good number of you are vegetarians, and even more of you eat less meat now that we're in a recession, I still crave meat on a regular basis - whether it's a lamb chop, slice of jamon Iberico, or charcuterie. So when I received a copy of Lobel's Meat Bible ($40), a new book by revered New York butcher brothers Stanley, Evan, Mark, and David Lobel, I couldn't wait to check it out. See what I thought of it when you read more

Monday's Leftovers: Salmon With Sugar Snap Peas Over Rice

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:00:08 -0700

Salmon is remarkably versatile and can be cooked to perfection in a multitude of different ways, from roasting to searing to grilling. One of my favorite ways to prepare this pink-fleshed fish is by poaching it in water until it's just barely cooked through, which results in an ultra-moist piece of seafood.

Work a savory salmon dinner into your hectic schedule tonight by adding leftover fillets to an already-simmering pot of rice. Cooking multiple elements of a dish together simultaneously not only saves time, but it also saves resources like water and energy. Bring together this one-pot dinner in under 30 minutes when you read more.

Salmon With Sugar Snap Peas Over Rice
From Real Simple

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
Kosher salt and pepper
4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Directions

Mix the rice and 2 1/3 cups water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Slice the salmon on a diagonal into four 3/4-inch-thick pieces. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on top of the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook 7 minutes.
Scatter the peas over the salmon and rice. Cover and cook until the rice and peas are tender and the salmon is opaque and beginning to flake, 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix the soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, ginger, and sugar in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, rice, and peas and serve.

Serves 4.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 418, Protein 32g, Carbohydrate 49g, Sugar 5g, Fiber 2g, Fat 9g, Sodium 706mg

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Restaurants, Suffering From Poor Turnout, Look to Retail

YumSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:50:38 -0700

These days, chain restaurants are looking for any way to eke out a profit, from offering cheaper steaks to haggling with customers. But given the economic downturn, many are no longer expecting to fill tabletops at dinner - instead, they're counting on customers at the grocery store. Restaurants from Jamba Juice to California Pizza Kitchen and even Tony Roma's plan to introduce new licensed food products in the next year. Yesterday, Starbucks unveiled its new Super-Premium Ice Cream. The new line of ice cream, created in partnership with Unilever, is inspired by coffeehouse drinks with flavors like caramel macchiato and java chip.

Healthy drink chain Jamba Juice has been sorting through production and logistics on a ready-to-drink smoothie made by Nestle that will be carried in convenience stores in addition to supermarkets. Certain chains that already have licensed, branded items in grocery stores are looking to aggressively expand them. California Pizza Kitchen recently introduced flatbread sandwiches made in partnership with Kraft, and the company plans to expand its product line. Rib specialist Tony Roma's is also broadening its line of heat-and-serve meals beyond baby back ribs to include pulled pork, pot roast, and other items.

Since consumers are dining out less and eating in more, it makes perfect sense for restaurants to move in this direction, but if the past is any indicator, I've found licensed food products are usually nothing but a letdown. Do you feel the same way? Could you see this being the moneymaker for restaurant chains this year?

Source

Must-Read: Slow and Easy

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:00:16 -0800

If you've seen my Sunday Slow Cooker series, you probably know by now that I consider the electric slow cooker indispensable for convenient, low-maintenance cooking. Naturally, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of Slow and Easy: Fast-Fix Recipes For Your Electric Slow Cooker ($15.61), by the Los Angeles Daily News food editor, Natalie Haughton.
Haughton has penned five other cookbooks, including The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever, so she's clearly spent a lot of time with her Crock-Pot. To find out what I thought of the book, read more.

Pros:

The introduction has helpful information from choosing and getting to know your slow cooker to which foods are most forgiving and which are most demanding.
There's a wide range of recipes, from smoky roasted cashews to gingerbread for dessert, and although the the book contains over 250 recipes, it's surprisingly light.
A "cook's notes" sidebar proves helpful, explaining nuances such as the differences in types of paprika available at the grocery store.

Cons:

The book contains no pictures.
If you don't have interest in a slow cooker, then this book isn't for you.
Many of the seafood recipes require adding in the protein near the end of cooking time, which requires more attentiveness on your part.

Recipes: The recipes cover just about everything. Here are some that caught my attention:

Caponata, Edamame Cheese Dip
Shrimp Chowder, Vegetable Stock
Artichoke Pasta Sauce
Shortcut Lasagna
Mac and Cheese
Turkey Molé
Shrimp Veracruz Style
Beef Lettuce Wraps
Tagine of Lamb With Apricots
Asian-Flavored Quinoa With Broccoli and Chard
Spanish Pistou
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Green Pepper Jelly
Flourless Chocolate Torte

Imagery: None.

Overall Rating: If you're a fan of the slow cooker (and aren't bothered that it doesn't contain pictures), then this informative yet innovative slow-cooker guide would be a useful, go-to book to add to your repertoire.

Sunday Slow Cooker: Moroccan Turkey Stew

YumSugar — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:00:36 -0800

After a weekend of opulence and seduction, perhaps you're craving a return to the simplicity of Winter basics. For that, turn to a stew that's soothing yet also a refreshing departure from, say, mother's pot roast.

This turkey stew, with its cumin, allspice, and dried fruits, is the ideal dinner for a casual Sunday evening. To make this straightforward slow cooker recipe, read more.

Moroccan Turkey Stew
From Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground allspice
Kosher salt
4 skinless, bone-in turkey thighs (about 4 pounds)
1/2 medium butternut squash, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juices, broken up
1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins
8 medium carrots, cut into 11/2-inch pieces
3 medium red onions, halved and cut into wedges
2 whole dried red chiles
1/2 lemon
2 cups fresh cilantro, including leaves and some stems
1 cup fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine the allspice and 3 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Season the turkey thighs with half the salt mixture in a 5-quart slow cooker.
Toss the squash, chickpeas, tomatoes, apricots, raisins, carrots, onions and chiles with the remaining spiced salt. Pour the vegetables over the turkey (the cooker will be full; arrange the mixture so the lid fits). Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Spoon the vegetables and broth into bowls. Remove and discard the turkey bones and place the meat on top of the vegetables.
Juice the lemon; pulse with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add the oil and process until smooth. Serve the stew in bowls; drizzle with the cilantro sauce.

Serves 6 to 8.

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