Stews

CHILI RECIPE FROM PROTÈINES VERTES

Ingredients for 4 servings.:

1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chipotle chili paste or 1 teaspoon powdered

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons smoked hot Spanish paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground Cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

2 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

2 1/2 cups cool water

3 ounces brown lentils (dal)

3 ounces orange lentils (dal)

1 14 oz. can kidney bean, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon honey

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

fresh cilantro leaves, torn

4 ounces Greek yogurt

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

Saute the onion pieces in hot oil in a 4 quart casserole for 2 minutes. Add the pepper and garlic. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the seasonings and bay leaf, continuing to stir for another minute. Add the tomatoes and water, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lentils, kidney beans and honey. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are just tender. Add more water, as needed, to maintain the original consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over cornbread with a dollop of yogurt, a few cilantro leaves and scatter on bits of jalapeno.

GRILLADES AND GRITS

Ingredients for 12 servings:

4 pounds beef or veal round steak (1/4" thick)

1/2 cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil

1/2 cup unbleached flour

1 cup Spanish onions, chopped

2 cups thinly sliced green onions

3/4 cup celery, chopped

1-1/2 cups green bell peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups canned or boxed plum tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)

1 cup water

1 cup red wine

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 cups cornmeal grits (polenta)

Trim fat and bone from the meat. Slice meat 1/2"thick. In a heavy skillet heat half of the fat and brown the meat on both sides then remove it to a plate.

Add the remaining fat and the flour. Cook the flour over medium low heat until the flour is a dark, rich brown. Add the onions, green onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic and saute until wilted. Add the tomatoes, thyme and cook 3 minutes more. Add the wine and water and stir until the mixture is completely mixed.

Return the meat to the pan along with the salt, pepper, bay leaves, Tabasco and Worchestershire. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer the meat up to 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the parsley. Let the grillades cool and refrigerate overnight. Reheat and serve over grits.

Grits:

Follow directions on the package, removing the grits from the heat when the corn meal is tender and the consistence is still loose.

SZEKELY GOULASH WITH YEAST DUMPLINGS

Ingredients for 8 servings

Goulash:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Spanish onion, peeled and chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut in 1" cubes

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/2 pound canned sauerkraut, rinsed and drained.

1 – ½ to 2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 cup sour cream

pinch of hot paprika

Dumplings:

1-1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1-1/2 cups bread flour

1 package rapid-rise dry active yeast or 1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup + warm water (100 degrees)

1 large egg at room temperature, beaten

Directions:

Goulash: Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. Saute onions and peppers until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Scrape the vegetables into a bowl and reserve. Add the meat and sear on all sides briefly – in installments as needed. Reserve pieces in another bowl. Return the meat pieces to the pan. Dust with flour and paprika and continue cooking another minute. Stir in the sautéed vegetables and sauerkraut. Stir the tomato paste into the bottom of the pan with the tomato pieces. Add the stock and caraway seeds. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the meat is just cooked through, another 5-10 minutes. Stir in the in the sour cream and hot paprika. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Dumplings: Combine the dry ingredients in bowl or mixer. Stir the egg into the water before adding the liquid to the bowl. Add tablespoons of water as needed to create a stiff dough. Let this dough sit in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. After 30 minutes heat 3 quarts of water in a pasta pot

Punch down the dough and divide into 4 pieces on a lightly floured board. Shape each piece of dough into a small loaf. Let the loaves rest for 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the water. Drop two loaves of dough into boiling water, place the other two in the oiled steamer portion of the pot and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, opening and turning the dumplings over once or twice as they cook. Remove them when their interior temperature reaches 200 degrees. Turn the dumplings in the steamer into the water to finish cooking, another 5 minutes. Remove from the water, slice and serve with the goulash.

HACHIS PARMENTIER

Ingredients for 8 – 10 servings:

Beef Stew:

Canola oil

3 pounds beef stew meat

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 head fennel, halved and sliced

1  1/2 cups red wine

1 28 ounce can diced San Marzano plum tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Potato Puree:

3 pounds Idaho (russet) potatoes

6 – 10 tablespoons butter

1 + cups scalded milk

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Directions:

Beef: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet.  Wipe dry and sauté stew meat, season with salt and pepper and saute in several batches, turning to brown all sides of the meat. Collect meat in a bowl.   Add a bit more oil to the pan and sauté onions until they wilt, stir in the fennel and cook 5 minutes longer.  Deglaze the pan with ½ cup wine. Return the meat to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices.  Pour in more wine as needed to just cover the meat.  Add the bay leaves.  Bring liquids to a simmer, cover the pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Strain the cooking juices and bring them to a simmer. Dissolve the cornstarch in cool water.  Stir in two cups of hot meat juices then reverse the cornstarch mixture into the reducing juices.  Stir and cook until thickened to taste.  Season with salt and pepper.

Distribute the meat and vegetables in a deep gratin dish.  Ladle the thickened sauce over the meat and reserve.

Potato Puree: Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub the potatoes and place in a saucepan with water to cover by 1” and 1 tablespoon salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook at a bare simmer until a knife pierces the potatoes easily.  Drain.  When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and pass them through a food mill.  Heat the potatoes in a heavy saucepan beating continuously with a wooden spoon for a minute or two to dry them.  Alternate the addition of butter by the tablespoon and milk until the desired consistency is reached.  Season to taste. Spoon the potato puree over the stew.  Scatter small pieces of butter over the top and bake until the potatoes begin to brown.  Serve immediately