German Shepherd's Pie

OK, it's not german at all, but Neko highly recommends it!  Here are the ingredients:

About 2 cups mashed potatoes (make ahead or use leftovers)
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
Peas, corn, and any other veggies you like
Several dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced
Gravy:  1 tbs olive oil
            2-3 tbs butter
            Worcestershire sauce
            1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
            Kitchen Bouquet
            Beef stock, warmed

Saute the onions and carrots in olive oil in a large dutch oven for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, and cook a few more minutes.  Spice up the ground beef (in a large mixing bowl) with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and paprika.  Mix the spices in with the meat.  Add the meat to the pot, turn the heat up, and cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is browned.  Add the fresh vegetables :-).

Add some W sauce and nutmeg and give it a good stir.  Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Clean the mushrooms and quarter them.  Saute them in a little olive oil over medium high heat until they begin to brown.  Add the mushrooms to the meat mixture.

Now for the gravy.  In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add the flour, and whisk vigorously and constantly.

Begin adding stock, a little at a time, and keep whisking.  Keep adding stock until you get a nice consistency, not too thick.

Add the fresh thyme, salt and pepper, a dash of Kitchen Bouquet, and a few dashes of W sauce.

Stir the gravy into the meat mixture. 

Final assembly:  Spoon the meat mixture into a greased (non-stick spray) 9 x 12 casserole dish and spread evenly.

Top the whole mess with about a 1/2 to 1 inch layer of mashed potatoes.  Spread evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.  Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until bubbly.  Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes or so before serving.

Eat until you're dog tired!!  Woof!

Rigatoni Bolognese

This can be made with ground beef or sausage, but it's our favorite use for leftover pot roast. 

About 1 1/2 lbs leftover pot roast
1 onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs each olive oil and butter
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 cup beef stock
2 28 oz cans peeled italian tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 tbs each oregano and thyme
1 tbs sugar
Salt and pepper
Rigatoni or your favorite pasta

Last night or earlier:  Season the pot roast well with salt and pepper.  Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat and brown the meat.  Add some chopped carrots, celery, and garlic, and 2 cups of beef stock.  Bring to a boil, cover, and put in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 2 1/2 hours.  Serve with spuds, veggies, and salad.  Refrigerate leftover meat.

Fast forward to tonight:  Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium low heat.  Add the olive oil and butter, then the onions, celery, carrot, and pepper flakes.  Saute until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Chop up the leftover pot roast.  If you want, puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor.  Add the meat, tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, bay leaf, and spices.  Bring to a light boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain, and toss with a little olive oil.

Serve with some parmesan cheese and a crisp green salad, and enjoy!!

Risotto with Dungeness Crab & Veggies

An important aspect of this recipe is having very good friends who live on the waterfront and have a boat and a crab pot (in our case, Ken & Sue).

1 crab, shelled
1 medium onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
About 2 oz thick cut proscuitto, or one slice thick cut bacon, chopped (I used bacon)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs (or more) butter
About 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
About 1 quart chicken or veggie broth, or crab stock
Pinch of saffron threads
Veggies, chopped (I used red bell pepper, snow peas, zucchini, broccoli)
Salt & pepper
Grated parmesan or romano

(note: sundried tomatoes are pictured but not used-we added cherry tomatoes just before serving).

Saute the bacon in the olive oil over medium low heat in a large dutch oven.  When about 1/2 done, add the onions and the pepper flakes.  Cook until soft.  Add the garlic, and cook for about two more minutes.  Add the rice, stir, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pot.  Let cook about 2 minutes, stir, and cook another 2 minutes or until very lightly browned.

Warm the broth, and add to the rice, about 1 cup at a time, stirring.  Slowly simmer and add stock as necessary as the rice absorbs it.  After about 15 minutes or so, add the veggies.

Keep simmering and adding stock until the rice is cooked.  The rice should have a firm texture, but not be chewy.  Stir in the butter, and add salt and ground pepper to taste, and then stir in the crab.  Serve with the grated cheese.

Enchilada Pie

OK, here's the real reason I posted such a simple thing as a roasted chicken.  Leftovers!  This has been a family favorite for years.  We used to put the cheese in with the layers--due to differing family preferences we now just put the cheese on top.  Either way is great.

Leftover chicken, shredded or cubed
Black olives, sliced
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 7oz can diced green chilies
1 large can enchilada sauce
About a dozen corn tortillas
Grated cheese--cheddar, jack, manchego, cotija, or?
Salsa

Coat a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Pour a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.  Tear 1 or two tortillas in 1/2.  Line the bottom of the dish with tortillas.

Add some chicken, olives, onions, chilies, and cheese if you want.  Pour in sauce to coat evenly.

Repeat the process, ending up with 4 or more layers.  Preheat oven to 350, and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve this up on its own, or with some black beans and/or rice.  It's good for breakfast too!

Roasted Chicken

Yes, there are a million ways to roast a bird--here's mine.

1 chicken (really?)
1 lemon
1 onion
4 or so sprigs of rosemary
spice blend
olive oil
twine
2-3 cups of chicken broth
oven

Rinse the bird and pat dry.  Chop up the lemons and onions, and break the rosemary springs into 2" pieces.  Make a spice blend--I use kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.  Season the cavity of the bird, and stuff it with the lemon, onion, and rosemary.  Truss the bird (I have no idea how to do this correctly; I just tuck the wings in and do one wrap around the bird; and tie up the legs).  Rub generously with seasoning, then drizzle with olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 450.  Pour the broth into the roasting pan.  Roast the bird for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned.  Reduce the temp to 350, and roast for about 2 hours, basting frequently.

Eat.

Potato Leek Soup with Roasted Sausages

OK, so this is really easy to make, but I think my recipe is perhaps tastier and easier to make than some.  Enough with that.

3 1/2 to 4 pounds spuds (yukon golds are my favorite)
1 large onion
3 large leeks
2 quarts chicken or veggie broth
2 bay leaves
salt 'n pepper
2 tbs olive oil
2-3 tbs butter
2-3 green onions
sausages (I used chicken with basil and sundried tomato)
crusty bread

Clean and chop the leeks.  Peel and chop the onion.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat.  Add the veggies and some salt.  Saute, stiring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Peel and chop the potatoes into 1" or so hunks.

Add the spuds to the veggies, and pour in the chicken broth.  Add the bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are very soft.  Remove from heat.

Cook the sausages per package directions (I pan roasted them in a little olive oil--grilled is really good too).  Chop the green onions.

OK, now it's time to go motor boating!  Kind of.  I guess they're called immersion blenders.  Anyway, these things are very handy, and much simpler than trying to puree the soup in a food processor.  So, puree away.  Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with green onions.  Serve the sausages and bread on the side.  If you want, you can slice up the sausages and add them to the soup.

You don't even need matching plates and bowls (OK, so I get a 1 for presentation).