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Thursday, April 25, 2013
5-Ingredient Homemade Beef Stew
We have had the world's funkiest weather in the Bay Area lately. On Monday my back and shoulders got burned while gardening, and today I'm all snuggled up in a heavy sweater and fuzzy slippers.
I've been getting emails asking for "easier" recipes --- so I dug through the cabinets and freezer and made a delicious and hearty beef stew using ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS!!
I'd totally pat myself on the back, but I'm still burnt...
The Ingredients
serves 6
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 (16-ounce) jar southwest salsa (has corn, black beans, onions, tomatoes, chiles)
4 cups beef broth
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup baby carrots, or chopped carrot
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the meat into the bottom of your cooker and add the rest of the ingredients --- there is no need for any other seasoning; the southwest salsa provides plenty of flavor all on it's own. If you can't find this particular kind of salsa, you can certainly add frozen or canned corn or diced potatoes, or anything else you'd like.
I was trying to keep the ingredient listing to 5, and to not pull out a cutting board, but if you'd like to doctor it up with veggies you have in the house, go for it!
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the meat is so tender it falls apart when poked.
Serve with crusty bread and a green salad. I made a loaf of homemade gluten free bread in another slow cooker. I used this recipe, but added sliced garlic cloves, diced onion, and a teaspoon of kosher salt to the batter.
The Verdict
This was a successful meal! I was pleased at how the salsa and beef broth created a fantastic soup base, and was thrilled at how easy this was. It took no time to plop everything into the pot, and because I didn't need to peel or chop vegetables I had plenty of time to whip together the bread dough before leaving the house for the day.
I used a medium salsa, and it really retained it's heat, even when mixed with the broth. If you or your family doesn't like things spicy, opt for mild salsa. You can always add a dash of Tobasco at the end if you'd like a punch of heat.
Not the stew for you? Here are a few more!
Harvest Stew
Azorean Spiced Beef Stew
Sausage and Lentil Stew
Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
Turkey Stew
Bean Stew (vegetarian)
Chicken and Sweet Potato Southwestern Stew (flop! don't make this!!)
Monday, April 8, 2013
Slow Cooker Chicken Puttanesca
SPRING BREAK is over. It was pretty anticlimactic and I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong. We were really looking forward to it, and had been quite excited the days and weeks leading up to this last one. The kids and I had elaborate plans of staying in our jammies all day and playing board games and gardening and writing.
Instead we watched too much tv and argued.
But! I'm now caught up on all of Mad Men and watched the entire first season of the remake of Dallas. I liked it when the boys took their shirts off....
anyway.
I did cook, and I think you're going to like this one.
The Ingredients.
serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano (2 tablespoons fresh, finely diced)
1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup pitted kalamata olives (no juice)
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (to add at the very end; not pictured)
cooked pasta for serving (I used gluten free angel hair)
The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker for best results. If you only have a 6-quart, use more chicken, or don't cook it quite as long (I'd check after 4 hours on low, 3 hours on high).
Plop the chicken into the bottom of your slow cooker and add all of the other ingredients, except for the cheese.
Cover, and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for about 4 hours If you'd like, you can cook longer, but the chicken will probably fall apart and begin to shred. That's okay with me --- but if it's not with you, consider yourself forewarned!
Before serving, top with sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, and cook on high for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Serve over hot buttered pasta with a green salad.
The Verdict.
This is a
fancy-pants chicken recipe that is super easy yet it tastes like you
spent all day in the kitchen. There is very little chopping required
(only from garlic; you could always use jarred if you prefer) and you
can throw it all in the pot before you even put on your contacts and
drain the coffee.
I
had Chicken Puttanesca last summer at an Italian restaurant and knew I needed to
figure out how to make it at home. I'm not, however, going to tell you
what Puttanesca means because that's why they invented Google and this
is a family-friendly website.
:-)
other great Italian Slow Cooker Food:
we've got giveaways up and running again on the giveaway page. Come check them out!!
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