Irish Seafood Stew

                               

                                     Irish Seafood Stew

Fisherman’s Stew consists of fresh seafood mixed with amazing herbs and spices. Pair it with a nice Irish Whiskey on the side – you can’t go wrong!  The recipe is pretty simple and easy to prepare. You basically create a delicious broth, throw in the seafood and serve hot with a side of crusty bread. 

Ingredients:

1 cup crushed tomatoes, or fresh chopped tomatoes
2 cups fish stock
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ very thinly sliced fennel bulb (must be fresh!!)
½ cup white wine
¼ cup chopped parsley
8 ounces firm white fish, halibut or sea bass, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
8 peeled and deveined raw shrimp
8 ounces cleaned, ready to cook calamari
12 muscles, scrubbed clean
12 clams, scrubbed clean
Salt to taste
Crusty bread on the side (great for dipping!)

Directions:
Combine tomatoes, red pepper flakes and water into a medium sized bowl. Pour all into a blender or food processor- blend until smooth. Set aside.

Cut white fish into 1 ½ chunks to match the other seafoods size. Set aside. Clean all other seafood and set aside.

Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.

Add in sliced fennel, garlic and salt. Cook and stir until the garlic takes on color – about 1 minute. Stir in white wine. Let it simmer until reduced by about half – 2 to 3 minutes.

Combine tomato puree and white wine mixture. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until fennel is tender – 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and add seasonings as needed.

Stir in parsley, white fish, shrimp and calamari. Then add in clams and mussels. Cover, increase heat to high and cook until clam and mussel shells open. White fish, shrimp and calamari should be opaque in

color – about 5 minutes of cooking.

You’re done! Pour into serving bowls, add some chunky bread on the side and pour yourself an Irish Whiskey.

Rosemary Chicken Stew

Rosemary Chicken Stew

Serves 4.
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch squares 
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1-10 ounce bag of frozen baby onions, thawed
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Ruce or Mashed Potatoes
Directions:
Trim the chicken of all fat and cut into one inch cubes. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Drying the chicken pieces before sautéing encourages browning rather than steaming.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until chicken is very lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. It does not have to be cooked through at this point. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. If the chicken is browned too much at this point, the stew will not stay a nice light creamy color.

Lower the heat to medium and add the 2 tablespoons remaining butter to the pot. Add the chopped onion, celery and rosemary to the melted butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the red bell pepper cubes and cook an additional minute.

Stir the flour into the vegetable mixture and continue to cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer; lower the heat, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot along with the baby onions and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are hot, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the dry sherry and minced parsley. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.   

Garbanzo Beans And Tomato Stew ~ Vegan and Gluten Free

Garbanzo With Tomato Stew

Ingredients:

1 cup dried garbanzo beans

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

4 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup chopped parsley

Directions:
Sort beans and soak overnight in bowl using 3 times as much water as beans. The next morning rinse beans with cold water. Put beans in heavy saucepan, cover with two inches of water and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until tender (35-45 minutes).

In large pot, heat oil and sauté onions 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, potatoes and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, thyme, cooked beans, water, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve stew garnished with parsley.      Serves 4

General TSO's Stew

                                  

General TSO's Stew

Total Time
Prep: 10 min. Cook: 4 hours
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup pickled cherry peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound shredded cooked chicken
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

In a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker, combine the first six ingredients. Stir in chicken, onion and broccoli. Cook, covered, on low until vegetables are tender, about 2 hours. Top with green onions and sesame seeds to serve.

Italian Pork And Tomato Stew With White Beans

ITALIAN PORK AND TOMATO STEW 

WITH WHITE BEANS

Serves 4 to 6.
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt
1/2 pound Crimini  mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-28 ounce can ready-cut Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
1 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti or Merlot
2 ounces (1/2 cup) smoked ham, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled thyme
2-14 1/2 ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
    (S and W brand small white beans)
 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1. Trim pork of most fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place pork in a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for about
5 minutes or until meat releases its juices. Uncover the pan and boil until juices are almost gone; then cook, stirring often, until drippings are dark brown, 10 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic to the pork. Cook until onion is softened, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, ham, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until meat is tender when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the beans and heat through. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Beef And Butternut Squash Stew

Ingredients
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Marsala wine
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 to 4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. 

Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. 

Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. 

Serve with crusty bread alongside.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/beef-and-butternut-squash-stew-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 large onion

2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2" chunks

1 cup fresh green beans cut into bite-sized pieces

1lb stew-meat beef chunks

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Pepper to taste

3 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons tomato paste

Directions:

Put the ingredients except for the flour and tomato paste into the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or high for 4 to 5 until the beef is tender and potatoes are fork-tender.

Stir the stew once or twice as it cooks if possible.

30 minutes before serving, transfer a ladle-ful of broth to a small mixing bowl.

Add the flour and tomato paste. Whisk until smooth, then stir the mixture back into the stew and cook for the remaining half hour.

Easy One Pot Ratatouille

Easy One Pot Ratatouille

Easy French Ratatouille

My grandson Phil gave the dish, "it was really good" endorsement.  Phil has always loved his vegetables!

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Makes 8 to 10 servings
2 large eggplants
2 yellow onions
3 bell peppers
6-8 medium zucchini
4 large tomatoes
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup loosely packed basil, sliced into ribbons
Extra basil for garnishing
Salt and pepper
Peel the eggplants, if desired, and chop them into bite-sized cubes. Transfer them to a strainer set over a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of salt. Let the eggplant sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Dice the onions and roughly chop the peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic. The vegetables will be cooked in batches, so keep each one in a separate bowl.
Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a large (at least 5 1/2 quart) Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until the onions have softened and are just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the peppers and continue cooking until the peppers have also softened, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the onions and peppers to a clean bowl.
Add another teaspoon of oil to the pot and sauté the zucchini with a generous pinch of salt until the zucchini has softened and is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to the bowl with the onions and peppers.
Rinse the eggplant under running water and squeeze the cubes gently with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Warm two teaspoons of oil in the pan and sauté the eggplant until it has softened and has begun to turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the bowl with the other vegetables.
During cooking, a brown glaze will gradually build on the bottom of the pan. If it looks like this glaze is beginning to turn black and burn, turn down the heat to medium. You can also dissolve the glaze between batches by pouring 1/4 cup of water or wine into the pan and scraping up the glaze. Pour the deglazing liquid into the bowl with the vegetables.
Warm another teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and sauté the garlic until it is fragrant and just starting to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, whole sprigs of thyme. As the tomato juices begin to bubble, scrape up the brown glaze on the bottom of the pan.
Add all of the vegetables back into the pan and stir until everything is evenly mixed. Bring the stew to a simmer, then turn down the heat to low. Stirring occasionally, simmer for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours. Shorter cooking time will leave the vegetables in larger, more distinct pieces; longer cooking times will break the vegetables down into a silky stew.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Just before taking the ratatouille off the heat, stir in the basil. Sprinkle the extra basil and a glug of good olive oil over each bowl as you serve.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to three months. Ratatouille is often better the second day, and it can be eaten cold, room temperature, or warmed.
Notes:

• Making a Smaller Batch: This recipe can be cut in half and adapted to use whatever vegetables you have.

• Flavor Extras: For something different try adding a tablespoon of smoked paprika, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a quarter cup of red wine, or a splash of vinegar to the ratatouille.

Vegetable Farro Stew With Figs And Pine Nuts

Vegetable Farro Stew With 

Figs And Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

2 rosemary sprigs

5 oregano sprigs

5 thyme sprigs

2 small artichokes

1 cup farro

1/4 cup extra-virgin, plus 

  more for drizzling

1 1/2 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

   more for seasoning

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 heads garlic, 1/4 cut off the tops

1 lemon, sliced 1/8" thick

1 Cubanelle pepper, sliced 1/3" thick

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced 1/3" thick

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced 1/3" thick

1 medium onion, quartered

1 large Japanese eggplant, 

   cut in 6 wedges

1 cup dried Black Mission figs, 

   stemmed

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and 

   cut in six wedges

1/2 lb. large cherry tomatoes, 

   halved

1 small green zucchini, cut 

   into 1/2" pieces

1 small yellow squash, cut into 

   2" pieces

6 oz. kale, stemmed and 

   leaves quartered 

Toasted pine nuts

Chopped fresh oregano

Lemon wedges 

Freshly grated Parmigiano-

  Reggiano

Sherry vinegar for garnish

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Directions:

Using kitchen twine, tie the rosemary, oregano and thyme sprigs in a bundle.  Snap the small leaves off around the stem of the artichokes.  Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise.  With a spoon scrape out the hairy chokes, and discard them. 

Turn a 6 to 6 1/2 quart slow cooker to high and set the timer for 6 hours.  Add the artichokes and the next 17 ingredients, up to the cherry tomatoes, then add the herb bundle: spread the ingredients in even layers.  Cover the slow cooker and cook for four hours.

Srit the stew gently and add the zucchini, yellow squash and kale, stirring to submerge them in the liquid.  Cover and cook for 2 hours longer.

Discard the herb bundle, season the stew with salt and serve with the garnishes at the table.

Wine: Herb scented, light bodied Italian red.  (2012 Allegrini Valpolicella)