Food

It’s that time of year. Most of us enjoy a turkey over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. My family tends to do the “friendsgiving” thing on Saturday, but we also have a small gathering on Thursday afternoon. Turkey is ubiquitous. It’s also a bear to cook, if you ask many chefs. I’ve never understood that. My turkey always turns out moist, delicious, falling off the bone, and perfect. Maybe I’m just special? Never mind, I’m going to share my turkey secrets with you, so that you can also have a perfect turkey this Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

• one turkey, 15-22 lbs
• stuffing of choice
• Bell’s seasoning
• bacon or butter
• fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme are popular)

I prefer to make my turkey in a Westinghouse, because it frees up my oven for pies and other sides. The cooking method is exactly the same, though, no matter what container you use.

To prepare your turkey, make sure that all the giblets are out of it. Check the main cavity, but also the space around the neck. Sometimes, butchers like to hide little gifts in there, and it’s unpleasant to realize that half way through the cooking process, when the plastic they’re wrapped in begins to melt. I like to rinse my turkey, inside and out, but that’s a personal choice. If you do rinse it, make sure that your sink area is clear of all items that might be besmirched, and do a bleach wipe afterward. Turkeys (and chickens) can carry salmonella and other stuff, and even a little of it lingering on a countertop is bad. Use a lint free towel to dry off the exterior of your turkey. Salt the inside of your turkey well by taking a handful of salt and rubbing it on all the interior surfaces. This isn’t meant to be caking it on. Think of it as like a dry rub for steaks.

Add your stuffing. My family uses a variety of recipes depending on the year. We have a wild rice and sausage meat stuffing, and a more traditional bread and liver stuffing (nicknamed “heart attack stuffing” because of the “one egg per pound of turkey” rule used in it). If you don’t feel like making a stuffing, add the heel of a loaf of bread and one quartered onion to your turkey’s cavity. You can also add an apple or orange, if you like. Do not leave the cavity empty, as it changes how the turkey cooks. If you are in a rush, feel free to make up some “stove top stuffing” and jam it up inside there. I’m not going to judge you. Put your raw, stuffed turkey into the roaster pan or Westinghouse and tie the legs together with the tail tucked up in between them. Tuck the wings down into the bird’s underarms as best you can. Don’t panic if it doesn’t work; if the wings are a bit crispy at the end, they’ll be perfect for making turkey broth the day after Thanksgiving.

Using your hands, loosen the skin over the breasts of the turkey. There are several ways you can proceed here. My personal method is to stuff part of my bread stuffing up into the breast area, where it will keep the breast meat moist and help it cook. However, if you’re not using a bread stuffing, you can instead rub the breast meat UNDER the skin with either bacon or butter. Leave little bits of it under the skin. Slide your fresh herbs up under the skin, too, if you like. I almost always slide in a sprig of rosemary and a few leaves of sage from my garden. These will flavor the breast meat, especially as that bacon or butter melts into it.

Sprinkle the outer skin of your turkey with Bell’s seasoning and a bit of salt, pepper, and paprika (REAL paprika, not the red sawdust that passes for “paprika” in most stores). The skin should be evenly speckled with the seasoning, not covered entirely. Make sure to get some of that on the wings and legs, as well as the breast. Cover the turkey with a lid or tin foil, and put it into the cold oven or Westinghouse.

Bring your oven or cooker to 450F. Add a bit of olive oil or bacon fat to the bottom of your turkey roaster or Westinghouse pan, to help keep your turkey from sticking. If you want it to be really rich, you can melt a stick of butter in there, but beware that it may smoke due to the high temperature. Once the oven is to temperature, let it sizzle for 15 minutes, no more. Turn the heat down to 300F, and walk away.

You will not look at your turkey again until an hour before you think it’ll be ready. I mean, you can peek now and again, but you don’t need to baste or anything else. I will sometimes suck the fat out of the bottom of the roaster, if I think it’s getting too much, but that’s an individual thing.

Turkey cooks for about 20 minutes per pound of turkey, when stuffed. That means if your turkey is 21 lbs, like mine, it’ll take about 7 hours (yes, SEVEN) to cook (20 minutes per pound, that’s 3 pounds per hour, divided into 21 lbs, which gives you an answer of 7). When you get to the bigger end of turkeys (over 18 lbs), the timing gets wiggly. I might only have my turkey in for six hours, so I have to watch it during the last couple of hours to make sure it isn’t overcooked. For anything under 18 lbs, though, you’re safe to count 20 minutes per pound of turkey. Always start checking on it an hour before you think it’ll be ready, though.

Having a meat thermometer on hand is really handy. I use mine all the time. Turkey must be between 160 and 165F internally to be properly cooked. Turkey also continues to cook and rise in temperature for a full 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven. I always aim for 160F, knowing it’ll go up more as it rests before I slice it up.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, or don’t care to use one, you can also do the “leg wiggle” method of testing. As you near the end of your estimated cooking time, wiggle one of the legs gently. You may need to pierce the skin if there’s a lot of liquid inside, which is fine. Your turkey leg should be very loose, almost coming off, when it’s ready. If your turkey leg comes off in your hand when you go to wiggle it, it’s definitely ready. Don’t panic if it does… this method of cooking will result in it not being dry even if you’re a little over in your cooking time.

Turkey MUST rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before you cut into it. Take it out of the oven, and out of the roaster. Place it on a large cutting board. I usually place a handful of towels I don’t much care about underneath the board, because the juices will run when you start cutting, and it’s easier to clean up if it’s all just drained into a towel. The resting time allows much of the liquid to be reabsorbed into the turkey meat itself, making it taste incredibly moist and delicious. It also lets it finish cooking. While you’re waiting, make some gravy with the pan drippings!

Don’t forget to take your stuffing out before you carve the turkey. You can do that at the 15 minute mark, if you like.

I usually cut the turkey up onto two platters: one dark, and one light meat. The breast is the most difficult part to cut up, in my opinion. It’s always at an odd angle. Take a few pictures of the turkey before you start cutting it up, and then carefully (using silicon heat pads if necessary) remove the two breasts and put them flat on the cutting board. It should be fairly easy, by cutting along the breast bone and then just gently pulling downward. Once on the cutting board, your turkey breast meat will slice up quickly and neatly. After that, you can pull off the legs, thighs, wings, and whatever dark meat you can get at. I can’t stress how useful silicon gloves are, because you can clean them in a way that fabric ones can’t be, which means you can grasp the various parts of the turkey more easily.

I know it seems like a lot of work. It really isn’t. Most of my turkey time is spent doing all the other assorted foods that go along with turkey. We usually eat around 5pm or so, which means I’m not getting up at the crack of dawn to try and do a gyn exam on my turkey before I’ve had coffee. I can get up at a reasonable hour, and set it all in motion by 10am. Once you’ve done this a time or two, it’ll become second nature. It’s such an easy way to prep the turkey.

A few notes:

• Don’t pre-stuff your turkey the night before. You can make the stuffing ahead of time and have it ready to go, but letting it sit overnight inside the turkey will be a sure way of getting everyone to the ER in record time. Don’t do it.
• Do invest in silicone gloves, a decent carving knife (NOT an electric knife), and the Bell’s seasoning.
• If you use bread stuffing, REALLY stuff it in there. Cram it in. Every chef I’ve watched on television goes on and on about how you should never over stuff your turkey For Reasons. Ignore them. They’re wrong. Over stuffing your turkey will result in the turkey disjointing itself during the roasting process. This makes carving it up later SO much easier. There’s something special about opening the turkey roaster and just looking at your disjointed turkey, held together only by skin.
• Ignore those stupid pop up timer things that come in some of the turkeys. They often don’t work, and sometimes they pop early. Just pull them out and toss them.
• Remember to defrost your turkey, folks. None of this will work with a frozen turkey. Don’t try and cook a turkey from frozen, please. Even if you get one that says it CAN be cooked from frozen, just don’t. Whole turkeys should be slow roasted to preserve the moistness and flavor. Here’s a link to a handy defrosting schedule.

I’m not a huge creamed corn fan, but wow, this was delicious! It was a bright, sunny looking meal on a miserable, chill evening. The sweetness of the corn complimented the savory chicken, and the entire dish came together in under an hour. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cans of corn (15 oz each) strained
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of dry oregano
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

On a plate or platter, lay out the chicken strips. Drizzle them with a tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set the chicken to the side.

Add the first can of drained corn into your blender or food processor and add in the milk. Blend until this is smooth, then set it aside.

In a large sauce pan, heat the remaining olive oil over a medium high heat. Add in the chicken strips and sear until they are golden brown. Don’t rush this! You  may need to do it in stages, depending on the size and depth of your pan. Don’t crowd the pan; it’s better to do several batches than to try and shove them all in at the same time. When the strips are seared, remove them and rest them on a plate.

In the pan you just removed the chicken from, add in the onion and saute until it’s soft and translucent. Add in the minced garlic, and saute until it is fragrant, about a minute. Add in the pinch of red pepper flakes (if desired), oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine.

Pour the corn and the corn and milk mixture into the pan over the onions and herbs. Stir well, and then simmer until it begins to thicken. Season it with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove the sprigs of thyme, and add in the butter and cheese. Fold it in gently, and let it simmer for another few minutes until it’s all incorporated. Return the chicken and the juices to the pan, cover, and let it simmer for another few minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and gravy-like.

Notes:

I didn’t use fresh thyme. Instead, I used a teaspoon of dried thyme. It worked fine! I used oat milk, because I can’t do dairy, but regular milk would be great. I used plant based “butter,” and I added the cheese at the very end, so I could have mine (with plant based “cheese”) separate from everyone else’s (with real cheese). That worked out relatively well, to be honest. I served it up with some pasta, but it would have gone equally well with rice or mashed potatoes.

It does need a vegetable, as corn really doesn’t pause much on its way through you. I went with carrots, because it was such a bright yellow that I thought it needed some orange in there. I boiled them, then sauteed them in olive oil and garlic, and served them on the side.

I love this soup, and it can be made with just the squash, or with the pears as well. I think the sweetness of the pears really adds a depth to the soup that the squash alone doesn’t have. If you want to impress your family, serve this in a hollowed out large squash (such as a pumpkin or hubbard squash). What a centerpiece!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs butternut squash
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, chopped into 1″ cubes
• ½ cup half and half

Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut your squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and stringy bits. Place the squash halves, cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in your preheated oven until very soft, about 45 minutes. Allow the squash to cool slightly, and then scoop out the meat into a bowl. The skin can be discarded.

Melt the butter in a stout soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and bring it to a boil. Stir in the pear chunks and the reserved squash, and simmer until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.

Puree your soup into a smooth liquid. This can be done in a blender, but you must be careful and do it in batches with the pitcher only half full. I prefer to use a stick blender, which can be done right in the pot. You could also use a food processor, but I’d be careful not to have back splash.

Stir in the half and half, and gently whisk to combine. Reheat the soup before serving, if necessary.

If you want to make this pretty, to each bowl add a drizzle of heavy cream over the top and swirl gently with a spoon to make circles of white. Add a sprig of mint or oregano and a couple of pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Notes:

When I make this, I always double or triple the amount of curry I use. You want to be able to really taste the curry flavor. If you have people who are unable to tolerate heat, try using a shwarma blend of curry spices.  It packs a hearty flavor punch without burning the lips off. A spicier curry powder can be added at table, or red pepper flakes, for those who like heat. Alternatively, you can sprinkle a good quality chili pepper oil over the surface instead of cream.

An alternative and more meaty approach to this recipe is to add in leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and serve it the following day with leftover rolls or sliced bread.

Squash soups are a favorite of mine. Because dairy and I don’t get along, I can’t indulge in my favorite chowders anymore (I don’t care what anyone says, chowder made with oatmilk is just not the same). Squash soups can be blended to give an impression of being creamy, when there’s not even a drizzle of dairy in them. Also, if you do need to add a bit of milk for flavor, oatmilk will do just fine because it’s a background thing and not the star. This is my recipe for Hubbard squash soup, and it’s really delicious. It’s great when you have to feed a crowd, because a single of these odd colored squashes is enough to feed a family of 20. Today you can get smaller ones, and indeed, my local grocery store has Hubbard squashes that are about the size of an acorn squash, but there’s something wonderful about using a huge Hubbard squash. They look like they belong in the Jurassic period. LOL!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs squash peeled and cubed
• 3 onions diced
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup protein, boiled then minced
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp each of cinnamon & ginger, mixed together

Add the squash and onions to your broth, and bring it to a full, rolling boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the squash is tender. If you want a “creamy” soup, cook until it’s falling apart soft, and if you prefer a more clear broth with chunks, stop when just tender to the fork.

Your protein can be pork, chicken, or even vegetarian options such as seitan or walnuts. Boil meat until it’s very soft and falling apart (think pulled pork consistency) and then shred it with a fork or mince it up into very small pieces. Stir this into the soup along with the egg yolks and salt. Stir gently, then allow to cook for a few minutes.

When putting out the soup, set the sugar and spice mixture on the side in a small bowl, with spoons. Allow people to season to their own taste.

Serve this soup as a first course to a feast, or offer it with a salad and a more substantial meat.

I make considerably more of this recipe than is called for, because it freezes well and I like having convenient lunches I can just pop into the microwave later. A large batch takes the same amount of time and effort as a small batch, so why not “go big”?

Notes:

When I make this, I use 10 cups of broth and about 5 or 6 pounds of cut up squash. I use one very large Spanish onion and one regular sized cooking onion. I also like it to be meaty and hearty, as it’s usually all we’re going to eat, so I use about 3 or 4 cups of shredded chicken. I increase the egg yolks to 3, to thicken the soup, making it much more “creamy” or “silky” in texture. I used Himalayan Pink Salt, about 1.5 tsp, and a sprinkle of pepper on the top of each served bowl of soup.

This soup is incredibly thick and hearty, much moreso than you might think.  When my kids were younger, I used to make this a lot. They  suggested that the squash was kind of lost in the broth, and that it tasted rather like chicken noodle soup. This is a plus, in my opinion, as the soup was full of all sorts of good things for the kids that they wouldn’t normally eat. I’m all for hiding the good stuff in yummy dishes!

My newest cookbook is now available!

Clay pots are probably the oldest cookware known to humans. Since not long after we harnessed fire, we’ve been learning new and improved ways to make cooking vessels, and clay was an obvious early choice. When fired, it’s hard, heat resistant, and heat retaining. It holds liquids and solids equally well. And best, clay can be pressed into any shape. This small cookbook covers five recipes from each of five different time periods: Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Medieval, 18th Century American, and modern day. Each uses a clay cooking vessel, be it pot, pipkin, tagine, or pan. They are tasty additions to any modern menu, while still touching on the history of early human cooking. M. Allyson Szabo is the author of The Re-Enactor’s Cookbook, and Cook Small, Live Large! Her interest in all things historical and kitchen oriented has served her well, and she produces cookbooks that enlighten and educate with a conversational flair. Readers at all levels of cooking can enjoy her books!

So I don’t usually toot my own horn here on the blog, but I did want to post this up because it lends itself well to prepping and how to cook during an emergency. While the recipes in the book are a bit fancier than you’re likely to make during a major emergency, the methods you’ll learn will be useful.

If you can find clay, you can make pots. Once you have pots, you can cook. You can boil water to make sure it’s safe to drink. You can wash, shave, do dishes. The book doesn’t go into how one makes pots, but there are tons of amazing YouTube videos and articles on the subject that you can tap into.

I preface this by saying that I’m not Jewish. However, having dated several Jews over the years, I can tell you that the food is INCREDIBLE. Since Yom Kippur began on Friday at sundown, I thought this delicious parve (meaning it can be eaten any time by Jews, provided they aren’t fasting) dish would be just perfect to share today. Remember that Yom Kippur is not a “happy” holiday; it’s a religious time of reflection and introspection. Mostly, people who celebrate Yom Kippur just want to be left alone for their 25 hours of attonement. After the fast, families tend to enjoy a small feast together.

Ingredients:

• 1 package puff pastry dough
• 1 large onion, diced and sauteed
• 2 (7- and- 3/4-ounce) cans salmon
• 2 medium potatoes, cooked, cooled, and drained
• 2 eggs, whisked (for egg wash)
• sesame seeds, for topping
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Defrost the dough per package directions. Pay attention to this, as you don’t want it to be too moist and melty, but it can’t be frozen either. Roll out the dough to 1/4″ thick, and then cut into 3-1/2″ squares.

Combine all the ingredients for the filling, and mash it very fine. You can use a food processor if you want, but it’s better to do it by hand. You want it to be fairly smooth, almost like a pate, so that it fills the pastry well. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each square. Fold the dough over, and press to seal. You can do this “pirogi style” (fold it in half, seal with fork tines for a pretty edge) or Jewish style (fold the corners up and seal it, making it back into a square, then flip it over and put the seam side down. Put your knishes onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Brush the knishes with the egg wash, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350*F for 40 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Notes:

If you celebrate Yom Kippur, these are designed to be eaten AFTER you’re done fasting. You can make them ahead of time, and then just reheat them easily enough. They can tide you over until the rest of your meal is ready! If you aren’t Jewish, these can be enjoyed anytime. As a bonus, they’re also safe to feed to observant Jewish friends.

That nip in the evening air, the scent of rain in the distance, and the sound of falling leaves in the forest behind the house all call to me that it’s soup weather! My favorite part about soup is that you can make pretty much anything into soup if you really want to. My turkey noodle soup is a great example. On Sunday evening, we treated ourselves to a lovely turkey breast for our supper. It was much too large for us to finish, even though it wasn’t a whole turkey, and so I diligently denuded the carcass of meat and put it into the fridge for use later in the week. Then it occurred to me that I ought to make broth!

This is a great recipe to use if you’ve got leftover carcass of any kind. If you like to pick up rotisserie chicken, it’s perfect for making this kind of soup.

Ingredients for the stock/broth:

• 1 stripped carcass (turkey or chicken), with whatever skin and gristle there is
• any drippings from the cooking process
• the skin of 1 or more onion
• several crushed garlic cloves, skin on
• the peelings of 1 or more carrots
• the leafy tops of 1 or more stalks of celery
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh herbs to taste (optional)

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There are foods that I consider to be autumn foods. Squash, pumpkin, sage sausage, and soups in general come to mind. I love cooking seasonal foods, partly because it tends to be a cheaper way of eating, and partly because there’s just something scrumptious about picking up a squash that was in a field 2 hours ago, and baking it up. Today’s recipe is for a stuffed squash, but I haven’t told you what type. The honest answer is, it doesn’t really matter. I found Sweet Dumpling Squash on sale today, but had originally gone looking for acorn. I will say that Spaghetti and Butternut Squash don’t do as well in this recipe, only because they don’t have a big hole in them to stuff full of yumminess. But if that’s what floats your boat, go for it! You do you, Boo!

Ingredients:

• 2 winter squash, halved and cleaned of seeds
• 1 lb ground sausage, sage/breakfast style
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 2 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of COOKED rice, barley, quinoa, or other grain
• spices, to taste (either sweet or savory, your choice)
• cheese, for topping (optional)
• walnuts, for topping (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400F. Place the four halves of squash, open side down, onto a rimmed baking sheet. Add a bit of water (this helps by steaming the flesh of the squash slightly), and put in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour. Check after 30 minutes for doneness; you want the squash to be soft through, but not brown or caramelized at all.

While the squash is cooking, brown up your ground sausage in a cast iron pan or pot. I prefer to use a nice sage sausage for this, because it’s my go-to flavor for this time of year. If you prefer sweet or hot Italian, go for it. If you don’t do pork, feel free to substitute in ground beef, tofu, TVP, venison, squirrel, turkey, or chicken. If you’re not using a sausage, pick up a good “sausage spice” to add to your ground meat, or it will be bland later. You don’t want bland.

When the sausage is thoroughly browned but not yet crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pot. Leave behind as much of the fat as you can (add olive oil if there isn’t enough in the pan). Toss in your onions, carrots, and celery, and saute until they’re just soft and starting to brown up. Add in the garlic, and saute until it releases its oils, about 30 seconds to a minute. If there’s a decent amount of meat or veg stuck to the bottom of the pan, deglaze with a splash of red wine, using a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Add in the cooked grain, and stir to incorporate. The grain should soak up any excess liquid. Add in the meat, and then spice to your taste.

When it comes to spicing this, you can go either savory or sweet. For savory, consider salt and pepper, oregano, thyme, and sage. If you go sweet, start with salt and pepper, then add in a bit of sweet paprika (get a GOOD type like Szeged rather than using glorified red dyed sawdust like McCormick). Then stir in either a bit of maple syrup (my favorite) or some dark brown sugar. If you go the sweet route, also consider tossing in some raisins and dried cranberries or cherries for a delicious flavor burst.

Once the squash is ready, fill the hole with your meat mixture, adding an equal amount to each half. Top with cheese if you’ve decided on savory, or nuts and berries if you’re going sweet. Return to the oven and bake at 400F for 15 minutes or so, just until everything is hot through and the cheese, if used, is thoroughly melted.

Notes:

If you have picky kids who are likely to eat the filling and then ignore the squash, do what we did: cut the squash up and add the filling to it. Make it into a casserole! This way, they have to eat the squash to get at the “good bits” and you get to feed them well. 😉

This is one of those “do whatever you like” recipes that changes every time I make it. I’ve made vegan versions with Beyond Sausage, or with diced up vegan Field Roast sausages, or with tofu. I’ve made non-pork versions for friends who don’t do pig, and it’s turned out beautiful. If you want it to be a side dish, simply skip the protein entirely and stuff the squash with your grain and whatever veggies you have on hand. Shredded brussel sprouts are pretty good in this, especially when mixed with a Tex-Mex wild rice blend and raisins.

Enjoy!

I made this one this past week, and was thoroughly impressed by it. The flavors were good, though it needed a bit of tweaking to make it perfect. It was a VERY good “dump meal,” meaning all I had to do was stuff things in the crock pot and set it to high. I’ve been sick as a dog this week, and needed stuff that was simple to make. This fit the bill, and was healthy and tasty as well!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups barley
• 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (thighs, breasts, or a combo)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• black pepper, to taste
• 10 oz frozen sweet peas
• 1/4 cup creme fraîche, sour cream, or plain yogurt (dairy free works well)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh tarragon or dill, minced
• Parmesan cheese

In your crock pot, combine all the ingredients from barley to the black pepper. Stir well to combine, and then cook on high for about 3 hours. Stir again, making sure to immerse the chicken in the liquid. It’s going to seem a bit soupy, but trust in the recipe. Cook for another hour on high, or switch to low to cook for up to another 3 hours.

Remove the chicken to a plate and let sit for a few minutes while you do other things. Stir in the frozen peas and let them heat for about 2 minutes.

While the peas are warming, whisk together the creme fraîche and mustard. Taste, and add more mustard to suit your palate. Fold this mixture into the barley and mushrooms in the crock pot. Now, shred or pull apart your chicken. It should fall apart easily. Return the chicken to the pot, then taste to see if you need any more salt or pepper. Stir in the chopped fresh herbs, and serve immediately.

Add the Parmesan at the table, for those who wish it.

Notes:

I found the tarragon to be a bit strong in flavor, even though I only used about a tablespoon of it. The slight liquorish flavor just overpowered the rest of the dish. I would omit this next time, and use either all dill, or a mix of dill and Italian Seasoning instead. Another suggestion would be Herbs de Provence.

Even though you’re only adding about a half cup total of “creamy” stuff to this dish, it comes out incredibly creamy tasting. I used a cashew based yogurt, because I’m not able to eat dairy, and it was delicious. I used a smooth traditional Dijon, and I think I might try a more stone ground style next time. This was great as a stand-alone, and could easily be put together in a morning before running out the door. I think it would also be nice paired with a light salad.

Chris wanted me to share my sauce from last night, so I said heck with it. I liked it enough that I’m going to post it up here now.

To start off, this was my first attempt at making a Bolognese from scratch. I’ve always used jarred sauces and then “spiffed them up” in the past. I was in the mood to try something more challenging, but not too much because I’ve been so sick this week. The consistency was good, the amount of meat to sauce was good, the mouth feel was excellent, and the taste was incredible!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork (not flavored, just plain)
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 onion small, finely diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 14.5 oz cans of crushed tomatoes or stewed tomatoes 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup whole milk (or oat milk for dairy free)
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Heat your olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven or saucepan, and add the ground pork. Stir regularly until it’s almost cooked through, about ten minutes. While the pork is browning, mince up your vegetables. Add these to the meat, once it’s no longer pink. Continue to cook on medium heat until the onions begin to soften and clarify.

Add in your tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, continually stirring. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and add in the tomatoes, bay leaf, and dried oregano. Stir it together, and partially cover the pot. Simmer this on your lowest heat setting for 45 to 60 minutes. Stir the sauce every 15 minutes, to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Technically, this can continue to simmer for as long as you like. You want it to be fairly thick, so after an hour you may want to take the lid off, and stay there, stirring, while it thickens. If you’re in a rush, you can remove any excess liquid with a spoon or small ladle.

Turn off the heat, then add in the milk. Stir it together, taste, and then add salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce has a metallic or acid tang, add a half teaspoon of brown sugar to it. While you can skip adding the milk entirely, it really does add a depth to the sauce that makes it velvety. It also helps mellow out the tomato acidity.

Notes:

The original recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, but I didn’t have those. I could have stuck my stewed tomatoes into the blender and whizzed them up, but I chose to use the tomatoes chunky. I’m glad I did. Many of them broke up during the cooking of the sauce, but the pieces of tomato really added a lovely mouth-feel, and a certain “umami” to the final sauce.

This goes perfect over any kind of pasta, but it’s best over one that has a rough texture and lots of gripping surface. Think bowties or rotini, or even radiatori.

Serve this one up with a slice of hearty french bread, or some garlic knots. Don’t bother with salad; it’s much too meaty for that.