Pot Au Feu

This super easy Pot Au Feu hails from one of my first and most-used cookbooks, Martha Stewart's Healthy Quick Cook--Four Seasons of Great Menu's.  A good friend gave it to me as a housewarming present almost 15 years ago, and its worn edges and faded cover make me smile.

The hearty broth intoxicates the kitchen while simmering on the stove, and the mashed potato topping adds a royal dose of richness. I've enjoyed it for Sunday supper, with a group of skiers after a day on the slopes, at winter dinner parties and sometimes, when the root veg overflows my kitchen, as my lunch for the week. The best part about this dish is you can use any root vegetables you have on hand. 

I've made it twice this fall forgetting to photograph the final product. I suppose I can't wait to dive in!

Pot-au-Feu with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients  
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat
• 6 cups / enough chicken stock to cover the veggies
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal and quartered
• 1 rutabaga or turnip (1 pound) peeled, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal and quartered
• 2 parsnips, pared, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal and quartered
• 2 celery stalks, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal and quartered
• 1 leek, white part only, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 sprig each fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley 
• Salt and pepper

Potatoes

• 4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup of milk
• 2-4 tablespoons of horseradish
• Salt, pepper and butter
  

Directions 

• Heat oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown it on all sides. Add vegetables, cover with chicken stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the potatoes to boil in salted water over high, then reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash until potatoes are to your desired consistency. 
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium-low until butter melts. Slowly pour mixture into potatoes, stirring until combined. Whisk in horseradish to taste, and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Remove meat onto a cutting board. Season the broth with salt and pepper. Divide the vegetables among 4 large shallow bowls and ladle broth into them. Slice the meat into 8 pieces and place two slices in each bowl. Serve topped with horseradish mashed potatoes.

Roast Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)

I love artichokes. The flower-like symmetry, the tender layer of "meat" on the leaves, the delicately cupped heart, the gorgeous purple and green hues... Perfection.  In fifth grade, the tradition at my school was for each student to create their favorite food in clay. I sculpted, fired and glazed a particularly UN-symmetric, NOT so gorgeous artichoke and proudly displayed it on parents night in a sea of ice cream, spaghetti and pizza.

So imagine my delight last year when receiving the CSA announcement about an upcoming delivery of Jerusalem Artichokes. I was surprised it was a local possibility, but hey an artichoke is an artichoke... right???

Then these guys showed up:

Not purple, nor green, and certainly not symmetrical or flower-like!  A brown, ginger looking root bulb.  A total misnomer.  Yet... there must be something in a name because I loved them. Nutty, perfect to roast, great with a little caramelizing and as I learned with a little experimentation, not nearly as daunting to prepare as their appearance would suggest.

This recipe for a roast chicken (thanks mummy!) with Jerusalem Artichokes, aka Sunchokes, is a cinch to prepare and gorgeous on the table.  If you only want to prepare the Jerusalem Artichokes, omit the chicken and other veg, and just include the lemon, rosemary olive oil blend.  Next up, Jerusalem Artichoke soup.

Roast Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) 
Ingredients

• One whole chicken (3-4 lbs for four people)
• 2 cups of washed, roughly cleaned* Jerusalem Artichokes and other root vegetables
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

*I have cooked these guys both fully peeled, and roughly cleaned and enjoy them more with a little skin.  They are softer than potatoes, so the skin keeps them in tact.  To save time, cut off any particularly dirty or bulby bits, scrub clean and peel slightly for an uneven appearance

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375
• Remove anything from inside the chicken.  Rinse the chicken in cold water, and pat dry with paper towels
• Meanwhile, blend 1/3 - 1/2 cup of olive oil (1/4 if just doing Jerusalem Artichokes) with the juice of one lemon and the leaves off three sprigs of rosemary until mixed
• Rub 3/4ths of olive oil rosemary blend outside the chicken and in between the skin and body
• Toss the vegetables (I used two cups of Jerusalem Artichokes, carrots and turnips because I didn't have enough of the star vegetable) with the remaining olive oil blend and arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan
• Position the chicken on top in the middle of the pan (on a rack if you have one, not on a rack if you don't)
• Salt and pepper the entire pan
• Roast for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes (i.e. 1 hour 35 minutes for 4 lb bird)
• Remove from the oven, and use a meat thermometer to check for 180 degree internal temperature

About Jerusalem Artichokes 

The Jerusalem Artichoke, also known as the sunchoke, sunroot or earth apple, is native to North America (not Jerusalem!).  The origins of the name are unknown, but as a part of the sunflower family it is assumed that over time the name girasole (Italian for sunflower) may have been changed to Jerusalem.  As a CSA loving-friend told me, the most interesting fact about this tuber is that it stores the carbohydrate inulin, instead of starch, making it a great alternative to potatoes for diabetics.

Before

After

Cayenne: The Simple Spice

A good friend of mine's father claims cayenne pepper is the family secret ingredient in most meals. Crab cakes, chili, pasta, eggs...you name it and cayenne is there in some form.

When my stepmother feasted her eyes on my CSA winter vegetables last night she drooled and quickly prepped them for a simple and scrumptious roasting. Black radishes, jerusalem artichokes, carrots, parsnips ... and cayenne. The secret and simplest addition.

Cayenne Roasted Vegetables 

Ingredients

• Peeled and bite size chopped root vegetables such as black radishes, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, and parsnips
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400
• Toss the vegetables with olive oil to coat (@ half a tablespoon per cup of vegetables)
• Season with salt and pepper
• Sprinkle with cayenne pepper: 1/4 a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon depending on your love of spice
• Roast for 35-45 minutes tossing twice midway

Lauren Lately: Super local... stew

Lately, I've been working hard on my most local endeavor to date. Anywhere from 6-8 hours a day, I'm at it and the distance from production to consumption is less than an inch....  You see, we were blessed with the arrival of our first son, and I am deep in the trenches of breast feeding. 

For the past week since his precious arrival, we've been happily enjoying food drop-offs from my mother-in-law (Homemade lasagna, chicken and rice, etc.) and frequent take-out as we navigate this exciting time for our new family. 

It actually feels like an accomplishment making breakfast shakes every morning (Blend: 1 Banana, 1 Orange, 1 tbs ground flax seed, 1 cup yogurt, ice and almond milk), and last night, on day 7, I cooked my first meal.  

It was therapeutic to get back in the kitchen and steal a little time chopping and stewing while my hubby played with our son.  My monthly winter CSA arrived with a bundle of root vegetables, and as you may know from this post, I love freezing, and I was able to take advantage of some of summers bounty of green peppers, jalapeños and zucchini.  

Winter Root Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/8 cup chopped jalapeño
• 4 cleaned and bite size chopped carrots
• 6 cleaned and bite size chopped turnips
• 3 cleaned and bite size chopped fingerling potatoes
• 1/2 an onion finely chopped
• 1 can rinsed chick peas
• 1 large can peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• Herbs of your choice: I used a 3 tablespoon mixture of oregano, cayenne, rosemary and thyme

Directions

• Brown the turkey, breaking it up as you cook over medium heat
• Add the garlic and onion, cook until fragrant
• Add all the vegetables, except the tomatoes, mixing well to distribute
• Pour in the red wine, let simmer for 5 minutes
• Mix in the chopped tomatoes, and fill the can 1/3 up with water.  Swish around to get all the good bits, and pour into the stew
• Add the herbs, and mix well
• Cook, over low-medium heat for 45 mins - 2 hours (lower heat for longer times).  Add more water or stock as needed
• Enjoy with crusty bread

Curried Celery Soup

We all know not to judge a book by its cover, and in this case, that means not judging a recipe by its title.  I like celery as much as the next gal.  It's crunchy. It has has terrific hummus and peanut butter scooping propensities. I also love Indian Food.  Somehow, though, curried + celery + soup sounded, well... sorta just okay, not terribly special.

The deluge of celery in my weekly CSA and gorgeous list of accompanying ingrediants turned me onto this not-so-aptly titled soup and I am grateful for it.  Think Indian root vegetable stew, not just curried celery.

If you like Indian food and thick fall soups, this ones for you (that means you Penny!). Top with a dollop of fresh yogurt or sour cream and dig in!

Curried Celery Soup

Recipe courtesy of MyFarmShare 

4 servings 

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 cup celery leaves, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 apple, diced
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth  
• 4 teaspoons curry powder (or garam masala which is all I had on hand!)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin (omit if using garam masala)
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• salt and pepper

Directions

• Sauté the onion, carrot and celery in a little vegetable oil for about 10 minutes.  
• Add the potatoes, sauté for another 5 minutes.  
• Add the garlic, the apple and the spices, continue to sauté for a few more minutes.
• Add the broth, scrape the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer.  
• Cook for another 10 - 20 minutes (test to make sure a potato cube is cooked) and then add the celery leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.  
• You can blend the whole batch with in a food processor or with an immersion blender, however, I'd suggest just blending half for a chunkier end product.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.