De Ma Cuisine

hearty Archive

Friday

6

March 2015

2

COMMENTS

Kohlrabi Stew

Written by , Posted in Beans, Cheese, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, Legumes, Lunch, Main Dishes, One Dish Dinners, Potatoes, Soups, Vegetables, Vegetarian

KohlrabiStew-5

This is a humble meal. I like to think of it as peasant food. It begs for bread that’s hot from the oven, torn rather than sliced, topped with a good amount of butter. Peasant food, or comfort food. Or just good food. Doesn’t really matter what label you put on it.

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It contains simple ingredients like kohlrabi, mizuna, and garbanzo beans. You could play with the recipe if you need to, depending on what you’ve got in your fridge. Sweet potatoes in place of the carrots, cabbage in place of the mizuna, or cannellini beans in place of the garbanzo beans. You could use Greek yogurt instead of the ricotta, or leave the dairy out all together, to make it a vegan dish.

Whatever suits you.

But, for me, I’m gonna lock this one down and keep it just the way it is.

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The garbanzo beans add texture, protein, and a creamy beanie goodness.

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I have a drawer-full of lemons in the fridge. They brighten like nothing else (except maybe limes).

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For a soup, or a stew, whatever you want this to be, the flavors develop quickly, and there’s not a lot of cooking required. It’ll be in your bowl in about 43 minutes.

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If you can help it, don’t skip the ricotta or a drizzle of really good quality olive oil. They really made the dish, for me. Plus, that parsley, yep, do it!

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I really don’t know if peasants would have eaten this. But, I picture a cozy family dinner, roasted meat, stew made from things they’ve grown on their land, with their own hands. There’d be a fire in the fireplace and the biscuits would be passed around the table, to be eaten with a dollop of fresh butter and homemade jam. Maybe that’s what we will do tonight. Or, maybe we will eat it while watching something fun on Netflix, since we don’t have a fireplace or any meat that’s meant to be roasted. I do, however, have my garden boxes all planted. Maybe in a few months I will be making stew from things that I’ve grown.

Happy Eating!

Kohlrabi Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes

Yield: 4

Kohlrabi Stew

Ingredients

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 C kohlrabi, peeled and chopped
  • 2 C broccoli, chopped
  • 1 1/2 C carrots (or sweet potatoes), chopped
  • 1 C cauliflower, chopped
  • 1/2 C potato (or rutabaga), chopped
  • to taste salt
  • 1 t mustard
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 t dried (or 1 t fresh) thyme
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1 C garbanzo (or cannellini) beans
  • 4 C water or veggie stock
  • 1 bunch mizuna (or chard, cabbage, kale... any greens will do), long part of stems removed, chopped
  • 1-2 T lemon juice
  • 1/4 C parsley (1 T reserved for topping), chopped
  • ricotta, for topping
  • olive oil, for topping
  • lemon wedges, for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat soup pot, add oil. Add kohlrabi through salt. Cook covered (letting them sweat) over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add mustard through water/stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Add mizuna, lemon juice, and 3 T parsley. Cook for 3 minutes more.
  4. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve topped with ricotta, parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/kohlrabi-stew/

Thursday

15

January 2015

0

COMMENTS

Hearty Winter Salad with Dill Dressing

Written by , Posted in Beans, Eggs, Gluten Free, Herbs, Legumes, Lunch, Main Dishes, Potatoes, Quick and Easy, Salads, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Very rarely do I want a break from soup when the weather is cold. But, every once in a while it’s ok to take a breather from a steaming bowl of goodness. And I really do love the crunch of raw veggies. I also like how different a salad looks in the winter, compared to summer.

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This simple meal starts with some hardboiled eggs. If you’re not in the mood for eggs, you could use tuna as an alternative.

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When I was cooking these eggs, I thought I’d try to do them a different way from the way that I always do it, the way that works every time. I’d seen it done differently on TV, or read about it on a blog, or someone said something at some point in life about a different way to hard boil an egg.

Always a sure sign that something will turn out splendidly.

I ended up with soft boiled (aka goopy not fully cooked) eggs. Not at all what I was hoping for. So I returned them to the pot and re-boiled them the way I’d always done it. The way my mom taught me.

They turned out perfectly.

Lesson learned.

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Veggies that I had on hand to go with the eggs: broccoli and radish. You could also use beets, crispy potatoes, peas, carrots, cauliflower, or cabbage.

WinterSalad-1

Since I’m still obsessed with dill, I made a creamy dill dressing. It’s mostly Greek yogurt, because I was almost out of mayo. But, I’m happy with how it turned out, so I wouldn’t change the recipe. But, if you like a little less tang, switch up the proportions to suit your tastes.

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This salad was seriously filling, with chickpeas and eggs on there. I made it to go along with the Spaghetti Squash au Gratin that I’d made for lunch the same day, but didn’t end up eating it until dinner, since the Gratin was more filling than I’d expected. As a light dinner, it was perfect (for me anyways). (I keep hitting the caps lock key so it looks like I’m screaming half of each word at you. I must have a rogue pinky finger.) A small portion of each would go nicely together.

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So that’s that. Now I can go back to eating soup. 😉

Happy Eating!

Winter Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 2-4

Winter Salad

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, hard boiled and chopped (or you could use tuna)
  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 2 T mayo
  • to taste salt
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, chard), torn
  • 1/2 C broccoli, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/4 C radish, very thinly sliced
  • (could also add: grated carrots, chopped cauliflower, shredded cabbage, peas, crispy potatoes, beet chips)
  • 1/4 C chick peas

Instructions

  1. Cook eggs.
  2. Whisk yogurt through dill. Whisk in olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  3. Top greens with veggies, chick peas, hard boiled eggs, and dressing.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/hearty-winter-salad-with-dill-dressing/

Thursday

3

April 2014

13

COMMENTS

Classic Meat and Cheese Lasagna… With Veggies

Written by , Posted in Baking, Beef, Cheese, Dinner, Herbs, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Vegetables


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Tim informed me the other day that he would like more lasagna, meatloaf, and tacos in his life. Cool. I can do that. I had lasagna on the menu before he even asked.

Winner. (Um, both of us.)

I woke up really early this morning to get started, since I had two meals to cook and photograph. Boy was it fun. No really, it was. I’m totally not being sarcastic. I enjoyed a full day of cooking and picture making.

It’s a lot of fun to cook and photograph for you guys to see on here. But, let’s be honest, when I know that Tim is going to love something as much as he loves lasagna, well, not much can beat that.

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We just moved and have some friends coming to visit from Germany next week (yippee!). So I made two, and put one in the freezer. That means that if my kitchen isn’t completely unpacked, or if I don’t have the energy after unpacking and working all day, I can pop a lasagna in the oven, and dinner is taken care of… except for the caesar salad and garlic bread that will definitely need to accompany the meal. Other than that, all I have to do is open the wine.

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This is my version of a classic meat and cheese lasagna, with lots of veggies. I threw in some radish, kale, celery, and carrot. I’m not really afraid of veggie-ing up a dish. If you don’t heart vegetables, you are not alone (sorrynotsorry). Yesterday, Tim told me that something we had for dinner was “really good, for vegetables”. We may not share the same opinion about the deliciousness of greens. 😉

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Thankfully, we do both really enjoy cheese. I know you can use ricotta for lasagna, but I couldn’t find it at the store, so I used cottage cheese. It’s mixed together with Greek yogurt, mozzarella, and parmesan. I’m not sure that you could have too much of this cheesy mixture.

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The sauce is simple, it’s almost just tomato sauce and herbs. Like the cheese mixture, too much is a good thing.

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The anatomy of the lasagna and the way it all comes together.

Also, the sunlight changes more than I’d noticed in real life.

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It bakes up and bubbles and melts and mmmm tastes so good. You should’a seen the huge helping Tim got. And then I looked over and it was gone. So I gave him a bite of mine. He can’t get enough lasagna.

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I served this lasagna with some crazy good garlic bread. Done and done.

Happy Eating!

Classic Meat and Cheese Lasagna
Recipe Type: Main Dishes, Dinners, Meat, Beef, Vegetables, Cheese, Hearty, Oven, Baking, Greens
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
A classic lasagna with lots of veggies.
Ingredients
  • meat and veggie filling: 1 lb. ground beef
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 C carrot, diced
  • 1/4 C radish, diced
  • 3/4 C celery, diced
  • 3 C kale, chopped
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
  • cheese filling: 16 oz. cottage cheese
  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 2 1/2 C mozzarella cheese, grated (1 C reserved)
  • 1/2 C parmesan cheese
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • tomato sauce: 4-6 C tomato sauce
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • 1 t dried oregano, crushed
  • 1 t dried thyme, crushed
  • 1 t dried parsley, crushed
  • 1 t dried basil, crushed
  • 1/2 t dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 – 9 oz. box (about 12 noodles) lasagna noodles (the kind that don’t need to be cooked first*)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
  2. Cook beef until partially done, then add garlic through celery, and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add kale and wilt down, about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
  3. Mix together cheese filling ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  4. Mix together tomato sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  5. Grease two 8×8 pans (or one 9×13). Spoon a bit of sauce into the bottom of the pan and top with two noodles. Top noodles with meat and vegetable filling, then with cheese mixture, and more sauce. Repeat three more times, topping last set of noodles with lots of sauce and reserved mozzarella.
  6. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 30-40 more.
  7. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Wednesday

11

December 2013

5

COMMENTS

Three Bean Chili – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Beans, Beef, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Legumes, Main Dishes, Meat, One Dish Dinners, Soups, Vegetables

ThreeBeanChili_1

Beans beans beans. I love beans. I wonder if I have too many foods that I love. Nah. I just had this awful thought, “What if I hated as many foods as I love!?” That would be terrible. Let’s not even go down that path. Shudder…

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I have made chili about one million different ways. Long before I knew I liked to cook, eons before blogging was even a thing, I liked to make chili. Back then I thought it tasted good. I have no idea if it actually did, since I don’t time travel (I think that that’s the second time I’ve mentioned time travel on here in a short time… I’m cool with that… Tim should be very proud). I suppose that as my chili recipe has evolved, so has the taste. It’s a good thing to learn, grow, change, don’t you think? I mean, if we go deep for a minute, would I want to be the person I was a year ago, 5 years ago, 10, 15, or 20 years ago? Heavens no. I’ve learned, I’ve changed, I hope that I’ve become a better version of myself. As we mature, that’s what tends to happen.

Kinda like a good chili. The recipe changes over the years. Ingredients are added and subtracted, cooking times speed up and slow down. The chili itself gets deeper and richer as time passes, gently simmering over the fire. A great metaphor for our lives I think. I want to be chili. With a depth, a richness, a savory quality that can only come from years of well seasoned living.

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This is a well seasoned, deep chili. It can cook for a shorter time or you can let it go for longer. It’s simple, yet rich. It’s hearty. It will fill you right up, but might leave you wanting more, because it tastes so good. It’s perfect with your favorite cornbread. Um, but then what isn’t? Cornbread is one of those foods that I could eat forever. I like it cold the next day, standing in front of the fridge with the door open, starving, needing a snack. It is the perfect solution to that problem. It’s great heated up in the toaster with a fried egg for breakfast. Or, with the leftover chili. That’s always a good idea.

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Here’s to lives and food that have depth, richness, and are well seasoned.

Happy Eating!

Three Bean Chili
Recipe Type: Main Dish, Dinner, Soup, Chili, Hearty, Stove Top, One Dish Dinner, Easy, Meat, Beef, Legumes, Beans, Vegetables
Cuisine: American
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 C onion, chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 C black beans
  • 1 C kidney beans
  • 1 C cranberry beans
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1/4 t ginger
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t sweet paprika
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 C vegetable stock (beef or chicken would work too)
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 t butter
Instructions
  1. Heat soup pot and add beef. Break up and cook for a few minutes. Add onion and serrano pepper, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add garlic, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and tomato. Cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add beans, seasonings, stock, and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
  5. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
  6. Serve with your favorite cornbread.

Happy Eating!

Wednesday

30

October 2013

0

COMMENTS

Shepherd’s Pie – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Beef, Cheese, Dinner, Gluten Free, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, Potatoes, Potlucks, Vegetables

Shepherd'sPieOct1-5

Right now we’re kinda in between seasons. It’s technically fall. But produce-wise, we’ve still got a few summer treats hanging on (hello zucchini!), yet are simultaneously moving into the winter goodies (hello root veggies!).

This Shepherd’s Pie is a mash of the two (no pun intended, hello mashed potatoes!).

This is a great dish for using leftovers. Mostly on the mashed potato end. You may want to bookmark this one for Thanksgiving, along with Shepherd’s Pie of the South. One uses up the leftover turkey or chicken, the other uses up the mashed potatoes. No, it’s not too early to start planning what you’re going to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s never too early to menu plan. 😉

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Back to October, which is a great month, by-the-way. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago, and the baseball postseason is in full swing. Yeah, both of these make me happy. Add to that the cooler weather and falling leaves and you may understand why this is my absolute favorite time of the year.

Since it’s my favorite month, we should eat some of my favorite foods. We should enjoy hearty, warm meals. We should bring out the quilts and hot chocolate mugs. We should eat Shepherd’s Pie (and Chicken Pot Pie, and Chili and Cornbread, and… oh I’m getting hungry).

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One thing that I love about Shepherd’s Pie is that it’s a great way to use yesterday’s dinner. I’m a big fan of making yummy foods and then repurposing the leftovers. Want to see how it could work? Say Sunday’s dinner is Roasted Chicken, with Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom and Savory Gravy, and Steamed Carrots with Honey and Butter. By making a little more than you will need the first night, you give yourself the starting points for the rest of the week’s dinners. Monday: Chicken and Rice Soup. Tuesday: Shepherd’s Pie. Wednesday: Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches. Thursday: Chicken Club Pizza. Friday: Sheppy Pasta (make extra Shepherd’s Pie filling and toss with pasta and tomatoes). Saturday: Soup Day (Taco SoupMashed Potato Soup, and definitely remember to make some Chicken Stock with the chicken bones). (Of course make sure that foods are frozen if they will be saved for more than a few days, and re-heated to a safe temperature… but you knew that.)

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Another thing that I love about Shepherd’s Pie is that it just tastes so darn good. Starting at the top, we’ve got some cheese. It’s all melty and maybe a bit crispy where it touches the skillet. Then a layer of Mashed Potatoes. Well, I love those on their own, so I can’t really go wrong here. And the foundation of this dish, ground beef (you could also use tempeh, chicken, maybe even tofu), veggies, and a bit of sauce. Well, sure, don’t mind if I do. You can make a big skillet to feed the whole family, or make individual portions and heat them up one or two at a time (I like to use medium-sized ramekins for this). It freezes well, so once everyone has eaten their fill, pop them into single serving containers and they can be saved for lunches. I wonder, maybe you could even fry an egg and slide it on top of the pie, then toast some bread, top it with a tomato slice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of good olive oil, and have it for breakfast… stranger things have happened.

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However it’s eaten, this meal is a winner in my book. Husband’s too. We love pie… especially the savory kind.

Happy Eating!

Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: 4-6

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 4 small radishes, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • to taste, salt
  • to taste, pepper
  • 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t coriander
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch cumin
  • 1 C peas (frozen are fine)
  • 5 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/4 C cold water
  • 1 C stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
  • 4-6 C warm/hot mashed potatoes (4 large potatoes)
  • 1/2 to 1 C Gruyere cheese, grated
  • sprinkle coriander
  • sprinkle chili powder

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
  2. Heat oven safe skillet. Add beef. When partially cooked, add carrots through cumin. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
  3. Add peas and garlic, cook 1 minute.
  4. Add balsamic vinegar and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes.
  5. Whisk cornstarch with water and stock. Add to veggies and beef. Bring to a boil and let sauce thicken.
  6. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  7. Smooth out and top with mashed potatoes, cheese, and sprinkle with coriander and chili powder. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are hot.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/shepherds-pie-video/