Cooking on the Go
By Janet Groene, F47166
ByFebruary 2005
Stew is a wonderful word that summons memories of grandmother’s kitchen and the taste of slow-cooked meals steeped in delightful flavors. Whether you speed up the cooking process in a pressure cooker, slow it down in a crock pot, or simmer everything on the stove until you can stick a fork in it, here are some easy, one-pot meals to try on your next trip.
Chicken Stew
This recipe feeds four but it easily can be multiplied or divided to feed one, two, or a crowd. Simply figure one medium potato, one chicken thigh, half a large carrot, half a stalk of celery, and half a medium onion per person.
4 skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed
2 large carrots, peeled and chunked
2 medium onions, peeled and cut up
2 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 15- or 16-ounce cans chicken broth
Water
1/3-cup cornstarch
15-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2-cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt, pepper, and dried thyme to taste
In a roomy pot or skillet, brown the chicken thighs in the hot vegetable oil until golden. Add the potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and chicken broth; cover; and simmer over low heat until the potatoes and chicken are tender (approximately 30 minutes). Mix enough water into the cornstarch to make a paste and stir into the stew. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens. The mixture should be very thick. Reduce the heat and stir in the evaporated milk. This should thin the gravy just enough. Heat but do not boil. Stir in the peas, if desired, just long enough to heat. Add salt, pepper, and thyme to taste and ladle into four soup plates. If you prefer a zingier dish, pass the hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
Beef And Tomato Stew
Molasses adds sweetness to the tang of the tomatoes. If you don’t have molasses on hand, use a teaspoon of dark brown sugar. As a last resort, use pancake syrup or dark corn syrup. This stew doesn’t contain a starch, so serve it with chunks of French bread or make instant grits right in the serving dishes, and you’ll have a polenta-type base for the meal.
1 pound lean, boneless beef for stew
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and cut up
15- or 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
16 medium snow pea pods, trimmed and cut in half
1 teaspoon dark molasses
Salt, pepper
4 servings instant grits (optional)
In a roomy skillet or stew pot, brown the beef in the hot oil. Add the onion, tomatoes, and pepper. Cover; reduce heat; and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender. Uncover; bring back to a boil; stir in the snow peas and cook for one minute until they are crisp-tender. Add the molasses, salt, and pepper to taste. If desired, place instant grits in four soup bowls, stir in boiling water according to package directions, and top with the stew.
Barley Lamb Stew
1 pound lean, boneless lamb for stew
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and cut up
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups water
1/2-cup pearled barley
Salt, pepper
Snipped parsley
In a roomy pot or skillet, brown the lamb in the hot oil. Add the vegetables and water and bring to a boil. Stir in the barley; cover; reduce heat; and simmer until the lamb and barley are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste, ladle into four soup plates, and sprinkle with parsley.
Optional: Add four pitted prunes during the last few minutes of cooking, then use them to top each individual serving.
Curried Fruit Stew
This side dish goes perfectly with meat from the grill and steamed rice. Adjust the amount of curry used to family preferences and according to the type of curry powder used. If your family doesn’t like curry at all, simply eliminate it and add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground ginger, and perhaps a dash of ground cloves.
1 stick butter (no substitute)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2-cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 15- or 16-ounce cans of fruit*
Melt the butter in a roomy pot and stir in the curry powder and brown sugar. Cook over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Drain enough syrup from one of the cans of fruit to make a paste with the cornstarch. Add the rest of the fruit and their juices to the pot, then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the stew clears and thickens. Serve hot or at room temperature.
*Select a colorful mixture of sliced peaches, apricots, pineapple chunks, pitted sweet cherries, diced pears, and so on. Do not use canned berries, which are too soft for this dish.
Pork Stew
2 pounds lean, boneless pork cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small onion, diced
1 ham hock
15- or 16-ounce can vegetable or chicken broth
3 large sweet potatoes, each peeled and cut into 8 pieces
2 cans cut green beans, drained
Salt, pepper to taste
Brown the pork in the hot oil with the paprika, garlic, and onion. Place the ham hock in the center of the pot surrounded by the pork cubes and add the broth and sweet potatoes. Cover; reduce heat; and simmer until the pork and sweet potatoes are tender. Add the green beans; heat through; season to taste; and ladle into eight soup plates. The ham hock can be discarded or, if it’s meaty, set aside to cool. Trim out the ham; dice it; and add the meat to tomorrow’s omelet.
Bacon And Mushroom Stew
Buy plain croutons, preferably those in bite-size chunks rather than the small cubes. Do not buy highly seasoned croutons. To make sure the croutons stay crisp, stir them into the stew at the last minute, or put them in bowls and ladle the stew over them.
2-ounce jar bacon pieces (do not substitute imitation bacon bits)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
32-ounce can stewed tomatoes
Salt to taste
1/4-teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups packaged croutons
In a large pot or skillet, stir-fry the bacon in the hot oil with the fresh vegetables. Add the stewed tomatoes; cover; reduce heat; and cook until the vegetables are tender. Taste and add salt if necessary. Add pepper. Place croutons in four soup bowls and ladle the stew over them, or stir the croutons into the stew and serve at once.
Kielbasa Stew
4 serving-size pieces kielbasa sausage
1 small cabbage, trimmed and cut into 4 wedges
2 large carrots, peeled and cut in half
3 cups unsalted chicken broth
Milk
1 cup biscuit mix
Put the kielbasa, cabbage, carrots, and broth in a roomy pot; cover; bring to a boil; and reduce heat. Simmer until the cabbage and carrots are tender. Mix just enough milk into the biscuit mix to make a dense dough. Bring the pot back to a boil and spoon the dough atop the stew in four mounds. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover; reduce heat; and simmer for another 10 minutes without peeking. Serve at once in four soup plates.
Optional: Add 1/2-teaspoon dried sage or oregano to the biscuit mix.
Note: The dumplings will rise 2 to 3 inches, so use a pot that has enough headroom. A can of corned beef or a 1-pound canned ham can be substituted for the kielbasa.
Sweet ‘N Sour Stew
This stew goes best over rice, but if you don’t want to use a second burner, serve it over chow mein noodles.
2 pounds lean pork cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 small can, approximately 1 cup, baby corn
15- to 17-ounce can pineapple chunks
1 large navel orange, peeled and cut into wedges
1/3-cup brown sugar
1/4-cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Brown the pork in the hot oil. Drain the pineapple and add the juice to the pot. Cover; reduce heat; and simmer for 20 minutes, adding water if necessary to keep the pot from boiling dry. Add the green pepper and the corn and simmer for 10 minutes more. Fold in the pineapple and orange. In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch until smooth. Stir into the stew; bring to a boil, stirring, until the mixture clears and thickens; and serve over rice or crisp noodles. This recipe makes six to eight servings.
Note: cubed turkey breast can be used instead of pork; canned, sliced water chestnuts can be substituted for the baby corn.
Suggestions for stews
- Liquid measurements aren’t always reliable, because a great deal depends on how much is lost during simmering. If a stew is too thick, thin it with chicken or beef broth. If it’s too thin, stir in instant potato flakes a tablespoon at a time until the stew thickens to taste.
- If stew accidentally becomes too salty, add another potato.
- When using canned ingredients in stew, taste before seasoning. Salt may have been added. Ham and sausage are also highly salted.
- The recipes mentioned in this column all make a complete meal, except for salad, bread or rolls, and dessert. Stews are best served in shallow soup bowls. Supply a knife, a fork, and a soup spoon.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with stew recipes. Instead of white potatoes, try white beans, sweet potatoes, or turnips. Instead of broth, use beer. Instead of thickening with cornstarch, butter slabs of hearty bread and place them over the stew during cooking. Then stir them into the broth.
- For a darker gravy, use a few drops of seasoning sauce such as Gravy Master.
- Keep packets of dry gravy mix on hand. If the stew needs more sauce, combine a packet of gravy mix with a cup of water, add to the stew, and stir until it boils.
- If you’re cooking for two, make a batch of stew that serves four. Serve half, then put the leftovers in ramekins. The next day, top the ramekins with pie crust or biscuit dough and bake them as pot pies.
Books for cooks
All the low-carb recipes you’ll ever need are presented in Dana Carpender’s 560-page treasure, 500 More Low-Carb Recipes: 500 All-New Recipes From Around The World ($19.95, Fair Winds Press). More than a million copies of Ms. Carpender’s 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes from Snacks to Dessert That the Whole Family Will Love were sold. For her newest book she traveled far and wide to find ethnic recipes to cook the low-carb way. Introductory material helps cooks understand low-carb concepts and products. Recipes are varied, innovative, and so exciting your family probably won’t even notice they are following the new low-carb regimen.
If you love New Orleans cuisine but think it’s too complicated, get Uglesich’s Restaurant Cookbook ($24.95, Pelican Publishing). Written by John Uglesich (yoo-gul-sich), a member of the family that founded the restaurant in 1920, the book sings out wonderful culinary secrets so clearly, it’s easy to re-create them in the busiest galley. Fans of the restaurant will like the personal touch and the old photos. This handsome hardback is a nice addition to the library of any cook who collects regional recipes.
Charles Knight, seen regularly on the Food Network cable channel, is also the creator of Health Craft waterless, greaseless cookware. Mr. Knight’s cookbook, Healthy Meat and Potatoes ($16.95, HP Books), is just the ticket for no-nonsense cooks who like meals that are healthful, familiar, and fuss-free. Mr. Knight’s instructions for delicious, home-style foods are easy to follow. He also supplies the nutritional breakdown and calorie count for each dish. Although the recipes are written for use with Health Craft cookware, they easily can be adapted for other pots. The book is sold at bookstores and online at www.healthcraft.com.
Backyard Grilling: For Your Grill, Smoker, Turkey Fryer, and More ($21.95, Creative Publishing International) is a hefty hardcover book that provides 150 luscious recipes for a wide list of foods, including wild game. It includes dozens of mouthwatering color photos, plus answers to all your questions about grilling, smoking, and using a turkey fryer. A bonus chapter covers marinades, sauces, and bastes. With the help of this book you can plan an entire grilled meal, including a dessert that can be cooked on the coals while you’re eating the main course.
Dried beans are lifesavers for people on the go. They are one of the most versatile foods in the larder “” compact, lightweight, and inexpensive. Now Judith Barrett has written Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy ($22.95, Rodale Books). Using 15 kinds of Italian beans (or American substitutes) in dozens of delicious recipes, the award-winning author inspires cooks with a variety of appetizers, salads, soups and side dishes made with or without meat, grains, game, or seafood. All of Ms. Barrett’s recipes start with dried beans. If you must substitute canned beans, rinse them well and add them at the end of the cooking time. The Italian theme is delightful armchair reading, but cooks of every ethnic cuisine will enjoy this book. It is available at bookstores, through online booksellers, or from www.rodalestore.com.
Freebies
Obtain a free brochure loaded with onion recipes by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to National Onion Association, Department MK, 822 Seventh St., Greeley, CO 80631. Recipes also can be found at the association’s Web site, www.onions-usa.org.
The next time you’re cruising Interstate 10 or U.S. 90 across the northern part of Florida, stop off in Madison to tour O’Toole’s Herb Farm. There you can purchase dried herbs and shop for herbal soaps, lotions, and balms. You also can learn how to grow fresh herbs at home and while traveling, and the farm offers special courses in using herbs. Admission is free. O’Toole’s will hold its annual “Just Because” Festival on February 5, 2005. For more information, call (850) 973-3629 or visit www.otoolesherbfarm.com.