Sausage & Cannellini Bean Stew

We have been experiencing a deep freeze lately (- 44C with windchill...really?!) and weather like this calls for comfort foods such as stew.  I made this dish with ingredients we had on hand and it is a family favourite!  This is absolutely delicious when served with crusty bread or garlic toast!

SAUSAGE & CANNELINI BEAN STEW

Ingredients:

1 tbsp grapeseed, or EVOO*

6 to 8 large Italian sausages (sweet or hot)

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tsp smoked paprika (sweet paprika would also work well)

1 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tsp freshly ground, black pepper

1 - 680mL jar of passata (strained tomatoes)*

1 cup beef stock

1 - 19 fl oz can of cannellini (white kidney) beans, undrained*

•    Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Place whole sausages in the pot and saute, turning frequently, until evenly browned but not fully cooked.  Remove sausages from pot and set aside on a cutting board.  Slice sausages into 1" chunks.
• Place onions, garlic, and leeks in pot.  Saute until onions are translucent, stirring constantly to prevent garlic burning.
• Add carrots, potatoes, paprika, thyme, bay leaves and pepper.  Saute 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir frequently.
• Add passata, beef stock and beans.  Stir and bring to a boil.  
• Reduce heat to medium low.  Add sausages, stir and cover. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaves.
• Serve with crusty bread or garlic toast.  ENJOY!

*EVOO = extra virgin olive oil
*Passata should be a pantry staple - it is inexpensive and versatile!
*By not draining the beans, the stew will become thicker.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I am having a bit of a love affair with my slow cooker lately!  I just enjoy being able to plop all the ingredients into it, covering the dish and leaving it all day.  When it is dinnertime, VOILA!  Dinner is ready and I'm not spending tons of time in the kitchen (instead I am using it much more effectively by helping the kids do their homework...sigh!) 
This is one of my go-to easy peasy beef stews which has a changeable recipe depending on what root vegetables I have.  Sometimes for kicks I throw in parsnips, sweet potatoes, and turnips!  Experiment with whatever you have in your vegetable bin and try it for yourself!

SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

2 lbs stewing beef, in 1/2" cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups beef stock

1 garlic clove, chopped or minced

1 bay leaf

4 carrots, diced (or 1 lb bag of whole baby carrots)

2 onions, diced

1 rib celery, diced

3 potatoes diced in 1" cubes

2 cups tomatoes, diced

• Place meat in the slow cooker. 
• Combine flour, salt, and paprika in a small bowl.  Stir into meat until coated well.
• Gently stir in remaining ingredients, combining well.
• Cover.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours.
• Stir well before serving and ENJOY!

*I generally prepare this in the morning so I can cook it on low - I just find that this low and slow cooking style makes the beef far more tender than cooking it on high!*

Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Carrots & Potatoes

With the cooler weather upon us, I decided to bust-out my slow cooker and give it a work out!  Since I still had quite a few carrots and potatoes from my CSA share, as well as a lovely cross-rib roast of beef in my freezer (also from Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze), I decided roast was on the menu!
The cooking time may seem excessively long, but trust me - even though the roast is technically cooked perfectly after 7 or 8 hours, leaving it to cook until the full 10 really makes it super tender and produces an amazing gravy!

SLOW COOKER ROAST BEEF WITH CARROTS & POTATOES

Ingredients:

2lb cross rib roast

2 to 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp EVOO

2 cups of good quality beef stock

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 onion, sliced into 1/4" thick slivers

20 small carrots (I approximate 5 per person)

4 - 6 medium sized potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1" chunks with the skin on

• Wash and pat roast dry.  Combine salt and pepper (to taste) with flour in a bowl.  Heat the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  While you are waiting for the oil to get to temperature, rub the flour all over the roast.  Place the roast in the skillet and brown all sides.  Remove from heat.
• In a slow cooker, set on low heat, place the carrots on the bottom of the pot, the roast on top of the carrots and onions all around the meat.  Pour the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce over top. 
• Cover and set to cooking for 8 hours (resist the temptation to open the lid as this dramatically lowers the temperature...but the aroma is incredible!)  Check periodically to ensure there is enough gravy.  If it seems it is evaporating, add more beef stock in 1 cup increments.
• Immerse the potatoes in the stock around the roast.  Place the lid back on and cook for another 2 hours.
• After 10 hrs of cooking on low, switch off the slow cooker and remove the roast. Place on a cutting board to rest.  With a slotted spoon remove the vegetables and keep warm in a serving dish.  Pour the gravy into a small saucepan.  Place over medium-high heat and reduce by half so the gravy thickens a little.
• Carve the roast and serve on a bed of the roasted vegetables with the rich gravy drizzled over top!
• ENJOY!

*What we like to do with leftovers is make beef dip sandwiches for dinner the next evening, with sauteed onions!!!  YUMMY!

*For the Brussels sprouts I simply trimmed and sliced them in half, tossed them in olive oil and lemon pepper and placed them on a rimmed baking sheet.  Then they were baked in the oven for 20 mins at 375F,  and turned once halfway through to ensure even roasting.  This is simple and quick (and I have had several requests for my 'recipe' for these Brussels!  LOL!)

My New Pressure Canner & Beef Barley Soup/Hearty Chili

Well I decided, after looking at my brimming freezer full of Cooper's beef, pork and chicken, that I need to figure out another way to preserve these low acid foods. Although I love my freezer, if left too long, meat gets freezer burnt and unusable. Last year I did a tremendous amount of traditional canning and our family and friends have benefited from the wonderful jams, chutneys, sauces and pickles that I made...so why not figure out a way to preserve whole meals and have the ULTIMATE in convenience foods?

I knew about pressure canners from my Bernardin book, but had never actually seen one (the stores are full of pressure cookers, but don't mistake the two!) Foods that are low in acid, such as homemade soups, sauces, vegetables, meat, fish and seafood require heat processing at higher temperatures than that of boiling water to prevent growth of spoilage organisms that can lead to botulism, which is a deadly form of food poisoning. Low acid heat processing times have been established using pressure canners (large vessels). Pressure cookers differ in design and function from pressure canners and are therefore, not suitable for home canning!!

Finally in Canadian Tire I found my 22qt. weighted gauge pressure canner for $129. I balked a little at the price, but then reasoned that I will now be able to create chilis, stews and a variety of soups and have them shelf stable...and at hand to create a nutritious meal for my family in a moment's notice (and frankly my time is definitely worth the money!!)

The nicest thing about pressure canning is that you use such a high temperature to preserve the food, that there's no need to sterilize your jars and lids ~ what a time saver! I just dish washered them and filled them as with normal canning (putting the lids and rings in hot water, wiping down the rims of the jars and then placing the lids on the jars finger tight). The rest was so easy that I wondered what I was worrying about all this time?!

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbsp EVOO

1 lb stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp crumbled dried sage

5 cups homemade beef stock (or low sodium)

1/2 cup red wine

1 can (19oz) chopped tomatoes

2 cups water

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 cup pearl or pot barley (both are polished and can be used interchangeably)

• In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Toss the beef cubes with the flour and in batches, brown all over. Transfer each batch to a plate and drain any fat from the pot.
• Increase heat to high and saute the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and sage. Stir often for approximately 2 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and light brown.
• Stir stock and wine into pot and cook for 1 minutes, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef, tomatoes, water, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hrs, or until the beef is tender.
• Add the barley, cover and simmer for 30 minutes more, or until tender.
• ENJOY!

HEARTY CHILI

Ingredients:

4 lbs stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes

1/4 cup EVOO

3 cups diced onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp each cumin seed and salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp each pepper, ground coriander, crushed red pepper flakes

6 cups undrained and chopped tomatoes

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches and remove to a plate. Drain excess oil from pot.
• Saute onions and garlic in pot until soft (1 to 2 minutes). Add remaining spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add beef, tomatoes and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Boil gently, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• *If canning add the pinto or kidney beans when reheating, otherwise add at this point for 5 to 10 minutes.

If canning jars are warm ensure that the chili or soup is hot, otherwise both are to be room temperature. Place rack in the bottom of the pressure canner and add the recommended amount of hot water for warm jars, or room temperature water for cooler jars, to the bottom of the canner. After wiping the rims of the jars and firmly tightening the lids, place the jars on the rack. If you have enough 500mL jars to be processed, place a second rack on top of the first layer of jars and continue placing the jars in the canner. Tighten the lid and follow the manufacturers instructions for venting (10 minutes without gauge, then add gauge at the appropriate pressure). Process 500mL jars for 75 minutes, or 1L jars for 90 minutes. Once processing is complete, shut off the heat and allow the canner to completely cool ~ DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LOOSEN THE LID BY COOLING THE CANNER OR BANGING ON THE LID! Remove jars without tilting and cool upright and undisturbed for 24 hours. DO NOT RETIGHTEN SCREW BANDS!! After cooling check jar seals (which should be curved downwards, or they need to be processed immediately), remove screw bands and wipe dry. Replace bands if desired, label jars and store in a cool, dark place.

*Note: Canned foods should be used within one year of processing - make sure that you rotate your jars to ensure the oldest dates are in the front of your cupboard!

Peanut and Potato Soup

Peanut soup is a firm favourite throughout Central and South America, and is particularly popular in Bolivia and Ecuador. As in many Latin American recipes, the peanuts are used as a thickening agent, with unexpectedly delicious results!

PEANUT AND POTATO SOUP

Ingredients:

4 tbsp peanut oil (or EVOO if you don't have it)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 fresh red chilies seeded and chopped

7oz or 200g can of chopped tomatoes

1 1/4 cups unsalted peanuts

6 1/2 cups homemade beef stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over low heat. Stir in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften.
• Add the garlic, pepper, potatoes, chilies, and tomatoes. Stir well to coat the vegetables evenly with the oil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened.
• Meanwhile, toast the peanuts by gently cooking them in a large dry frying pan over medium heat. Ensure that you keep stirring to prevent the peanuts from burning.
• Remove from heat and process the peanuts in a food processor until finely ground. Either add the vegetables and continue processing until a smooth consistency, or add nuts to the soup and use an immersion blender to process the vegetables.
• Return the mixture to the dutch oven and stir in the beef stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes so the flavours can combine.
• Pour the soup into heated bowls and garnish with a swirl of peanut butter and some dried red chili flakes.
• ENJOY!!

* You can substitute peanut butter for the unsalted peanuts, but ensure that you use equal quantities of chunky and smooth to get the ideal texture - you want some coarser chopped peanuts to add some crunch to the soup!*