Bluebonnets & Brownies » crockpot

Po’ Folks Chicken n’ Dumplings

Amber — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:49:44 +0000

Today was the first day in a very long time that some semblance of warmth enveloped Northern New Jersey. It was absolutely glorious. I can only blame myself, full of procrastination and a roaring upper respiratory infection, for not updating sooner. I’ve even had the pictures for this update uploaded to flickr for nearly two months. You’ll notice the Christmas tree lights in the background… Bad blogger is bad.

At the beginning of the month, we spent a week in Florida to celebrate my 30th birthday. 30 isn’t so bad, so far. There are some things I thought I would have accomplished by now, but there are even more that I never imagined would be under my belt, so I really can’t complain.

Turning 30 had me thinking a lot about when I was a kid. And the things that take you back to being a kid, like the foods of your childhood. One of the first restaurants I ever remember vividly liking and wanting to go to was a homey old place called Po’ Folks. Mom and Dad loved this place because they welcomed kids, and they were cheap enough (hence the name). A quick googling told me these restaurants still exist throughout the Southeast, but they’re no longer in Texas.

The signature dish at Po’ Folks? Stick to your ribs Chicken and Dumplings, served directly over creamy mashed potatoes. I think this is what kept them so stalwartly in my memory. Chicken, Gravy, and Carbs? On top of more carbs? Oh yeah.

In these last vestiges of Winter (I hope), we all still want this stick to your ribs fare. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dreaming of when the deck won’t be covered in snow, the grill within easy reach, and a steak sizzling upon it. But savory chicken n’ dumplings with mash will sort me out while there’s still snow in the forecast, in between mild Spring days.

Enjoy it, dolls.

Po’ Folks Chicken n’ Dumplings
For 4, or 2 with leftovers (and believe me, you’ll want leftovers)

1 tablespoon oil
4-6 skinless chicken thighs, cut into bitesize chunks
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, whole (remove before serving)
A handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
6 cups chicken broth
kosher salt, Lowry’s or Nature’s Season-All, black pepper to taste

Cut chicken thighs into bitesize chunks. In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil (canola or olive is fine). Add chicken and allow to brown on all sides, for approximately 5-6 minutes. Add in diced carrots, allowing them to sweat down for a few minutes. If you fancy onion, this would be the time to add it, but I don’t think it needs it.

Add in chicken broth (stock in a box is fine for this), parsley and celery stalk, and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes at least.

Dumplings

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. When ready, use a regular tablespoon to create rounded mounds, and drop directly into your stew. The dumplings will swell at first, and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock. Simmer another 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often.

Mashed Potatoes

4-6 medium Yukon Gold, Red Bliss, or Idaho potatoes
Chicken Stock (or water and a couple of bouillon cubes)
Butter
Milk, Cream, or Half and Half
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Peel and chop potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Fill to covering the chunks in a medium sauce pan. Use either more stock in a box, or water and some chicken bouillon cubes (2 should suffice). Cook on high for 15-30 minutes, until potatoes split apart when plucked with a fork. Drain away water, and mash with a potato masher. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter, a splash of milk or cream, and salt and pepper to taste, and mash again.

When the dumplings are to your liking, turn the heat off to the stew and remove the celery stalk. First, place a large spoonful of mashed potatoes into your bowl. Then cover with chicken and dumplings, and enjoy! If you like this, try putting any kind of soup on top of mashed potatoes. Vegetable beef, Beef Stew, Chicken Noodle, you name it, they’re pretty damned amazing served over mashed potatoes.

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Post tags: chicken, crockpot, dumplings

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Pulled Pork Marsala Stroganoff

Amber — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:43:49 +0000

Believe it or not, a lot of the time, I don’t use recipes. I let the ingredients guide me. Case in point: the delicious creation you’re feasting your eyes on just above these words. After a trip to Trader Joe’s, I had a new bottle of Marsala wine. I’d never really cooked with it, though I always enjoy eating food created with it. Armed with Marsala inspiration, I thought I would start with the bog standard, Chicken Marsala. But a grocery miscalculation left me with no suitable chicken in the house. What I did have was a whole heck of a lot of pork loin chops, and some button mushrooms.

Enter the crock pot. I know, I know, I’ve been cooking a lot with this thing lately! But honestly, if you’re not already on the slow-cooker train, you *should* be. It helps you to avoid the Ramen Blues. My favorite thing about slow cooking is just how little preparation it takes to make something truly masterful.

Like I said, this meal wasn’t really “planned”. Basically, I threw the protein, veg, wine, and stock into the slow cooker and let it fly. And fly it did. When the pork was so tender it fell apart, I removed it from the slow cooker, and then added a bit of cream and sour cream to the stock and mushrooms, and thickened it with a roux. Everything went “back into the hot tub”, as Rachael Ray likes to say, after the pork had been pulled. And then it was all layered on top of spiral pasta, and accompanied by simple crisp steamed green beans.

James and I both loved it, hoovering this all-new comfort food in like it was going out of style. But I can always tell if a recipe should make it here to the blog based on James’s “Coworker Envy” meter. You see, a lot of them don’t cook, or have partners who cook. So whenever James goes in with leftovers, he gets the once over. Sometimes the twice over. And if it smells really REALLY good, he gets the “Hey… what IS that?”. With this meal? One coworker said “You should marry her.” He said, “I already did!”, and the coworker said, “I know. Do it again.”. Hah.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Holland House.

Pulled Pork Marsala Stroganoff
serves 2-4

4 pork loin chops
1 package of button mushrooms
3 cups beef broth
1 cup Marsala wine
1 chopped onion
4-6 smashed garlic cloves
Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

For sauce:
1/4 c. heavy cream or half and half
1 cup sour cream
butter and flour for roux

Throw all ingredients except cream and sour cream into slow cooker, leave on low for 4-6 hours. When pork is tender enough that it falls apart when you spear it with a fork, remove from crock pot and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Using two forks, pull at the pork so that it comes apart in shreds.

Pour broth-wine mixture and mushrooms from crock pot into a large skillet on the stove, medium heat. Add cream and sour cream, stirring to combine. Make a roux by melting approximately 4 table spoons of butter in a separate skillet, and then adding approximately 1 tablespoon of flour. Using a flat whisk, stir the roux until it creates a slight bubbly paste. Pour this into the Stroganoff sauce, increasing the heat and stirring until thickened. Add pork and continue stirring.

In a separate pot, boil enough pasta for the number of people eating. Highly recommend egg noodles, spiral or bowtie pasta – something chunkier. Even penne would work. When pasta is done, drain and plate. Cover with Pork Marsala Stroganoff, and add parsley for color and flavor.

Reheats beautifully.

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Cowboy Beef Stew

Amber — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:34:39 +0000

You know it must be cold when all you want to eat are oatmeal, soups, stews, and pies. Autumn is really feeling more like Winter to me right now. Maybe because New Jersey’s version of Autumn is what we call Winter in San Antonio. You’d think I’d be used to that by now, but not so much.

The other day, my friend Amanda over at What We’re Eating and Food Porn Daily posted her recipe for Red Wine Braised Short Rib Beef Stew and ever since then, I’ve had beef stew on the brain.

Unfortunately, we’re not red wine drinkers, so I didn’t have any handy. But I *did* remember making this beef stew a while ago, and sure enough, the recipe came together in the crock pot in an absolute snap, and then tormented me the rest of the day with the delicious smells wafting through my house.

The nice thing about this stew is you probably have all the ingredients in your house right now. You can make it on the stovetop if you have an hour to an hour and a half, or you can make it in a crock pot in the morning, (or even the night before), and it’ll be ready to go when you get home from work.

I think the reason it’s called Cowboy beef stew is that it marries coffee and beef stock to make the rich, meaty broth. You can add red wine if you have it, but honestly, it was amazing with just coffee. For a thicker stew, make a roux of butter and flour, and add to the pot about 20 minutes before serving. You’ll want to stir the pot frequently for it to thicken.

Cowboy Beef Stew

serves 2-4

1.5 lbs. beef – round steak, sirloin, or stew meat, chopped into bitesize pieces
2-4 carrots, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
3-4 small-medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen peas, reserved.
1 8 oz. cup of coffee – I used Green Mountain Coffee 100% Columbian via K-cup from my Keurig brewer. It did not disappoint.
1 32 oz. box of beef stock (I recommend using organic free range)
Kosher salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Season-All
1 tablespoon Savory spices (thyme, oregano, sage, etc)
1 bay leaf (I didn’t have one, so you can leave it out if you don’t either)

Chop the onion, carrot, potato and celery, and place in a pot or slow cooker. Add the broth and the coffee. Ala Julia Child, cut the beef into pieces, and make sure to dry them with a paper towel. Heat some oil in a skillet, and brown the chunks of meat. Drain, and add to the pot or slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, and spices to taste.

Allow to cook for 4-8 hours (high or low) in crock pot, or 1-2 hours in stock pot. About 20 minutes before serving, add frozen peas.

I highly suggest serving this with warm rolls, chunky baguette, or cheese straws.

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