A chicken in every pot

Several weeks ago, my husband asked me whether I could make chicken stew. Everyone makes beef stew, it seems, but what about changing the recipe and using chicken? It was a great idea, so I jumped on it and came up with this dish. Readers of this blog know I am a big fan of beef stew, so I used the basic technique to come up with this.

Chicken stew

You'll need:
1 pound of chicken, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons cooking oil
3 potatoes, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups water
2 cups corn (frozen or canned)
2 cups diced tomatoes, with chipotle peppers
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley to garish

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken in oil.

Put the diced potatoes and carrots in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the browned chicken and diced tomatoes.

Deglaze the skillet with white wine, then add to the cooker. Add barbecue sauce, water and corn. Stir well to combine and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Garnish the bowls with chopped parsley. Yield is about 10 cups.

Sausage and white bean chowder

Like most people, I try to stretch my food budget and I love developing recipes that are low in cost and big in flavor. Soup is a great way to get high nutrition for fewer dollars; using low cost dried beans is a great way to get added protein.

My family really likes kielbasa – I’ve usually got a pound of the stuff tucked away in the fridge waiting to be part of something delicious. Kielbasa is a wonderful substitute for beef in spaghetti sauce. And it is terrific in soups and stews.

This recipe was a delicious variation on white bean soup, often made with ham.

You’ll need:
1 pound of kielbasa, sliced
½ white onion, diced
1 cup navy beans, soaked overnight, then drained and rinsed
½ cup white wine
14.5 ounce can corn, drained
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon diced jalapenos

Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse in fresh water. Add to a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the kielbasa and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the kielbasa with a slotted spoon and add it to the slow cooker. Add the diced onions to the skillet and sauté for about 3 minutes. Pour in ½ cup white wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour the onions and wine into the slow cooker. Add 3-4 cups water. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Once the beans have softened, remove about a cup of beans from the cooker and smash them with a potato masher. Return the mashed beans to the cooker; add drained corn and the diced jalapenos. (I buy jalapenos that are diced in the jar. It makes a wonderful addition to recipes that need a little bit of tang and heat.) Cook another hour on low.

To serve: Place a half cup of cooked white rice in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle sausage and white bean chowder over the rice. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese. Yield: 8-10 servings.

This recipe is smoky and spicy and has a creamy texture without adding cream, thanks to mashing the beans. A great trick!

Hearty Pork Chili, even in summer

I used the best of several different recipe ideas to come up with this creation. It uses white navy beans that my youngest son loves, along with green chilies for some heat. I got a creamier, thicker finish (without adding cream or milk) by removing and mashing some of the beans, then returning them to the pot.

I know the weather is hot – maybe too hot for some people to try this recipe in summer. But I love that you can put a meal like this together without heating up the kitchen. Any season, this one is a winner.

Pork chili

1 pound boneless pork chops
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup dried navy beans; soak them overnight, then rinse and drain before using
½ cup white wine
2 cups corn
4 ounce can green chilies
Salt and pepper
Optional: Shredded cheese to top the bowls

In a medium skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil then brown the pork chops on all sides. I added the onions and garlic and browned all slightly. Season all with salt and pepper.

Once the dried beans have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them.

Then add beans to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add the browned pork chops, onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the pork to a plate to cool slightly. Also remove about a cup of cooked beans and place in a medium bowl. Mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Return the mashed beans to the slow cooker and add the corn.

Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot. Add the green chilies and mix well. Some recipes say to drain the chilies, but I never bother. The spicy vinegar adds to the flavor.

You can use a 14 ounce can of corn, drained, or 2 cups of fresh corn in this dish. I used a freebie from my mother-in-law – a bag of corn from their garden that had been put up on my birthday last year. Kinda ironic, don’t you think?

Let the soup cook another 2-3 hours until the beans are soft and all the flavors have melded. Put a scoop of rice in each bowl, top with a ladleful or two of soup and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. So yummy! This recipe makes about 8 servings.

Here's the step-by-step

Pork chili

1 pound boneless pork chops
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup dried navy beans; soak them overnight, then rinse and drain before using
½ cup white wine
2 cups corn
4 ounce can green chilies
Salt and pepper
Optional: Shredded cheese to top the bowls

In a medium skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil then brown the pork chops on all sides. I added the onions and garlic and browned all slightly. Once the dried beans have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them. Add beans to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add the browned pork chops, onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the pork to a plate to cool slightly. Also remove about a cup of cooked beans and place in a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Return the mashed beans to the slow cooker and add the corn. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot. Add the green chilies and mix well. Some recipes say to drain the chilies, but I never bother. The spicy vinegar adds to the flavor.

Let the soup cook another 2-3 hours until the beans are soft and all the flavors have melded. Put a scoop of cooked rice in each bowl, top with a ladleful or two of soup and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. 8 servings.

It really is ‘great on everything’

My husband loves sauces and seasonings – literally the door of our fridge is full of hot sauces, barbecue sauces, marinades and dressings. But his favorite seasoning is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. The container says “great on everything” and my husband happily obliges. He uses it on meat, pasta, rice, vegetables – just about anything he puts in his mouth. The Creole seasoning is a blend of salt, red pepper, garlic and “other spices.” And he loves it.

I recently made a chicken and sausage stew that featured this Creole seasoning. The grownups loved it, but my youngest son thought it was too spicy. You could cut back on the seasonings, use plain diced tomatoes or use a milder flavored sausage. If you like things hotter, add crushed red pepper or hot sauce.

Creole Chicken and Sausage Stew

1 pound chicken, cut in 1-inch pieces (I used chicken breasts)
½ pound Creole sausage, sliced in rounds
1 teaspoon oil
½ onion, diced
15 ounce can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
15 ounce can corn, drained
2 teaspoons Creole spice (I used Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning)
Hot cooked rice, to serve

In a large skillet or stock pan, heat the oil. Add the chicken breast and sausage. Add the creole spice and onions. Cook 7-10 minutes, until the chicken and sausage are browned.

Add the diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers and the can of corn.

Simmer for 20 minutes. To serve, scoop hot cooked rice into bowls, then top with the stew.

Southwest pork stew

I’ve come to love various types of diced tomatoes that are mixed with additional seasonings, like chilies or chipotle peppers. The harmonious pairing gives additional flavor to finished dishes, including soups, stews and casseroles. I developed this recipe to use diced tomatoes with chilies, along with budget saving items like root vegetables and pork chops. Pork is a natural in the slow cooker; it stays moist and becomes tender from the long, slow cooking.

I added some prepared barbecue sauce because my husband loves it. It yields additional smoky sweetness to the dish. And combined with red wine, the dish has a tremendous depth of flavor with very little work.

Southwest pork stew

4-5 country style pork ribs (1.5 pounds)
5 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1-inch pieces
4-5 carrots, scraped and cut in 1-inch pieces
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies
½ cup red wine
½ cup prepared barbecue sauce (your favorite)
½ cup salsa
14 ounce can corn, drained
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons oil
½ teaspoon oregano (dried)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Place the cut vegetables in a 6 quart slow cooker that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Season the chops with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet and then brown the chops on all sides.

Place the browned chops on top of the potatoes and carrots and then pour over the diced tomatoes with chilies.

Remove any excess oil from the skillet, retaining about 1 teaspoon. To the skillet add ½ cup wine and ½ cup barbecue sauce.

Blend over low heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce over the chops and vegetables, then sprinkle the oregano and crushed red pepper on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove the pork from the crock and let cool slightly.

Remove the meat from the bones, returning the shredded meat to the crock.

About a half hour before serving, I stirred in the salsa and corn. I love the fresher taste by adding them at the end.

My stew seemed a bit too soupy, so I blended 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with a cup of water (to make a slurry), then mixed it into the stew. It tightened up the recipe and gave it a shiny finish. This recipe was fantastic – a definite favorite of my husband’s. It made nearly 6 quarts of stew (and all was eaten within two days!)

Burgundy beef stew

My husband doesn't really like beef stew, but normally eats it without too many complaints. I, on the other hand, love beef stew and think it is one of the wonderful reasons for using a slow cooker. This week I tried a new twist on beef stew, to delicious results.

You'll need:

3 medium potatoes, diced

5 carrots, peeled and rough chopped

1 pound of stew meat

8 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 cup burgundy or other full-bodied red wine

1 tablespoon worchestire sauce

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon of oil, to brown stew meat

1/2 cup flour, for dredging

Pat of butter

salt and pepper

Wash and dice the potatoes and carrots. I peeled the carrots, but left the skins on the potatoes. Why bother?

Slice the potatoes into half-inch slices, then lay the slices on the board and repeat. Dice in half-inch pieces. I rough chopped the carrots into similar sized pieces as the potato.

Place the chopped vegetables in a 6-quart slow cooker that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Season the stew meat with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a resealable bag, then drop in about half the stew meat. Reclose the bag and shake, shake, shake. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Shake off the excess flour and place the meat in the skillet. Brown on all sides; this will take about 5 minutes. Brown the meat in two batches to reduce crowding in the pan.

Using a slotted spoon, place the browned stew meat on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Brown the remaining meat and add it to the cooker.

Top the browned stew meat with the tomato sauce and oregano. (You can cheat and substitute about a 1/2 cup of ketchup for the tomato sauce in a pinch). Now for the really yummy part. Add one cup burgundy or other red wine to the pan drippings in the skillet. Also add the worchestire sauce and a pat of butter.

It smells delicious! Once you add the pat of butter, cut the heat and stir the pan to melt. Then pour the wine mixture over the meat and vegetables. It will make them happy, I promise. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours. When you come home and stir the cooker, this is what you will see.

Gorgeous, right? And delicious, too. I promise. The wine gives this recipe a richer flavor than other beef stew recipes I've tried. It was so good, in fact, that after dinner (and before I packaged up the meager leftovers) I caught my husband sopping up the gravy from the bottom of the pan. That was the best -- and funniest -- news of the night. This recipe is a keeper.