Tag: dutch oven

Rigatoni with Tomatoes, Bacon, and Fennel

Posted on by elltee

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 onion, chopped fine

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 x 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 pound rigatoni (or other pasta)

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for serving (can also substitute Parmesan)

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

Fish Sauce

Directions

  1. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper-towel-lined plate; set aside for serving.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pot (or leave it all in – I did).
  2. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, fish sauce (anchovies), fennel seeds, and peper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. (might need to open the windows due to ‘fragrant’ fish sauce…)
  3. Stir in tomatoes and cook until dry and slightly darkened, about 5 minutes (took much longer for me, probably because I didn’t drain the juices from the canned tomatoes well enough.
  4. Stir in broth, water, and reserved tomato juice, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a boil.  Stir in pasta, returning to vigorous simmer, and cook, stirring often, until pasta is tender, 15 to 20 minutes (again took a little longer to thicken properly.
  5. Off heat, stir in Pecorino (or Parmesan) and parsley and adjust sauce consistency with extra hot water as needed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve, sprinkling individual portions with reserved bacon and extra cheese (or just gently mix bacon into the whole thing last, right before serving).

Note: The recipe originally called for 2 minced anchovy fillets for that savory taste.  I substituted a few dashes of fish sauce instead.  It also wanted the fennel seeds “lightly cracked”, but I just added them straight out of the spice bottle.

 

Modified from “Cook it in your Dutch oven”, page 57, by America’s Test Kitchen

Italian Sausages with White Beans and Kale

Posted on by elltee

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage (I prefer hot)

2 x 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed

1 x 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound kale, stemmed and chopped (I generally use less because the pot fills up)

Salt and Pepper

Directions

  1. Puree 1/2 cup beans, 1/2 cup tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, and chicken broth until smooth
  2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add sausages and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate.
  3. Add onion to fat/oil left in pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
  4. Stir in pureed bean mixture, kale, remaining tomatoes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted and tender, about 15 minutes.
  5. Stir in remaining beans, then nestle sausages into pot, adding any accumulated juices.  Cover and cook until sausages register 160 degrees and sauce is thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Serve with crusty bread.

 

Stolen from “Cook it in your Dutch oven, page 41, by America’s Test Kitchen

 

Couscous Risotto with Chicken and Spinach

Posted on by elltee

Serves 4

  • Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly

1 1/2 cups pearl couscous

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups (2oz) baby spinach, chopped coarse

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 oz)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown chicken on all sides, about 6 minutes; Transfer to bowl.
  2. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium heat.  Add leeks and couscous and cook until leeks have softened and couscous is lightly toasted, 4 to 6 minutes.  Stir in broth and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally until couscous is tender, about 12 minutes.
  3. Stir in chicken and any accumulated juices and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  
  4. Off heat, stir in spinach, Parmesan, peas, and cream and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Serve.

Note: Pearl couscous is often labeled “Israeli couscous” in the supermarket.  Do not substitute regular couscous, as it requires a different cooking method and will not work here.

Note: To clean leeks:

  • lay trimmed, halved leeks cut side down on a cutting board and cut to desired size. 
  • Transfer leeks to a bowl of cold water and rub together until layers separate.  Set aside for 1 minute to allow grit to settle to bottom of bowl. 
  • Lift leeks from water and transfer to colander to drain.  Do not pour leeks from bowl into colander, or you’ll pour dirt over them again.

 

Stolen from: “Cook it in your dutch oven”, page 21, by America’s Test Kitchen

Classic Chicken Curry

Posted on by elltee

Serves 4

  • Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 onions, chopped

1 jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded and minced (or 1 can green chilies)

Salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 1/2 cups water

8 ounces yukon gold potatoes (or substitute other kinds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 head cauliflower (1 pound), cored and cut into 1 inch florets

1 cup frozen peas

3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds.  Stir in onions, chilies, 1/14 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  2. Add chicken and water to pot and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 22 to 24 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.  Remove chicken and shred.
  3. Meanwhile, stir potatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt into curry, cover, and cook over low head until potatoes are slightly tender, about 8 minutes.  Stir in cauliflower and cook, covered, until potatoes are fully cooked and cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in chicken and peas
  5.  and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.
  6. Off heat, stir in yogurt and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over rice.

Do not substitute low-fat or non-fat yogurt for the whole milk yogurt, or the dish will be much less creamy.

Stolen from: “Cook it in your dutch oven”, page 23, by America’s Test Kitchen

Classic Chicken and Dumplings

Posted on by elltee

Serves 6

  •         Hands-On Time 30 min
  •         Total Time 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients

2 lbs Chicken Thighs or Breasts, boneless / skinless

4 stalks celery, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

2 onions, chopped

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

10 cups water

 

Directions

 1 Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; reserve the pot.

 2 Add the celery, carrots, onions, thyme, and garlic to the drippings in the pot and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the chicken to a plate; let cool. Shred the chicken  and return it to the pot.

 3 Whisk together ½ cup of the flour, 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the pot and simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

 4 Make the dumplings: Whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk, and parsley. Reduce heat to low and drop the mixture into the broth in 8 large spoonfuls. Simmer, covered, until the dumplings are firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.