Turkish Lamb Stew by Chef Michael R - A Definite Favorite

This is a hearty and rich Turkish stew made with white beans and diced lamb or beef slowly cooked in a tomato sauce. It is packed with lots of flavors and is the ultimate comfort dish for cold winter nights.

Ingredients:

• 2+ lbs diced lamb – most fat trimmed
• 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans– drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion - diced
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 2+ cups fresh tomatoes – chopped
• 5-6 oz baby portobello mushrooms – cut up
• 1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper - more for extra heat
• 1 can tomato paste
• 32 oz beef stock or chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin - more if you love cumin
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation: 

Preheat the oven to 355° F. Toss the meat with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place a heavy-based pan or Dutch oven on medium to high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and brown the meat.

Add onion and garlic, saute until translucent and add mushrooms. Add the tomatoes and stir in the tomato paste. Add the beans along with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Pour in the beef stock or chicken stock and stir well. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover the beans.

Cover the pan with the lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour or until the meat soft. Make sure to check every 20  minutes and give it a stir. 

Serve with your favorite toasted bread and listen for the Yummy Noises that you're bound to here around the table!

Blessed be... and happy cooking! 

Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka by Chef Michael R - A Definite Favorite

This deliciously healthy Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka, also known as Maghmour combines roasted eggplants and chickpeas in a tangy tomato sauce flavored with Lebanese spices.

Just like traditional Turkish Moussaka, this healthy Lebanese eggplant dish is packed with Mediterranean flavors, making it a dream come true for eggplant lovers.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs eggplant - peeled and 1" cubed

• good quality olive oil as needed (for eggplant and sautéing the onions)

• 2 onions - chopped

• 3-4 cloves garlic - smash minced

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 3 cups fresh tomatoes - chopped

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper

• 1 tsp cumin

• 30 oz chickpeas - drained

• ~1 cup water

• handful minced parsley - add last 10 minutes of simmer

Preparation:

Preparing the Eggplants

Preheat the oven to 390 F and line one or two baking trays with parchment paper. Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1" cubes.  Place cubes in a large bowl and toss with 2-3 tablespoon of olive oil and some kosher salt. Place them on the baking sheet in one even layer. 

Bake them for 30 - 35 minutes or until they are slightly softened and brown. Remove the eggplants from the oven and set them aside until the tomato/chickpea mix is ready. 

Preparing the Tomato Sauce

While roasting the eggplants, start making the tomato & chickpea mixture. 

Place a large skillet, or as I prefer, a Dutch oven, on medium heat and add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, and pepper, and give it a good mix. Add the chopped tomatoes, along with the garlic and Aleppo pepper and stir well. 

Add water to the sauce, depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, ranging from ½ cup to 1 ½ cups. Give the sauce a stir.

Lastly, add the chickpeas and roasted eggplants to the tomato sauce, give them a good stir, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the eggplants are tender to your liking. Add minced parsley with 10 minutes remaining.

Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately. If so inclined, shredded parmesan adds to the overall delight. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

White Bean Salad by Chef Michael R - A Definite Favorite

This fresh and bright white bean salad is another example of a restaurant cook not willing to share a recipe back in 2013. After finishing the bacon wrapped scallops that included this tasty treat I could not stop thinking about it all through dinner. Instead of dessert I ordered a second appetizer and we deconstructed right there at the table.

What follows is my version of a white bean salad inspired by the chef at S&P Oyster Company in Mystic Seaport, CT. I hope you enjoy this as much as Carolyn and I do. :-)

I never did write up the recipe back then, but fortunately I was smart enough to take a group shot of the ingredients I used, so that gave me a place to start.

After studying the old pic it was time to get to work cutting up the ingredients using sizes best I could see in the decade old images and guessing at quantities.

This looked like a pretty good balance so I just put it all together, taking really bad notes along the way. LOL Hey... creativity is not always pretty! :-)

Now that I had my salad it was time to create a proper dressing. I could see from the old picture that lime juice was included, so I immediately went to my Luscious Lemon Vinaigrette recipe for guidance. Trial and error came up with this mix.

My mix really brought it all together to create a fresh, vibrant, flavorful salad than can actually stand alone. And finally, here is the ingredient list I can call my own... Enjoy!

Salad Ingredients:

• +/-3 cups baby spinach - should yield 1.5 cups chopped
• 2 15oz cans white beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 orange bell pepper - diced
• 1 shallot - minced
• 2 medium tomatoes - seeded and then diced
• 1/2 English cucumber - peeled, quartered, seeded and diced - should yield 1 cup

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Sylvan Run Chowder by Chef Michael R - A Definite Favorite

This elaborate and very tasty chowder was created at our place upstate New York during the pandemic lockdown in 2020. My kitchen became my safe space once we realized how deadly the virus was becoming. I was very fortunate to be able to escape the insane death toll in the New York metropolitan area, and I kept my sanity during all the madness with help from my forest, my kitchen and my One. This chowder is something good that came out of the 2020 lockdown, and it is my gift to you today. 

Don't freak when you read the ingredients list.... even diabetics have to live a little sometimes! :-)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb sliced bacon
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups regular chicken stock
• 8 oz clam juice
• 3/4 lb of your favorite potato cut to bite size cubes
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1+1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1.5 lbs cod or pollock cut to 1" chunks - the best can be found at Wild Alaskan Company
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 loaf good Italian bread (optional)

Preparation:

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and crumble when cooled.

Add the butter and onions to the pot. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the stock, clam juice, potatoes, celery, red-pepper flakes, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Return the bacon to the pot. Add the corn, tomatoes, basil, milk and cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cod and black pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook until just done, about 3-4 minutes longer.

The juice from the tomatoes will make this more of a soup than a chowder, so make a little roux to thicken the broth if you like.

For a fun addition to this already great chowder, consider making some crostini!

Crostini:

Cut loaf into 1/4” slices on an angle so they’re larger than loaf diameter and also prettier.

Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil and arrange on baking tray. It’s ok if they touch each other.

Bake at 375 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until tops just start to brown. The bottom side will be more toasted so JUST browned tops is when you want to take them out.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!