Chicken Consommé

I know it’s been a while, but life (and children) happen and you just get a bit too much into the lazy days of summer.  But now that autumn is hitting us, I felt inspired to share recipes again.  I would also love to encourage you to share your favorite family recipes on my Facebook page. 

As the weather turns cold and we start preparing for our harvest festivities here in Germany, I always get an urge to make homemade consommé (which is a fancy way of saying broth or stock).  So, the first recipe I would like to share is for chicken consommé.  You can drink this up in a mug on a cold day, or add it as stock to your favorite recipes.  I love doing everything homemade where the kids’ foods are involved so I know how much (or how little) salt goes into their food, as well as how fresh the ingredients are.  When it comes to good food, you can never go wrong with the Barefoot Contessa.  I follow her recipe for chicken stock, but add one ingredient that, in my opinion, makes all the difference.

Chicken Consommé (Chicken Stock/Broth)

3 (5-pound) roasting chickens (here we seem to have more access to chicken legs, so I use those)

3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered

6 carrots, unpeeled and halved

4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds

4 parsnips unpeeled and cut in half (optional) – I love having the spice of this veggie in the stock

20 fresh parsley sprigs

20 fresh thyme sprigs

1 head of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half

2 tablespoons of kosher salt

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

*My modification is to add 2 teaspoons of cloves – it adds a lovely bit and fragrance

Put all ingredients in a large 16-20 quart stockpot.  Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Skim any foam that comes to surface.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. 

I usually make this on a weekend morning, so it can simmer and cool down overnight.  Once you have simmered it for 4 hours, remove from heat, but do NOT put it in a refrigerator until you have let it cool completely – which can take about 7 hours.  The next morning, I skim the fat off the top with a sieve, very gently.  You can then use this as your stock. 

If you want a clear, consommé broth, you can strain the stock through cheesecloth.  Then bring the stock to a boil.  In a small bowl, take 2 whipped egg whites and add to the broth.  Move the pot to only have one quarter of it on the burner.  The whites will rise to the surface and draw out all the dirt.  As the whites surface, rotate the pot to the next quarter – about 2-4 minutes per quarter.  Then pour the stock through cheesecloth again.  This will leave you with a beautiful, clear consommé.  If you are serving this as a consommé, add a lemon wedge on the side, as the juice is a lovely finish.

Pork and Potatoes

This was such an easy meal to put together and it all cooks in the oven - which I love! My son is a huge lasagna fan, so the Potatoes Au Gratin is affectionately known as Potato Lasagna.  Both recipes are a huge hit with my husband and kids.  I usually cook this with broccoli, but any green veggie will do. 

Source:  Betty Crocker Cookbook - Bridal Edition

Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (with our two small kids, we did fine with one for the four of us)
1 cup soft breadcrumbs - 2 slices of bread
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation
To make it easier and not too much chopping - use a food processor to chop the bread to make fresh breadcrumbs.  You will have more than one cup - reserve the excess for the Potatoes Au Gratin.  Next, just put all the ingredients after the pork except the olive oil in a food processor and pulse.  Then stir in the olive oil - adding more to make just a little moist.
Heat oven to 400F (200C).  Spray shallow roasting pan and rack with cooking spray (you can also just use a cooling rack over a cookie sheet).  Place pork loins on the rack in the pan.  Spoon herb mixture over the pork and pat to help adhere.  Cover pork loosely with foil.
Bake for 15 minutes and then uncover to cook for 10 minutes longer.  Pull out of oven to rest.  It will continue to cook as it rests.


Potatoes Au Gratin (Potato Lasagna)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of butter
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 medium potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (if you have a slicer attachment on a food processor - it would do the best job).
1/4 cup breadcrumbs from the Pork Loin preparation
Paprika or nutmeg if desired

Preparation
Grease casserole with shortening or cooking spray
In 2 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook onion in butter for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper and paprika or nutmeg.  Cook until bubbly.  Stir in milk in small amounts until all milk is in the pan and stir constantly until boiling - boil for one minute then remove from heat.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese until melted.
Spread potatoes in casserole and pour cheese sauce over potatoes.
Bake uncovered 1 hour.

Cooking both:
Put the Au Gratin in first.  Cook for 45 minutes, and then put the Pork Loin in the oven.  After 15 minutes of cooking, take both out.  Take the foil off the pork.  Top the Au Gratin with the bread crumbs and cheddar cheese.  Put back into the oven until the Pork Loin crust turns golden and the Au Gratin bubbles and browns.  You may have to rotate the pans to achieve this.
Bon Appetit!!

Tracy's Meatloaf

Growing up Meatloaf, peas and mashed potatoes were one of my favorite comfort meals my mother would make.  Not too long ago, I read a great article in Fine Cooking.  They always do a great section on how to create your own recipes - in this case, meatloaf.  They give you lists of things you can put together, so this is what I came up with for my own version.  My son loves horseradish, so we add it not only in the meatloaf, but in the mashed potatoes as well.  If you feel it's too strong, then edit to your tastes.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients:
1 stalk celery
2 small carrots
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic - minced
One pound of ground meat (2 cups)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp fennel seeds - chopped or ground
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs - my favorites are sage and parsley, but I will add thyme if it's on hand.
2 tbsp horseradish (you can do 1/4 cup if you're not feeding it to kids
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

Salt and Pepper
Bacon/Ketchup for topping

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F (170C)

Chop the onion, celery and carrots very, very small and saute for about 8-10 minutes until soft.  Add the minced garlic and saute for one minute longer - set aside in a bowl to cool while you prep everything else.

In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, mustard powder, fennel seeds and herbs with the ground meat. In another bowl beat the egg, milk and Worcestershire and then add the horseradish. Once mixed then add to the ground meat mixture and incorporate.

I use a rectangular baking pan and shape the meat loaf in the center of the dish like a flat log, not having the sides of the loaf touch the dish. This extra room on the sides is needed to top with the bacon as well as so the juices from the bacon can drip down to the sides (in a loaf pan, the juices would just sit on top and the meat will be very soggy). Lay the bacon strips across the top of the meat loaf side by side, not on top of each other. If then ends of the bacon hang over the sides and are too long, don't worry, it will shrink while cooking. Next pour a small amount of ketchup over the top and rub to cover the top and sides - adding more to your preference. Place in the middle of preheated oven and bake for about 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven. If you have a meat thermometer you want the center to cook to 160 degrees.

For the potatoes
After you have prepared mashed potatoes, add 1 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup sour cream and then jarred horseradish to taste. When serving it to our son we do about 1-2 tsp. When it's just for us, we do 1/4 cup.
If you want to save time - just add some diced potatoes to the baking dish with the meatloaf and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  They can back with the meatloaf and ease up on the time and prep.

For the peas
We just cook frozen peas with a touch of salt and butter.  If you want to punch up the flavor, add some garlic to the peas while you cook them in butter. 

Summer Fettucine

I made this for my kids, but substituted Gluten-free penne noodles as my daughter has an intolerance and the penne is easier for kiddos to manage, though any small pasta size will suffice. It is wonderful for the summer with all the fresh corn and herbs.

Source:  http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=3320

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
• 6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half or cream
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• A few dashes of hot sauce or 1-2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, torn or 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, chopped

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of EVOO over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the shallots and red pepper and liberally season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5-6 minutes.

Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Pour the stock or wine into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce or cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour in the sauce, add a couple of handfuls of cheese, about 1/2 cup, and toss. Top with torn basil or chopped tarragon and pass the remaining cheese at the table.