Recipe Notes: Quick Beef and Vegetable Soup

15 January 2018

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated All Time Best Soups, 2016, p. 21; also available online

During the last month or so I have always had a homemade soup on hand. There is nothing better on a cool (or cold) day than a bowl of homemade soup. Thus I was happy to receive a book of soup recipes for Christmas. This is my first effort using a recipe from the book.

The forward to the recipe says it takes 30 minutes. That's true, if you only count the cooking time. Adding in the prep time it took me an hour to have this soup ready to eat. Ground beef (90%) is cooked with onion, carrots, oregano, salt, and pepper. When the pink is gone from the beef, diced tomatoes, beef broth (made with "Better Than Bouillon" concentrate), and potatoes are added. This mixture is simmered until the potatoes are almost done. Green beans are added and the soup is simmered until the vegetables are tender. The soup is served with chopped fresh parsley.

This is good soup and I will probably make it again. It is easy to make (and quick). It is a little spicy from the pepper with good beef flavor from the ground beef and broth, plus some freshness from the tomatoes and oregano.  It improves with time so is a good leftover and we will enjoy having it several times for dinner. The only complaint is that the beef is a little chewy.

Recipe Notes: Chicken Shepherd's Pie

7 January 2018

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2014

We have had the ground beef Shepherd's Pie several times, it is a good, hearty, one-dish, cold-weather meal and it holds up well as leftovers. So why not a chicken version? It is lighter than the beef pie and instead of piping mashed potatoes for the topping it used chunks of boiled potatoes to make things simpler. 

It took about  two hours to prepare this dish. There are quite a few steps though none are terribly difficult. Two pounds of bone-in chicken thighs (4 thighs, 1.8 pounds) are browned in butter. The chicken is removed and onion, carrots are added and cooked. Garlic and fresh thyme are added, white wine (the recipe calls for sherry) is used to deglaze the pan and chicken broth is poured in. The chicken is returned to the skillet, covered, and simmered until its temperature is 175° about 11 minutes. The chicken is removed, allowed to cool, and the meat is shredded. While the chicken cools, 1-inch potato chunks are boiled then seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper. The mixture in the skillet is thickened with a corn starch slurry. Peas, lemon juice, and the shredded chicken are added, the potato chunks are spooned over the surface, and this concoction is baked for about 15 minutes then put under the broiler to brown the potatoes.

We both enjoyed this dish and it worked well as a leftover, we had it for a total of three dinners. It was not as flavorful as the ground beef version and was perhaps a smidge under seasoned. Using potato chunks instead of piping mashed potatoes was a time saver but the potato layer was a little thick and I missed the chives that are used in the mashed potatoes. 

Recipe Notes: Braised Brisket with Pomegranate and Cumin

1 January 2018

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, December 2017

I enjoy the beef brisket that I prepare almost every summer. It is a lengthy process as the brisket is brined then smoked on the grill then roasted in the oven. But the result is flavorful and tender, good for multiple meals and worth the effort. Thus I was interested when Cook's Illustrated published a recipe that I could use to make brisket without using the grill. A big piece of beef seemed an appropriate way to usher in the new year.

It is still a lengthy process to braise brisket so it is juicy and tender, about 6 hours not counting the time the salted brisket sits in the refrigerator. I purchased a 2.35 pound flat cut brisket, about half the size of the brisket in the recipe. The day before it was braised the brisket was poked full of holes, salted, wrapped in plastic, and placed in the refrigerator. Here it sat for about 22 hours. The next step is preparing the braising liquid: onions are softened in oil with a little baking soda. Garlic, anchovy paste (in place of anchovy fillets), tomato paste, cumin, cardamon, cayenne, and pepper are added followed by pomegranate juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and gelatin. The brisket is added, the roasting pan covered, and it was roasted for 80 minutes at 325°. The oven temperature was reduced to 250° and the brisket was roasted to an internal temperature of 180°. This took another 160 minutes. The roast is removed and wrapped in foil and the braising liquid is strained. After wiping out the pan, the strained liquid is poured back in and put back into a 400° oven for 30 minutes to reduce. The roast is then sliced and the the reduced braising liquid is poured over it to warm it. The recipe calls for garnishes of cilantro and pomegranate seeds, which I skipped.

After all this work (more time than work, actually) we had enough brisket for 4 dinners and some sandwiches for lunch. It wasn't as beefy tasting as smoked brisket or, say, a good steak or pot roast. The sauce was different, it was OK but we didn't love it. After the fact I tasted the pomegranate juice and found I don't like it at all so that probably affected my reaction. I doubt I'll be making this recipe again unless it is with one of the other suggested braising liquids.