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Mar 19 2014

Share Your Cast Iron Tips

I love cast iron skillets. They make me feel like I’m someone who knows what she’s doing in the kitchen. They can take a beating, go from stovetop to oven, and they’re pretty enough to go on the table. They photograph beautifully, too. Love them.

When it comes to cleaning, though, that love? Not so strong. I know folks who have impeccable-looking cast iron skillets and as many who have ruined at least one. For those of you in the know, please tell us:

What are some of your favorite cast iron tips?

I know you’re not supposed to use dish soap on them but is that a hard and fast rule? What if you’ve already ruined part of the pan? Is there a way to recover from that? What’s the best way to season it? Or store it?

We’d love to hear your tips or even your challenges when it comes to cast iron cookware. Share your thoughts below and let’s help each other out!

Mar 17 2014

Red Wine and Herb Beef Stew

Posted by georgiapellegrini in Step-by-Step Recipes

This hearty Red Wine and Herb Beef Stew recipe from TK member Anita is comforting and rich with fresh herbs and red wine. The sauce is delicious poured over polenta, rice, pasta or simple on its own. It would also lend itself well to the addition of other types of root vegetables.

Here’s what you’ll need: all-purpose flour, round roast, onion, garlic, carrots, olive oil, tomato paste, beef stock, chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

While your oven preheats to 350F, dice your garlic, onions, and carrots.

Cut your beef into cubes.

In a large bowl, mix the flour in the beef until well coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add half the beef.

Sear for a couple of minutes, rotating the cubes during cooking to brown on all sides.

Transfer the cubes to a plate. Repeat the searing process with the remainder of the oil and beef cubes.

Remove all meat from the pot, and then whisk in 1 cup of the beef stock.

Make sure to scrape all the bits and goodies from the bottom of the pot to mix in with the stock.

Chop the rosemary, garlic and thyme.

Add the veggies and herbs to the stock …

Along with the seared beef cubes.

Add the red wine …

Then add the remainder of the beef stock.

Stir in the tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the pot and put in the oven to cook for 3 hours.

You now have a hearty, comforting meal you can serve over rice, potatoes, or egg noodles. I’m a purist, so I prefer the stew by itself.

Thanks for the recipe, Anita! For more recipes like this (and creative cocktail ideas!), visit Anita’s blog at Hungry Couple.

Printable Recipe

Red Wine and Herb Beef Stew

by Anita at Hungry Couple on October 18, 2013 in Beef, Main Courses

See post on Anita at Hungry Couple’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s) 3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

Description

Not just warm, comforting beef stew but a kicked up version with red wine and lots of fresh herbs for the ultimate one-pot comfort meal!

Ingredients

¼ cups All-purpose Flour
1 pound Beef (Round Roast) Cubes
2 Tablespoons Olive Or Canola Oil
4 cups Beef Stock (canned Is Fine)
1 whole Onion, Peeled And Diced
3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Rosemary
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Thyme Leaves
½ cups Red Wine
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Place the flour in a large bowl and add the beef cubes. Roll them around to coat.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large Dutch oven or other oven-safe stew pot over medium-high heat. Once hot add half of the beef cubes (it’s important to not overcrowd the beef if you want it to brown instead of boil) and sear on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, rotating the cubes during cooking to get the sear on all sides. Remove the beef from the pot and put it on a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and repeat with the remainder of the beef.

When beef has all been seared and removed from the pot, whisk in 1 cup of stock. Scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pot and whisk them into the stock. Return the beef to the pot and add the onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, remaining beef stock and red wine. Stir in the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the pot and put it into the 350 F oven to cook for 3 hours.

Serve over potatoes, egg noodles or rice. Makes approximately 4 servings but the recipe can easily be doubled.

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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

Mar 12 2014

Let’s Get Organized

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

Spring is in the air, which means my cabin fever will soon be replaced with spring cleaning fever. And I think it already started the other day, when I spent 2 hours freshening up our laundry room, followed by another 3 hours rearranging things in the closet that houses all our cleaning stuff. (And now I know I have enough Swiffer sheets to last me until the next Olympics.)

Next on the list is the kitchen. And whether it’s for the pantry or the fridge or the cabinet underneath the sink, I think we all would love to hear new ideas on how to keep our kitchen stuff nicely tucked away. So tell us:

Do you have any favorite organization tips?

I, for one, love Mason jars. Love them and I’ll use them any chance I get. I even use the small sizes to portion out snacks for myself on my desk, so I don’t accidentally go overboard and polish off an entire bin of roasted cashew nuts. But I’m always looking for suggestions on how to keep my freezer organized, and I’m constantly muttering under my breath when I grab a pan and 5 pot lids shift and bang around the shelf.

How about you? What are your favorite ways to stay organized? Any tips to share? Or do you have any special organization or storage challenges you’d like help with? We’d love to hear them!

Mar 10 2014

Ramen Noodle Soup

Posted by Erica Lea in Step-by-Step Recipes

When we were kids, we loved packaged ramen. Mom would try to make it herself, but we weren’t fooled: Nothing could live up to the MSG-laden packets.

Fast forward a few years and my taste in food has changed a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy an occasional pre-packaged ramen for a guilty snack. But it hurts me to know how many icky ingredients I’m consuming.

Then one day my sisters made traditional ramen from scratch. It opened my eyes to the idea that perhaps the humble ramen could be a delicious meal.

To my surprise, I was able to make a soup that was as good (or better!) than the little processed version I remembered from my childhood. If you put in a little extra effort, you’ll be surprised at the complexity of the flavors of this Ramen Noodle Soup from Tasty Kitchen member Justine. With the eggs and sausage for protein it’s definitely a filling, satisfying supper.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make the ramen: olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, beef broth (I made mine from scratch), Sriracha (or any hot sauce you prefer), soy sauce, eggs, Italian sausage links (I made my own), ramen (or another Asian-style noodle), eggs, and green onions.

Begin by chopping up your onions, celery and carrots.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or a big soup pot) over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, add your veggies.

Give it a good stir.

Add the salt …

And pepper. Cook, stirring every once in a while, until everything is nice and tender.

Meanwhile, cook your sausages until no longer pink.

Chop up the parsley and garlic.

Once the veggies in the pot are soft, add the parsley …

And the garlic. Cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the beef broth, water (I just used more broth in place of the water) …

And soy sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the soup is just simmering and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the Sriracha …

Cooked sausages …

And noodles. Boil until the noodles are cooked to your preferred softness. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Boil up some eggs to your preferred doneness (I like mine soft boiled, or about 7 minutes).

Serve up a big bowl with lots of sausage and an egg and green onions for garnish. Chopsticks optional (don’t make fun of my chopstick skills, or lack thereof).

Note: My sister and I thought this was the bomb-diggity, but our husbands thought it was too spicy. If you don’t like your ramen with any heat, you may want to scale back on or leave out the hot sauce.

Thank you so much to Justine for sharing this awesome soup with us. Make sure to stop by her blog Cooking & Beer for more recipes. Her Asian Wings look particularly yummy.

Printable Recipe