Stew and "English" Muffins

Since my sourdough starter was doing really well, I decided it was time to do something with it.  I really liked the no-knead dough in a bucket idea so I ran with it.  The ratio is 6-3-3-13, which is 6 cups of water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 cups starter and 13 cups of flour.  I mixed it all together very well and placed in a large food container I purchased (I knew I couldn't get a bucket in my fridge so I got a rectangular container which is flat and fits well).  I then put it in the fridge overnight.

To make the English Muffins, or rustic muffins since they are not cut out, I just sprinkled the top of the took a small amount of dough and shaped it into a thin circular shape.  I was making stew at the time so I wanted to wait until that was done before I started to cook them.  I let my cast iron 2-burner griddle heat up and cooked on each side until browned.

The stew was just a basic beef stew with lots of veggies.  I feel I have not eaten enough vegetables so I was really craving them.  Here is what supper looked like:

Big Bowl O' Beef Stew and english muffins, aerial view.

Close up, after butter melted.

The english muffins puffed up a lot waiting to cook them so I found they didn't cook all the way through even though I was only cooking them on three.  They will be great for toasting, but I do not like doughy bread products where the middle is kind of uncooked (Mark does).  I will probably make them again, but a lot thinner as I didn't realize just how puffy they would get.  I did eat the outer crust and it was yummy :).  I'm not sure what I'll make next as there are so many things.  I may make tortillas because there is something yummy I want to make soon.  Cinnamon rolls are also a big hit here.

Chicken Soup x 2

There is a local Acadian chicken dish called Fricot which is very yummy. It is like a thick chicken stew full of chicken, potatoes, onions, sometimes dumplings (I don't) and a scattering of carrots. I sampled some at a farmers market and knew I had to try to make some.

You can buy fricot seasonings but to honour my Acadian roots, I just concocted something that looked and tasted good.

The reason why I called this chicken soup x 2 is the first night, it was a rich, hearty dish but the second day, we wanted something lighter so you'll see what I did ;)

Chicken Fricot

3 lbs of chicken thighs, skin on. You could also use a whole chicken

6 or 7 peeled and washed potatoes

4 peeled and washed carrots

2 peeled and washed parsnips

2 large onions, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Put the chicken thighs in a very large pot and cover with water (put a couple more inches of water above the height of the chicken). Add salt and pepper to taste as well as half of the onions and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, until the meat is falling off the bones, adding more water if it reduces too much.

Remove all the chicken pieces making sure to get all the bones out. Put on a large platter and let cool until you can handle. Cut up all of the vegetables into small pieces and add to the broth. Let cook while you remove the meat. I only used half of the meat and saved the rest for a future soup or stew. Make sure you save the bones to roast for more broth.

Add the meat to the stew and let simmer. You may thicken if desired but it is not necessary. Serve.

This was very rich and hearty. My father who doesn't like chicken stew or parsnips LOVED it. He ate two heaping bowls. It was very good and very satisfying.

Second Time Around

4 cups of leftover fricot

4 cups of water

chicken spices if desired (I have a blend of sage, thyme, onion, garlic, marjoram and rosemary which was very nice)

Put these in a pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium to medium high heat.

Mark actually liked it the second time around. He isn't as into rich food as I am. I thought both were equally good and will certainly make it again! The above picture is from the second day since I felt silly taking pictures of my food with Dad there.

Part of Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly The Kitchen Kop and Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet!

Beef Stew

One of the dishes made with our market food was beef stew. I made this a little differently than usual since it was a small amount and I wanted to make it fast. We finally tried the King Limousin beef and it was good. It is grass fed and pastured. She said they take them right off the meadow when it comes time for slaughtering (not a nice visual, but it is what I'm looking for). No antibiotics or hormones and they are now a registered organic beef farm, although their first batch of organic beef won't be on the market until next year. Their cows are still all raised the same though.

So it was $3.25 for a pound of stewing meat, which is fairly comparable to what you buy in the grocery store. It was very lean and a little tough, but that is probably because I cooked it too fast. Stewing meat is best cooked long and slow. We were just too hungry!

So I browned one pound of stewing meat in a little bacon fat.

Meanwhile, I washed, peeled and sliced 5 carrots, 2 parsnips, an onion and a leek (you can add what you like, whatever is in season. I added most of the leek greens about 5 minutes before the stew was done).

After the meat was done browning, about the time I was done the veggies, I added the vegetables, a couple cups of water, a sprinkle of sea salt, covered and let simmer for about 25 minutes or so until all the vegetables were tender.

Oh, I also cut the beef in smaller pieces after adding the vegetables but you can do this before adding them or even before cooking. I just hate cutting raw meat. You can leave it in big chunks if you like but it will take longer to cook.

I then added a tablespoon of cornstarch to a cup of water, mixed well and added to the frying pan, stirred well to make sure it mixed well to make a thin gravy. You can add more cornstarch if you want a thicker gravy or even use a different thickener all together or just leave it soupy.

Serve with homemade bread!

I will soon be posting my bread recipe. I've made it several times now and it is the best one I've used!