The first day of spring may be on Monday, March 20, but Mother Nature has one last blast of winter weather for us to endure. Winter Storm Stella is poised to be a high-impact snowstorm that is expected to hit the Northeast Monday night. Delaware is expected to get hit with anywhere between 8 and 12 inches of snow.
If you haven’t stocked up at the grocery store, there is still time. Here are three recipes that will heat up the kitchen and get you and your family through Storm Stella.
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Company Pot Roast
Here’s a classic slow cooker recipe that Cooking Light magazine created, so it hits the spot without enlarging your waistline.
—Shari Short
Ingredients:
- 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut in half
- 1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 (.35-ounce) package dried morels
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
- 2 medium onions (about 3/4 pound), quartered
- 1 (16-ounce) package carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 16 small red potatoes (about 2 pounds), halved
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons water
- Rosemary sprigs (optional)
Directions:
1. Combine roast, soy sauce, and garlic in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan; add mushrooms. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms through a cheesecloth-lines colander over a bowl, reserving broth mixture.
3. Remove roast from bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle roast with pepper, gently pressing pepper into roast. Combine reserved marinade, mushroom broth mixture, and tomato paste; stir well, and set aside.
4. Place mushrooms, onion, carrot and potato in a 6-quart electric slow cooker; toss gently.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add roast, browning well on all sides. Place roast over vegetables in slow cooker. Pour tomato paste mixture into pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Pour tomato paste mixture over roast and vegetables. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 8 hours or until roast is tender. Place roast and vegetables on a serving platter; keep warm. Reserve liquid in slow cooker; increase to high-heat setting.
6. Place flour in a small bowl. Gradually add water, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add flour mixture to liquid in slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Serve gravy with roast and vegetables.
(This recipe originally appeared here.)
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Mushroom Bourguignon
Courtesy of Newark Natural Foods and SmittenKitchen.com.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 pounds Portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead)
- 1/2 carrot, finely diced
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup full-bodied red wine
- 2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional, but use vegetable to make it vegetarian)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
- Egg noodles, for serving
- Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid—about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.
2. Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
3. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five more minutes.
4. Combine remaining butter and flour with a fork; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the correct consistency. Season to taste.
5. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.
(This recipe originally appeared here.)
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Slow-Smoked Carolina Pulled Pork
Courtesy of Rick Betz of Fat Rick & Son BBQ.
Ingredients:
- 1 piece bone-in pork picnic shoulder
- A meat thermometer (extremely important)
- Sandwich buns
- ½ cup salt
- ¼ cup granulated garlic
- ¼ cup ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons rosemary
Directions:
1. Mix spices for the rub together very well in a small bowl. Rinse the meat under cold running water and pat dry. Then liberally and vigorously massage the rub (by hand) into the flesh of the meat. (No need to rub the skin; it’s too thick for the spices to permeate anyway.) Don’t be shy about using too much of the rub.
2. Next, line a roasting pan with aluminum foil (to help with cleanup; you can also use a disposable deep aluminum hotel pan). Wrap meat thoroughly with Saran Wrap and refrigerate (ideally overnight).
3. If you don’t have a 1,500-pound steel wood-fired smoker, preheat your oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oven reaches 225 degrees, remove the Saran Wrap from the meat and place it in the oven.
4. Let the pork cook low and slow for about 6 to 8 hours, depending on the size of your piece of meat. Have your meat thermometer handy, and check the butt’s internal temperature regularly. Be sure to insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, and avoid touching the bone. Your butt is perfectly done every time when that temperature reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit, guaranteed. Remove the butt from the heat right away, and let it cool a bit so it’ll be easier to pull. You’ll find that the meat will fall away from the bone very easily.
5. When the butt is cool enough to handle, start pulling off the thick skin—but don’t throw it away too quickly, because there are some really good bits of meat up under there. Next, begin pulling the other chunks of meat apart, with your hands, into long strips and chunks. Don’t overwork it, though—you want nice firm chunks for your sandwiches. Pile the meat high on a fresh-baked burger bun. Smother your sandwich with an authentic Eastern Carolina vinegar-based sauce. Or, if you prefer, that other stuff.
(This recipe originally appeared here.)
