Lamb Stew

One of my husbands most often requested meals. : )  Just in time for fall... The flavor in this is strong and intense. If you like more mild (blander) food, tone down the seasonings and vinegar. 

Lamb Stew
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1/4 c. flour (corn starch or wheat)
1 pound (1/2 kg) lamb stew meat
1 t. salt
1 box tomato puree
4 c. chicken broth
3 T. apple cider vinegar
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. plus 1 T. of water
2-3 chopped onions
1 c. sliced carrots
3/4 c. chopped turnips
3/4 c. chopped potatoes
1 T. raisins
1 t. cumin seed
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. cinnamon powder
1 t. dried parsley

You can use either lamb or mutton meat for this, but it needs to be good cuts of boneless, lean meat.  I don't care for the flavor of mutton, and you can ask butcher to provide you with lamb meat.  Some will have it, some will not.  It will be more expensive than chicken, for sure, but just consider this a special treat.  Even for a half kg, here it's only about $4, which is definitely affordable for a great (RED MEAT!) meal for our whole family. : )

1.  Heat oil in a Dutch oven with the butter.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  Sprinkle lamb pieces with black pepper and salt.  Dredge lamb meat in flour to coat.  Place lamb in the hot oil and melted butter.  Cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Remove lamb from pan with a slotted spoon.  

2.  If needed add a bit more olive oil.  Add cumin seed and onions to pan.  Cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add tomato puree and cook for one minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in broth and apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire and water, scraping down to loosen browned bits.   Return meat to the pan, and add ½ t. salt, raisins, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover, cook 1 hour.  

3.  Remove lid and add the vegetables.  Cook on a medium heat for 30-45 minutes. The juice should be reduced and thick.
This serves 6 people (two adults and four kids).  

Thanksgiving Preparations, Day 1

Here's what I made today! It's all sitting in the freezer, waiting to be pulled up and gobbled up on Thursday...

Pumpkin Soup

5 1/4 c. pumpkin puree

3 c. chicken broth

2 c. milk

2 t. cumin powder

1/4 t. cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. corn starch

Heat up chicken broth in a Dutch oven. Add pumpkin puree, milk, and spices. Depending on the thickness of your pumpkin puree, you may need to add corn starch to thicken the soup. I ladled out about 1/4 c. of soup into a measuring cup, added 1 T. corn starch, dissolved it, and put it back in the pot. Keep it over a low heat, stirring regularly, till you get the desired consistency.

Shanee's Homemade Chili

We have a new recipe author! ShaneeS has graciously submitted her yummy Homemade Chili recipe! Keep them coming, folks! :)

Homemade Chili

1/3-1/2 kg dry kidney beans (rajma)

2 onions

2 green peppers

1-2 t. garlic paste

1 1/2 T. cumin seeds (jeera)

2-3 chili peppers

1/2 kg ground meat

6-7 medium tomatoes

850 g. tomato puree

3 t. salt

2 t. oregano

1/8 t. allspice

1 t. creole seasoning (or chili powder)

1/2 t. cayenne pepper (laal mirch)

5-6 c. drained, cooked rajma beans

Evening before: Soak 1/3 -1/2 kg dry kidney beans (rajma). (If you forget or don't plan enough ahead like me, you can do a "quick soak" by bringing water to boil, removing from gas, and placing beans inside and covering for 1 hour, says Megan).

Next day: Rinse beans; cover with water in pressure cooker and cook until done. Drain and set aside.

Sautee onions, peppers, garlic paste and cumin seeds in oil.

Add ½ kg (1 lb.) ground meat (I used chicken). Cook until done (but not too soft, b/c they will continue to cook in the chili).

Add remaining seasonings and beans. Simmer and add more spices to taste.

Serve with cornbread. Serves 6-8

Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barley or Rice

Our family loves barley, so I try to keep some on hand from the states, because I haven't found it here in the pearl barley form. But you could easily substitute a thick hearty rice like brown rice in this recipe and it would be just as delicious! This is great with biscuits or corn bread muffins! :)

Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barley

1 c. sliced onions

1/2 c. chopped red or green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. butter

3 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained

1/2 t. dried basil

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. rosemary, crushed

1/4 t. pepper

1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken

1 1/2 c. sliced carrots (about 3)

1/2 c. barley or rice

3-4 tomatoes, chopped

In a Dutch oven, saute onions, bell peppers and garlic in butter till tender

Carefully stir in broth, water, lentils, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, carrots, and uncooked barley or rice. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes more or just till carrots are tender. Add the undrained tomatoes, heat through. Serves about 6.

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Don't let the seemingly long ingredient list intimidate you, it's a lot of spices. :)

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

2 t. American chili powder

1/2 t. ground coriander

18 t. salt

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. ground red pepper (I use Indian chili powder)

1/8 t. black pepper

1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast

1 t. vegetable oil

1 1/2 c. vertically sliced onion

2/3 c. thinly sliced yellow bell pepper

2/3 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper

2/3 c. thinly sliced green bell pepper

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. water

1/2 c. green split peas

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. bottled salsa

1. T. fresh lime/lemon juice

3 10-inch tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips

3/4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Cut chicken into small bite size pieces. Combine spice mixture and chicken in a plastic bag, shaking to coat chicken pieces. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, cook until done.

Add onion and bell peppers to skillet and saute 3 minutes. Add chicken, broth, water, split peas, and 1/4 t. salt; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until peas are tender. Add salsa and lime juice, and simmer 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler/oven. Spread tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat tortilla strips with cooking spray. * Broil tortilla strips 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring once.

Serve soup topped with tortilla strips and cheese. Serves 4-6.

Notes: You don't have to use all three colors of bell peppers. If you can only get green, that's just fine! You can also substitute homemade salsa for the bottled, though I think bottled salsa is pretty easy to find in most places.

Megan's Tortilla Soup

For a veg version of this, you can omit the chicken, or substitute with any kind of cooked bean.

Tortilla Soup

4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or 1 whole chicken cooked and picked

4 onions chopped

3-4 green peppers, chopped

6 tomatoes, chopped

Broth from cooking chicken + water and buillion cubes to make five cups

1 1/3 c. cream soup mix

2 boxes Brittannia Mexican mirchi cheese spread

1 box Brittannia processed cheddar, cubed

Melt 2 T. butter in Dutch oven. Fry onions and peppers. Add tomatoes, fry for a minute. Add broth and water/buillion and cream soup. Stir to mix. Add cheese and chicken and simmer till cheese is melted. Serve with cut up tortillas. Serves 8-10. We like leftovers of this. :)

Potato Soup

A rich, cheesy potato soup that will fill your belly quickly!

Potato Soup

8 baked potatoes, peeled and diced*

50 g. butter, or about 1/2 stick

2 boxes Amul cream (or 1 box cream, 1 cup milk)

1 onion, diced

3 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. flour

1 box (400g)Britannia Processed Cheddar, cut into very small cubes

Melt butter in dutch oven. Add onions and cook until soft. Combine flour and broth to make paste. Add to onions and cook till thick. Add other ingredients and heat through. Don’t boil.

*Most of the time I just peel, chop and boil the potatoes in water while cutting the onions and sauteeing them. Saves me time. But it does taste better with potatoes that have been baked. :)

Megan's Tomato Soup

It's finally getting beyond cool in our city and feeling a little chilly, cold even. I always love soups and stews during the winter, and since they're usually pretty quick and easy meals, I'd post a few recipes for our favorite soups.

When we lived in the states, a quick and easy lunch was a can of Campbell's tomato soup with grilled cheese. The Maggi/Knorr Tomato soup packets just don't quite meet the craving, so I created this tomato soup recipe, which we actually like better than the Campbell's. :)

Tomato Soup

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

two cups chicken broth

two boxes tomato puree

5-6 large tomatoes

1/2 t. basil

1 t. paprika

1/2 t. cumin

Tony’s

salt

1 box of Amul cream(small box)

Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle top with salt. Bake 15-20 or until skins start peeling back. Remove peels once cool. Pulse tomatoes in mixer till mostly smooth.

While tomatoes are baking, puree garlic and onions in a mixer until totally smooth, no clumps, adding water 1 t. at a time if necessary. Saute puree in butter till translucent. Add flour, 1 T at a time till pasty. Add paprika and combine. Add tomatoes to onion mixture. Add 1 t. paprika, 1/2 t. basil, 1/2 t. cumin, dash of Tony Chachere’s. Mix to combine. Slowly add boxed tomato puree and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Simmer for a few minutes until smooth. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and add box of cream, stirring to combine.

African Peanut Soup

From AndreaS:

Here’s an easy recipe I made the other day. I thought it was really good J I’ve never been to Africa, but that’s what my friends call this soup, so I have no idea if it is “authentic” in any way, but it’s good! J

African Peanut Soup

8-10 Roma Tomatoes (chopped with liquid)

½ cup (uncooked) brown rice (cook separately)

1 large bell pepper (red peppers are the best, but green work great)

4 Cups vegetable (or Chicken) broth (I used 2 Maggi bullion cubes b/c I didn’t have any broth handy)

4-5 Medium/Large Onions

2 green onions chopped (optional)

2-4 Garlic cloves

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Chili Powder (if you have it – if not, paprika works great)

(Add seasonings according to personal preference)

½ cup Peanut Butter (crunchy or creamy depending on preference – I use creamy)

Cook the Brown Rice in a separate pot or pressure cooker. While it’s cooking, put the tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic cloves and broth in a big pot on the stove. Once the tomatoes have cooked a while (15 min or so) add the salt, pepper, garlic powder & chili powder/paprika. I usually wait until this point to add the onions (I like them to have a little crunch. If you like them without crunch then add them when you add the tomatoes. Add the rice and the peanut butter. Heat and stir until the peanut butter is dissolved.

I think this is a really good and hearty soup. It’s even better and thicker the next day. I think it would be good with about a half a kg of shredded chicken too!

Rachel's Tortilla Soup

Rachel says: "A friend gave me this recipe. You can experiment with it to cut out some of the fat (uses lots of butter and oil!")

Tortilla Soup

½ stick butter
½ c. oil
1 large onion chopped
1 fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
2 large carrots diced
1 lb. Boned diced raw chicken

Simmer for 5 minutes

Add:
1 tsp. Ground cumin
1 tsp. Chili powder (this is using American brand, so don’t overdo if you’re using Indian chili powder)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Lemon pepper
3 tsp. Bottled hot red pepper sauce (optional)
½ c. Flour (mix with some broth and then add; make sure there are no lumps!)
1 14 oz. Can of tomatoes (I use fresh ones in India)
4 10 ½ cans of chicken broth

Simmer for one hour

Serving suggestions:
sour cream, cheese, avocadoes

**I like to cut up tortillas in strips and bake them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and put them on top.