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green-as-spring stew {ffwd}
Spring has finally arrived in New England, with a vengeance. I love this time of year with all the trees budding and flowering. The forsythia bloomed this week, and my magnolia is about to burst! The world is finally green.
This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie is aptly named. We made Green-As-Spring Stew. The stew features long-simmered chunks of meat finished in a bright emerald green herbaceous sauce. The recipe is actually for a veal stew, but because we don’t usually eat veal, I used pork tenderloin instead. (An internet search for alternatives also suggested turkey.) It worked quite well.
The stew was quite simple. The meat cooks in chicken stock enriched with vegetables. After a long simmer, the vegetable solids are removed, but their flavors are left behind. The stock gets boiled down to further concentrate the flavor (why does this step always take so long???) Finally, a variety of greens and herbs are wilted in the stock before being pureed and mellowed with some tangy creme fraiche.
At the very end, I added a can of artichoke hearts that I drained and quartered along with the remaining sugar snap peas from last week’s vegetables en papillote to give the meat some company.
The first night, I served the stew over couscous, but it worked better when I served it over egg noodles on Night #2.
I enjoyed the pure spring-y flavors of this stew. It was just what we needed after a VERY LONG winter that seemed like it would never end. I hope I remember to make this again next March to remind me that spring will arrive, eventually.
To see what my Dorista friends thought of their spring stews, check out their links here. The recipe can be found here and, of course, at its source, in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Escape to Morocco
When I started my blog a little over 4 years ago, one of my goals was to be motivated and inspired to cook from my overflowing freezer and pantry. I’ve had mixed results with that objective. Howard would say it’s more of a negative flow, in other words, the coffers seem to fill more and more instead of emptying.
I was reminded of my resolution though when I recently had trouble finding something that I just knew was in the freezer somewhere. I can’t remember what it was, but I know that, with frozen fingertips, I did eventually find it in the back of the bottom shelf of the upright freezer. This experience renewed my intention of being creative with ingredients I have on hand.
In my search for the mystery item, I came across a package of goat stew meat from back when we were in a meat CSA, before the meat delivery outran the pace of our consumption. With the weather decidedly colder, a pot of stew seemed in order.
After a survey of the food on-hand, and a little internet browsing, I was inspired to make a tagine, no further grocery shopping required. I had canned tomatoes and chickpeas on the shelf as well as onion, garlic, and butternut squash from our Winter CSA. The Moroccan spices added culinary warmth that was lacking outside. Served over a bed of quick-cooking couscous, the pseudo-exotic stew made a satisfying meal.
If goat is too exotic for you, or you don’t have a ready source, this would be delicious with lamb instead. If you’ve never tried goat, do! Globally, it’s the most popular meat. It’s not as strong and gamy as lamb, yet it has a different taste than beef or pork. Try it, you’ll like it!
Goat Tagine with Chickpeas and Roasted Winter Squash
Serves 4
1 lb goat stew meat, trimmed of fat and membranes, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
Salt and pepper
1 onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained (juice reserved) and coarsely chopped
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
In a bowl, season the meat with salt and pepper.
In a medium-sized Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Brown the meat on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, coriander, and cumin. Allow flavors to bloom for a few minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and the juice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400F. In a bowl, toss together the butternut squash pieces and the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and somewhat browned.
Add the roasted squash and chickpeas to the stew. Continue to simmer for about 10 more minute to allow the flavors to meld.
Serve over couscous.
A Plateful of Happiness 