Irish Meatball Stew for a crod

  Don't be put off by the task of making a large amount of meatballs.  They can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to use them.

It will serve 25 - 30 with a salad and some crusty buns.

Meatball Ingredients

• 5 pounds ground beef
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or other hard cheese
• 1 large onion, minced fine
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl or a large pot if necessary using your hands.
3. Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
4. Roll meatballs about 1 1/2 inches and lay side by side onto the cookie sheets.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned.

Stew Ingredients

• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
• 24 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
• 5 pounds small potatoes cut into chunks
• 10 large carrots peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 head of celery cut into chunks
• 2 pounds green beans cut into chunks
• 2 cartons beef broth 900 ml size
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon worchestire sauce
• 1 can Guinness beer (you could substitute additional beef broth for the wine and beer but these ingredients make a difference in the complexity of the flavour)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• fresh ground salt and pepper to taste after it has finished roasting

1. In a very large roaster, layer the vegetables and meatballs.  If you do not have one roaster large enough you can divide it all between two and adjust the roasting time as it will cook faster.
2. Combine the red wine and the cornstarch and set aside until 1 hour before the stew is finished.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the top.
4. Bake at 350 covered for about 3 hours. Stir in the cornstarch and red wine and cook one more hour. (Stir it once each hour to  ensure that it roasts evenly.)

Whatchagot Soup

Crumble up 1/2 a link of smoked farmer sausage

or

brown 1 lb. hamburger

Get out your soup pot or dutch oven and put in:

1 tbsp. oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped

1/2 each green pepper and red pepper, chopped

(or a yellow or orange pepper)

1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely shredded

Saute' about 7 minutes.

Add:

the farmer sausage or hamburger

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained or lentils

1 can baked beans

1 can corn

1 can tomato soup or tomato sauce

3-4 cups water

Stir well and add your spices. I added:

1 Tbsp. Chili powder

2 tsp. Basil

1 - 2 tsp. Montreal Steak Spice

1 tsp. Paprika

 

Cook until vegetables are cooked and flavours are blended - about 45 minutes, adding 1 small zucchini coarsely shredded about 10 minutes before it's done.

Garnish with cheddar cheese if desired.

Another Rainy day

So we are on day number 1,000,000 (actually only day 9) of pouring rain.  We all are suffering from cabin fever.  So as it pours I made Chicken Noodle Soup.  Chicken Noodle Soup always seems to make everything a little bit better.

• 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken
• 3 quart(s) low-sodium chicken broth
• 6 carrots, peeled
• 4 stalk(s) celery, ends trimmed
• 3 medium onions, peeled
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 clove(s) garlic, crushed
• 10 sprig(s) parsley
• 2 sprig(s) thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
• 4 leeks, tops and root ends removed
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper
• 3 cup(s) (5 ounces) medium egg noodles

Directions

1. Make the stock: Place the chicken and chicken broth in a large stockpot and set it over medium heat. Roughly chop 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 1 onion and add to the broth. Add the peppercorns, garlic, 2 sprigs of parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the chicken is very tender -- about 1 1/4 hours -- skimming the surface periodically. Remove the chicken and place in a large bowl. Strain the broth through a very fine sieve into a large, clean bowl or stockpot. Discard the vegetables
2. Make the soup: Skim any fat off the top of the strained broth and discard. Slice the remaining carrots, celery, onions, and leeks into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and set aside. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken, cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Chop the remaining parsley leaves and set aside. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until the onions are translucent -- about 7 minutes. Add the chicken, the reserved broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender -- about 1 hour. Stir in the egg noodles and parsley and cook until the noodles are tender -- about 10 more minutes. Serve hot.

Corn Cowder and Shrimp

Perfect for this storming day

Ingredients

• 4  cups  low-sodium chicken broth
• 2  16-oz. bags frozen corn
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 1  red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2  carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2  russet potatoes, diced
• 1  bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 1  pound  medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2  cup  heavy cream, optional
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Combine chicken broth, corn, onion, bell pepper, carrots, potatoes, bay leaf, 1 cup water and 1 tsp. salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until vegetables are tender, about 6 hours.
2. Puree 3 cups of soup in a blender and return to slow cooker. Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook until shrimp are pink and firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cream, if desired, and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley and serve.