Slow-Cooker Morroccan Turkey Stew

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Turkey Stew
From www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• Kosher salt
• 4 skinless, bone-in turkey thighs (about 4 pounds)
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juices, broken up
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 8 medium carrots, cut into 11/2-inch pieces
• 3 medium red onions, halved and cut into wedges
• 2 whole dried red chiles
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 cups fresh cilantro, including leaves and some stems
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine the allspice and 3 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Season the turkey thighs with half the salt mixture in a 5-quart slow cooker.

Toss the squash, chickpeas, tomatoes, apricots, raisins, carrots, onions and chiles with the remaining spiced salt. Pour the vegetables over the turkey (the cooker will be full; arrange the mixture so the lid fits). Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Spoon the vegetables and broth into bowls. Remove and discard the turkey bones and place the meat on top of the vegetables.

Juice the lemon; pulse with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add the oil and process until smooth. Serve the stew in bowls; drizzle with the cilantro sauce.

**Note: This was good, but I thought there were too many competing flavors. My roommate tried it without the cilantro sauce and said it was great, so if I ever make it again, I'll just forgo the sauce and make the stew, with the full amount of squash and chickpeas next time.**

Shoemaker Chicken and Lemon-Pepper Fettuccine

Shoemaker Chicken, Lemon-Pepper Fettuccine, and steamed green beans

Pollo Alla Scarpariello (Sauteed Chicken, Shoemaker Style)
from How the World Cooks Chicken by H.J. Mussen

Ingredients
1 3-pound Chicken, cut up
1 cup flour
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
Parsley sprigs for garnish

Directions
Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry. Combine the flour with a little salt and pepper and dredge the pieces thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown 1 clove of minced garlic, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Place the chicken in the pan and cook over low to moderate heat, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes on a side. When done remove and keep warm.
Now saute the second clove of garlic in the same pan, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Deglaze the pan with the wine, add the lemon juice, and return the chicken, coating each piece. Cover and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to reheat. Serve on a warm platter garnished with parsley sprigs. Serves 4.

**Note: most recipes in this book call for a whole 3 pound chicken, I usually just use 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Also, I did not use parsley to garnish this dish (as is apparent from the photo).**

Lemon-Pepper Fettuccine
from www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces fettuccine
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish
• Freshly ground pepper
• Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook as the label directs. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk the cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a bowl. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream mixture and cheese to the skillet. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and 2 to 3 teaspoons pepper.

Add the pasta to the skillet and toss, adding enough of the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce. Divide among bowls and garnish with more pecorino. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.

**Note: The pecorino cheese is a must here! It's a little bit more expensive, but it is so delicious!**

Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers

from recipezaar.com, recipe #3594

Ingredients

1 lb beef,Ground

1 large onion, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided

1 1/4 cups water, divided

1 (1 ounce) envelope garlic & herb salad dressing mix

1 cup white minute rice, uncooked

4 large green peppers, halved

1/4 teaspoon garlic powdersalt & pepper

Directions
1. Brown meat and onion in a large skillet on medium heat. Stir in 1 cup of the tomato sauce, 1 cup of the water and salad dressing mix. 2 Bring to boil. 3 Stir in rice, cover. 4 Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. 5 Meanwhile cut tops off peppers, remove seeds and cu in half. 6 Mix remaining tomato sauce, and water in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking disk. 7 Place peppers in dish. 8 Spoon meat mixture into peppers, cover with foil. 9 Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes. 10 Spoon sauce over peppers before serving.

*I used red peppers instead of green per my sister's request: I think it was an improvement and it tasted better!

Beouf Bourguignon

Beouf Bourguignon

(Beef Stew with Red Wine)

from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil

8 ounces good bacon, diced

2 1/2 pounds beef chuch cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 cup Cognac or good brandy

1 (750-ml) bottle good dry red wine, such as Burgundy

2 to 2 1/2 cups canned beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound frozen small whole onions

1 pound mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving

Country bread, toasted or grilled

1 garlic clove, cut in half

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper into the fat in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place it in the oven for 1 1/4 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium pan, saute the mushrooms in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Rub each slice of bread on one side with garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

**NOTE: If I were to make this recipe again, I would not use as much brandy, use the full 2 1/2 cups of broth, and also add the frozen onions a little earlier so that they are completely cooked through. The carrots ended up absorbing all of the brandy and tasted like booze instead of vegetables. However, the meat was delicious!**