Bear Cuisine

Corned Beef Hash

One of the best things about having corned beef in the fridge is that you can make hash. This happens to be one of my favorite special breakfasts (or supper for that matter), but it is rare that you can get good Corned Beef Hash in a restaurant. Most of the time you get tinned meat and frozen potatoes. Yuck! But when you make it at home from corned beef that you have made, you have a splendid dish. This recipe from from David Rosengarten.

 CORNED BEEF HASH

(4 servings)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 cups diced onion
  
• 3 tablespoons flour
  
• 2 cups dicd, peeled, cooked potato
  
• 3 cups diced, leftover corned beef
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a 10 1/2-inch  cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is transparent.

Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to blend well. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium. Add potato and corned beef. Continue to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Cover skillet and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

 Serve with a poached egg on top. 

Insta Pizza

A few days ago I was staring into the refrigerator and wondering what in the world I could cook for supper. I didn't want to go shopping and I didn't want to do very much work-- on anything, even cooking. You might know those sorts of days--the ones where it seems almost impossible to summon up will or motivation. Anyway, I started pulling stuff out of the fridge and here is what I found-- Fontina cheese, bits of leftover roast chicken, some leftover artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese, pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese. Finally, I stumbled upon tortillas and then I knew what we would have--pizzas.

I opened the pantry and found a can of wonderful tomatoes from Gustiamo and then we were set. The tortillas made a wonderful base for these beauties. With such disparate ingredients, I decided to make two different kinds of pizzas and both were delicious. My feeling of absolute brilliance was quite unwarranted, but my delight in making such good food so easily was real and the recollection, still  pleasurable. A serendipitous cure for the doldrums of late winter.

Before putting on the ingredients, I brushed each tortilla with a bit of olive oil. When you are finished with your creation, cook for approximately 12 minutes in a 400 degree oven. 

Tortilla Pizza with shredded Fontina cheese, roast chicken, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, and Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Tortilla Pizza with Pomodori Pelati tomatoes*, mozzarella, pepperoni, kalamata olives and Parmigiana-Reggiano Cheese

*These  may be the best canned tomatoes I've ever tasted. As long as they are available, they will be a staple in my pantry.

Pot Pie

I think I've discovered a pretty fool-proof formula for making a pot pie. Maybe the best thing about it is using up leftovers in the fridge and making a great-tasting dinner-- one that's a hit with the kid and the so-called grownups who live in our house. This time I was using up leftover roast turkey, but chicken would do as well.

 TURKEY POT PIE

(makes 3 or 4 individual servings)

• 2 cups veloute sauce
  
• 2 generous cups of chopped turkey (or chicken)
  
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
  
• 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, cut into quarters
  
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• a handful of frozen petite green peas
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Frozen puff pastry

Make the sauce (recipe follows). If you think it is too thick, thin it with a splash of Madeira.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the carrot rounds in a small amount of salted water until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

Quickly saute the quartered mushrooms in the 2 tablespoons of butter until they have given up their moisture.

Stir in the chopped turkey, carrots, mushrooms and peas. Check for seasoning.

Place a portion of the mixture into individual serving dishes. *Top with puff pastry which has been thawed for about 10 minutes. Cut the pastry to fit the tops of bowls and press into place, seal the edges.

Put into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes (until the pastry is puffed and nicely browned).

*You can also put this into a 4 cup casserole and top with pastry. 

VELOUTE SAUCE

• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1/2 cup flour
  
• 3 cups of any stock (in this recipe I used Turkey stock)
  

Melt the butter in a heavy pan over medium heat. When it is hot and sizzling, add the flour and cook, stirring until the roux is pale brown and still a bit gritty. Take the roux off the heat and gradually add the stock, whisking constantly so that no lumps form. Return to the heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce for about 30 minutes over a very gentle heat. Makes about 2 cups.

This makes a delicious, deeply-flavored sauce.  It is a basic sauce in French cooking and it is probably safe to say that it should be in any serious cook's repertoire.

You can vary the ingredients to suit your taste and the contents of your refrigerator.

Hashed Brown Turnip Cakes with Ham and Eggs

One evening I was looking through Julia Child's The Way to Cook and came on this recipe. We had turnips, leftover ham.potatos and eggs which needed using ; I resolved the make this the very next day for supper. It was absolutely delicious and made me feel ever so thrifty.

Ham

• 1 1/3 cups diced, cooked ham
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
  

Eggs

Poach the eggs and set in cold water; just before serving, place them in a pan of lightly salted simmering water for 1 minute to reheat.

For a quick lesson on poaching eggs, take a look at this offering on Rouxbe.com

Turnip Cakes

• 2 large white turnips
  
• 1 russet baking potato, the same size as one of the turnips
  
• 1/4 cup sour cream
  
• 1 large egg
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

Just before sauteing them, grate the turnips and the potato, then twist them in a clean towel to extract as much liquid as you can. You should have about 3 cups after squeezing out the liquid. To prevent discoloration, blend these ingredients in a bowl with the cream and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Film a large heavy pan with butter or oil, and set over moderately high heat. Quickly form 4 cakes about 1/8-inch thick in the hot pan. Lower the heat to moderate, cover the pan, and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the cakes carefully, cover the pan and cooker 5 minutes more on the other side.

Reheat the ham and the eggs. Serve the cakes on hot plates, garnished with a spoonful of diced ham, topped with a poach egg and, if you like, a pinch of parsley.

The homemade ketchup on the side gave the dish just the right amount of spice to enliven the sweetness of the ham and turnip. I 'm betting that even people who think they don't like turnips would like this.

Spinach Soup

Even though our dinner guests loved the Spinach Gratin we served with the roast beef, there were leftovers. While this reheats nicely, I wanted to do something else with it. In one of my wakeful moments in the dead of night, it occurred to me that this would make a beautiful soup. So I prepared it the next day for lunch. 

SPINACH SOUP

(serves 4)

• 2 cups leftover Spinach Gratin ( see post "Thanksgiving Countdown: Day 4", 11/26/2008)
  
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  

Put ingredients into the blender. Combine until smooth. Heat gently in a saucepan.

Serve piping hot.