Beef Stew with Cheese and Herb Dumplings

For some reason, it is more common to add dumplings to a chicken soup, but there is no reason not to dress up a beef stew with these tasty treats, and it’s a very efficient way to create an entire meal in one kettle.

Stew
1 pound beef steak with plenty of marbling
¼ cup olive oil
Carrots – peeled and cut into large chunks
Potatoes (Yukons are very good.) – wash, and cut into chunks
Onion - diced

Biscuits
1 cup cheddar cheese - grated
1 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons soft butter or vegetable oil, pinch of ground rosemary, pinch of basil, pinch of parsley
½ cup milk

1. Cut the steak into small cubes – approximately 1”.
2. Dice a medium sized onion.
3. Sauté the onion and cubed steak in the olive oil over low heat for 20 minutes or until steak is browned and onions are translucent.
4. Put steak, oil, onion mixture into a large soup kettle and add about 1 ½ quarts broth.
5. Simmer on low for about one hour or until the meat is very tender
6. Add carrots and potatoes.


When vegetables are almost done cooking, mix the dumpling batter:
1 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 cup cheddar cheese, and spices

When the meat is tender, bring the stew to a gentle boil, and drop the batter by spoonfuls on the top of the vegetables. Turn the heat to low, cover and let the dumplings steam for about 15 minutes.

Serve in large bowls. Be sure to allow the stew to cool in the bowls; dumplings really trap heat and the stew will be scalding hot.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

This is a delicately flavored cheese and meat pizza with fresh ingredients that make it both satisfying and nutritious. There is enough preparation activity in this meal to occupy two people for a couple of hours. Cooking can be a social occasion as well as a task.

Pizza dough (See below)

Alfredo sauce:
¼ lb butter
2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
¾ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Toppings:
1 pound cooked white meat chicken or turkey
chili powder
A – 1 sauce
10 - 12 sliced mushrooms
2 large ripe tomatoes
one half small yellow onion, sliced thin
½ pound grated mozzarella cheese

While the dough is rising, sauté the chicken, make the Alfredo sauce, and prepare the other toppings.

Spicy Chicken: 1 pound chopped white meat chicken or turkey
salt
pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons A – 1 or other favorite meat sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil

Put chicken, oil and spices in skillet and sauté for approximately 10 minutes. Set aside.

Alfredo sauce: 1. Melt butter in medium size sauce pan.
2. Pull from heat and add 1 cup flour. Stir well.
3. Pour in 2 cups whole milk while stirring.
4. Put back on low heat and stir until smooth.
5. Add grated Parmesan or Romano
Set aside.

Slice tomatoes, slice mushrooms, grate mozzarella, slice onion.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. When the dough has doubled in size, remove from bowl, knead gently, and shape into two balls of dough. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
Press each ball of dough onto a pizza stone.

2. Ladle about ¾ cup of sauce on each crust.

Layer each of the toppings on both pizzas
Mozzarella
Spicy chicken
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Onions

Bake for ½ hour at 375.

This recipe makes two medium pizzas.

DOUGH ingredients: 3 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1 ½ teaspoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, oil to coat the bowl

1. Warm the water to 45 C or 110 F – warm but not hot. Put in the yeast and sugar. Let the yeast work for 10 – 15 minutes.
2. Pour the yeast mixture in a glass bowl. Add 3 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Mix the flour and liquid; then turn the dough out onto a floured cloth and knead until smooth. Add flour if necessary.
4. Generously oil a second glass bowl; place the dough in top side down. Turn so oiled side is up, cover with a clean cloth and set in a warm place* to rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

*(Turn the oven on “warm” for 2 or 3 minutes. Turn the oven off and open door for about 1 minute to let some of the heat escape, place the covered bread dough inside, and close the door.)

There is no way to peace; peace is the way. -- A.J. Muste (1885-1967)

Laurel's Pesto Pizza

Laurel’s Pesto Pizza


This is definitely a “slow food,” but is worth every second of the wait and the work.

Dough: 3 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1 ½ teaspoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Warm the water to 45 C or 110 F. Put in the yeast and sugar. Let the yeast work for 10 – 15 minutes.
2. Pour the yeast mixture in a glass bowl. Add 3 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Mix the flour and liquid; then turn the dough out onto a floured cloth and knead until smooth. Add flour if necessary.
4. Generously oil a second glass bowl; place the dough in top side down. Turn so oiled side is up, cover with a clean cloth and set in a warm place* to rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Make the pesto and prepare the toppings while the dough is rising.

Pesto sauce: 2 cups chopped basil leaves, ¾ cup raw pine nuts, 2 cloves crushed garlic, ¾ cup olive oil

Wash, and chop basil leaves to make 2 cups of leaves. Place in blender with other pesto ingredients and pulverize.

Toppings: 8 oz chopped cooked turkey, 6 slices crispy bacon - crumbled, 12 cherry tomatoes, 12 – 15 mushrooms, 1 onion

Chop tomatoes into quarters, slice mushrooms, slice onion

When dough has doubled in size, punch it down, split it into two pieces and press it onto two pizza stones. Spread each one with pesto sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese, mushroom, tomato and onion. If you want a vegetarian pizza, leave the turkey and bacon off one of them.

Bake for 20 minutes at 375.

* Turn the oven on “warm” for 2 or 3 minutes. Turn the oven off and open door for about 1 minute to let some of the heat escape, place the covered bread dough inside, and close the door.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. William Penn