Lindsay is finally back from Armenia and my work schedule is settling down, so it’s time to return to regular posting. We have four or five posts in backlog (and we’ll catch up on that soon!). Luckily, winter posts age well. If there’s one good thing about “dark days”, it’s that the available ingredient list stays pretty stable.

For a vegetarian meal last night we made potato and onion kibbeh, a recipe which Lindsay . . . → Read More: How to Make Potato Kibbeh and Paprika Carrots]]>

Lindsay is finally back from Armenia and my work schedule is settling down, so it’s time to return to regular posting. We have four or five posts in backlog (and we’ll catch up on that soon!). Luckily, winter posts age well. If there’s one good thing about “dark days”, it’s that the available ingredient list stays pretty stable.

For a vegetarian meal last night we made potato and onion kibbeh, a recipe which Lindsay got from her newest cookbook, Simply Armenian. As a side, we made a carrot sauté that features smoked paprika, possibly the best spice in the world!

Potato-Onion Kibbeh

Makes 6-8 servings

Directions

1. Cook the wheat berries (see the chart towards the bottom of the linked post). This part can be done days in advance, since it’s the longest part.
2. Wash and peel the potatoes, and dice them into 1/2 inch cubes so that they cook faster. Grate one of the onions (I used a food processor). Slice the other into large, round slices. If one is larger than the other, grate the larger one and slice the smaller one.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Place the potatoes in a large pot, fill it water until the potatoes are covered by about one inch, add 0.5 tsp of salt, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it’s at a boil, leave it for 25 minutes. To test, stick a fork into one of the potatoes. It should slide right off. Drain the potatoes in a colander and put them back into the pot. Using a masher or large fork, mash the potatoes.

   

5. To the pot with the mashed potatoes, add the wheat berries, grated onion, parsley, basil/mint, cumin, pepper, and the remaining salt. Mix thoroughly. For best (but messy!) results, knead the mixture thoroughly with your hands. Line the bottom of a small baking dish with the sliced onions and drizzle 1/4 cup of the oil evenly over them.

   

Spread the potato mixture evenly over the onions. Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of oil over the top. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until browned on top.

Carrots with Smoked Paprika and Toasted Hazelnuts

Makes 2-3 servings

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop the hazelnuts (unfortunately we couldn’t go local for hazelnuts, but we had some on hand and this is also an optional ingredient). Spread them evenly in a signal layer on a baking sheet and toast them for 8 – 10 minutes. While you are waiting, peel the carrots. Cut them cross-wise into coins no thicker than 1/4 inch. Cut larger coins in half into half-moons.

   

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots. Saute for 30 minutes, or until nicely browned, stirring occasionally (more frequently as you get near the end, or else the carrots will stick to the pan).

   

3. Add the sherry to the pan and give it a minute to evaporate. Add the paprika, mix to combine thoroughly, and let it sit for 30 seconds to activate the flavor. Plate and garnish with the hazelnuts.

This recipe is our first foray into the new cookbook Slow Cooker Revolution from America’s Test Kitchen. If you like learning about what works in cooking and why, you will love America’s Test Kitchen (on PBS). It’s like Alton Brown but without the goofy theatrics (don’t take that as a knock, Alton). Their research into this book is essentially a reinvention of how to use a slow cooker to make easy but awesome meals. . . . → Read More: How to Make Fully-loaded Potato Soup]]>

This recipe is our first foray into the new cookbook Slow Cooker Revolution from America’s Test Kitchen. If you like learning about what works in cooking and why, you will love America’s Test Kitchen (on PBS). It’s like Alton Brown but without the goofy theatrics (don’t take that as a knock, Alton). Their research into this book is essentially a reinvention of how to use a slow cooker to make easy but awesome meals. We’re excited for it.

That being said, this recipe isn’t what I would consider a hands-down winner. The end result was very good; that’s not the issue. The problem is that the preparation, while not difficult, completely tosses aside the usual advantages of the slow cooker. Usually there is only a little prep (which you can do in the morning) and it cooks for 8+ hours in the slow cooker, so you can go to work and come home again to a finished dish.

This recipe takes more than 1.5 hours of work before walking away from the slow cooker, and then it only cooks for 4-6 hours. Although it can be a meal unto itself, this soup is not a weekday dish. Given that fact and the general effort involved, there are other recipes that I would put in the queue ahead of it.

What this meal did do was give us something interesting and new to try during Dark Days, which are almost over soon (we’re ready for them to be!).


Slow Cooker Fully-loaded Potato Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Peel the potatoes. Cube them into 1/2 inch pieces. Don’t underestimate this step. Look at the pictures. It’s a lot of potatoes!

   

2. Peel and dice the onion into small pieces. Mince the garlic, and put it and the onion aside in a dish with the thyme. Chop the uncooked bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. I chopped ours straight out of the freezer, so it was easy. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until it is crisp (5 – 10 minutes).

   

3. Preferably using tongs, remove the bacon from the pan and put it aside on a plate lined with paper towel. Refrigerate it for use at the end. Pour most of the bacon grease out of the pan, except for about 2 Tablespoons worth.

   I actually measure two TBsp of water into a bowl so that I could eyeball it. Remember to use oven mitts because the cast iron will be hot! Put the pan back on the heat and add the onion, garlic, and thyme.

   

4. Cook the aromatics (that’s the fancy name for what’s in the pan right now) for about 10 minutes, until the onions brown lightly, stir occasionally so they don’t burn. Add the flour, thoroughly stirring it in, and cook for 1 minute.

   

5. Add 1 cup of the broth/stock. Deglaze the pan by scraping all the bits off the bottom and into the cooking liquid. Stir everything together thoroughly. Once the mixture has become a gravy-like base (after a minute or two), transfer it to the slow cooker. Add in the remaining 3 cups of broth and stir to combine. Add the potatoes and stir to distribute everything evenly. Cover and set to cook on low. Let it cook for 4-6 hours.

   

6. When the 4-6 hour period is nearly over, shred the cheese. This is one case where using a food processes may come in handy. Because it will be melted in, the texture doesn’t matter. Sometimes hand-grating is preferable, but in this case it isn’t. Shred or grate a little additional cheese for garnish on top of the soup.

   

7. Once the long cook is complete, fish out about 2 cups of potato cubes, which should be relatively soft by now, and transfer them to a bowl. Mash them until smooth.

   

8. Add the mashed potatoes back into the slow cooker. Stir in the cheese until it’s evenly melted. Then stir in the half-and-half or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup heat for an additional 5 minutes.

   In the meantime, reheat the bacon bits in the microwave on the paper towel-lined plate, for about 30 seconds. Plate the soup and on the top of each bowl of soup add a small portion of bacon, additional cheese, and, if you are using them, scallions.

9. Note: I cooked the soup for 6 hours, and the potatoes were just mushy enough by the end, although the hear of your slow-cooker may vary. That being said, my soup was a little dry. You can see from the picture below how lumpy it is. It should be a bit smoother than that.

   If necessary, add additional water or broth into the slow cooker before serving, a little bit at a time, and stir. Repeat until you get to a smooth consistency. If necessary when reheating, you can do the same on a per-serving basis. I’m usually timid with such things for fear of making a watery mess, but ith this recipe, you don’t need to be scared of adding additional liquid to thin it out. It will re-absorb it nicely.