Who doesn’t love the fall and all of the flavors of the season? Fall always makes us want to cook more and here are 3 recipes that we cannot wait to try!
CHEF JOHN’S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (around 3 pounds)
2 ½ quarts of cold water
1 large carrot, cubed
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 T all-purpose flour
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 t cayenne pepper, or more to taste
½ cup crème fraiche
½ cup milk
2 t fresh chopped thyme leaves
2 eggs
2 cups self-rising flour
4 sprigs of thyme, for garnish
Directions:
In a Dutch oven, combine chicken, water, carrot, celery, onion, 3 sprigs of thyme, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil on high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven and place in a bowl to cool.
Increase the heat in the pot and bring to a simmer. Remove any chicken fat on the top and set aside in a bowl. Combine 2-3 tablespoons of the fat with flour in a small bowl. Stir the mixture to form a paste and add more flour if needed. Add the chicken fat/flour mixture to the stock. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Shred the chicken meat and add it to the stock. Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the crème fraiche, milk, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves and eggs and whisk together. Add the self-rising flour until almost entirely combined. Be careful not to over mix.
Place large dollops of the dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. Slightly increase the heat to medium-high and cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the dumplings look light and fluffy and a toothpick inserted into the center of the dumpling comes out clean. When serving, garnish with the thyme sprigs.
SIMPLE BEEF POT ROAST
Ingredients:
3 ½ pounds of beef chuck pot roast
1 T vegetable oil
2 t salt
1 t ground black pepper
1 cup of diced carrots
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced onion
¼ cup of butter
1 t of dried rosemary
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
In a large, oven-safe pot, place the vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Season the roast with salt and black pepper. Brown the meat on both sides in the hot oil and place the meat on a plate.
In the same pot, add the carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to release their juices, usually about 3 minutes. Loosen any brown bits on the bottom of the pot and add the butter, cooking until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the rosemary and combine with the vegetables. Return the roast to the pot and cover the pot with a lid.
Place the roast in the preheated oven and cook until the roast is tender, about 2 ½-3 hours. When serving, season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
EGGPLANT PARMESAN II
Ingredients:
3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
6 cups of spaghetti sauce, separated
16oz of mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese, divided
½ t of dried basil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Dip the eggplant slices in the egg, then cover in bread crumbs. Place the coated eggplant in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
Take a 9×13 inch baking dish and cover the bottom evenly with spaghetti sauce. Place a layer of the baked eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat in layers in the remaining ingredients, with the cheese on top. Sprinkle the basil on the top cheese layer.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown.
Source:
“https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/223048/chef-johns-chicken-and-dumplings/?internalSource=rotd&referringId=17212&referringContentType=Recipe%20Hub,” Allrecipes.com.