Beef and Barley Stew

This Christmas one of my favourite Christmas gifts from my husband was an Instant Pot. It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, steamer and stockpot warmer all in one and it's AWESOME! This isn't meant to be an ad for the pot so I'll just say that I totally love it and leave it at that.

I can cook meals quickly and efficiently using the pressure cooker feature, which comes in handy when I only have at most about an hour to get dinner on the table during the week. In the month and a half since Christmas I've already made a number of curries, stews, stocks, and risottos in a fraction of the usual stove-top time!

Most recently I made a very hearty beef and barley stew. It could be easily turned into a soup by adding extra chicken or beef stock at the end of cooking. The grownups of the family enjoyed it and I packed the leftovers for my lunches. Hubby added some sriracha sauce to his portion to spice it up a bit.

The kids on the other hand --who are usually suspicious of dishes where the ingredients are chopped small and all mixed together (since you never know what I might have tried hiding in there!)-- each took the required "no thank you" spoonful to taste, and opted for cheese omelets instead.

Beef and Barley Stew
Inspired by this one and Alton Brown's

• 1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (or crushed if you don't like tomato chunks)
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock 
• 1/2 cup barley
• 3 large carrot, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large potato, cubed
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown the beef in the pressure cooker. Drain off the fat.
2. Add the tomatoes, stock and barley. 
3. Close pressure cooker and bring up to full pressure. Pressure cook for 10 minutes 
4. While the soup is cooking, slice the carrots, peel and dice the potato and onion and mince the garlic.
5. After the soup has cooked for 10 minutes, use the quick-release and add the vegetables, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. (I didn't add any extra salt since my stock was already salty.)
6. Seal the cooker and bring up to full pressure again. Pressure cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Open using quick release method. 
8. Add extra heated broth if you'd prefer a soup rather than a stew.

Roast Chicken

Last August I decided that we weren't eating nearly enough homemade food. We used to cook a lot in the pre-kids olden days, but life had since gotten pretty busy and hectic and freezer meals from the grocery store and delivery food were so much simpler... and unhealthier... and more expensive... So my new school year's resolution was to start cooking more no matter how busy or rushed we might feel. Here we are about six months later and I've discovered that it's usually just as simple to throw something together from fresh ingredients... and healthier... and cheaper... and also a lot more fun!

One of the first dishes I made at the end of last summer was a whole roasted chicken complete with veggies and potatoes. It turned out beautifully yummy. And when the kids asked where it came from (since no one had rung the door bell to deliver it to our house), I knew I was on the right track!

Since then I've been roasting a chicken about once every two weeks. I love that we get a good meal out of it and still have enough leftovers to make something else like chicken salad sandwiches or chicken fried rice. When I'm feeling like spending a little more time in the kitchen I toss all the bones and some veggies into the pressure cooker after dinner to make some stock.

Sometimes I make the chicken in the pressure cooker using this recipe if we're working under time constraints and my chicken is small enough to fit in the pot. The chicken turns out really moist but not very pretty since I haven't figured out yet how to properly brown the chicken skin in the pressure cooker without all the skin getting blasted off at some point during the pressure cooking which results in a funny-looking naked chicken when the lid comes off. It's still tasty and moist but I serve it on a platter off the bone.

Tonight I made a roast chicken in the oven inspired by Jamie Oliver's recipe. I placed a few bacon strips on top of the chicken during cooking since I already had an open pack in the fridge from earlier this week, and they were the clear highlight of the dish for my kiddos. I think they would have been happiest if I'd just skipped the chicken altogether and simply fed them a half pack of bacon!

Roast chicken
inspired by Jamie Oliver

• ~2 kg/4lb whole chicken
• 2 medium onions
• 2-3 carrots
• 2 sticks celery 
• 1 bulb garlic (Yes, a whole bulb, not just a single clove. Garlic is good!)
• olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or dried poultry seasoning
   Preheat oven to 400F.

1. Chop the onions into quarters, the carrots and celery into finger length pieces, and peel all the garlic. Place it all in your roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. 
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Make many small cuts into the lemon, and then place that in the chicken cavity with the herbs.
4. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and put in the oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes. 
5. After about 30-35 minutes, baste the chicken (or add bacon strips on top like I did tonight!). Also add in some quartered potatoes at this point if you'd like to cook your dinner all in the same pan. 
6. Give the potatoes and all the stray veggies a stir after another 30 mins and add a little water if the pan is looking dry so things don't burn. 
7. When the chicken is cooked based on your meat thermometer reading, remove from oven and let sit for about 15 minutes before carving.

Chicken and Dumplings

A cold winter weekend afternoon is the best time to make a hearty comfort food that takes a little while to simmer. And with chicken thighs being on sale this week the choice was clear to me. I needed to find a great chicken and dumplings recipe that the whole family would love. And I did!

Our little family of four ate it all up with no leftovers! Next time I make it I'll be doubling the recipe for sure.

Chicken and Dumplings

Serves 4

Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 medium carrots, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth (or more if needed so there's enough broth for the dumplings to cook in)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs  
• 2 cups frozen peas

 Dumplings

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk (or a bit more if the dough is too stiff)

1. In a Dutch oven (or a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid), heat butter over medium. Add onion, carrots, and thyme. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
   
   
2. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken in pot; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Add more broth if needed so that all the chicken is covered.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, make dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup flour, dill, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. With a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup milk to form a moist and soft batter. It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon. (Add additional 2 tablespoons milk if too thick.) Set aside.
   
   
4. Stir frozen peas into pot. Drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will swell as they cook). Cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. Serve.