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Menu Plan for Fall I: Week 4, Day 2
Veal Chops Duxelles
Potatoes a la Two Fat Ladies
Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Onion
Cooking time: 75 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
Try to get a variety of forest mushrooms for the Duxelles, the season is in full swing where I live. One last fling with the fresh herbs.... Some things are hard to let go of! Both the potatoes and any leftover Duxelles sauce will be used on Monday.
Veal Chops Duxelles
Total time: 35 minutes
Fall is the perfect time to make the classic Duxelles or minced mushrooms sauce. With shallots, a bit of wine and tomato, this is excellent to serve with veal chops or chicken breasts.
Ingredients:
- 2 veal chops, about 1" (2.5 cm) thick
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Duxelles Sauce:
- 4 - 5 shallots, depending on slice, about 3/4 cup total
- 6oz (175gr) mushrooms, wild or not, try for something flavorful
- 2 tbs butter
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) white wine
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef stock
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 2 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 2 tsp cornstarch (maizena, corn flour) dissolved in 1 tbs white wine or water
Instructions:
- For the sauce:
- Finely chop the shallots and mushrooms.
- Heat the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until bubbly. Add the shallots, mushrooms and sauté, until golden brown, 6 - 8 minutes.
- Add the white wine and scrape up any brown bits. Cook until wine is almost completely reduced, about 1 tbs left.
- Add beef stock, tomato paste and herbs. Stir well, bring to a simmer.
- Dissolve cornstarch in wine. Stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until thickened. (You may not need all of it.)
- Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- For the chops:
- In nonstick skillet large enough to hold both chops heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add chops and brown, about 3 minutes per side.
- Cover pan, remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes, until done to your preference, 2 - 3 minutes more for pink in the center.
- Remove chops to a small platter, spoon half the sauce over and serve.
Potato Gratin with Herbs and Garlic (The Two Fat Ladies)
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This is something I watched "The Two Fat Ladies" do on their cooking show. Perfect for late summer, flavored with lots of fresh herbs and garlic; I hope I can do them as well as Jennifer. You can modify the herbs to suit your taste, just use lots!
Ingredients:
- 4 medium potatoes, depending on size, (24 oz, 720gr) enough for 2 meals
- 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbs chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbs chopped fresh oregano or rosemary substitute 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbs chopped fresh thyme or sage
- 4 - 5 cloves garlic
- 2 - 3 tbs good olive oil
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken stock
Instructions:
- With a sharp knife thinly slice the potatoes.
- Put slices in a large bowl of cool water and set aside.
- Chop or snip herbs.
- Finely chop garlic and mix together with chopped herbs.
- Remove potatoes from water, lay out on kitchen (paper) towels and pat dry.
- Drizzle a bit of the oil in a glass baking dish, just large enough to hold ingredients.
- Make a layer of potatoes, sprinkle with a bit of the herb/garlic mixture and drizzle with a little oil.
- Repeat 4 more times.
- Pour the stock over all, cover with foil and bake at 400F (200C) for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue baking another 30 minutes. Top potatoes should start to brown and get crisp.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Note: I use a scissors to snip the herbs first and use the flat of a large knife to smash the garlic. Then combine the herbs and garlic and chop finely, using a large knife in a 'rocking' motion.
Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Onion
Total time: 15 minutes
One of my favorite ways to eat fresh spinach: tossed with bacon and onion and a dash of vinegar. Be careful not to cook the spinach too long; it quickly goes from just wilting to fully cooked and limp. You want it to still look like spinach leaves!
Ingredients:
- 6oz (180gr) fresh spinach
- 1/2 onion
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 tsp cider vinegar
Instructions:
- Wash and stem spinach if needed. Drain in a colander. If you don't feel you need to wash it - do it anyway. We want a little bit of water on the leaves - what ever is left after draining well - and shake them around a bit, too.
- Chop the onion.
- Sauté bacon in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and crumble.
- Add onion and sauté until tender and starting to brown, 7 - 10 minutes.
- Add spinach and stir fry for 1 - 2 minutes, just until spinach starts to wilt.
- Add crumbled bacon, sprinkle with vinegar and serve.
Cooking Schedule: 75 minutes |
Uncover potatoes |
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