Tag: main dish

Appalachian Cider Beans

Cider beans are a love letter to baked beans. Pinto beans with fresh local cider, salt pork, and sorghum syrup are baked all day. Eating these with cornbread is required!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups dried pinto beans or beans of your choice
  • water for soaking
  • 3 cups fresh apple cider
  • 10 oz salt pork (also known as side meat)
  • 2 small yellow onions, peeled & left whole
  • peeled cloves of 1 whole head of garlic
  • 6 tablespoons of sorghum syrup (molasses may be substituted if sorghum is not available)
  • 1 tbsp mustard powder
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp apple cider syrup (optional)

Method

Cover the beans with a few inches of water in a large bowl or pot and soak overnight for 12 hours.

Drain the beans and discard the water. In a medium saucepan, simmer the beans with the cider over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice the salt pork to about the thickness of thick cut bacon. Cover the bottom of a cast iron pot with a lid or a bean pot with about half of the pork. Add the beans to the pot. Bury the onions and the garlic cloves in the beans. Cover the beans with the remaining salt pork slices.

In a microwaveable bowl or measuring cup combine the sorghum syrup, vinegar, apple cider syrup, and mustard powder. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until well combined. Pour over the beans. Add the reserved apple cider cooking liquid. Add hot water until the beans are just covered. Cover the pot.

Bake for 4 hours. Remove from the oven and check the liquid level. If the beans appear too dry, add additional water. Cover the beans and return to the oven. Bake for additional 2 hours or until beans are tender.

Serve with cornbread.

Recipe by Katie

Katie’s Beef Stroganoff

Tender slow cooked beef with mushrooms in a rich and tangy cream sauce, served over buttered egg noodles. This is a hearty dish that warms the soul and sticks to the ribs on a cold day.

Ingredients

  • 3 – 5 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
  • coarse sea salt
  • 3 tbsp + 3 tbsp safflower oil or other neutral cooking oil
  • fresh thyme sprigs
  • fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 – 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth or stock
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp + 3 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, such as Maille
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • white pepper and sea salt, to taste
  • 8 – 12 oz wide egg noodles
  • chopped parsley or chives, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 275°. Sprinkle both side of the boneless beef chuck roast with coarse sea salt, about two tsp. Preheat a large cast iron pan (preferably enamel coated) on the stove. Add 3 tbsp of neutral oil. Sear the chuck roast for 5 minutes on each side. Add enough chicken stock to the pan go about half way up the side of the roast. Add 2 tbsp of minced garlic, a sprig of rosemary, and a few sprigs of rosemary to the broth. Place the pan in the oven and roast until tender, 3 to 4 hours depending on the size of your roast. Keep an eye on the liquid level, and add additional broth as needed.

Remove the roast from the oven. Transfer the meat to a platter or board to rest. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.

Saute the sliced mushrooms on medium high heat until brown, stirring often. Reduce the heat and add the minced shallot and remaining minced garlic. Saute on low heat until the shallots are translucent.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Add enough broth to the reserved cooking liquid to equal 2 cups and add to the mushrooms. Add a few additional sprigs of thyme to the broth and mushroom mixture. Simmer on low heat until the liquid has reduced by a fourth.

Add the heavy whipping cream and Dijon mustard and stir until well combined. Simmer on low heat until the sauce is reduced by a fourth. Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles according the manufacturer’s directions. Toss the noodles with melted butter.

Slice the roast into bite size pieces and add to the sauce. Remove from the heat, remove the thyme sprigs, and mix in the sour cream. Add white pepper and salt to taste. Serve over buttered egg noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives, if desired.

Recipe by Katie

Chicken Pot Pie

Creamy warm sauce filled with chicken and crisp vegetables surrounded by a crispy flaky pastry. This is a hearty dish perfect for cool fall days and winter evenings. The dish is generously sized and will serve 8 people with a vegetable on the side.  Or, if your sons eat like mine did when they were teenagers, maybe it will serve 6. 

Pastry for the Pie

3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup shortening

12-15 tablespoons of water

There are 2 methods for making the crust: Using a food processor or Using a pastry cutter.  I prefer the food processor method, but this recipe is too large to process in one batch so…Divide the flour & salt into two bowls.  Empty one of the bowls into the food processer. Cut ½ cup of the shortening into 1-inch cubes and put it into the flour mixture.  Pulse the mix until it looks like cornmeal.  Then add ½ of the water a little at a time until it starts to form a ball.  You may not need all the water.  Empty the dough onto a floured surface and knead it lightly to form a log.  Process the second batch in the same way.  You will need more dough for the bottom of the pie, so divide the dough into one log that’s about ⅔ of the total and the other log about ⅓ of the total.   Wrap each log in saran wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 

Filling

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed, about 4 cups

1 ½ cups sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

⅔ cup unsalted butter

⅔ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 ½ cups chicken stock

1 ⅓ cup milk

Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Whisk in the flour and salt and let them bubble with the butter for a couple of minutes.  Pour in the chicken stock and whisk over medium heat until it thickens.  Add the milk and let come back to a slow boil.  Remove from heat and add the chicken and raw carrots and celery.  The raw vegetables will be crisp-tender when the pie is done.

Combine the Pastry and Filling

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll out the bottom crust using a tape measure to be sure you can cover the bottom and up the sides of the dish.  I use a casserole measuring 8x11x2 ½”, so I have to roll the dough to 13×15, which is big!  Use the rolling pin to transfer the crust to the casserole.  Then, roll out the remaining dough to fit the top of the casserole.  By that time, the filling should have cooled a bit.  Pour it into the bottom crust and top with the upper crust.  Crimp the edges and cut several vent holes in the top.

Bake at 400° for about 1 hour or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Let the pie rest for about 15 minutes and serve.

Recipe by Mary