Happy, Safe New Year!

We made this tonight in 30 minutes because we had all the ingredients (went shopping at Trader Joes yesterday), it is below freezing out and stew, in front of a fire, watching a good video on New Years Eve is our idea of a hot time. You do not have to buy everything at Trader Joe’s but TJs pre cooked pot roast is the main reason it only took a half an hour. Come to think of it the potato flour was the only ingredient not from TJs. My grandmothers stew took about two hours to get tender so this is time-satisfying.


30 MINUTE GREAT BEEF STEW FROM POT ROAST

INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup dry red wine
32 oz container of beef broth
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon sage
2 cloves garlic, pressed or smashed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups water
½ package prepared carrot sticks, whole or cut in half or about 2 large carrots cut into small cylinders
3 medium white or Yukon Gold potatoes, each one cut into ~ 1 inch cubes
3 stalks celery in ½ inch pieces
½ onion, cut in half again and sliced
3-4 med mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon potato flour
24 or 32 oz container of chicken broth (not all will be used)

1 package (1 pound) Trader Joes (possibly Costco or another brand) pre-cooked pot roast, cut into 1” cubes
salt, pepper, Tabasco (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large double boiler fitted as a vegetable steamer with a lid add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. While cutting up vegetables keep them separated because you are going to cook them sequentially in the steamer. When the water in the bottom of the pan comes to a boil, add the carrots to the strainer on top and cover. Cooking time will depend on the size of the carrot pieces, check at 5 minutes to see whether they are beginning to soften. If they are, add the potatoes, stir and cook covered for another 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables in one bunch, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Test the potatoes and carrots to check that they are cooked.

While the above process is going on, in another pot, begin a reduction. On medium high heat in a heavy bottomed pot bring the wine with ½ cup of beef broth to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and add herbs, garlic, tomato paste and sugar. As the mixture reduces, continue to add the beef broth ½ cup at a time, two more times. Stir regularly and remove from heat when dark and slightly thickened or in 15-20 minutes. Strain the solids through a sieve, discard solids, reserve liquid. In another heavy bottomed pan melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. In a large bowl mix the cornstarch and flour together and with a whisk quickly stir in the remainder of the beef broth plus 2 cups of chicken broth. If there are lumps (and there well may be) sieve the broth and cornstarch/potato flour mix through a strainer. Slowly while stirring, add this mixture to the pan with melted oil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 3 minutes until it thickens. Add the beef cubes and the vegetables, and then salt and pepper to taste, (Tabasco if desired) and stir gently to coat the stew meat and vegetables. Voila!


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This is a dense cake, more of a coffee cake. Our family has been making it for decades, in the winter because that was when you could get cranberries, now it is a year round treat and now it is wheat free.


NANTUCKET CRANBERRY CAKE

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter

2 cups cranberries, chopped and measured after chopping (you can use frozen cranberries)
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar

¾ cups melted butter (1 ½ sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 cup gluten free flour (all purpose or make your own)

(- We ran out of Red Mill All Purpose so we mixed together:
1 ½ teapoons xantham gum flour
½ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup garbanzo flour
¼ cup hazelnut flour
2 ½ tablespoons potato flour)

¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten slightly before adding
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
dash salt
almond and/or vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x9 inch Pyrex pan or a 10 inch deep dish Pyrex pie pan. Add the cranberries, walnuts and 1/3 cup sugar mixed together. Combine until smooth: melted butter, sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and extracts. Pour this batter over the cranberry nut mixture, stirring slightly to mix the two layers a bit. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and invert on a serving plate and then flip again so that the cake side is up (you can leave it in the pan if you prefer.) Make an smooth icing of the butter, powdered sugar, milk, salt and flavorings and frost the cake.