Thick and packed with flavor, split pea soup with chunks of ham is one of my favorite comfort foods.  This is especially if you have left-over ham.  This recipe makes enough for a large family.

The Basics

• Cooked ham cut into chunks – You’ll need at least 2 handfuls.
• 2 carrots – Peeled and sliced
• 2 potatoes; optional – peeled and diced
• 1 onion – diced
• 2 packages of dried split peas
• Chicken broth – about 3 or 4 cups.
• Water
• 1-2 bay leaves

The Rundown

Rinse one package of split peas with water.  In a dutch oven or a heavy pot with a lid, add onions, hams, chicken broth, the rinsed split peas, and bay leaves.

Bring to a gentle boil and cover with a lid.  Continue to cook for 30-45 minutes — just until the peas are soften.

Rinse other bag of peas.  Add carrots, celery, potatoes and peas.  Bring to a boil again.  Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes — or until the new peas are softened.  The first batch of peas will pretty much turn into mush, while the second batch will keep its shape.  Enjoy!

Beef stew is one of my dad’s favorite American comfort foods.  There are pre-made seasoning packets that you can buy, but if you have red wine, tomato paste, bay leaves and beef broth, you don’t need all the extra sodium!

The Basics

• Beef chuck roast – Cut into hearty 1″ inches.
• Garlic – Peeled and minced; I like garlic so I used 4 cloves.
• Celery stalks – Washed and sliced
• Carrots – Peeled and sliced
• Green peppers – De-seeded, and diced
• Potatoes – Peeled and diced
• Red wine – Use what you drink!
• Tomato paste – Use 2-3 tbsp
• Bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Beef broth; about 1 or 2 cans
• Cornstarch; about 1 tbsp
• Water

The Rundown

Season beef with salt and pepper.  Heat a dutch oven on the stove top on medium heat.  Here’s some tips when you’re browning beef:

1. Dry meat with paper towels.
2. Don’t over crowd meat.  Cook it in small batches if necessary.
3. Let beef cook for about 3 minutes before you even think about flipping it.

Once beef is browned, transfer the beef to a plate.

Pour red wine to deglaze the bottom.  Gently scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan

Add beef, garlic, bay leaves, tomato paste and beef broth.  Bring to a gentle boil on medium heat.  Cover and continue cooking for about 30-45 minutes.

Add vegetables and stir.  Cover and continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.  Enjoy!

Lamb cassoulet is a French white bean and lamp stew.  When it comes to lamb, I usually like to season it with rosemary, salt and pepper and grill it.  However, I got some lamb shanks on sale so I thought it might be a good time to try something new.

The only thing I would modify is only using one lamb shank instead of two, because the cassoulet was VERY game-y and lamb-y.  Another alternative would be switching the lamb for chicken, which I’m going to try one of these days.

The Basics

• Lamb shank
• Navy beans – the dry kind or you can used canned to lessen prep time
• Celery – 2 stalks, cleaned and chopped
• Onion – diced
• Chicken or lamb broth – about 3 or 4 cups
• Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
• Bouquet garni – This is usually a bundle of fresh herbs tied together with butcher string.  I used dried herbs (whole peppercorns, rosemary, parsley, bay leaves and sage) and MacGyver-ed a herb bag.
• Red wine – about a cup
• 2 slices of bacon
• Garlic – two cloves, peeled and minced

The Rundown

Soak beans overnight in water.  Drain the next day.

In a dutch oven, fry bacon then set bacon aside when cooked.

Saute onions in bacon fat until translucent.

Dice lamb and then brown with the onions.  Add garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Meanwhile oven to 325 degrees.

In a coffee filter, add peppercorn, rosemary and sage.  Tie off with butcher string or cooking twine.

Add wine to the lamb in the dutch oven, and scrape off any of the brown bits on the bottom.  Add broth, tomato paste, and celery.  Lastly throw in the spice bag or the herb bouquet. Heat until boiling.

Put lid on and bake for 2 hours.  When finished remove spice bag and serve.  Tada!

I never knew that pot roast could be so simple to make.  My dad usually uses those seasoning that come with a bag, but the beef usually still becomes too salt and dry.  I did some research and have tried this recipe a number of times with slight modifications here and there.  I usually stock up on beef roasts when its $1.99/lb so this can be a really cheap, yet filling meal!

The Basics

• Chuck or bottom round roast
• Red wine – use whatever you like to drink; about 1 to 1 1/2 cups
• Salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
• Carrots – peeled and cut into large pieces
• Celery – washed and cut into large pieces
• Onion – 1 onion sliced
• Garlic – 1-2 tbsp peeled and minced
• Soup mix – use onion soup or vegetable soup

The Rundown

Liberally season the roast with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  If you’re using a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Brown meat by letting it sit for 5 minutes on each side.  If you’re using a crock pot, brown in a big saute/frying pan.  Remove roast and set aside.

Add onions to your cooking dutch oven and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.  If you’re using a crock pot, turn it on and a bit of cooking oil and cook the same way.  Add roast to the dutch oven or the crock pot.

In a separate bowl, combine wine and soup mix.  Pour over roast.  If you’re using a dutch oven, place lid on top and cook in the oven for about 3 – 3 1/2 hours.  If you’re using a crock pot, add water until roast is about covered and let cook under low heat for about 4-5 hours.

Before the last hour of cooking, add celery, carrots and potatoes.  The meat will be very tender, so carefully lift out.  Enjoy!

This is a modified version because I had to cut a lot of corners.  Chicken fricassee is a French dish made with celery and carrots in a creamy white wine sauce.   I even read some recipes use tarragon and mushrooms.  I didn’t have celery, fresh mushrooms, heavy cream, white wine or tarragon.   So I used cream of mushroom, rosemary, and a blush wine instead and it was DELICIOUS!

One day I will make the traditional recipe, but this version turned out so well despite all the substitutions! LOL!

The Basics

• 4 chicken thighs – Or any chicken on the bone with skin on
• 2-3 carrots – peeled and cut into long pieces
• 1 medium-large onion – diced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic – peeled and minced
• White wine – Or blush wine in my case =)
• Rosemary – 1/2 tbsp
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can of cream of mushroom
• Parsley (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• Flour – about a cup
• Garlic powder – a few shakes
• Season salt – a few shakes
• Onion powder – a few shakes

The Rundown

Combine flour, salt (yes that my salt ninja!), season salt, onion powder, and garlic in a shallow dish –  like a pie plate.  Roll the chicken in the flour.

Melt butter and olive oil in a dutch oven.  Add chicken (skin side down first) and and crank up the heat until you hear a nice sizzle (medium-ish heat).  Don’t fuss too much with the chicken or it will take longer to brown.  I would probably flip them every 5 minutes.

While chicken is browning, you can prep the vegetables.  (Thanks to my close friends Lester and Arlyn Dela Cruz for my AWESOME new chef’s knife!)

Once chicken is fully browned on each side, remove chicken from the pot and set aside.  Add onions and garlic and gentle scrape up all the yummy brown bits (that’s where all the flavor resides).  Then add the rest of the herbs and carrots.

Add chicken back to the dutch oven with skin side up.  Pour about 1/2 – 1 cup of wine. (Thanks to my BFF Lindsey Evans for the Oops Camenere Rose!)  Lower heat until a gentle simmer and add lid.  Cook for about 15 minutes.

This is what it looks like after cooking.  It will develop this awesome gravy. Very tempting!

Finally add the cream of mushroom soup.  If the sauce is too thick, add more wine or some water to thin it out to gravy consistency. Heat until a gentle simmer. Add lid again and cook for 15 minutes.

Once finished, you can arrange in a serving dish and sprinkle parsley on top for color.  Serve with a piece of bread, or rice if you’re Filipino like me! =)

What I love about is all the colors represented.  I think I read something a long time ago that you should try to eat vegetables with lots of different colors.  This definitely fulfills that requirement.

So far, I’ve eaten 4 bowl fulls.  Yeah. It’s good. =)

The Basics

• Chicken broth – two cans or one large container
• Onion – diced
• 2 carrots – peeled and diced
• 1 celery stalk – diced
• 1 parsnip – peeled and diced
• Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
• Buttercup squash – peeled and roughly cut up.  Cut in half and microwave for a few minutes and it will be easier to peel.
• Fresh spinach
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 1 can of cannellini beans
• Oil

The Rundown

1. In a dutch oven, add a few tbsp. of oil.  Turn on medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add onions, carrots, parsnips, celery.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes; stirring often.
3. Add squash and a pinch of salt.  Cook until squash just starts to come apart.  Be careful when your stir the veggies or you’ll end up with more of a squash bisque.
4. Add chicken stock.  Bring to a gentle boil and cover.  Let cook for about 15-10 minutes.
5. Add kindey beans and cannellini beans.  You don’t have to drain them. Stir.
6. Add fresh spinach.  Continue to cook until spinach is wilted and incorporated in soup.
7. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Additional Notes

I sprinkled a bit of parmesan cheese on top.  I think a little bit of fresh parsley would be nice as well.  I think if you wanted to substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth if you want to make this a vegan recipe.

Also I think this can be safely frozen for about a couple of weeks.

The Basics

• Diced veggies – Onions, celery and green bell peppers
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Steamed rice
• 2-3 shrimp stock
• De-shelled and de-veined shrimp; about a couple handfuls
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 6 tbs butter – Don’t substitute with margarine.  Use butter.
• 6 tbs flour
• Sliced green onions
• Essence of Emeril – Yes, I actually have the packaged mix.  You can use cajun seasoning if you want.

The Rundown

1. Making the roux – This can be a bit tricky, but we’ll get through this together.  Put a dutch oven on your stove top, turn the heat to medium.  Add the butter until melted.  Once melted, sprinkle all of the flour. Mix immediately with a whisk.  Keep whisking the roux and let it keep cooking until it becomes a peanut butter like color.  This is going to take a while, but DO NOT LEAVE THE ROUX. It will brown very quickly and it will be game over.  This should take about 5 minutes or so.
2. Add diced veggies and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Dump the whole can of tomatoes into the pot.  Add 1 tbsp. of essence of Emeril and 2 bay leaves.  Taste and add salt if needed.  Cook for about 4 minutes.
4. Add shrimp stock and mix all together.  Turn down heat until the etouffee starts to simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add shrimp sauce and let cook for about 5 minutes or no longer gray.
6. Spoon etouffee on top of steamed rice and garnish with green onions.  Enjoy!

Additional Notes

• I wanted to make mine a little more….seafood-y.  What did I do? Add patis (fish sauce).  It’s salty BUT added a fishy taste to the sauce.  Use VERY sparginly and it won’t be that overwhleming.