Category Archives: Recipe

How to Cook "American Style", Recipe

Sauerbraten

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INGREDIENTS

5 pound Pot Roast

2 lagre onoins

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup water

1 tablesppon salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tablesppon brown suagr

1 head of garlic

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

10 ginger snaps very finely crushed in a zip top bag for the gravy

DIRECTIONS

In a large zip lock bag, add the vinegar, water, whole garlic cloves, brown sugar, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Chop two large onions and add that to the bag. Add the meat, squeeze out most of the air and close it tight. Place the meat in the refrigerator. Marinate the meat for a least 5 days.

On the fifth day, place the meat in a Dutch oven. Then pour in the marinade over the top. Bake at 325 for 6 hours.

Gravy: Crush the gram crackers in a zip lock bag. I use a meat tenderizer, but a small pan works well too. On stove, stir the crushed gram crackers into the cooked marinate and meat juices. Heat the gravy up on medium high heat until the gravy simmers and thickens. the gravy should coat the back of a spoon. If necessary add more crunched cookies one at a time until the sauce it the perfect consistency .

Insta-Pot directions: Add the meat and marinate to insta-pot. Turn on to the stew setting. Set the time for two hours. Let it cool on the “Stay warm” setting one hour.

When you can open the lid without having to let out any steam remove the meat and make the gravy right in the insta-pot. I add the crushed cookies and stirred them in. Then turn on the pot to sauté and stir until it simmers. Done. Unplug and Serve.

Serve with red cabbage, potato dumplings and beer!

How to Cook "American Style", Recipe

Minestrone Soup

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Minestrone Soup   

Serves 6 – 8

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Large Pot

INGREDIENTS

4 cups chicken broth (no sodium/salt)

4 cups tomato sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Large onion, chopped

2 large stalks chopped celery

2 large carrots, diced

1/2 cup red wine (optional)

1 cup canned kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can green beans

2 cups baby spinach, rinsed

3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil

2 – 4 tsp Chicken Bouillon instead of salt (depending on taste)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup seashell pasta or Ditalini (the little round tubes)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping

1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS

In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, Italian Spice mix, chicken bouillon and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. For best results refrigerate overnight then reheat the portions needed.  

Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.

Once pasta is cooked and soup is at a simmer (reheated if the next day) place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Drizzle on olive oil and serve with bread.

NOTES: Don’t forget the Salad and/or Saltine Crackers

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Recipe

Old Fashioned Chicken Soup

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This is my traditional chicken soup recipe. Made in a large stock pot over the stove. When its done you can always add Matzo ball or noodles or extra vegetables like bok choy. enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

6-7 pound whole chicken (remove neck and liver from cavity)

5 quarts water

½ tsp. dill

½ tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. marjoram

1 Bay leaf

½ tsp. rosemary

½ tsp. Savory

2 medium onions (quartered)

2 large carrots (peeled and quartered)

1/2 pound baby carrots (diced)

1 large parsnip (peeled and diced)

2 celery stalks (quartered)

4 celery stalks (diced)

5 or more chicken bouillon cubes instead of salt to taste

1 tbsp. Fresh parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the chicken in a large stock pot. Pour in 5 quarts of water and put on high heat. Add½ tsp. dill, ½ tsp. white pepper, ¼ tsp. thyme, ¼ tsp. marjoram, 1 bay leaf,

½ tsp. rosemary, ½ tsp. Savory, 2 medium onions (quartered), 2 large carrots (peeled and quartered), 2 celery stalks (quartered). Bring to a boil. Cover and turn to low and cook for 2 hours. Allow to cool for a few minutes and remove chicken to a platter. Pour broth through a large strainer removing all the solids and discard to garbage. Return broth to pot and add

1/2 pound baby carrots (diced), 4 celery stalks (diced), 1 large parsnip (peeled and diced)

1 tbsp. Fresh parsley (chopped). Return to a slow boil.

Cover chicken and allow to cool until you can safely handle it. When chicken is cool cut off breasts and save in a zip lock bag to make chicken salad.  Next carefully remove all the dark meat from the chicken discarding the skin bones and cartilage. Dice dark mean on a clean cutting board and return to soup. When the vegetables have softened add 5 or more chicken bouillon cubes and taste for saltiness. Add more if necessary. Serve HOT.

NOTES

The first thing I add to the soup is two or three and handfuls of fine egg noodles. Next I sometimes add Matzo balls.

How to Cook "American Style", Recipe

Beef Vegetable Soup

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Good Morning. Its a chilly morning here on Long Island New York. Thursday for dinner, I made one of my favorite soups, Beef Vegetable Soup. Just like always, it seems this recipe takes me back to my childhood. I remember how large my mother would cut up the carrots and celery. The reason of course was my brother and I, but mostly me. I remember not always liking the carrots in the soup so I would eat around them. That’s when she just stopped putting them in my bowl. I guess making them a nice large size helped her to avoid them. That’s a mom for ya! Always trying to make their children happy!! Thankfully tastes change and today I love carrots in soup and use them ALL the time. You can’t have a mirepoix without carrots and mom knew that. Today the only thing I have changed over the years is now I add baby bok choy to the soup in the last ten minutes of cooking. I am excited to share this recipe with you all and hope you enjoy it.

Beef Vegetable Soup  

Serves 6 – 8

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Large Pot

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Beef Stew Meat (cut into large bite size pieces)

2 cups Celery (large cuts)

2 cup2 Onion (cut into 1 inch pieces)

2 cups Carrots (cut into 1 inch pieces)

4 medium Potatoes (peeled and cut into pieces)

8 cups of water

6-8 bouillon cubes (or 8 tsp of better then Bouillon)

¼ tsp pepper

 2 – 4 tablespoons of Olive oil

2 heads baby bok choy (optional)

1 package wide noodles (Optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot sauté beef in small batches in olive oil until is browned and there no juices in the bottom of the pot. Drain off excess fat and then add onion and celery. Sauté until onion are translucent.  Add back in all the beef. Add water, carrots and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add baby bok choy if you like and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Serve Hot!

Serving suggestion:

Wide noodles; prepare wide noodles according to package directions and serve them in a separate bowl. Add a little olive oil or butter to keep the noodle from sticking together. This was your family members can then add as many or as few of the noodles as they like. Plus, when you refrigerate the leftover soup overnight. The noodles don’t get all soggy and absorb all that luscious beef broth.  

NOTES: Serve with crackers and butter.

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Recipe

Chicken Stock

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Chicken Stock

INGREDIENTS:

6-7 pound whole chicken (remove neck and liver from cavity) or

2 Roasted Chicken carcasses

5 quarts water

½ tsp. dill

½ tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. marjoram

1 Bay leaf

½ tsp. rosemary

½ tsp. Savory

2 medium onions (quartered)

2 large carrots (peeled and quartered)

2 celery stalks (quartered tops included)

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken in a large stock pot. Pour in 5 quarts of water and put on high heat. Add½ tsp. dill, ½ tsp. white pepper, ¼ tsp. thyme, ¼ tsp. marjoram, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp. rosemary, ½ tsp. Savory, 2 medium onions (quartered), 2 large carrots (peeled and quartered), 2 celery stalks (quartered). Bring to a boil. Cover and turn to low and cook for 2 hours. Allow to cool for a few minutes and remove chicken to a platter. Pour broth through a large strainer lined with cheese cloth removing all the solids and discard to garbage.

Cool in refrigerator and remove Fat.

Recipe

Chicken Soup with Rice

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In October, I’ll be host to witches, goblins and a ghost. I’ll serve them chicken soup on toast. Whoopee once, whoopee twice, whoopee chicken soup with rice. – Maurice Sendak

I love Maurice Sendak’s work. In honor of him and a gentleman in my office, when asked their favorite soup…….it is chicken soup with rice. I made a small pot of chicken rice soup for lunch yesterday. Along with several grilled cheese sandwiches.

The chicken stock I had made from scratch just two days earlier. Therefore, I had the stock and the chicken. Some of the chicken I have been using for Jen’s chicken salad. The rest went into this small batch of soup.

I say it was a small batch because it was just enough for the eight of us. It is funny how at first no one was interested in soup (except mike) or the grilled cheese sandwiches until it started cooking. By the time it was done, not one person turned down a bowl of soup but not everyone had a grilled cheese sandwich. Maryanne, one of my coworkers, suggested that I make her grilled cheese sandwich with mayonnaise. I did as she requested because as a personal chef we cater to our “clients” as she tried to convince me it was the best way to make it.  She shared her sandwich with Eric who thought it was good but still prefers butter over mayo, as do I.  So, however you like it, with butter or mayo everyone agreed (who ate them) that grill cheese goes well with chicken soup with rice on a cool day in the fall.

If you would like to try my soup recipe I have attached it below and if you like grilled cheese I have posted that too (click the link below)!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Chicken Soup with Rice (ala Insta-Pot)      

Serves 6 – 8

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Insta-Pot

INGREDIENTS

8 Cups chicken stock

2 chicken breasts (from chicken stock) (cooked and cubed)

2 small carrots (diced)

2 celery stalks (diced)

2 teaspoons salt or chicken bouillon

1 bay leaf

Chopped fresh parsley

1 cup uncooked long-grain white or brown rice

1 head baby bok Choy (Diced) (Optional)

DIRECTIONS

Add all the ingredients into the Insta-pot. Set to the poultry setting for 0 minutes and make sure the keep warm button is lit. When the temperature and pressure hit there mark, the keep warm setting will start counting up. Wait for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes are up, let out any remaining steam. Stir and serve.

NOTES:

Use the Chicken Stock Recipe to make the stock.

You can also use boxed/canned stock; you can even cook the chicken in the canned stock if you do not have cooked chicken. I would use whole chicken breasts, on the bone for added flavor when using canned stock but you can use boneless breasts too. Serve with grill cheeses.  

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Recipe

Jambalaya

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Last night I had pizza. It was Sicilian pizza. Thick crust and cooked in a pan. Lots of sauce and even more mozzarella cheese. I did not make this lovely creation myself. It was made at Anthony’s Pizzeria and it was very good! I have not had Sicilian pizza in years and this was well worth the wait but that’s not what I’m here to tell you about.

Dessert was the highlight of the meal for Jennifer (I liked the pizza). Jennifer wanted ice cream sandwiches. I don’t know if you remember but yesterday I baked some large chocolate chip cookies. Luckily there were still some left and I had vanilla ice cream in the freezer, so of course you know what happened next…….. ice cream sandwiches.

I left the ice cream out just a bit to get soft. Otherwise, it would break the cookies. They too were just a bit soft having been in a zip lock bag. I put the ice cream between the two cookies and voilà, an ice cream sandwich. I popped it into the freezer for a few minutes to harden up the ice cream again and served it up to Jennifer. She was now in bed.

That is not all I made yesterday. For lunch I made Jambalaya.  

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Jambalaya (ala Inta-Pot)    

Serves 6 – 8

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Insta-Pot

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of boneless chicken breast

1 pound Cooked Shrimp

2 Kielbasa

32 ounces Chicken stock

2 boxes Zatterans Jambalaya Rice

1 small Onion

2 stalks Celery

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbls hot sauce (Cholula Sauce)

4 tbls olive oil

1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Set the Inta-Pot to sauté. Brown the Kielbasa in 2 tbsp. in olive oil and set aside. Next cube and cook the chicken in the oil next and set it aside. Cook the onions, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and add the rice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, Cholula, and salt.

Return the chicken, raw shrimp and kielbasa to the pot. Stir.

Place on the lid. Cook on poultry setting for zero minutes. Leave on warm for 30 minutes. Release steam. Open lid and serve.   

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Recipe

White Bean Stew

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INGREDIENTS: 

6 – 8 cups Chicken Broth

1 can of Cannellini beans

1 can of navy beans

1 head Baby bok choy

1 large carrot

2 stalks celery

1 medium potato

1 large onion

1 turnip

1 parsnip

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp paprika

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Bring 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Add the carrot, celery, potato, onion, turnip and parsnip that has been cut into one inch pieces to the pot of chicken stock. Cover and simmer until all the vegetables are soft.

When vegetables are good ad soft use and hand blender to puree the vegetables. Add the rest of the stock, until the desired consistency it reached. Rinse and add both cans of beans. Add garlic, paprika, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Add 1 head of roughly chopped bok choy and simmer 10 more minutes.

Serve hot with a fresh parsley garnish.

Recipe

Chicken Stock

2 Comments

INGREDIENTS:

6-7 pound whole chicken (remove neck and liver from cavity) or

2 Roasted Chicken carcasses

5 quarts water

½ tsp. dill

½ tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. marjoram

1 Bay leaf

½ tsp. rosemary

½ tsp. Savory

2 medium onions (quartered)

2 large carrots (peeled and quartered)

2 celery stalks (quartered tops included)

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken in a large stock pot. Pour in 5 quarts of water and put on high heat. Add½ tsp. dill, ½ tsp. white pepper, ¼ tsp. thyme, ¼ tsp. marjoram, 1 bay leaf,

½ tsp. rosemary, ½ tsp. Savory, 2 medium onions (quartered), 2 large carrots (peeled and quartered), 2 celery stalks (quartered). Bring to a boil. Cover and turn to low and cook for 2 hours. Allow to cool for a few minutes and remove chicken to a platter. Pour broth through a large strainer lined with cheese cloth removing all the solids and discard to garbage.

Cool in refrigerator and remove Fat.

Recipe

Espagnole: Basic Brown Sauce

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This is the second of the famous five (not Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald or Daisy) of the mother sauces from which other sauces are made.

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup onions, diced

¼ cup carrots, diced

¼ cup celery, diced

1 oz. clarified butter

1 oz. all-purpose flour

3 cups brown stock (i.e. beef stock)

2 Tbsp. tomato purée

1 bay leaf

½ tsp dried thyme

3–4 fresh parsley stems

black pepper

Gravy Master (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Fold the bay leaf, thyme, parley stems and peppercorns in a square of cheese cloth, and tie the corners with a piece of kitchen twine. Leave the string long enough so that you can tie it to the handle of your pot to make it easier to retrieve it.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy.

Add the mirepoix (onions, carrots & celery) and sauté for a few minutes until it’s lightly browned.

With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the mirepoix a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated and forms a thick paste (this is your roux). Lower the heat and cook the roux for another five minutes or so, until it just starts to take on a very light brown color. Don’t let it burn, though!

Using a wire whisk, slowly add HOT beef stock and tomato purée to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it’s free of lumps.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, add the sachet and simmer for about 50 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn’t scorch at the bottom of the pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.

Remove the sauce from the heat and retrieve the sachet. For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth.

Serve hot. If not serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you are ready.

NOTES: Gravy Master can help turn it a nice deep brown.