Saturday afternoon my sister decided she wanted to cook. She wasn't exactly sure what, but knew she wanted a stew or soup. So, she grabbed some old magazines, one of my cookbooks, and the computer. She settled on three different recipes (all from Foodnetwork.com), and left it up to me to choose. I read over, and picked the one below. Turned out to be
THE BEST stew I have ever had I think. She did a fantastic job, which...if you know my family...is impressive. My sister does well when she cooks, but she's definitely not know as the family chef! (HEART YOU!)
She also asked me not to help out because she was afraid I would take the cooking over, and she really wanted to make something. I was fine by this because last time I was home, I spent a good part of my time on my feet in the kitchen. I did have the idea to add cheddar biscuits to the meal, and was in charge of that while my sis made the main course. Here's what we had:
Sausage-and-Vegetable StewAdapted from Foodnetwork.comIngredients3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon paprika, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 ounces kielbasa, cut into small chunks (or another link sausage)
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
14 ounces small red-skinned or new potatoes (6 to 8), quartered
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
3/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and glistening, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the oil turns deep red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook until just toasted, 30 more seconds. Immediately whisk in 4 cups water. Add the kielbasa, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and season with pepper.
Combine about half of the parsley with the sour cream in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the stew into bowls; top with the remaining parsley, a dollop of herbed sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika.
Cheddar Biscuits(Like from Red Lobster)
Ingredients:2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
Brush on Top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.
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