Glorious One-Pot Meals (14 page)
Read Glorious One-Pot Meals Online
Authors: Elizabeth Yarnell
Barley is a comfort food in my book. Hulled barley is a whole grain and offers all of the health benefits of other whole grains, including cholesterol-lowering qualities and fiber. Use a variety of mushrooms for a deeper, earthier flavor. This recipe tastes great with turkey, too!
I cut and seed winter squash, but often I don’t peel it as the peel comes off very easily after it is cooked. You can also make this dish with yellow summer squash.
SERVES 2
Olive oil spray
½ medium onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup sherry
⅓ cup broth (preferably beef)
⅓ cup milk or milk substitute (soy, rice, or almond milk)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup hulled barley
½ to ¾ pound beef tenderloin or beef tips
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
½ acorn or butternut squash, cubed (about 2 cups)
½ head broccoli, cut into florets, or about 2 cups frozen
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with olive oil.
Scatter the onion in the pot.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sherry, broth, milk, and pepper.
Pour the barley into the pot and add about half of the sherry mixture. Stir to make an even layer of the grains.
Add the meat, distribute the mushrooms on top, and pour the rest of the sherry mixture over the meat.
Layer the squash over the meat, then fill the pot with the broccoli.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.
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Corned beef and cabbage is a meal traditionally eaten by Irish Americans in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in March.
Corned
refers to the large salt crystals (corns) rubbed into the meat to preserve it. The corned beef has enough spices to flavor this recipe, but if you feel the need for more spice, include the sea salt and pepper. For more gravy, simply add more broth to the recipe.
I use lunch-meat-style corned beef in a thick slice from the deli in this recipe simply because it’s hard to find a package of raw, seasoned corned beef that’s less than two pounds. However, you can certainly use raw corned beef if you prefer.
SERVES 2
Canola oil spray
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
½ to ¾ pound corned beef from the deli
1 large russet potato, unpeeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup sliced carrots
½ head green cabbage, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
¼ cup broth (beef, chicken, or
vegetable) ⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon sea salt, optional
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 bay leaf
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with canola oil.
Separate the onion slices into half rings and scatter in the pot along with the celery.
Add the corned beef, then layer the potatoes and carrots. Pack in as much cabbage as possible to fill the pot.
In a measuring cup, mix the broth, allspice, and salt and pepper, if desired, until there are no clumps of spices. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and add the bay leaf.
Cover tightly and bake for about 30 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately. Discard the bay leaf and spoon the juices at the bottom of the pot over each serving.
Feel free to make this recipe using ground turkey or pork instead of beef, or even meat-substitute crumbles. You could also use a tenderloin cut of meat. Look for peeled and chopped butternut squash in your supermarket vegetable aisle.
SERVES 2
Olive oil spray
½ medium onion, minced
½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and minced
8 to 10 cremini mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ to ¾ pound ground meat 1 cup white rice
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon broth (preferably beef) or water
2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash
½ head broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 cups)
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with olive oil.
In a large bowl, mix the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the meat to the bowl and mix well. Set aside. If using tenderloins rather than ground meat, set the onion-spice mixture aside and simply spoon over the steaks in step 5.
Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into the pot, add the liquid, and stir to make an even layer.
Drop ragged forkfuls of the meat mixture into the pot. If using tenderloins, arrange them in the pot and blanket with the onion-spice mixture.
Arrange the squash in a layer, then load in the broccoli until the pot is full.
Cover and bake for about 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.
The concept of this meal is that it is so easy and safe (no knife work) that a child could prepare it as a Father’s Day treat. Of course, the recipe is easily doubled or tripled. What may surprise you is how delicious it is! Feel free to use your favorite steak sauce, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, or Worcestershire sauce. If your dad doesn’t like steak, feel free to substitute any other protein (chicken, fish, pork, etc.).
The steak should turn out well done on the edges and medium rare in the center. For more fully cooked meat, bake for at least 30 minutes.
SERVES 2
Canola oil spray
10 to 12 ounces frozen hash browns (not the patties)
Sea salt
2 cups frozen pearl onions
½ to ¾ pound boneless steak or tenderloin, well trimmed
2 tablespoons steak sauce (A-1 or other brand)
5 to 10 mushrooms, sliced (about 1 cup)
1½ cups whole baby carrots
2½ cups frozen cut green beans
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with canola oil.
Shake the hash browns into the pot to distribute evenly and season lightly with salt. Scatter the onions over the potatoes; then add the steak. Spread steak sauce on the meat and scatter in the mushrooms.
Distribute the carrots in a layer and then fill the pot with green beans. Tuck the rosemary sprigs into crevices.
Cover and bake for about 30 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.
If your steak is very thick, you may need to add up to eight minutes more in the oven. Let your nose be your guide.
This recipe is chock full of vegetables—a great way to get your meat lover to eat vegetables, too! Try this recipe with chicken pieces instead of steak for a change.
My aunt swears by kosher salt and freshly squeezed lemon or lime when cooking meat, but I prefer to use sea salt whenever I’m cooking.
SERVES 2
Olive oil spray 1 cup white rice
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon broth (beef or vegetable) or water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 to 3 limes)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ to ¾ pound boneless steak
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ onion, halved and thinly sliced
½ yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into strips
½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into strips
½ green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into strips
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Spray the inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with olive oil.
Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into the pot, add the liquid, and stir to make an even layer.
In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, cilantro, oregano, and cumin.
Add the steak to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and spoon half of the lime juice mixture over the meat.
Sprinkle the garlic over the steak and top with the onion. Then scatter on the bell pepper strips, and spoon the rest of the lime juice mixture over all.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.