31 January 2016

Greetings from the one armed cook! Unfortunately, I slipped on the ice last weekend and broke my right arm, the whisking one! We had just gotten back from a wonderful early birthday dinner at Downtown Kitchen with some dear friends, and I bit the dust hard on the edge of our garage where ice had formed. Needless to say, it was a birthday to remember and not so fondly! I go back to the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow, but I am hoping to avoid surgery. Therefore, I will keep this post short and sweetish since I am posting with my left hand – one key at a time!

Of course, cooking has been out of the question, but I have been overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness of my friends who have brought food and sent kind wishes for a speedy recovery. These are the times I feel so grateful to live in a small and caring community. However, the injury has given me an opportunity to test my resourcefulness and creativity. I am learning something new on an hourly basis!

Comfort food takes on new meaning when you are in pain and feeling useless, but I am dertermined to make the best of it. I did some research on cooking with one hand, but it really didn't help matters. So, I improvised for tonight's Sunday Supper. I had a beautiful grass fed chuck roast from Mountain Valley Farm in the freezer, and I thought that would be somewhat simple. I enlisted Jeff as my reluctant sous chef, and we pulled it off! I am sure he felt like he was on an episode of Hell's Kitchen as I tend to be somewhat exacting in the kitchen, but he was a great sport and didn't talk back – too much at least. I made a classic pot roast with onions and carrots, and we whipped some potatoes and sauteed some Swiss chard for the sides. After all, broken bones demand mashed potatoes with a rich brown gravy. For dessert, I whipped a combination of Greek yogurt and sour cream topped with local Brown Farm honey, walnuts and diced peaches. Simple and decadent...

After supper, we plan to watch Grease Live on Fox. Being one of the world's biggest Olivia Newton-John fans, I am extremely reluctant about this production, but that is where the heavy pain killers come in handy, I guess.

Here's hoping your week is going better, and may we all be nourished and hopelessly devoted to homemade food!

(Thanks to Cory Wilson for the photos!)


The Menu:

- Slow Braised Grass Fed Pot Roast with Carrots and Onions

- Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Brown Gravy

- Sauteed Swiss Chard and Garlic

- Whipped Greek Yogurt and Sour Cream with Local Honey, Walnuts and Peaches


The Recipe – Classic Pot Roast

Ingredients:

Salt and freshly ground pepper

One 3 to 5 lb chuck roast

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered

6 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup red wine

3 cups beef stock

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Salt and pepper the chuck roast.

Heat 2 tbs oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions and carrots to the pot and brown slightly on all sides then remove to a small bowl.

Add one more tbs olive oil to the hot pot and place the roast to sear to nicely browned on all sides, about a minute per side, then remove the roast to a plate.

Add red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom to loosen browned bits. Place the roast back into the pot, and add enough stock to cover the meat halfway.

Add in the onions, carrots, and garlic along with the fresh herbs.

Cover the pot, and roast for around 3 hours for a 3-4 hours, depending on size, until fork tender.