Hungarian Beef Stew

A long time ago I tried using a spice I'd never used in my entire life, smoked paprika. I was making a side dish of green beans and thought I'd try the smoked paprika....big mistake! It was HORRIBLE! I mean, spit it out into your napkin horrible. Ever since then I've been hesitant to use that particular spice in any of my cooking, that is, until tonight. Tonight's menu, Hungarian Beef Stew with a side of kale. I told you, I'm hooked on kale after the other night. Anyway, the Hungarian beef stew called for smoked sweet paprika, which I didn't have, so I had to add sugar to the dish.

The stew was so easy to make...here is what you do:
*Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat
*Chop up 2 large yellow onions (or less if you aren't a huge onion fan
*Once your olive oil is hot, add 2lbs of cubed beef and your onions
*Let beef brown and onions begin to caramelize
*Then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 table spoons of smoked sweet paprika
*Add 4 cups of chicken stock (next time I will try beef stock)
*Turn heat to low, cover and let meat braise for 1 hour
*After an hour, add 3lbs of boiling potatoes and 2 carrots chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
*Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are soft

While eating I thought it would have been perfect to have some warm french bread with butter. On a funny note, when I was trying to tell Jared about my idea I kept saying, "mmm...it'd be so good with some breaded butter...don't you think breaded butter would be great with this?" Needless to say, he just laughed at me until I figured out what I was saying.

All in all it was a successful meal. How do I know it was successful? Chandler (our dog) sat right next to the table staring and growling at us until Jared finally gave him a piece of meat. Most people might think, big deal....all dogs beg, no, not Chandler. If something doesn't smell good to him or he's not interested he will sit in the living room by himself and not even approach the kitchen table. The second way I know it was successful, Jared took seconds and didn't add salt or pepper to his dish. If Jared doesn't like something he always tries to cover it with salt and pepper and he wouldn't dream of getting seconds. Half the time he won't even finish what's on his plate.

So if you're in the mood for something different try making Hungarian beef stew and let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy!!
-AKL

Kale

Have you had kale? If you have not, you seriously need to give it a try.

Kale is a form of cabbage and it is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties. It's also considered to be anti-inflammatory.

Kale contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.

I personally had never had kale until last night. We had a friend over and I decided to try a recipe out of my Williams Sonoma One Pot Cookbook, Baked Chicken Parmesan. This particular recipe calls for the baked chicken to be placed on a bed of kale. I had seen Rachael Ray de-stem kale many times, so I figured why not give it a try.

To begin, coat the bottom of your skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. At the same time pre-heat your oven to 400*F.

Gently place your chicken breasts in the olive oil and let brown. About 7-10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Only turn the chicken once!

After your chicken is partially cooked remove from oil and set aside.

Take your de-stemmed kale and place directly into your hot skillet – let the kale begin to wilt, this takes only a couple of minutes. As your kale begins to wilt you will notice it changes in color from faded green to a gorgeous hunter green. At this time it should begin to smell a little like brussels sprouts. Take a taste test....trust me!

Once the kale has wilted, place the kale on the bottom of an oven safe roasting pan.

Place browned chicken breasts on top of kale.

Top chicken breasts with homemade marinara OR pre-made marinara sauce from the grocery store.

Take 2 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and place on top of chicken. Then sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese.

Place in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! I'm excited to find more recipes with kale as an ingredient. In fact I'm planning on cooking more kale tonight just as a side dish.

Enjoy!!
-AKL