Black Lentil Stew with Sausage & Kale � Dark Food for Dark Days

There�s nothing like a big, steaming bowl of comfort food to make everything seem all right, and this dark, but delightful black lentil stew with sausage and kale is no exception. Whether you�re battling a lack of sunlight, or troubles at work, or you�re a NY Giants fan, a dish like this can do wonders to brighten your mood. 

Sausage and lentils is a marriage made in heaven, and so good together, that not even kale can ruin it. I�m kidding, and actually love kale, but if you�re not the biggest fan in the world, maybe try it one more time in this. As long as you cook the greens until they get nice and tender, you�ll be surprised how sweet, and mild they become.

In case that�s asking too much, spinach, and/or other vegetables will also work here, as these types of recipes are a perfect catch-all for seasonal produce. You people with neighbors who grow zucchini should pay especially close attention to that last part. Regardless of what you add, or don�t, I really do hope you give this black lentil stew a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

2 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, large dice

1 large carrot, cubed

1 rib celery, cubed

12 ounces smoked garlic sausage, or any kind of sausage (cook fresh sausage first, and then slice)

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups black lentils

6 cups chicken broth

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 bunches (about 12 ounces by weight) kale or other leafy dark greens, chopped, washed

1 large diced tomato, optional

sour cream and cayenne to garnish

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Tuscan Fish Stew � Just Like I Barely Remember Having in Italy

I spent a few days in Florence about 30 years ago, and while I don�t remember much, I do recall a few things that surprised me, with this Tuscan Fish Stew being the most delicious. I�d had similar stews before that, but what I found so interesting was how herbs like oregano, sage, and rosemary, which I considered �meat only� seasonings were also used with seafood. The other surprises were the partial nudity on TV and in magazines, but that�s another blog post.

Anyway, it was quite the epiphany, since at the time, being fresh out of culinary school, I thought parsley, dill, and maybe tarragon were the only herbs we cooks were allowed to use for fish. Now that seems ridiculous, but at the time it was pretty heady stuff. Speaking of which, you do need to be careful, since these more resinous herbs can easily overpower a delicate dish.

As I said in the video, any tomato product will work in this, but I really like cherry tomatoes here, since they provide a fragrant freshness you just won�t get with a can or jar. You do need to strain them after blending, but the few extra minutes of work will be well worth the effort.

By the way, I hear that for this to qualify as an official Italian fish stew you need use at least five different types of seafood, which is both insane and adorable, but I thought I�d mention it just in case any old-school Tuscans are coming over. Regardless, I really do hope you give this easy and delicious fish stew a try soon. Enjoy! 

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 sliced green onions

4 cloves sliced garlic

1 anchovy fillet

pinch of red pepper flakes

3 cups cherry tomatoes, blended with 1 cup of clam juice, or chicken broth

12 ounces halibut or other white fish

1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp or other seafood

salt to taste

2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, and pinch of rosemary)

crusty bread for soaking up the broth

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Green Chicken Chili � Sorry, Red and White, But There�s a New Color in Town

If I had to pick a favorite color chili, it would have to be green. And, if I had to pick a favorite kind of green chili, it would be this chicken and white bean green chili, which, notwithstanding a very minor pumpkin seed issue, really came out amazing.

A true �chili verde� is made by roasting and pureeing fresh tomatillos, which is kind of labor intensive, if you can even find fresh tomatillos, so we�re going with a ready-to-use green salsa from the market. You should be able to chose from several varieties, but just be sure to read the labels carefully. Tomatillos must be the first ingredient, followed by onion, and chilies.

If you never had tomatillo before, I�d describe it as having a less sweet, slightly more acidic, but fruitier, tomato-like flavor. It�s very bright, and refreshing, and makes a chili prepared with it especially excellent for pairing with things like cornbread, or homemade corn tortillas. 

Once you find some tomatillo salsa, there�s not a lot that can go wrong, as we�re simply going to simmer everything until tender, assuming you�re using the recommended thighs. If you decided to use chicken breast, you�ll only need to simmer it until it�s cooked through, otherwise, unlike the thigh, it�ll get dry. No matter what you use, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 to 6 portions of Green Chicken Chili:

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with salt

1 bottle (24-oz) tomatillo-based salsa verde, about 3 cups

1/2 cup fire-roasted hatch chilies, or other roasted green chili

3 garlic cloves

1 large jalapeno, sliced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground chipotle

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

2 cans white kidney beans (cannellini beans), drained, rinsed

sour cream and avocado to garnish

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Bigos (Polish Hunter�s Stew) � Go Bigos or Go Home

I don�t often get requests for Polish food, but when I do, they�re usually for bigos. Which makes perfect sense, since this meaty stew is one of the most delicious dishes you�ll ever taste. It�s also low-carb, highly nutritious, and very simple to make, as long as you don�t consider having to wait a day to eat it, �complicated.�

While you can eat this as soon as it�s made, and I bet most of you do, it�s much better the next day, as all the flavors have time to properly meld together. You can also really customize this to your personal tastes by changing up which meats you use.

Traditionally, this is made with wild game, such as venison, boar, and other shootable animals, but is perfectly acceptable, if not amazing, using easier to find domestic livestock. Regardless of which meats you include, be sure to use a lot of them, as I think this stew should be at least 50% meat.

Since you can, and should make this ahead of time, it�s perfect for feeding large groups, especially when the weather turns cold and dreary. But, no matter what it�s doing outside, I hope you give this a try, and have a pot simmering inside soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 packed cups drained sauerkraut

1 small head green cabbage, quartered and sliced (2 pound head before trimming)

4 strips bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 lb pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb polish sausage links, sliced (or any other sausage)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 pitted prunes, diced

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked until soft and chopped

1 cup dry red wine

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 large bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

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Cider Braised Pork Shoulder � And by �Braised,� We Probably Mean Stewed

If you watched our recent spaetzle video, you saw me serve up a nice hunk of cider braised pork shoulder, during which I wondered out loud if we�d done that video yet. Turns out that we hadn�t, so as promised, here you go.

As the title may indicate, this isn�t technically a braised dish, since the meat is pretty much covered with cooking liquid, but whenever I have to choose between alliteration, and accuracy, I predominantly pick the former.

I kept things very simple here, so feel free to add extras like carrots, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and other fall veggies, if you like. There�s really no way to screw up a dish like this. Unless, of course, you stop cooking it before it�s done. I�ll never understand recipe reviewers complaining that the meat in a dish like this, never got tender.

Tough meat always gets tender, if you cook it long enough. Always. The problem is, people go by the times given, which may or may not be long enough. No matter what a recipe says, always continue cooking until it�s fork tender, and can be easily broken apart.  So, with that in mind, whether you�re topping spaetzle or not, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for four portions:

3 to 3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut in 3 to 4-inch chunks

Enough Kosher salt to season pork generously

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or rendered pork fat

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly torn sage leaves

1 bottle (750 mil) hard cider, or regular cider, or apple juice

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup cr�me fraiche, or heavy cream

pinch cayenne

cr�me fraiche and chives to garnish

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