Thread: cleaning out the refrigerator

On Mar 25, 3:43*am, sf <s...@geemail.com> wrote:
> I was cooking for two tonight and using what I had on hand. *I took
> half a chicken breast and two chicken andouille sausages (each the
> size of an Italian sausage) out of the freezer. *However, I didn't
> have a clue what I wanted to with them. *I didn't have any canned
> cannellini beans to make a cassoulet - so I googled the ingredients
> and came up with a recipe that not only used the chicken and sausage,
> it also called for fennel which (surprise, surprise) I had on hand.
> How often does that happen? *
>
> The meal was half way cooked when my son and grandson popped in, so I
> threw half a pound of fresh green beans into the oven to roast, added
> them to the stew and served everything over rice. *
>
> I started with this
> <http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-chorizo-and-to...>
> and ended up something like thishttp://picasaweb.google.com/sf.usenet/ChickenAndSausageStew#
>
> Chicken and Sausage Stew
>
> 2-4 tablespoons EVOO
> ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1-inch chunks
> Salt and pepper
> 6 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
> ½ yellow onion, diced
> 2 garlic cloves, minced
> 4 carrots, peeled and cut into thick rounds
> 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
> ½ lb green beans, cut in 1 inch lengths
> ½ lb potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
> 6 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
> 2 sprigs rosemary leaves, chopped
> 2 cups chicken stock
> 1 tsp. *lemon juice
> 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
> 1/4 cup white wine
>
> Coat the vegetables in oil, sprinkle with herbs and pepper. *Roast at
> 400° for 20-30 minutes until browned and tender.
>
> Cut sausage lengthwise and then into ¼ inch half rounds, brown slowly
> in a skillet. *When the sausage is browned, remove it from the pan.
> Add the chicken and saute until cooked through. *Add the sausage back
> to the pan. *Add flour and stir. *When the flour has coated all the
> pieces of meat, add white wine, lemon and chicken stock. *Stir. *Add
> the vegetables to the meat mixture. *Add stock or water if more sauce
> is needed. *Adjust seasoning with salt, simmer until thickened and
> serve.


I have resorted to navy beans and found little difference. Now I try
to remember to buy all beans two cans at a time. In another 40 years,
my shopping habits will improve, I'm sure.

Funny that you had fennel on tap, tho. : ))

On Thu, 25 Mar 2010 07:15:27 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Funny that you had fennel on tap, tho. : ))

It was just a coincidence. The fennel was leftover from last weekend
when my DD roasted vegetables (that included fennel).

You know what's a pleasant surprise about fennel? It changes flavor
when it's roasted and takes on more of a sweet onion flavor than
anise. If I hadn't literally stumbled into that recipe, I probably
would have ended up throwing it out. I picked the recipe because it
used chicken and sausage together; the fact it also called for fennel
was a bonus! I couldn't believe my luck. Although you can certainly
substitute dried herbs for the fresh, they were herbs I grow so
they're on hand all the time. Sometimes it's dumb luck. Nothing
else.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In article <[email protected]>,
sf <[email protected]> wrote:

> You know what's a pleasant surprise about fennel? It changes flavor
> when it's roasted and takes on more of a sweet onion flavor than
> anise.

Does the anise flavor go away, though? We really don't like that
flavor, so we've never eaten fennel willingly. I don't know that I
would buy it on purpose, but as we start growing more and more of our
own food and since we do need some fennel seed for Italian sausage, I
would like to find a way we _could_ eat it. Otherwise, I guess we just
use it to barter with other people who like it.

Regards,
Ranee @ Arabian Knits

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

In article <[email protected]>,
sf <[email protected]> wrote:

> I was cooking for two tonight and using what I had on hand. I took
> half a chicken breast and two chicken andouille sausages (each the
> size of an Italian sausage) out of the freezer. However, I didn't
> have a clue what I wanted to with them. I didn't have any canned
> cannellini beans to make a cassoulet - so I googled the ingredients
> and came up with a recipe that not only used the chicken and sausage,
> it also called for fennel which (surprise, surprise) I had on hand.
> How often does that happen?

I saw that in your Picassa album this morning and it looks really good!
I especially like the idea of the addition of the Fennel bulb. I
usually like that roasted whole, but I can see how it'd work well with
this.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"We're all adults here, except for those of us who aren't." --Blake Murphy

sf wrote:
> You know what's a pleasant surprise about fennel? It changes flavor
> when it's roasted and takes on more of a sweet onion flavor than
> anise. If I hadn't literally stumbled into that recipe, I probably
> would have ended up throwing it out.

When I was on vacation I tried fennel and leek au gratin, it tasted
wonderful. It tasted nothing like anise. I found this recipe but I have
not tried it, yet.

http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?id=1652


Becca

On Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:25:22 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Does the anise flavor go away, though? We really don't like that
> flavor, so we've never eaten fennel willingly. I don't know that I
> would buy it on purpose, but as we start growing more and more of our
> own food and since we do need some fennel seed for Italian sausage, I
> would like to find a way we _could_ eat it. Otherwise, I guess we just
> use it to barter with other people who like it.

Believe me, I do *not* like anise. I like fennel seeds in Italian
sausage, but that's about it. It you ever want to give it a try,
roast it with onions and carrots at the very least. I think the key
to this is "the more the merrier" as far as a variety of other
vegetables when using fennel. I liked it last weekend in a melange of
vegetables and I liked it yesterday in stew. It does not have a
strong anise flavor after it's been roasted.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.