Carine Clary, Author at The FrangloSaxon Cooks

Two Packet Pot Roast

May 19, 2022 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Two Packet Pot Roast is as good as its word. And one of my favorites on this site. It’s extremely easy and utterly unctuous as it uses only two flavor packets plus some water, balsamic vinegar, and time. Low and slow it yields fall-apart deliciousness. Once it’s fork-tender you’ll skim off the grease, thicken the sauce and serve with some veg…more on that later in the post.

What it’s not

It’s not Mississippi Pot Roast. I tried this famous and much-loved recipe and while it was good I noted some problems. It uses a couple of sticks of butter and a jar of peppers in addition to the roast. First, I don’t think the peppers do a whole lot for the flavor. Second, I completely fail to understand why any recipe would call for butter in a slow-cooked chuck roast that is heavily marbled with fat.

I mean that butter comes from cows and Chuck roast comes from cows and fat is fat when it originates in the same beast, so why? Why waste that butter when everyone is getting killed by grocery prices and there’s plenty of fat in the meat?

What it is

It’s making the Chuck and the flavor packets do their magic while you are on the porch with some iced tea and snacks visiting with the neighbors. Sound good? Keep reading.

What you need

a packet of French Onion Soup Mix
a packet of powdered Ranch Dressing Mix
a few tablespoons of red balsamic vinegar
a beautiful piece of Chuck Roast – 3 to 6lbs
an optional teaspoon of red pepper flakes if you want some heat

How to prepare

Dry off the roast and sear in a braising pan as shown below or a dutch oven. If using a dutch oven you may cut into chunks and sear in batches. No need to salt this as there is plenty of salt in the mixes you’ll add.

Sprinkle the packets over the roast.

Mix the water and the balsamic vinegar and pour into the pan. Cover and cook at 275 for several hours checking for doneness halfway.

After the meat is done remove to a serving dish and skim the extra fat off the gravy. There should be a lot. Now you know why you never needed the butter. Put a pat in the final product for some shine if you want. It’s all you’ll need.

Cut the roast into chunks and serve.

Tips & Tricks

I use the full packets for any weight of roast between 3 and 6 lbs. The roast in the picture is about 3.5 lbs but if you are going for the full 6 lbs. you’ll just add two cups of water and double the vinegar.

If you don’t have red balsamic vinegar try a sweet port wine (Taylor or Cockburn’s is good) or a Marsala, which is a Sicilian fortified wine. Be creative!

Chuck Roast is best, but if you find Round it will cook up nicely too if slightly less tender.

Yes, you can do this in a slow cooker. Eight hours on low if seared first.

Savory Side Dishes

As you can see in the photo I served it with a baked potato and carrots that had been boiled and then pan glazed in a little butter and a teaspoon of sugar.

But other options could include:

Southern Style Creamed Corn

or:

Colcannon

So you’ve got your main and sides….now get cooking!

2 Packet Pot Roast

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

3 to 6 lbs Chuck
1 package Ranch Dressing
1 package french onion soup mix (Knorr's is good)
1 cup water (2 cups if the roast is 6 lbs.)
3 tablespoons red balsamic vinegar (or a sweet red wine)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions

For the meat:
Dry off the meat and sear in a little olive or vegetable oil.
Empty the packets over it.
Stir the balsamic vinegar into the water and pour over the roast.
Add the red pepper flakes if using.
Cook covered at 275 for about 3 hours or until it is fork tender.
For the gravy:
Remove the roast & set aside.
Skim the fat off the liquid in the pot. If you have time pour it all into a container and put in the freezer for 30 then pop the fat off when it solidifies.
Dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in the cooled gravy or in water.
Return the gravy to the pot and warm over medium heat. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and after it thickens serve over the meat or in a side container.
Taste for seasoning and add a little more balsamic vinegar for flavor if desired and a teaspoon of butter for a nice glossy finish.

Notes

The 2 packets work on up to 6 or 7 pounds of roast. Conversely, you may add just a little less for the 3 pounds. Just play it by ear.

Creole Spaghetti Pie

March 29, 2022 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Can you say easy?

Savory, cheesy creole spaghetti “pie” perfect for parties or family gatherings. Feeds a variable number of peeps depending on side dishes. What you see here is half the recipe and it fed three very hungry Mardi Gras celebrants!

And yes, it’s more like a casserole in this presentation but you can cook it in two twelve inch pie pans and then it will truly be spaghetti ‘pie’.

What you’ll need

Diced celery, bell pepper, garlic, and green onion (or white if it’s all you got)
Diced andouille sausage (I used Savoie’s, but lots of other choices)
Anchovies or anchovy paste (develops flavor, won’t taste fishy but you can skip)
Marinara Sauce (can be homemade or jarred. Rao’s is best, also Rao’s Arrabiata)
Red Balsamic Vinegar
Thyme & oregano
Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
And spaghetti (or a bite-sized pasta with ridges, your choice)

Assembly & Cooking

This goes fastest if you use premade (by you) red sauce or jarred sauce (my fave). Most of the prep will therefore be some quick chopping and sauteeing. Do the andouille first then set aside: if it doesn’t render enough fat add a little olive oil and do the veg in the same pan. Then add the balsamic vinegar and the sauce and anchovies along with everything else and let the flavors mix for a couple.

Then cook the spaghetti in salted water for several minutes less than the package instructions, drain, mix into the sauce/sausage mixture, and put in the receptacle of your choice. Top with the cheese and put in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes.

If you’re serving later, cover with foil and cut the heat. It will stay warm for quite a while.

This can also be frozen and heated later. And enjoy with the salad below!

Sides and similar dishes

Orange Arugula Salad

Orecchiette with Tomato Shrimp Sauce

Creole Spaghetti Pie

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Creole

Ingredients

½ lb. Spaghetti (1/2 a package)
For the filling:
½ cup bell pepper, diced, any color
½ cup green onion, diced
½ cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 anchovies (or 1 tsp. anchovy paste)
2 tablespoons sweet red wine or red balsamic vinegar
½ lb. pork sausage, diced
2 cups marinara sauce*
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
½ cup Parmesan, grated (or Pecorino/Romano)

Instructions

For the filling:
Put the diced sausage in the pan and cook until lightly browned.
Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the celery. Cook for several minutes and add the other diced vegetables. Cook over medium until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Add the anchovies, oregano & thyme to the marinara sauce.
Put everything back into the pan and stir in the marinara.
For the spaghetti:
Cook in salted water for seven minutes. Set aside.
Thouroughly mix with the finished sauce.
Top with the cheese and cook for 20 minutes in a 350 oven.
Optional minced parsley on top is good.

Notes

* You can make your own Marinara or buy jarred, preferably Rao's.

Seafood Paella

January 25, 2022 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

This is the Seafood Paella you’ll want on the weekend as a treat for friends but mostly for yourself. Paella is often wrongly described as ‘like Cajun Jambalaya’ but it’s not. The cooking technique for the seafood version of paella is really closer to west African Jollof Rice where the rice is partly cooked separately from the meat.

Follow the Plan!

And finally, this is a recipe that you want to read thoroughly and follow the steps which include being in or near the kitchen while the rice is cooking.

So let’s get started:

What you’ll need

Seafood Stock (either homemade or bought)

White Wine

Sofrito made with garlic, bell pepper, tomato, paprika, turmeric

Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels, Calamari

Short grain Bomba rice (or Carnarolli)

The Mussel in white wine stock

This is the cup of white wine you will boil the mussels in. Once they have opened up, remove them and add the wine to the seafood stock. If any fail to open, throw them out.

The Seafood Stock

The stock, as outlined below, is wonderful, however, if you don’t have time to make it or pull it out of your freezer you can easily substitute your favorite canned or concentrated version. Nice to make this early or buy it.

The Sofrito

This is the savory sauteed veg and flavorings that will infuse into the rice. Once the sofrito is cooked move it to the side and sear the seafood in the center.

The Seafood

This is a two-step cook since the mussels are steamed in the white wine, and the shrimp, calamari, and scallops are seared in the center of the paella pan and moved to the side.

Combining it all with the rice

You’ll pour in the rice and stir to coat, then add enough broth to cover the rice. Next place all the seafood except for the mussels on top, cover, and cook over medium heat checking constantly to see if the rice is done. Add more broth if necessary.

Cooking the rice

The main difference from jambalaya is that paella doesn’t require stirring. In fact, it’s important not to stir it once the stock is added to ensure that the delicious, light-golden crust, known as socarrat, forms on the base. And when making paella don’t wash the rice for it needs its outer coating of starch.

Once it’s done and there’s a little crackle and browning on the bottom of the pan add the green peas and seafood, and cut the heat. Cover then add parsley and lemon and the red bell pepper strips before serving.

Side Dishes

This will serve two huge portions or four with some side salads like Orange Arugula or Louisiana’s own Sensation Salad.

Sensation Salad

These and your favorite dessert will make for a nice weekend treat, so enjoy!

Seafood Paella

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Spanish

Ingredients

For the Mussels:
1 cup white wine
½ lb. mussels, washed well
For the Stock*:
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled & lightly toasted in the pan
6 jumbo shrimp heads
1 clove garlic, smashed
⅓ cup bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
⅓ cup parsley, chopped
⅓ cup celery (including leaves), chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne
2 cups water
For the Sofrito:
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup bell pepper, diced (any color)
1 cup diced tomato* (canned or fresh, if fresh it should be peeled)
½ tsp. smoked paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
For the other Seafood:
4 to 6 jumbo shrimp
½ lb. calamari, sliced
4 sea scallops
For the Rice:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Spanish bomba rice (or Arborio or Carnaroli)
1 cup large green peas, (frozen or fresh)
For the garnish:
Parsley and jarred roasted red peppers (or you can use the version in my Ajvar recipe)

Instructions

For the Mussels:
Wash the mussels and add to simmering white wine. When they open they are done. Set aside. Once they have opened up, remove them and add the wine to the seafood stock. If any fail to open, throw them out.
For the Seafood stock:
Lightly toast the saffron for 15 or 20 seconds in a dry pan over medium heat.
Remove shrimp heads and peel, reserving shrimp meat.
Add other ingredients with one cup of water and the wine from the mussels and let boil for 20 minutes.
For the Sofrito:
Chop finely the garlic & bell pepper. If you use fresh tomato, cut it in half and grate it, then discard the skin. If using canned diced tomato just add with the garlic & bell pepper.
Add a half cup of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and tomato, and cook for several minutes. If it starts to stick add dribbles of olive oil. Don't let it burn.
Once softened, add the paprika, salt & turmeric. Move sofrito to the edge of the pan.
For the Seafood:
Add a little oil to the middle of the pan if necessary. Dry off the shrimp, scallops, and calamari and quick sear in the center of the pan. They will brown better if they are dry.
Move shrimp to the side when it pinks up, move calamari when the tentacles begin to squeeze.
Scallops only need to cook for one minute. After that move them onto a plate & set them aside.
For the paella:
Combine the wine you cooked the mussels in to the seafood stock then add a cup and a half of the stock to the pan.
Pour the rice over in the shape of a cross, slightly above the liquid. Stir to coat & even out.
From this point on do not stir the rice.
Put the rice in the pan and let cook on high for 3 minutes till you get a little soccarat (or browning on the bottom.)
Bring to a boil and then adjust heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Bubbles at the edge should be smaller than at the center. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes.
Arrange the mussels, shrimp, and scallops on top of the paella distributing them evenly.
When the paella starts to make popping noises cut the heat and add the peas. The peas will use the remaining heat to cook.
Garnish:
red bell pepper, roasted, peeled & cut into strips (or the jarred version)
lemon wedges & chopped parsley
Cover & let rest for 5 -10 minutes

Notes

*If you don't have time to make this you can substitute a good seafood broth.

Turkish Rice Pilaf

January 14, 2022 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

So what’s special about Turkish Rice Pilaf?

Turkish Rice Pilaf is all about the flavor of the rice and the variety of added ingredients. Those come from coating the rice in oil and steaming it in a rich broth as I do in this version. This is just the simplest version with chicken stock, orzo, onion, and toasted almonds on top but you can go with saffron, garbanzo beans, green peas, or even thin sauteed strips of eggplant. Be creative!

A little history

As much as we link the far east with rice I’d have to give the nod to the Turks who have perfected rice pilaf as a stand-alone dish. It has specific varieties stretching from Kazakhstan to Kirkareli on the Bulgarian border. Wherever there are Turks (and Persians!) there is Turkish Rice or “Pilaf.”

In 1539, Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent even made a “feast record” to commemorate the circumcisions of his sons Bayezid and Cihangir. He notes plain Pilaf, along with noodle pilaf, saffron pilaf, green pilaf (cooked in spinach juice), red pilaf (with grape molasses), şehriye (thin vermicelli) pilaf, and pilaf with pomegranate molasses. Others mention mulberries, barberries, pomegranate seeds, ambergris, and raisins as delicious additions.

But for now, we’ll start simple.

What you need:

Rice (any kind, but usually long-grain)
Orzo (a pasta that looks like rice)
onion or shallot
butter
chicken stock.

The Stock

This gets its own category because it’s crucial. To be clear you may make a delicious Turkish rice dish with good old Swanson’s chicken broth or whatever canned version is your fav. However, if you want something amazing make your own stock and let it bubble away until it’s gelatinous. And I mean thick. If you can’t swing that, try the bone broth that’s sold in the grocery store. You won’t be sorry.

Assembly and Cooking

Once you have the ingredients lined up do the following:

Rinse and drain the rice.
Measure out the orzo.
Chop the onion.
Melt the butter in a pot with a lid (or your rice cooker) & brown the orzo and onion, adding the rice last.
Add the stock, cover and cook until done then fluff the rice and add some toasted almonds and parsley.

To Serve

Best in a covered dish especially if you end up with leftovers.

Other Similar Rice Dishes to try

Here on the Gulf Coast, we have Louisiana Dirty Rice which is one of our riffs on rice, and on the west coast of Africa, they have Jollof Rice.

Turkish Rice

Author: Carine Clary

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine is fine)
¼ cup orzo
3 tablespoons shallot, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken stock (or bone broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Melt butter over medium heat, add orzo & shallot & stir until brown.
Add rice and stir in to coat with oil
Add broth, bay leaf, cover, and cook over low heat until the stock is absorbed and soft.
Remove bay leaf and fluff with a fork.