Thursday, November 29, 2007

Beef in Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients
3 medium onions, sliced
4 medium carrots, peeled, sliced, 1/4 inch thick
1 cup ham julienned
3 pounds beef, cut in 1 inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup brandy
1 1/2 red wine
1 can tomatoes, with liquid, chopped

Directions
Combine all ingrediants except tomatoes in large bow. Refrigerate covered 2-3 hours.

Soak top and bottom of a 3 1/4 quart clay cooker in cold water for about 15 minutes and drain.

Transfer beef mixture to cooker. Add tomatoes with liquid. Place covered cooker in cold oven.

Bake at 425F, stirring once or twice until beef and carrots are tender, approx 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Serves 6
Purchase your Romertopf Clay Cookware and Recipe Book here: BigBargainMatrix.com

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Roast Chicken & Peppers

Ingredients
3 1/2 lbs chicken
pearl onions
1 small red pepper, sliced
1 small green pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic
4 oz baby sweet corn
4 oz button mushrooms
4 oz green beans
1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
6 oz red wine or chicken stock
flour

Directions
Soak the Romertopf in cold water for approx 15 minutes.
Place the chopped garlic, sprig of thyme and salt and pepper inside the chicken.
Place chicken in the Romertopf and surround with onions, peppers and more sprigs of thyme and salt and pepper.
Mix the tomatoe puree with the wine or stock and pour over the chicken.
Place in a cold oven and cook at 400F for one hour.
Remove pot from oven and add sweet corn, sliced mushrooms and green beans, cook for an addition 30 minutes or until done.
Remove the chicken and vegetables and keep warm.
Strain off the sauce, reduce if necessary.
The amount of sauce can be increased by adding 5 oz of chicken stock to the sauce and thickening with 2-3 tsp flour dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water. Whisk well until the sauce is brought to the boil and thickens.
Adjust seasonings and serve with chicken and vegetables.
Boiled new potatoes, sprinkled with chopped parsley, are a delicious complement to this meal.

Serves 6


Purchase your Romertopf Clay Cookware and Recipe Book here: BigBargainMatrix.com

Pot Roast with Cider

Ingredients
3lbs pot roast
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 small turnips peeled and quartered
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 large onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz dry cider, or beef stock
1 tbsp flour


Directions
Soak both the top and bottom of your Romertopf roaster in cold water for about 15 minutes.
Place the sliced onion, 2 bay leaves and garlic in the pot.
Place the beef on top and surround with carrots and turnips.
Place the last two bay leaves on top of the meat, add the parsley and season to taste.
Pour the stock or cider over the meat and place pot in a cold oven.
Heat the oven to 400F and cook for about 1 hour.
Remove the pot and add the zucchini. Return to the oven for a further 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and test the meat with a fine skewer, it should enter easily.
Lift the meat and vegetables out of the pot and keep warm
Drain off the sauce.
For more sauce with the meat, increase the amount by adding 5 oz of beefstock to the sauce and thickening it with 2 - 3 tsp of flour dissolved in 3 tsp of cold water. Whisk well until the sauce is brought to the boil and thickens. Check seasoning and strain into sauce boat.
Serve with the beef.

Serves 6

Purchase your Romertopf Clay Cookware and Recipe Book here: BigBargainMatrix.com

Romertopf Clay Bakers TerraCotta Bakeware Care Guide

Care and Use Directions

Before using for the first time, wash thoroughly with hot water. Do not use soaps.

Each time you use your Romertopf Clay Bakeware, immerse both the top and base in cold water for about 15 minutes. Pour off excess water.

After adding all the ingredients place your Romertopf in the center of a COLD oven.

DO NOT ADD COLD LIQUIDS once the Romertopf is hot.

Regular recipes usually can be converted for clay pots by increasing the cooking temperature by 100F and deducting one-half hour of cooking time.

Romertopf is ideal for the microwave. Because microwave ovens vary to such a great degree, use the oven manufacturer's guidelines for cooking times.

To keep your Romertopf in top condition for many years, take care not to shock it by moving it from one extreme temperature to another.

Use pot holders or oven mitts to move your Romertopf when it is hot, and place it on a trivet, mat or folded dishtowel when moving it out of the oven.

Cleaning, use hot water only, and a stiff natural bristle or nylon brush, or a nylon scouring pad to clean after each use. Do not use soaps; a little baking soda will cut any grease. Never use cold water when the Romertopf is hot.

When not in use, keep the Romertopf in a place where the air circulates. Place lid upside down on top of base when storing, to allow air to circulate inside the bottom of the roaster.

Don't use the Romertopf on an open flame or hot cooking plate. Your Romertopf is designed for oven and microwave use only.

Use one Romertopf for fish and a separate one for meats, to keep the flavors separate.



Purchase your Romertopf Clay Cookware and Recipe Book here: BigBargainMatrix.com

Monday, July 9, 2007

Meatloaf Recipe for Clay Pot Cooking

One of the best main dishes to cook in a clay pot is meatloaf. You can use the same ingredients that you would if you were making the meatloaf in a casserole dish, but you may have to bake the loaf a little longer to solidify all the ingredients.

First soak your clay pot in water for at least 15 minutes.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup iced water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients except for ketchup, brown sugar, and cider vinegar in a large bowl. Mix salt, pepper, or other seasonings to taste. Pat the ingredients into the clay pot, then mix remaining ingredients and spread on top of the meatloaf. Bake for about an hour and a half at 400F.


Romertopf


Clay Cookware and Recipe Book here: BigBargainMatrix.com

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Use and Care of Romertopf Clay Pot Cookware

If you have just purchased or received a new clay pot and have no idea what to do with it, you are not alone. To get started, you may need suggestions for preparing savory and nutritious meals with your new clay cookware, as well as where to purchase your Romertopf clay pot.


Most clay pots are unglazed, and before you use your pot for the first time, you should soak it for at least half an hour, so that the moisture will be retained in the foods you cook. For subsequent uses, soaking the pot for about fifteen minutes should be fine. The majority of clay pots that you can purchase are for oven use.

Always place your Romertopf in a COLD oven. Never place it on an open flame, or a hot cooktop.

For cleaning, clay pots usually only need to be hand-washed, in hot water, do not use soap, to cut grease use a small amount of baking soda.

Cooking meats is one of the main uses of the clay pot, but you should avoid cooking fish or meats with strong seasonings like pepper or curry for the first use of your pot. It will take a while to get the taste out of the pot. Over time, clay pots will become seasoned and darken each time you cook with them. Because of the pot's ability to keep food moist and savory while cooking, it is not necessary to add excessive seasonings, butter or salt to your food. Because you do not have to add water to boil your food, your dish will retain all its nutritious qualities.

Recommended clay pot recipes include tuna steak, beef stew, chicken and rice, or even a dessert, like apple crisps. Vegetarian, baked pasta, or casserole dishes can be prepared in a clay pot as well; the crispness and color of vegetables will be retained throughout cooking, and casseroles are less likely to become dry when baked in a clay pot.


Purchase your Romertopf Clay Cookware and Recipe Book here:
BigBargainMatrix.com

Friday, July 6, 2007

Panini Recipe - Panini Caprese

A classic southern Italian salad called caprese combines fresh white mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and basil. Here, the same ingredients bring the feeling of summer in Italy to a panino. An added touch is sprinkling of aromatic dried oregano, an herb at home in the sun-baked Italian south. I like to grill the inside of the bread lightly, which keeps the panini crisp.

Ingredients
1 large ball fresh mozzarella, about 1/2 pound
2 large rolls, round or baguette-shaped
extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, ripe but firm, cored and sliced
salt and freshly-gound black pepper to taste
dried Mediterranean oregano, such as Greek oregano
8 basil leaves

Directions
Cut the mozzarella in slices and place on folded clean tea towels.

Meanwhile, slice the rolls in half horizontally, Place bread cut-side down on a grill, until lightly toasted. Drizzle both sides of the bread with olive oil.

Arrange tomatoes on bottom halves of rolls. Season with salt and pepper, a sprinkling of oregano, and a drizzle of olive oil. Arrange the mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. Season again with salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil. Top with the whole basil leaves. Cover with the top halves of the rolls. Grill to perfection.

Serves 2

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BigBargainMatrix.com