After a long day at work, a lot of folks just don’t feel like cooking an elaborate multi-course meal. Sometimes, it’s just easier to dump it all in a pot and start cooking. Resident foodies John Shields of Gertrude’s Restaurant and Sascha Wolhandler of Sascha’s 527 join Tom with tips on one-pot wonders.
So, What Ya Got Cookin? Do you have a go-to lasagna dish? A favorite stew or soup? Let’s share some recipes and tips for crock pots and dutch ovens and whatever your favorite pot is.
John is a chef, author and the owner of Gertrude’s Restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Sascha and her husband Steve Susser run Sascha’s 527 Restaurant and Catering in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Charm City.
From Sascha: Mediterranean Lamb Ragout topped with Gremolata
Ingredients
- Good slosh of olive oil(3 to 4 tablespoons as needed )
- 3 pounds lamb shoulder cut into 1 1/2inch cubes
- One cup of flour
- one cup of carrots, diced
- two stalks of celery, diced
- one large onion, diced
- Two tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of pepper
- 2 cups of white wine
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- one Bayleaf
- one can of artichoke hearts
- One can of white beans
- quarter of a cup of sun-dried tomatoes
Procedure: Heat oil in a Dutch oven -(or heavy bottomed pot )toss lamb in flour -salt and pepper and brown the lamb in batches-remove to a platter and place the carrots,celery ,onion. In the pot -add the garlic thyme and rosemary -dust veggies with salt and pepper -let all cook until softened approximately 3 to 5 minutes -put the lamb back into the pot -add the white wine and chicken stock and bring to a slight boil -cover the pot and put it into the oven 375 degrees covered tightly for 2 hours , add white beans and sundried tomatoes and cook another 1/2 to hour until lamb completely tender
Gremolata
Ingredients
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 lemon rind diced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- Juice of lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Red pepper flakes to taste
Put all ingredients in a food processor and rough chop- add salt and pepper to taste.Serve lamb on platter with gremolata on side.
From John: Bessie’s Crab Pudding
My great-aunt Bessie, God love her, was a Southern spinster lady who did not spend a great deal of time in the kitchen. Fact of the matter is, she made only two things: chow mein and crab pudding. Back then, the family was never big on chow mein. But you couldn’t keep them away from the table when they knew Bessie was baking up a pan of her savory crab pudding. This creamy casserole not only makes a fine dinner entree but is also a good change of pace for a Sunday brunch.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (½ stick) butter or bacon drippings
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- ½ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1 pound backfin crabmeat, picked over
- 8 slices of white bread, crusts removed, diced
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Dash of Tabasco Sauce
- 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Procedure: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and bell pepper and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, fold in the crabmeat, and set aside. Butter a 6-cup casserole or baking dish. Place half of the diced bread in the bottom of the dish. Spread the crabmeat-vegetable mixture over the top. Place the remaining diced bread on top of the crab mixture. Combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and Tabasco in a mixing bowl. Mix well and pour over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and “tuck it in the Frigidaire for a few hours, so it’ll set up.” Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Just before baking, remove the foil and sprinkle the casserole with the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F. and continue baking until set, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.
Serve is with vine ripened summer tomatoes, a steaming bowl of succotash and hot biscuits.
Serves 6.
Serve it with vine-ripened summer tomatoes, a steaming bowl of succotash, and hot biscuits.
