Thayer in the Kitchen

January 2011:  This is an update to my earlier recipe.  This time the biscuits were perfect, but the gravy for the stew could have been a little thicker. Note:  On the topic of the vegetables, use about 2# of whatever root vegetables you have available.  This time I used sweet potatoes, celeriac, the last of my unloved winter radishes, plus carrots. Gravy:  I didn't use wine this time because I wasn't going to open a bottle of wine for 1/4 cup.  I would start with 2 cups of chicken broth.  You can always add more if it seems to need it.  I would use 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch and see if the gravy has the consistency you want. I am adding my new biscuit recipe for baking on top of the stew.  They came out perfect with baking them for 20 minutes and then adding the cheese.  I think 5 minutes to melt the cheese might be enough. I hesitated to post this recipe because it was not a success, but it has the potential to be very go...

This is an excellent recipe that I found on Epicurious. However, I believe the directions need considerable revision. The original recipe instructed you to cook the raw rutabaga and carrots in the stew for 1/2 hour. Guess what I found at the end of the half hour? Very hard vegetables. I'm going to record the recipe the way that I think it should be made. 3 lamb shanks (about 1 pound each)--the original recipe called for 6! 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 medium onions, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices 3 large garlic cloves, minced a 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, with juice 4 cups water 1 bay leaf 2 cinnamon sticks 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 3/4 teaspoon dried orange peel or dried lemon peel (I didn't have any orange) 2 teaspoons salt 1 medium rutabaga (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 6 carrots, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves Accompaniment: cooked brown rice Preheat oven to 350°F...

Harvest Meat Loaf 1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups grated or minced root veggies (carrots, potatoes, celeriac, turnips, rutabaga--all work well) Easily done with a food processor 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ Tb Worcestershire sauce 1 Tb Stone ground or Dijon mustard 1 cup breadcrumbs 1/2 cup milk 2 eggs Salt and pepper Heat about 1 Tb canola oil in a heavy skillet. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add garlic and root vegetables and sauté another 10 minutes to soften. Stir in oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs, milk and eggs and let sit for 5 minutes. When veggies are slightly cooled, combine ground beef, breadcrumb mixture, veggie mixture, Worcestershire, mustard, and a pinch more salt and pepper. It’s easiest if you just get in there and use your hands. I prefer an “open loaf” to using a bread loaf pan because I like the crispy edges. F...