Easy Enchilada Sauce

3 Tbs vegetable or olive oil
1 Tbs all purpose flour
¼ cup chili powder
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
10 oz tomato paste
1 tsp oregano (Mexican if available)
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder

In a medium sauce pan heat the oil, add flour and stir with a wooden spoon to smooth. Cook 1 minute. Add chili powder, cook and stir 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, salt, cinnamon and garlic powder. Stir to combine, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Serve over enchiladas. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container for up to a week and it freezes well too.

Mexican Spice Blend

2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbs oregano (Mexican if available)
1 Tbs ground black pepper
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chipotle powder (opt.)


I often double this for storing and keeping on hand. Works great in sauces and is an excellent rub for chicken, beef or pork. I also use with veggies for Mexican style pizza, enchiladas or quesadillas.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

· 2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin slices (I used stew meat
· 1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used mandolin)
· 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and halved (or quartered, if large)
· Coarse salt and ground pepper
· 1 cup beef broth
· ¼ to ½ cup of sherry (optional)
· 3 tablespoons cornstarch
· 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
· 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, toss beef, onion, and mushrooms with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and teaspoon pepper. Pour over broth and sherry over all. Cover, and cook on high until meat is tender, about 6 hours.

In a bowl whisk cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Ladle 1 ½ cups cooking liquid into measuring cup; whisk to combine. Pour into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute.

With slow cooker turned off, stir in cornstarch mixture – mix well. Then sour cream and mustard.

Serve beef over noodles.

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks with Rosemary Polenta

Cooking Time: 6 hours on HIGH plus another 6 hours on LOW
Slow Cooker Size: 5 quart
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 pounds lamb shanks, not trimmed of fat
1 large, firm head garlic (about 15 cloves), separated into cloves, each crushed and peeled
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch slices
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 heaping tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Preparation
In a small bowl mix the red wine, mustard, salt, and pepper and place in the insert of the slow cooker. Layer the shanks in the insert so they fit. Scatter the remaining ingredients around and on the shanks.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours. Use tongs to reverse the position of the shanks, top to bottom. Reduce the setting to LOW and cook for an additional 6 hours.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shanks to plates, serving over the polenta (see below). Skim the fat from the cooking juices, taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Pour the juices & carrots over the shanks, and serve.

Polenta:

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup polenta or finely ground yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

To prepare polenta, bring chicken broth, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a boil in a large saucepan. Gradually add polenta/cornmeal, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese. Serve immediately with lamb and sauce.

Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks
1 large Spanish onion or two small yellow ones, diced into 1-inch cubes
4 carrots, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
4 celery ribs, diced into ½-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
3 cups red wine1 cup tomato paste
4 bay leaves10-12 thyme branches tied together in a bundle with kitchen twine
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Purée onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor until it is a coarse paste. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400˚.

2. Season the shanks generously with salt. Coat a large sauté pan generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add the shanks to the pan and brown well on all sides. Make sure the shanks are fully browned — don't rush it.

3. Remove the shanks from the sauté pan and place in a roasting pan. Remove the excess fat from the sauté pan and add the vegetable paste. Season generously with salt and sauté until the vegetables are very brown and aromatic. The browned puree should form a sort of crust on the bottom of the pan, but don't let it burn.

4. Add the tomato paste, wine, and chopped rosemary to the sauté pan. Stir frequently and cook until the wine has reduced by about half.

5. Add 3–4 cups of water to the sauté pan to loosen the vegetable–tomato paste mixture. Pour this over the shanks in the roasting pan. The shanks should be submersed; if they are not, add more water. Add the bay leaves and thyme bundle to the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. After two hours, turn the shanks over. Continue cooking until meat is incredibly tender, another 1½ to 2 hours, checking every 45 minutes to see if the liquid has reduced too much (if so, add more water). For maximum browning, remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Serves 4.

Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks

6 lamb shanks
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1. Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.

2. Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours.

3. Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon over shanks.

Pad Thai Sauce

1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/8 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. minced shallot
1/8 tsp. chili paste
1 Tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 Tbsp. honey
1/8 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1/8 tsp. Thai fish sauce
1/3 cup of water
1/8 tsp. minced lemon zest

Start by sautéing the shallots and garlic, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until mixture is reduced in volume and has a thick aromatic smell. Toss over stirfried veggies, chciken, fish or beef and serve over noodles of your choice.