Quick prep, slow cook

I'm a new mom of twin boys - and they are a lot of work. Our friends have generously provided some meals for us. We can't look at another Oak Park take out dinner... Now its time for me to start cooking again. We, of course, still want to eat really well. I've found that even relatively quick dinner prep can be tricky in the evening when the babies are at their fussiest. I'm looking for new ideas or new twists on old ideas for dinner that requires just a little work and mostly just simmers/bakes/roasts/braises away while we're home all day. Any ideas to help me out? Thanks!

To get a better idea of what you are looking for, a few questions. Do you have a crock pot? Are you willing to use some convenience ingredients such as canned items or soups? The thread on casseroles has some quick ideas for making easy one dish meals. I do suggest you could look at that too.

Crock Pot Posole - 8 servings (enough to freeze for another night)

3 lbs pork shoulder boneless cut in one inch dice (I used boneless country ribs- whole - shred later)
4 16 1/2 oz cans white hominy
2 yellow onions chopped
6 garlic cloves minced (or to taste)
4 cups chicken broth
4 T chile powder (or to taste)
1 T dried oregano
1 1/2 ground cumin
salt and pepper

I chop the onions and garlic in the processor. Then, all of it in the crock pot and stir. Cover. 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

on the side: cabbage, onion, radish, avocado, red pepper flakes, lime, oregano (I just add a dollop of low fat sour cream as I often am too tired on a weeknight to prepare these)

Dijon mustard does wonders to chicken. Coat pieces with the better part of a jar of Grey Poupon; cover and refrigerate overnight. Roast the pieces at 400 for 35 mins or until done; the skins should be nice and brown. Serve pain juices over steamed broccoli and rice if you like.

It sounds like braising anything would work great for you - especially with the cold weather we're having. One thing I love is Champvallon, which is basically braised lamb with potatoes.

Brown 1" squares of lamb meat (stew or leg) in a pan, set aside on a plate.
Thrown 1 large chopped onion and 2 sliced garlic cloves in the pan with the lamb drippings and brown that a bit.
Once the onions are starting to brown add 1/2 cup white wine and 2-3 cups chicken stock, scrape the bottom of the pan as it start to boil.
Put the browned lamb back into the pan and add more chicken stock to just barely cover (if needed). Add chopped fresh thyme, S+P, and a bay leaf.
Put in a 220 degree oven for 1-2 hours.
Peel and slice 2 large Russet potatoes into 1/4" slices.
Line a baking dish/pan with the potatoes, pour the lamb/stock/onion on top. Put a layer of potatoes on top of that.
Put into a 375 degree oven for at least an hour, baste the top potatoes with the juices if they aren't covered, or just add more chicken stock so they do cover them.

That's it! That and a good baguette make a great cold weather meal.

Another good option is to plan for leftovers or cook ahead. Braised dishes reheat exceptionally well, as do a lot of soups. Barley/wheat/pasta/quinoa salad keeps for at least a few days, If you are home during the day and it is just that evening cooking is a challenge, get dinner started during the afternoon nap.

The fastest food ever is eggs. Throw some prewashed spinach in a pan to wilt, add a couple scrambled eggs, and top with some feta and chopped black olives. You can have it done in a matter of minutes.

Hi,

Bo ssam from Momofuku requires very little prep and some oven monitoring. Leftovers could be used for many things: ramen soup, fried rice or served with garlic fried rice and an egg for breakfast (thanks, Grace).

Regards,

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. We do have a crockpot, but haven't been too happy with the recipes we've encountered. I regularly use stock in a box and canned beans, but otherwise try to avoid canned items. The posole looks yummy - we'll have to give that a shot. What I was envisioning was definitely along the lines of the lamb and potatoes and the bo ssam. Something that might require a little work, and sits in the dutch oven or actual oven for hours. I'm sure I'm late to the game in sharing this, but my husband (who's Korean) and I were drooling over Chang's NYtimes piece on Momofuku's Bo Ssam: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magaz ... racle.html

fets wrote:I'm sure I'm late to the game in sharing this, but my husband (who's Korean) and I were drooling over Chang's NYtimes piece on Momofuku's Bo Ssam: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magaz ... racle.html

I made it yesterday and highly recommend it.

Louisa Chu has been doing more research on this dish. She found Koreans simmer their ssam, it is David Chang who moved it into the oven. Is this true to your husband's experience?

Ssam is really an ideal dish for your present requirements. Congrats on the new additions to your family.

Regards,

Attrill says: "One thing I love is Champvallon, which is basically braised lamb with potatoes."

Just a note to Attrill to say thanks for this simple recipe. I made it weeks ago and it turned out so wonderfully that I have been thinking about it ever since. It was intensely flavored and perfectly cooked using your guidelines. Everyone swooned including me!

I have been bullied into roasting the leg of lamb for Easter dinner when I really wanted to make champvallon again instead. But I intend to make champvallon one more time before all semblance of cold weather vanishes. THANK YOU so much. This is now in our family's permanent repertoire.

--Joy

fets wrote:Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. We do have a crockpot, but haven't been too happy with the recipes we've encountered. I regularly use stock in a box and canned beans, but otherwise try to avoid canned items. The posole looks yummy - we'll have to give that a shot. What I was envisioning was definitely along the lines of the lamb and potatoes and the bo ssam. l

You can buy dried hominy in many Mexican markets. I have some in my pantry at the current time.

I do not prepare posole in the crock pot as I like to brown the meat in the skillet as it seals in the flavor better.

I made this the other day, and it was really good. Kind of a "throw it in the crock pot" recipe, which is to say, you could do the same thing with other seasonings. I served it as tacos, you could serve it over rice.

3-4 lb pork shoulder (butt) cut into large chunks
onion
garlic
leftover red chile sauce (you could use something like http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional- ... auce-71706 )
leftover sweet and sour dressing (I used the recipe found on here http://forum.bigsteelkeg.com/index.php?topic=4734.0 )

Brown large chunks of pork in a pot, set aside, brown onion and garlic in same pot, toss in liquids, deglaze pan, put pork back in, simmer gently until cooked through. Separate liquids from solids, put in fridge. In the morning skim solid fat off liquids, put into crock pot on high, take your shower, before you leave the house turn crock pot to low. Enjoy for dinner!

You could also do this with other kinds of meat, do maybe a pot roast of beef, etc.

Hi,

Since the first time I made Momofuko's Bo Ssam, it is made a few times year. It is certainly a favorite meal around here.

I was looking for something else, when I bumped into a Splendid Table article and recipe for Zahav Lamb Shoulder inspired by Momofuko's Bo Ssam.

We brine a whole lamb shoulder and smoke it over hardwood for a couple of hours. Then we braise it in pomegranate molasses until the meat is tender enough to eat with a spoon. Finally, the lamb shoulder is finished in a hot oven to crisp up the exterior. This dish is the best of all possible worlds—smoky and crispy, soft and tender, sweet and savory—and it’s a celebration all by itself. The use of pomegranate in this dish (and the crispy rice we serve with it) is very Persian, which is a cuisine with tradition so rich it always makes me think of palaces and royal banquets. The chickpeas recall the humble chamin, a traditional Sabbath stew that’s slow-baked overnight.

This dish is singing in my brain. Whenever it is possible, I am making this dish.

Regards,
Cathy2

On SeriousEats.com, I just observed the Thai variant for Bo Ssam:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/05/fee ... feast.html

Bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder is also sold as picnic shoulder or Boston butt.

I have not seen a skin-on pork shoulder, though I have seen the picnic shoulder with skin. I like the idea of cracklings. I cannot wait for the fall!

Over the winter, I saw German recipes for skin-on picnic shoulder.

To paraphase G Wiv: Pork shoulder, count me a fan!

Regards,
Cathy2