The Chatam House Series by Arlene James
Hilda's Favorite RecipesHilda and Chester Worth, along with Hilda's sister Carol Petty, have been fixtures at Chatam House for more than two decades. Carol takes care of the laundry and helps Hilda and Chester with the cleaning. Chester drives the Aunties and handles most of the heavy work around the house, despite his advancing age. Hilda reigns supreme in the kitchen, and for good reason! Generations of Chatam nieces and nephews have grown up on Hilda's wonderful cooking, and no one in the know ever turns down an invitation to dine at Chatam House! We'll be featuring some of Hilda's favorite recipes in this space, so be sure to visit after every book.
Drover's Pie
1-1/2 lb beef tips or lean stew meat 1 sm onion, chopped 1 bay leaf 1/2 c vegetable oil 1 c all-purpose flour, divided use 3 c fat-free, no-salt-added beef broth 1 sm can no-salt-added tomato sauce 1 lb green beans, broken 4 lg carrots, peeled and cut in 1/4" slices 3 lbs red potatoes 1/4 c butter 1 c sour cream 1 tsp dried parsley salt and pepper to taste water Rinse beef tips and pat dry with paper towels. Place in clean paper or plastic bag with 1/2 c flour. Close bag and shake until all meat is lightly dusted with flour. Remove meat from bag and discard bag with any remaining flour. Heat oil in heavy stew pot or dutch oven on stove top. Watch carefully. (Don't let the oil smoke or it may burst into flames.) When oil is hot, added beef tips and stir to brown meat evenly. The darker the meat is browned, the richer the gravy will be later. Add onion and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add beef broth and bay leaf. If the broth does not cover the meat, add enough water to do so. When the broth begins to bubble, lower the heat and cover the pot. Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until meat is almost tender. Add water as necessary to keep meat covered during cooking. Add carrots and bring broth to a simmer again. Add water if necessary to just cover the meat and vegetables. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add green beans and bring broth to a simmer again. Add water if necessary to just cover the meat and vegetables. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel strips and cut eyes from the red potatoes. Cut into uniform pieces and cook in water (in a separate pot) until tender. About 25 minutes. Drain, return to pan and add butter and sour cream. Cover and set aside. When meat and vegetables are tender, remove from heat. Combine about 1/2 c water and remaining 1/2 c flour in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Remove bay leaf from stew pot and discard. Stir flour mixture into stew pot until evenly distributed and cover. Set aside. Add parsley to potatoes. The butter and sour cream should have melted or softened noticeably. Mash the potatoes or use an electric mixer to evenly combine the potatoes with the butter, sour cream and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Potatoes should be thick. If stew has not thickened, cook over med heat, stirring constantly, until broth is thick and bubbly. Stir in tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve: Spoon potatoes into the center of a deep plate or shallow bowl. Make a large well with the back of the spoon. Fill the well with the thickened beef and vegetable stew. Makes 6 generous servings. Great with a green salad and Hilda's Famous Cream Biscuits! Hilda's Famous Cream Biscuits
1-1/2 c heavy whipping cream 1-1/2 c all-purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Additional flour for forming Cooking spray Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray an 8" or 9" round cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Whip cream with electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the 1-1/2 c flour, baking powder and salt until ingredients are evenly distributed. With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend the dry flour mixture into the beaten cream just until a stiff dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 1 minute, folding dough in half as many times as possible. Roll or pat to a uniform thickness of about 3/4". Cut with 2" wide biscuit cutter. Place biscuits close together in prepared pan and bake 10-15 minutes or until high and lightly browned. Yield: About 1 dozen 2" biscuits. Hilda's Gingerbread Muffins
1½ c all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger 1 egg ¼ c molasses ½ c sugar ¼ c applesauce 3 Tbsp vegetable oil ¼ c boiling water ½ c broken walnuts ½ c raisins Cooking spray sugar to dust tins Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray muffin cups liberally with cooking spray. Pour granulated sugar into cups and rotate tin to evenly coat sides and bottoms of the cups. Invert to remove excess sugar. Set aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, applesauce, oil and molasses with a wire whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add ½ c sugar and mix well. Add boiling water, whisking until well blended into liquid. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well in the center of the dry ingredients. Stir just until the dry ingredients are uniformly moistened. Add walnuts and raisins. Stir gently to distribute evenly. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins until each cup is two-thirds full. Bake 15-18 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and spring back easily when touched with the tip of the finger. Cool in pan for 2 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack and cool completely. Store in a loosely covered container. Makes 1 dozen muffins. From Book 1 ANNA MEETS HER MATCH Hilda’s Eye-of-the-Round Roast 2 lb eye-of-the-round roast 2 lbs med red potatoes 3 c fat-free beef broth, divided use ½ c olive oil 1 lbs fresh green beans 3 lg cloves garlic 1 c all-purpose flour 1 lbs carrots 1 tsp salt 1 med white onion 1 sm head cabbage ¼ c + 1 Tbsp cornstarch salt and pepper to taste Rinse roast and pat dry with paper towels. Combine salt and flour in a small bowl. Mix well. Place in sifter and sift over roast, turning until entire roast is covered. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Brown the roast on all sides. (The darker the browning, the richer the gravy.) Place browned roast in large roasting pan with a cover. Set aside the skillet for use later. Preheat oven to 325°F. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel the garlic cloves. Place garlic cloves and sliced onion atop the roast in the roasting pan. Pour on 1 c of beef broth. Cover and put roasting pan into the oven for ½ hour (30 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare the remaining vegetables. Wash potatoes and quarter, leaving the skin on. Snip the ends off the green beans and rinse well. Wash and scrape the carrots. Cut into 1-inch long pieces. Slice the head of cabbage in half, then slice each half thinly. Rinse well. Remove the roasting pan from the oven after ½ hour (30 minutes). Arrange the potatoes on one side of the roast. Arrange carrots on the other side. Divide green beans and arrange half at each end of the roast. Arrange the sliced cabbage on top of the roast and vegetables. Pour on 1 c of beef broth. Cover and return roasting pan to oven. Roast for 1 hour (60 minutes). Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Let sit, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Uncover and transfer vegetables to serving dishes. Transfer the roast to a platter and slice with serrated edge knife. In browning skillet, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1 c beef broth. Pour drippings from roasting pan into skillet and whisk over low heat until gravy is thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8 |
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