CHAPTER 26
Meat with Sauce
Having broth on hand allows you to make quick and easy reduction sauces for steak, gravy for roasts, and thickened sauces for stir-fries. With nourishing broth, there is no need to reach for MSG-laden bottled sauces to perk up your meat, poultry, and fish.
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Cream Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Several sprigs fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
½ cup dry white wine or vermouth
2 cups homemade chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
Cut up the chicken: Separate the legs and thighs, remove the bone from the breasts, and cut the breasts into 2 pieces. Reserve the back and neck for making stock.
Place the chicken pieces skin side up in a stainless steel roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and mustard and brush the skin of the chicken with the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Strew the tarragon over the top. Bake for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through and browned on the outside. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter and keep them warm. Place the baking pan over medium heat and deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth, bring to a boil, and boil until reduced by about half. Gradually add the cream and boil to reduce it a little more, until a thick sauce consistency is reached. Season with salt. Strain the sauce into a heated bowl or gravy boat and serve with the chicken.
Baked Chicken with Gravy
Serves 4 to 6
1 whole chicken
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
2 to 3 cups homemade chicken broth
Sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a stainless steel roasting pan. Brush the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the thyme sprigs and scatter the sliced onion around the baking pan.
Bake for about 90 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned and the leg joint is loose. Remove the chicken to a cutting board, cut it into pieces, place on a platter, and keep warm while you make the gravy.
To make the gravy, set the pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Stir the flour into the pan drippings and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the flour has browned. Slowly add the chicken broth, using a whisk to smooth out any lumps. If the gravy is too thick, add a little water or more stock; if it is too thin, boil it down until it thickens. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and season with salt. Strain the gravy into a heated bowl or gravy boat and serve with the chicken.
Saucy Skillet Steaks
Donna and Ashley Sherman, Bloomington, Illinois
Serves 4
1 tablespoon lard or tallow
4 beef rib eye steaks, about ¾ inch thick
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup homemade beef broth
¼ cup brandy or red wine (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
In a large skillet, melt the lard over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side to lightly brown them. Remove to a baking pan and keep warm in the oven.
Melt the butter into the fat in the pan, add the onion and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Brush the steaks with the mustard, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and return them to the pan. Stir in the broth and optional brandy and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until the meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°F; for medium, 160°F; for well done, 170°F). Return the steaks to the baking pan, spoon the onion mixture over the steaks, and return to the oven to keep warm.
Meanwhile, boil down the broth in the skillet until thickened to sauce consistency. Remove the steaks from the oven, put them on plates, and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
Hamburger Stroganoff
Serves 2 to 3
2 to 3 tablespoons lard or bacon drippings
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5 or 6 medium mushrooms, stems removed, cut in half and sliced
1 pound ground beef
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ cup brandy
1 cup homemade beef broth
½ cup heavy cream, sour cream, or crème fraîche
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Noodles, Basic Brown Rice (here), or pan-fried or toasted sourdough bread
In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the lard over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until well browned, about 10 minutes. Push the mixture to one side and add the ground beef to the other side. Cook the beef until no longer pink and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika. Add the brandy and broth and bring to a boil, stirring to release any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, return to a boil, and boil until reduced by about half. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with noodles, brown rice, or fried sourdough bread.
Gluten-Free Meatballs and Gravy
Lori Clemmons, Cupertino, California
Serves 6 to 8
1 large head cauliflower
3 pounds ground beef
¼ pound liver, blended in a blender or food processor
2½ teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 cups homemade beef broth
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
Combine the ground beef, liver, cauliflower, salt, and thyme in a large bowl and mix well. Form into 1-inch meatballs.
Pour the broth into a large skillet and add the onion. Bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the broth in batches and simmer for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. As the meatballs are done, remove them from the broth to a serving bowl and cover to keep warm. Puree the onions with the broth with a handheld blender to make a sauce for the meatballs. Serve the meatballs with the sauce.
Slow Cooker Roast
Larry Bowers, Ethridge, Tennessee
Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons naturally fermented soy sauce
1 tablespoon low-sugar berry preserves
3 to 4 pounds bone-in fatty cut of beef, such as chuck or short ribs
3 to 4 cups homemade beef broth
1 to 2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 to 3 tablespoons beef tallow or lard
Combine the vinegar, garlic, vanilla, soy sauce, and preserves in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the beef and enough broth to just cover the meat. Add the onions and dot the tallow on top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, cool, then remove the meat from the bones and return the meat to the pot. Reheat and serve.
Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Reduction Sauce
Serves 6 to 8
1 leg of lamb, about 5 pounds
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
¼ cup smooth Dijon-style mustard
Several sprigs fresh tarragon or rosemary
1 onion, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup red wine
2 cups homemade beef broth
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Set the leg of lamb on a wire rack over a roasting pan. In a small bowl, blend the melted butter with the mustard and paint the lamb with the mixture using a pastry brush. Top with the tarragon and strew the onion and garlic into the pan. Place in the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350°F. Cook the lamb for about 20 minutes to the pound, or until a meat thermometer indicates medium-rare (the lamb should be pink). Transfer the lamb to a heated platter, cover, and keep warm while you make the sauce.
Remove the rack from the pan and place the pan over a burner turned to medium-high heat. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Add the broth and boil down until reduced by about one-third. Strain the sauce into a heated bowl or gravy boat, slice the lamb, and serve with the sauce.