contest Begin! One Pot Meal Throwdown

[JayT]

I guess I will post my prep pics first, then the final.  I usually do it the other way around, but oh well, what the hell.
 
I will call this JayT's Seafood Lasagna.  I am breaking all the rules with this one (except THP's throwdown rules I hope).  I figure Essigi is going to scold me for using cheese so I said WTH, and used FIVE cheeses.  I also added roasted vegetables, shrimp, scallops, cubed haddock, tarragon, and a garlic alfredo sauce.  I like to make my own sauce, but since it is one pot (pan) I made do.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

[SumOfMyBits]

Oh boy.

 

[PIC 1]

Jumbo-Lying Around
on a lazy snowy day...
 
 
Garlic (1 Bulb)
Bell Peppers (1 cup chopped)
Onion (1.5 cups chopped)
Celery (1 cup chopped)
Ham Shank (1 whole)
Tasso ( 1/3 lb slice)
Speck (8 slices)
Large Gulf Shrimp (1.5 lbs)
Chicken Thighs (3 lbs)
Bay Leaves (2)
Green Onions (Bunch)
Marjoram ( 8 Sprigs)
Peeled Roma Tomatoes (12)
Tomato Paste (6 oz)
Cayenne Powder (3 tbl)
Smoked Paprika (3 tbl)
Rice (3 cups)
Worcestershire Sauce (3 tbl)
Abita Beer ( one for the pot...5 for me!)
Duck Fat ( 2 tbl)
Black Salt ( 2 tsp)
Peppercorn Medley (1 tsp)
Chicken Stock (32 oz)
Fish Stock (16 oz)
 
.
 

 
the works..
 
 
the layering process..
 

 
Start out with 2 tbl of Duck Fat in pre-heated pot. Chop up the "Mirepoix" (Holy Trinity)...Sweat chopped Onions for 5 minutes, add Celery and Peppers.....add pinch of Salt and Grind of Pepper. Cook for 5 minutes further.
 

 
Add sliced Andouille Sausage and chopped Tasso. Working over medium high heat saute for 10 minutes.....pinch of Salt and grind of Pepper.
 

 
Add chopped Chicken Thighs to the mix....continue to heat over medium high burner and stir constantly until Chicken is no longer pink.
 

 
Pour in 3 cups of Rice, toast the mix stirring constantly until fragrent (5 min)
 

 
Add Ham Shank, 3 tbl each of Cayenne and Smoked Paprika Powders. Pour in Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato Paste,  Chicken and Fish Stock. Add 2 Bay Leaves. Mix contents together well, cover pot with lid and place into 325 deg oven for 1.5 hrs.
 

 
Remove pot from stove. The Jambalaya seized up nicely as the Rice opened up and absorbed the liquid.
Take out Ham Shank and dice up the meat. Add  Shrimp, sliced Speck, diced Ham Shank meat, all the chopped Herbs. to the pot
Pour in one Beer to loosen the mix up and add to the Shrimp Steaming process. Give the pot a good stir and return back to the oven for 1/2 hr.
Shrimp will be tender steamed......ready to go !
 

 
Time to spoon up and dig in...........nice texture
 
 

 
Plating shot of the Jambalaya dish, served in a Bread Bowl.......... with (not a Beer)... a New Orleans  Rum with a splash of Coke.
 

 
take my word for it.......this spiked up Jam is no one hit wonder.........it packs all the flav......and then some...
 
Happy Holidaze

 

[JayT]

JayT's Seafood Lasagna
 
Ingredients:
 
1/2 lb Shrimp
1/2 lbScallops
8 oz piece of Haddock cubed
2 boxes Oven ready lasagna sheets (24)
2 jars Prego Artisan Four Cheese sauce
1 can Progressive Garlic soup starter
1 small stalk of Broccoli chopped
1/4 one head of Cauliflower chopped
two Carrots chopped
1/2 one Onion large diced
1/2 one Red Bell Pepper sliced
1/2 one Yellow Squash
large handful Baby Spinach
five Asparagus chopped
six ounces Mushrooms
three Jalapenos
2 oz Tarragon
eight ounces Gouda
four ounes Provolone
eight ounces Monterey Jack
four ounces Mozzarella
small handful Parmesan
 
I roasted the veggies with a little olive oil, some sea salt, and Sicman's Jalapeno Powder.  I mixed the soup starter together with the four cheese sauce and spread some on the bottom of the same pan (the veggies were reserved).  Then a layer of the no-boil pasta sheets.  More sauce, then the baby spinach and the provolone and mozzarella. Another layer of sheets, more sauce, and the veggies and Monterey Jack.  Another layer, sauce, all the seafood, and some tarragon,  The top layer, the rest of the sauce and the Gouda.  Bake in the oven covered on 350F for 30 minutes.  Un-cover and bake another 15 on 400.  I normally like my lasagna browned, but with this one that is a mistake because the seafood will be over-done.
 
veggies roasting over a not so open fire.
 

 
assembled and ready for baking
 

 

 
First corner piece is always a mess...
 

 
This one turned out better.
 

 

 

[Husker21]

Guinness Stew with Brown Pods and Quinoa
 
I have seen this stew a number of times but have never tried it.  I took a stab at it and added some quinoa and brown pods.  I wanted to go for a beef and barley vibe.  But the store didn’t have barley. So I substituted quinoa.  I also added two different brown pods I got from romy6; a 7 pot brown and douglah.
 
2 lbs cubed chuck
3 diced carrots
2 diced parsnips
2 ribs diced celery
1 diced vidallia onion
½ pound sliced fingerling potatoes
1 diced 7 pot brown
1 diced douglah
1 can Guinness Draught for the stew.  3 Guinness Draughts for the cook.
32 oz beef stock
1 phat teaspoon beef base
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons tomato sauce (I meant to get diced tomatoes but I grabbed sauce instead d’oh)
2 handfuls of quinoa
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thryme
Canola oil to sear beef and sautee veg
Flour
Salt and pepper
Curley parsley for garnish
1 loaf sourdough bread for dippin’
 
Directions
 
Lightly dust the beef with flour, salt and pepper.  Sear the beef in a heavy pot (cast iron or enameled cast iron if you have it).  Remove beef and set aside.  Add diced carrot, celery, onion, and parsnips.  Sautee for about 3-5 minutes.  The water from the veg should start to deglaze the pot.  Toss in the dried thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf.  Add in a cup or two of the beef stock.  Start to work the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.  Get all of those yummy bits off the bottom.  Add in the rest of the stock and the Guinness.  Now add the beef base, worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and the brown pods.  Let this come to a steady simmer.  Add in the potatoes.  Slap the lid on and let it simmer (stirring occasionally) until 20 minutes before meal time.  I let this pot go for 3 hours.  Remove the lid and toss in two handfuls of quinoa and a couple of tablespoons of flour.  Let this simmer for another 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.  Serve it in a nice big bowl.  Garnish with some curly parsley and serve with the bread of choice.  I went with sourdough.
I was very pleased with how this tightened up just enough.  The Guinness trumps any plain old beef stew I have made in the past.  
 
Searing
 

 
Sautee and deglaze
 

 
Everyone else in the pool...
 

 
 
FINAL PLATE... I mean bowl.
 

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Read up on the final pics including each time you use the pot.

Looking good guys!

 

[Husker21]

Read up on the final pics including each time you use the pot.

Looking good guys!

 
So if we used the pics from each stage in an earlier post we should post them again in the final post?  

 

[SumOfMyBits]

Boliche con moros y cristianos
 
This is a Cuban dish kicked up a notch. Usually it's not done in one pot. Boliche is kind of like a pot roast stuffed with awesome, and when roasted, usually ends up with juice that can be used as a gravy. The one pot deal soaked all that goodness up with the rice. Not complaining. This thing was fork tender. I heard it laugh at me when I picked up my knife. True Story.
 
A big thing in Cuban cuisine is to marinate meat (all meat except for fish) in mojo criollo... a sour orange based marinade. The store bought stuff is pretty good, but homemade is more fun.
 
Mojo:
 
Juice 3 sour oranges
Juice 1 lime
(this should make ~ 1 cup)
Add 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp habanero powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 small yellow onion diced fine
2 clove garlic diced fine
 
Take your ~ 5 lb eye of round roast and cut a nice... ummm... deep slit in it. Pictures work better here.
 

 
Throw that hunk of meat in a Ziploc and pour the mojo in the hole, then all over the meat. Toss that in the fridge and forget about it for 12 hours.
 
It should look like this in the morning...
 

 
While drinking your coffee, render a whole package of bacon. Save the bacon.... leave all the rendered fat in the pot.
 

 
Pull the roast from the marinade and let air dry for a bit whilst stuffing with:
 
chorizo
ham
red fresno spears
green bell pepper
and some chopped cloves of garlic
 
Then dust the roast with a dry rub of one part of each:
 
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Paprika
Cayenne powder
ground cumin
 
and a pinch of salt.
 
It should look similar to this...
 

 
Get that bacon fat heated up again if it went cold on you, and gingerly place the stuffed roast in for some initial browning all around.
 

 
Once browned, throw the lid on and cook for 3.5 hours at 250-275 F.
 

 
Watch some football. Drink some beer if you like, but don't forget to flip the meat once an hour. And if you're CI DOing like me, keep your coals going.
 
After 3.5 hrs, add your moros y cristianos (black beans and rice) [EDIT: Please take it off the heat for~ 10 mins to cool prior to addition.]
 
Moros y cristianos:
 
1 can black beans
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 small yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3- 4 pieces of bacon crushed
1 chorizo chopped or whatever
some chopped ham
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp red pepper
2 tsp salt
 
I pulled the boliche out, tossed all that in, then set the roast back on top of it all. Also had to move indoors to a 275 F oven because it started drizzling on me. Didn't want to risk it raining on me. And water on ashes turns them acidic [Edit: sorry, turns them to lye... which is basic, also bad for CI]... bad for CI. Just a heads up. 
 

 
Let that go for another 30 mins or till the rice soaks up all the liquid.
 
Pull the boliche and let sit for 5 before slicing.
 

 
Plate!
 

 
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