Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

For the soup:

1. Melt butter in the same pot (no need to clean) over medium heat. Add rice; cook 5 minutes, until rice begins to pop. Stir in warm broth, carrots, sage and baking soda. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 1 hour. Add water if needed during cooking time.

2. In a small bowl, whisk half-and-half and flour until blended. Stir cream mixture into soup. Add turkey and peas; simmer 10 minutes to combine flavors and warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

TIP: Adding baking soda to the soup reduces the cooking time by about 15 minutes.

FALL

Denise’s Many-Layered Tamale Pie

The cornbread topping rises magically to make a golden crown over this Mexican-flavored casserole.

Serves 4

Tamale pie

1 pound ground beef

1 small red onion, chopped

½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

¾ cup frozen corn, thawed

1 cup tomatoes, diced, canned or fresh

½ cup black olives, diced

¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Cornbread topping

¾ cup cornmeal

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

½ cup whole milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Sour cream, for garnish

For tamale pie:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef, onions and jalapeños for 6 minutes, until browned, stirring often. Stir in taco seasoning and corn; cook 30 seconds, stirring. Scrape mixture into a 2-quart casserole or a 9-inch baking pan. Top with tomatoes, olives and ¾ cup cheese.

For topping:

1. In a bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg, milk and butter until blended. Make a well in the dry ingredients; pour in diced wet ingredients and stir just until blended. Spoon batter on top of shredded cheese in diced casserole. Sprinkle with ¼ cup cheese. Bake 30 minutes, until cornbread is baked and lightly golden around the edges. Top individual servings with sour cream, as desired.

TIP: Seeding the jalapeño ensures that it doesn’t add too much heat to the dish.

FALL

FALL

Rich Red-Wine Beef Stew

There is nothing as satisfying on a cold night as a hearty beef stew. This recipe makes a big batch—freeze half for another night.

Serves 8–10

3 strips bacon, sliced

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced

2½ pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

Salt and black pepper

1 cup red wine, divided

3 large carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 can (14¾ ounces) beef broth

1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes with juices

8 ounces egg noodles

Butter, for serving

1. In a Dutch oven or a large ovenproof saucepan, cook bacon until crisp, stirring. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl; crumble. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to drippings in the pan over medium-low heat. Cook mushrooms 10 minutes, until softened, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms to a bowl, retaining fat in the pot. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; increase heat to medium-high.

2. In a large bowl, toss beef chunks with flour, salt and pepper until coated. Working in 3 batches, add beef to the hot pan, cooking 8 minutes until browned on all sides, but not cooked through. Transfer to the bowl with the bacon. Pour ⅓ cup of the wine into the pan; stirring to scrape up browned bits in the pan. Using pot holders, pick up the pan and add any deglazing juices to the bowl with the browned beef. Repeat the process 2 more times with 1 tablespoon oil and beef, deglazing the pan each time with another ⅓ cup wine.

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan over medium-low heat. Add carrots, celery and onions; cook 8 minutes, until softened, stirring often. Add garlic and thyme; cook 30 seconds, stirring. Return beef, bacon and juices on the plate to the pot, along with broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer; partially cover and cook 2½ to 3 hours, until beef is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water to pot as needed. Stir mushrooms into pot in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

4. About 20 minutes before the stew is done, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with butter. Serve the stew over the noodles.

TIP: You can often buy beef chuck already cut and labeled “Beef for Stew.” Check to make sure these chunks are the correct size—you may have to cut them further.

FALL

Dinner Party Scalloped Potatoes

This golden pan of melty potatoes and bubbling cheese is sure to be the star of your next party.

Serves 12

Butter, for greasing pan

2 cups shredded Gruyère or Jarlsberg cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 pounds Idaho or baking potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced