I always have great timing: just as the weather starts to get warm, I am still writing about comfort food! Here are a few recipes we tried over the past few weeks:
Lamb Stew with Sundried Tomatoes
We pulled out the slow cooker for a Company’s Coming lamb stew recipe. Intrigued by the inclusion of sundried tomatoes and honey, we thought it’d be a great way to use some of the Four Whistle Farm lamb obtained through the Good Food Box.
In addition to the tomatoes were the usual suspects (onions, carrots, potatoes, beef stock), but unfortunately, they couldn’t save the dish. The honey and tomatoes made the dish much too sweet, and worse, the time in the slow cooker stripped the latter of flavour, leaving behind unpleasant wisps of rehydrated tomatoes.
Lamb stew with sundried tomatoes
We still have another pound of lamb stew in the freezer, and funnily enough, the Good Food Box delivery actually came with a free lamb cookbook. We’ll likely turn to it the next time around.
Chicken and Leek Pot Pie
This recipe for chicken and leek pot pie looked too good to pass up. We cheated by starting with a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking our own, and didn’t bother straining out the gravy, but the results were fantastic! The biscuit topping was particularly delectable, and is worth the minor effort (we’re used to slapping on a puff pastry crust, but this was so much better).
Instead of cooking for one, we quadrupled the recipe, and ended up with two 8-inch pies. And though Mack usually gets bored with eating the same dishes for lunch and dinner, but it wasn’t so with this pie – he happily cleaned out all of the leftovers!
Chicken and leek pot pie
Hearty Tomato, Sausage and Bean Stew
While in line at the grocery store, the February 2011 Canadian Living magazine cover caught my eye with a picture of a hearty tomato, sausage and bean stew. We had some Italian sausages in the freezer and the rest of the necessary ingredients in the pantry, so it was a great go-to meal.
Hearty tomato, sausage and bean stew
Flavour-wise though, the pasta e fagioli we made earlier in the year was much more memorable (likely because it included bacon instead of sausage), so I’m not sure this stew will get a regular rotation.
Though I’ve enjoyed the soups and stews of winter, I am looking forward to the transition towards some seasonal dishes of spring soon!
Only Here for the Food 
Rotisserie chicken is the same as leftover chicken in my book! Glad you liked it and that your upsizing worked well.
Thanks again for posting the recipe! Just seeing the picture makes me want to make it again this week :).
The chicken and leak pot pie looks and sounds so delicious, I’ll have to give the recipe a try too! Sun dried tomato and honey sounds good and different-even though it made the stew too sweet. I did some cooking of my own this weekend too-Sweet Thai Chili Coconut soup with PEI mussels over a bed of rice noodles. It turned out great 🙂
I have to admit, happily – that I also bookmarked that recipe – I usually comment, too – but have not even posted much lately, let alone comment. Leeks I love – and pot pies say it all in these prairie winters. Love that Mack scooped up the leftovers, as that is a perennial problem here. We loved leftovers in my childhood family… Vanja really is not into them at all. I am constantly trying to reinvent them as some dishes do not freeze well. I am also learning just to cook more often and make much less. Hard. But, learning. These dishes look wonderful. Just tonight I made an Asian dish similar to crispy ginger beef… with everything from Saturday’s market, including the oil. When I perfect it (to our palate) I will post it.
But, I DID post an easy recipe (large pasta shells) and I am working on posting more like that for my beloved daughters!
🙂
valerie