Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Christina's Slow Cooker Herbed Beef Stew (or Roast)

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat (or roast)
4 carrots, sliced
3 potatoes, cubed
2 onions, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 C water, 2 cubes beef bouillon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried marjoram

If making stew, toss meat with 1 cup flour. Otherwise, just put everything in the crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on high or 10-12 hours on low.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Christina's Double Philly Cheesesteaks

adapted from Our Best Bites


2 lbs. steak (any cut)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 green bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion
White cheese (mozzarella or Swiss or provolone or Monterey Jack)
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Cream cheese (4 oz?)Cholula hot sauce (optional)
8 Hoagie rolls

Thinly slice bell peppers and onions (preferably in the food processor). Set aside. Thinly slice frozen meat (again, food processor). Set aside. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add steak and stir-fry. Season heavily with salt and lots of freshly-ground pepper. When meat is about half-cooked, add peppers and onions. Stir occasionally, cooking until meat is cooked through. Season with hot sauce to taste.

Slice buns, smear with cream cheese and spoon steak mixture inside. Top with cheese and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasty.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Christina's Stuffed Cabbage

from Smitten Kitchen


1 head Savoy cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 small to medium onion, chopped small
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, shredded
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (I used half a bulb of kohlrabi)
1 parsnip, shredded (I used one large turnip)
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 15 oz cans tomato sauce plus water to cover

Wash cabbage and remove leaves for use. Place leaves in a large bowl. Boil a small pot of water and pour the water over the cabbage and let it sit for ten minutes.

Heat the oil in a saute pan. (I like to use the large one I will cook the final dish in — a deep 12-inch saute pan — to save dishes.) Cook the onions until they are soft, add the carrot, celery and parsnip and saute them for a couple extra minutes — until they are also soft. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool a bit. Mix in the meat, rice and tomato paste and season again with salt and pepper.

Drain the cabbage. Pat the leaves dry with towels. Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each leaf (depending on the size of your leaf) and arrange in a large, wide pot. Pour in enough juice or sauce to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, letting them simmer covered on the stove on low for about 45 minutes. Serve immediately. If sauce has thinned a bit, you can heat up any additional sauce you didn’t use and pour it over as you serve the rolls. [These also freeze very well.]

Christina's Moroccan Rib Roast

from Better Homes and Gardens

2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed 
2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon peel 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, crushed (or just use a few dashes of cumin)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 
1 4- to 5-pound beef rib roast (I used country-style pork rib chops instead)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers 
Assorted peeled and cut-up vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, and sweet peppers 

1. In a small bowl stir together coriander seeds, lemon peel, olive oil, cumin, red pepper, and salt. Rub surface of meat thoroughly with coriander mixture. 

2. Cut 1/2-inch-wide slits randomly into top and sides of meat. Insert garlic slivers deep into slits. If desired, cover and chill meat for up to 24 hours. 

3. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. Test for medium heat above the drip pan. Place meat on the lightly oiled grill rack over the drip pan. 

4. Cover and grill for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 155 degree F for medium doneness. Add assorted cut-up vegetables to grill during the last 45 minutes of grilling, removing and setting them aside as they become tender. Carve meat and serve with the grilled vegetables. Makes 8 to 10 servings. 

Test Kitchen Tip: You may prepare this recipe using leg of lamb instead of a beef rib roast as part of a more authentic Moroccan feast. For a 3- to 4-pound leg of lamb, grill for 2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 155 degree F for medium doneness. 

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christina's Italian Meatball Soup

from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Meatballs:
¾ pounds ground beef
½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 whole egg
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons black pepper
¼ teaspoons ground oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Soup:
3 TBSP olive oil
5 C beef stock
4 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 TBSP tomato paste
¾ cup onion, chopped
¾ cup carrots, chopped
¾ cup celery, chopped
1 cup russet potato, chopped (do not peel)
½ pound cabbage chopped
4 teaspoons dried parsley
2 whole Bay Leaves

To make meatballs, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into small balls and chill for 30 minutes.

After chilling, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy pot. Briefly brown meatballs, then remove to a plate. Drain some of the fat off. To pot, add beef stock, water, salt, tomato paste, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes.

Add onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Simmer 15 more minutes.

Add cabbage and meatballs. Bring to a boil, then simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Christina's Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

from Melanie Andersen Williams

1 pound cubed beef stew meat
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1 beef boullion cube
1/2 packet onion soup mix (optional)
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
8 oz mushrooms, sauteed

In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, boullion, Worcestershire sauce and water.
Cook on Low setting for 6 hours, or on High setting for about 3 hours. Stir in mushrooms 1/2 hour before serving. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream just before serving. Season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Garnish with chives or green onions. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Christina's Orange Thai Beef Skewers

from Our Best Bites

Here's the thing: once again, this is not authentic Thai. But it's pretty darn good. 

1 orange

1/4 C soy sauce

1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 T honey

1T sesame oil

1 t ground ginger

1 t coriander

4 cloves garlic

2-4 t Sriracha chili sauce*

1 1/2 lb flank steak (or whatever you've got) skewers (if using wood/bamboo make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before use.)

*Again, if you don't have it, just throw in some crushed red pepper or cayenne.

In small bowl, zest your orange. Cut the orange in half and juice into the bowl. You should have at least 1/4 C orange juice.To the orange mixture, add soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, coriander, and garlic. Add Sriracha/spice to your taste. Whisk.

Take the flank steak and slice it across the grain into about 1/4" slices. It helps to pop the steak into the freezer for 20 minutes or so before hand. Place steak in a zip-lock bag and pour the marinade in. Allow to sit in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

After time has elapsed, remove steak from fridge and place into bowl. Thread steak onto skewers and discard additional marinade (or save some for basting, if you want to). The original recipe explains how to grill these. I don't have a grill. I put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes per side and they turned out great.

Serves 4-6, depending on if you use these as an appetizer or part of a main course. The best way, of course, is to serve them with sticky rice and peanut dipping sauce. 

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Christina's Crock Pot Beef and Balsamic Onions

from $5 Dinners

1 2.6 lb. beef roast
2 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. In a large pot, sear or brown the beef roast on all sides in a little olive oil.
2. Slice onions into strips. Crush garlic clove with flat part of the knife. 
3. Place seared roast into slow cooker with the oil that it was seared in. Season with salt and pepper.  Add sliced onions and smooshed garlic around the roast.  Sprinkle about 1/4-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar into the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Christina's Steak and Mango Salad

from Our Best Bites

1lb steak (the original recipe said flank steak... I don't know the difference between the cuts, so I used whatever we had and it was good)
1 head romaine lettuce or green-lettuce mix 
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 mangoes, sliced
2 avocados sliced
cilantro sprigs for garnish
1/2 C caramelized macadamia nuts (optional, I left them out and they were fine)

Dressing and Marinade


Side note: I thought this made a great marinade, but was lacking as a dressing. I think I would add some grated onion, more brown sugar, orange zest and maybe even a little teriyaki sauce (just a little!) to the dressing. I think pineapple juice could also be good.

1/2 C fresh squeezed orange juice
6 T fresh lime juice
6 T soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 T fresh ginger or 1 1/2 tsp dried ginger (I used dried since I don't like ginger chunks.)
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 C olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic (and any extra ingredients you might be tossing in). Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until combined. Reserve about 3/4 C* (you could also just choose to add any ingredients to this reserved mix as it will be the dressing) and place the rest of the mixture in a zip-lock bag.

*Important note: Make sure when you're pouring out the 3/4 C you are constantly mixing the mixture to assure even distribution of ingredients.

Lightly score the steak in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Place steak in the zip-lock bag with marinade and leave in fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Caramelize the macadamia nuts, if you want to add them. Basically you saute them in 2 T brown sugar, 1/2 T light corn syrup, 1/2 T butter and 1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional) for about 5 minutes or until they smell fragrant. Like I said, I didn't do this. No nuts and no time. 
Remove steak from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking and leave at room temperature. You'll want to let the dressing portion to sit at room temp during this time as well. Heat grill (or grill pan for those of us without grills) to med-high heat. Remove steak from bag and let any excess marinade drip off if cooking on a grill. If using a grill pan, cook it right in the marinade. Cook steak for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until done. In order to stay tender, steak should still be pink in the middle, but nicely seared on the outside. When done, remove from grill and wait at least 5 minutes before cutting to let the juices redistribute. Then slice into thin slices.

Divide lettuce onto plates and top with slices of mango, avocado, and red onion. Add steak slices and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on top and garnish with cilantro.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Lorri's Rolled Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix from the butcher's counter (meatloaf mix)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small white onion, grated
2 tablespoons golden or dark raisins, chopped
3 tablespoons pine nuts(or cashews), chopped
3 tablespoons grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup baby spinach (its easiest if you roughly chop it)
6 slices prosciutto di Parma or deli sliced ham for those on a budget ☺
6 slices deli sliced provolone
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. The easiest way to do this is to use cookie sheets. Cover the first with wax paper and put the meat on that. Then cover the meat with waxed paper and use the other cookie sheet to smash the meat down. Great method!
Cover meat with spinach, prosciutto and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, , working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly. Don’t drizzle too much. This just keeps the raisins from burning and looking absolutely disgusting. However, too much oil means a greasy meatloaf.
Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion, and serve. Make pasta while meat is in the oven.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Lorri's Empanadas

These delicious turnovers come from Argentina. It is an authentic recipe so measurements are approximated and you can vary them to your taste. I unauthentically serve them with sour cream or cottage cheese...

1 russet potato, boiled and diced
1/2 cup shortening
2 small yellow onions, diced
half of a small red pepper, diced (I use green b/c they are cheaper)
1 pound ground beef
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 hard boiled egg, diced
1 packages empanadas wrappers, defrosted (they sell them at my grocery store b/c I live in a Hispanic area but they are readily available in any Hispanic grocery store. They are called tapas and make sure to buy the ones for baking (para el horno) They are usually sold in packs of 10 in the freezer section)

Heat shortening and add onions, peppers and all seasonings. Cook until the onion is soft. Add ground beef and cook until just done. For best results refrigerate for at least an hour to let the seasonings mature. Add boiled potato and egg. Fill a tapa with mixture and fold the edges together as you would a turnover. Secure the edges with water and a fork. Brush with butter or egg whites for a golden finish. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Christina's Play-Off Meatballs

2 lbs. ground beef or turkey (I use lean turkey)
2 eggs
¾ cup instant oatmeal
3 tbls. dried minced onion
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup ketchup
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 tbls. regular oil
1 (12 oz. bottle) BBQ sauce

Mix ground beef (or turkey), eggs, oatmeal, onion, cheese, ketchup, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Form into tiny meatballs (about one inch wide). Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in skillet. Add meatballs and cook, turning frequently until browned (about ten minutes). Transfer meatballs to baking dish and cover with BBQ sauce. Bake for thirty minutes. Serve with toothpicks or on sandwiches.