Sunday, January 19, 2020

Slow-Cooker Short Ribs With Rosemary Potatoes

This recipe is from Real Simple.

Ingredients -
½ cup low-sodium beef broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons plus 1¼ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for serving
2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
12-oz. pkg. frozen pearl onions
3 medium carrots
1½ pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
2 rosemary sprigs

Method -
Stir together broth, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add short ribs, onions, carrots; nest ribs into vegetables. Cover and cook on high until meat is very tender, 5 to 6 hours. Reduce to warm and remove the lid.

Meanwhile, place potatoes, rosemary, and 2 tablespoons salt in a stockpot; add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are very tender about 15 
minutes. Remove from heat. Remove 
rosemary, then drain.

Reserving cooking liquid, remove short ribs and vegetables from the slow cooker. Skim fat from liquid, then transfer to
 a blender; add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. With center piece of blender lid removed, secure lid on blender. Place
 a clean dish towel over lid opening. 
Puree on medium-high until smooth.

Serve potatoes and short ribs with
 vegetables and sauce.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Bullfighter's Beef

This is a recipe we had once before. I think we will be making this more often. Chris said we could have this every night...

This recipe is from a 2013 post on Johnny's Kitchen. I have not seen any recent posts from the blog. I enjoyed the writing on the blog. At least this recipe will live on.

Nothing fancy about the recipe. Simply written and easy to follow.  The measurements are not really given. I used a 3 pound chuck roast. The meat is so tender you did not need to put knives on the table.
Take the Meat out the fridge an hour before you start cooking.

Saute chopped Carrots and Onion in a little Olive Oil until they soften.

Season the meat with some flour on a plate, shake off any excess.

In a very hot oven proof pan add some Olive Oil and sear the meat to brown all over and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with Red Wine. When it's reduced add to the Onion and Carrots and the meat to the pan and add a pint or so of Beef Stock, a sprig of Rosemary and Thyme and a couple of Bay Leaves and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Seal the pan with some foil and place in a preheated oven at 320˚F and cook for 3 hours.

At the end of cooking take out the meat out carefully so that it doesn't break up and with a hand blender Blitz the sauce to mush up the Carrots and Onion return the Meat to the pan and put back in the oven for another ten minutes.

After ten minutes take the pan out of the oven and set aside the Meat and put the Casserole Dish on the stove at the highest heat and add a drop of Port to enrich the Sauce and reduce for around 15 minutes. At the end of reduction a knob of Butter to give a gloss to the sauce.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

The Best Beef Stew

Slow cooker Saturday. This recipe is from the little cookbook that came with the slow cooker. I added carrots, for color.
This stew is delicious and hearty. It is the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients-
2# beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup four
Kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1bay leaves
3 small potatoes, quartered
1onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, sliced

Method-
Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over meat. Place meat in Crock-Pot slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or until the meat is tender. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Pigs in A Blanket Carbonara

A couple of weeks ago Chris posted a link on my Facebook page suggesting this as a Super Bowl Appetizer. He also suggested we should try the recipe before the Super Bowl. I had everything in the house for the recipe but the crescent rolls.
The recipe is from The Food Network. The only change I made was making my own Alfredo Sauce. That recipe I found on The Recipe Critic site. I cut the Sauce recipe in half. Next time I will only make a 1/4 recipe. The sauce is delicious but I do not think we could have eaten it all.

Here is my version of the Alfredo Sauce Recipe-

Ingredients-
1/4 cup butter
1 cup pint heavy whipping cream 2 cups
2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method -
In a medium saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted. 

Add the oregano, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add the grated parmesan cheese.

Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.

Here is the recipe for Pigs in A Blanket Carbonara-

Ingredients-
2.5 ounces sliced pancetta, diced
One 8-ounce tube refrigerated crescent dough
24 mini hot dogs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce, for dipping

Method -
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook the pancetta until cooked through but not too crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.

Separate the dough into individual triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 narrow triangles.

Place a mini hot dog on the wide base end of a triangle.
Starting at the base end of the triangle, roll up toward the pointed end, to wrap the hot dog.

Place on the prepared sheet tray. 

Mix together the oregano and cheese.
Using a pastry brush, brush the pigs in a blanket with the egg.
Sprinkle with oregano and cheese and the diced pancetta.

Bake until golden brown, 20  minutes. Arrange on a platter and serve with the Alfredo sauce for dipping.
 

Friday, January 3, 2020

Mom's Baked Macaroni

The first day back to work and we have our first freezer meal. Mom's Baked Macaroni. True comfort food.
 
This is the best Baked Macaroni recipe ever!

The Recipe -
Boil 1/2 pound elbow macaroni.
Grease Pyrex loaf pan.
Alternate layers of macaroni and sliced American cheese starting with the macaroni.
Break 3 eggs and pour over macaroni. Fill the baking dish with milk to almost cover macaroni.
Top with bread crumbs, and parsley. Bake 350 degrees until set, usually about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Pan Fried Pork Medallions with Creamy Wine Sauce

Happy New Year!
We are starting off with a quick, yes quick dinner.  I found this recipe on Barefoot in the Kitchen
The meat was perfectly cooked. Moist and tender. The sauce was just seasoned perfectly.
 
Ingredients -
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon chicken base
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 dash paprika
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Method -
Slice the pork tenderloin into 1-inch medallions and lightly sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Warm a large stainless skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when it is shimmering, add the pork to the skillet. Let the pork cook without touching it for 3 minutes. Set a plate next to the stove along with a piece of foil to cover the pork.



Use a metal spatula to get underneath each one and flip them over. Don’t worry if they stick a bit. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes. Lift each medallion with the spatula and transfer the meat to the waiting plate. Cover lightly with foil to keep warm.



Place the empty skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the wine to the hot skillet and use a spatula to scrape up the little browned bits of meat and deglaze the pan. Add the chicken base, whisk to combine, and cook for about 2 minutes. 

In a small cup, whisk the cornstarch, and paprika into the cream until smooth. Add the cream into the saucepan slowly, whisking until combined. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the pork, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.