Beef Stew and Fresh-Baked Bread

The weather was wet and chilly all day long.  Perfect for a pot of stew and a loaf of bread.  I've been craving a stew for a while now, but the weather just wasn't cooperating.  It finaly did, today.

My recipe for stew is pretty basic - beef, potatoes, onions carrots and celery.  Garlic powder, a splash of red wine, beef broth...  I don't go too crazy when I'm making plain ol' comfort-food stew.  No recipe.  I just throw the stuff in the pot .

My mom used coffee in her stew.  It made for a really rich broth.  Back in those days, we had a coffee pot going in the house 24/7.  Someone was always brewing or drinking a cup.  It was easy to add - it was always available.

I tend to eschew the coffee in favor of a cup of red wine, although if there's coffee in the pot, I'll always throw it in.  It really does add flavor and you don't taste "coffee" when you do it.

And I made more bread.

This egg white recipe really rocks!

It is crusty-crunchy, soft and chewy.  It's my favorite of the no-knead breads I've tried thus far!  And it is so simple.  It's adding 3 egg whites in the measuring cup to make 3 cups total of liquid, following the basic recipe, and brushing the bread with an additional egg white before going into the oven.

It is seriously good!


Tri-Tip and Stuffed Tomatoes

Three's Company!

We have a friend spending the night which always means a little extra twist on dinner.  Barb is the first of two weeks of friends visiting.  It's really going to be a fun time around the house.  LOTS of food, of course.  It's what we do.

Which brings us right back to tonight...

We started with a tri-tip roast I cooked on the grill.  I did a dry rub with smoked paprika, Hungarian paprika, cumin, garlic, Mozambique Peri-Peri spice - a fiery hot pepper blend - and salt and pepper.  I liberally coated the tri-tip and onto the grill it went.

Meanwhile, I oven roasted some potatoes and then, when they were done, coated them with a mixture of 2 tbsp melted butter mixed with 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard.

And the tomatoes...

I started by hollowing out three tomatoes from the garden.

I had an orange cauliflower so I took maybe a cup and a half of florets and steamed them until mushy.  I mashed them and then mixed in a teaspoon of butter, salt, pepper, and maybe an ounce of smoked cheddar cheese.

I filled the tomatoes and topped them with buttered bread crumbs.  Into the oven for 15 minutes at 350°.

It really was a simple meal with just a couple of easy twists.

And right now there's peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream being made.

I love having friends over...


Beef and Onions

Grilled onions go with anything - but they go especially well with grilled beef.  It's a classic pairing.

The beef tonight was a round steak, marinated in Moore's marinade and simply grilled.  Moore's hails from Birmingham, Alabama.  I would have never heard of it if Mike and Barbara hadn't brought up a huge southern care package for us when they stayed with us a couple of years ago.  One of the things they brought us was a bottle of Dale's Seasoning.  They told us there are two rival marinades down their way in South Carolina - Moore's and Dale's.  After trying the Dale's, I sent away for the Moore's.

Taste-wise, they both work for me,  but Dale's only sells by the case online and the odds of me going through 12 bottles in this lifetime are slim.  I mean...  I don't even buy green bananas.

But, as usual, I digress...

I boiled a couple of red potatoes and added a bit of sour cream, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

The vegetables were even more fun...  A bit of clean-out-the-vegetable-bin... mushrooms, broccoli, and arugula, sauteed in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Nothing fancy.  There was enough flavor in the veggies that I didn't need anything else.  Cooked arugula is one of my most favorite vegetables.  Most folks know it as a salad green, but it can be cooked up the same way as spinach and used wherever spinach is called for.

It's good!

A quick-and-easy 20-minute meal.


Cheese Burgers

Lunch the way it is supposed to be.

A bacon cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, fried peppers, mayo, ketchup, and mustard.

And tonight is Victor's Pasta Night.

I can't wait!


Steaks and Corn Relish

Gorgeous weather outside.  Perfect for firing up the grill.

I grilled a couple of steaks with the Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce and topped them with a bit of the gorgonzola cheese I picked up the other day.  The cheese is great and it went well with the spicy-hot BBQ sauce.

Sitting under the steaks is a corn relish.  I had an ear of corn, a yellow squash from our next door neighbor, and some odds and ends that needed using up.  And deep-fried potato-tots.

There are no right or wrong amounts for the relish.  Use what you have and have fun with it!  The yellow squash we had was not a typical summer squash.  It was quite hard and needed cooking to make it tender.

Corn Relish

  • corn cut from 1 ear, cooked and cooled
  • 1/4 red onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 yellow squash, diced, cooked, if necessary,and cooled
  • 1/4 cup sliced olives
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

We're getting ready for the onslaught.  Our niece is down visiting from North Jersey so we're going to make homemade ice cream with her - and whatever other family members make it over.

It should be fun!


Tacos

It's amazing how many dishes, pots, and pans it takes to make a simple taco dinner!

The meat, the rice, the beans... guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, onions... and the taco shells!  I'm beginning to remember why I don't make these very often!

But they are good!

I got silly with the deep fryer and deep-fried the corn tortillas.  And just to be a little sillier, I fried a couple of flour tortillas, as well.  They puffed up like balloons!  Victor made a taco salad sort of affair with one of them.  I made a really big taco and used a dozen napkins to help clean up the mess I was making eating it.

I don't have a real taco shell basket, so I used a cannoli  form and tongs to help them hold their shape in the oil.  It worked pretty well.

No real secrets for the beef...  It was hamburger cooked with some chopped onion, and then a bunch of different herbs and spices; Mexican oregano, chipotle powder, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper, and a can of tomato sauce.  Oh - and half a can of diced green chiles.  The other half went into the beans.

The kitchen was properly destroyed, Victor put it all back together, and we have tapioca pudding for dessert later on.

Life is definitely good!


Thai Red Curry

I've been working on updating the recipe site all day.  There are 866 posts dating back to November 2005 that need to be tagged and put into categories.  Plus a couple hundred that have needed pictures re-associated with them.

I'm not even a quarter of the way through.

I needed a quickie dinner idea and stirfry was it!

I sliced up some beef top round and sauteed it with onion, peppers, and mushrooms, plus a couple of hot peppers from the garden.

I added a can of coconut milks and 2 tbsp of Red Thai Curry paste.

Instant dinner.

Now back to reformatting posts.....


Tri-Tip and Artichokes

Artichokes are great.  Stuffed artichokes are greater.  Victor's stuffed artichokes are the greatest!

I knew the minute I saw the artichokes today that Victor was going to be stuffing them for dinner tonight. He just does a good job of it.  The recipe gives ingredients - not amounts - because they vary according to how many you're making.  Besides...  these ain't the sort of thing where you have to put 1/8 tsp of this and 1/4 cup of that, anyway.  They're stuffed artichokes.  You can't screw 'em up!

Victor's Stuffed Artichokes

  • bread crumbs (He used panko this time around because that's what we had in the house.  He has also used store-bought and freshly made.)
  • grated parmesan cheese (Maybe 3 bread crumbs to 1 cheese.  Don't be cheap with the cheese.)
  • Italian seasoning
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper

Trim outer leaves.  Mix all ingredients.

Liberally stuff the breadcrumbs into the artichokes.   Pull the leaves out a bit and really go for it.

Drizzle with olive oil and steam for 35 to 45 minutes.

Drizzle with olive oil again just before serving.

They really do rock.

Since we were going Italian with the artichokes, I marinated the tri-tip in olive oil, red wine, and garlic.  Really basic.  And then grilled it to rare perfection.

I cubed a couple of red potatoes, boiled them in salted water, drained them, and then quickly browned them in a drizzle of olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic.

And we still have walnut pie.


Sardinian Couscous

I've just been introduced to Israeli Couscous' tastier Italian cousin,  Sardinian Couscous, or Fregola Sarda (or just Fregola).  It is a rougher, coarser - and toasted - couscous variation.  And I like it.  A lot!

There's more body and substance.  It is durum wheat toasted pasta that is made by rubbing (fregare means 'to rub' in Italian) coarse semolina pasta and water together to make large granules which are then toasted.

Naturally, my rendition was about as Sardinian as I am, but it was pretty good for an Irish boy who's never been to Italy - let alone Sardinia!

I made a really thick ragu with ground beef, minced carrots, minced celery, minced onion, minced garlic, fresh tomatoes (I put it all in the food processor) with salt, pepper, fresh basil, oregano, and rosemary.  I cooked it with some red wine, and just let it get thicker and thicker.  A bit of asiago finished it off in the pot.

I purposely kept the couscous plain because I wanted to get a feeling for what it was like on its own.  Next time around I will play with it.

And the leftover ragu?!?  It's gonna make an outrageous sloppy joe tomorrow!


Fresh Peas

Tonight's dinner came about because I had fresh peas that needed to be shelled and consumed.  I had picked them up a few days ago without a real plan for them - they just looked good.

Victor's all-time favorite meal is meatloaf, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and peas.  I had the ingredients but thought a salisbury-type steak was in order instead of the meatloaf.  Much, much quicker, too.  I minced some onion, added it to the beef with garlic, salt, and pepper, and then grilled them.  I then simmered them in the gravy while doing the peas and potatoes.

Fresh peas are the best.  They don't even remotely resemble their frozen cousins - and I actually like frozen peas.

And they do take time to shell.  Each pod has maybe 5 or 6 peas in it.  And it takes time to get them open and out.  It's not difficult.  It just takes a bit of time.  But it is definitely worth the effort.

I boiled them in a bit of water and then drained them and added a bit of butter, salt, and pepper.

They didn't need anything else.


Stuffed Zucchini

I had a big ol' zucchini from our neighbor that was just calling to be stuffed.  I thought something simple, bround beef and a bit of cheese, some fresh herbs, would be a nice filling.  And maybe some rice on the side...

But there was that basket of tomatoes...

I didn't want to make a tomato sauce, per se, but I did want to use some of them.

A recipe was born!

Stuffed Zucchini

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 5 plum tomatoes, sliced
  • 8 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
  • asiago cheese (slices and grated)
  • 1 egg
  • fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley)
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • zucchini

Hollow out zucchini for stuffing, leaving 1/4" shell.  Add 2 tbsp (approx) shredded asiago cheese to zucchini.  Set aside.

Cook onion in a bit of olive oil until translucent.  Add garlic, then ground beef.  Cook.  Remove half the beef/onion mixture and allow to cool, a bit.  When cool, add 1 egg, salt, pepper, fresh herbs and mix well.  Stuff into zucchini on top of cheese.

Meanwhile, add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and herbs to pan with ground beef.  Cook well.  Add red wine and continue cooking.  Stir in rice, herbs, beef broth, and salt and pepepr.  Bring to boil.

Place zucchini atop rice mixture, cover, reduce heat, and let cook about 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked through.

Remove cover, place sliced cheese atop zucchini and recover for cheese to melt.

Uncover and serve.

It really was an easy meal and came out pretty good.  I probably could have seasoned the stuffing beef a bit more - maybe added some tomato paste or chopped olives, or something.  It was good, but not spectacular.

The rice, on the other hand, was stellar!  It more than made up for the blander zucchini filling - and once they were cut up, things all mixed together, anyway.

I have some couscous from Sardinia that I almost used for this, but decided I needed something a bit more special than stuffed zucchini.

More ideas to come.

And peach pie.


Another Cheeseburger in Paradise

Today was a fun day.

It started out with me dropping Victor off at the train so he could travel up to NYC for the day.  Since I was already in Paoli, I continued along Lancaster Avenue to Malvern - and the newest Wegmans in the neighborhood.

Great store - really shitty entrance, parking lot, and exit.  The designers really had their heads placed firmly where the sun don't shine.  There is nothing logical or intuitive or the least bit instinctive about it.  It's almost annoying enough to travel the extra time to Collegeville.  I need to make one trip down the freeway to see if it's an easier trip.  Crazy.

But I did get our shopping done, did a bit more running around, and then worked on a couple of websites for most of the day.

I'm actually teaching myself Joomla - a content management system - for a friend of mine who is a travel writer.  I'm thinking that it may be a good program for our family website, too. Later.

So...  Since Victor didn't get home until 7:30pm and I spent the day doing everything except being in the kitchen, it was burgers and fries for dinner.

Little ciabatta rolls for buns, lots of cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes...  A sloppy, gooey mess.

Perfect.

And I'm actually off for the next two days.  Ribs and baked beans tomorrow and I need to think of something fun for my birthday on Wednesday...

Hmmm...  maybe veal scallopini and pineapple cream pie!  That was my childhood birthday dinner.  It was the one time we actually got to request a specific meal.

My mom actually made a beef marsala - veal for 6 kids was unheard of.

And speaking of... when I was older and living on my own, I asked her for the scallopini recipe.  She gave it to me and I made it a couple of times, but it was never quite like hers.

I've always been notorious for not following recipes, but I followed hers exact - but it just wasn't the same.

And then I found out why.

She left out an ingredient.  A bit of sage.

My own mother purposely left out an ingredient so mine wouldn't be as good as hers. I was shocked!

Of course I had to call her on it.

She stammered, turned every shade of red imaginable - and denied it.  DENIED IT!  Like guilt wasn't written all over her stammering blushing face.

Over the following 30 or so years, I'd bring it up every now and again just to see her squirm and turn red, again. It was always good for a few laughs.

Of course I've lost that recipe over the years  and it never made it into her cook books because of the fraud she conferred upon us, so I'll make a close approximation - with sage over extra wide egg noodles.

And laugh once again at the best mom in the world.