My blog has caused me to realize that I like Italian food more than any other International food. The reason could also lie in the fact that I am addicted to ItalianFood.Net and watch their cooking videos almost daily.
When I saw this video for supplì (already in the plural form; pronounced [soop-PLEE], based on U.S. English pronunciation), which are fried, stuffed balls of short-grained rice and ragù. When I saw these nuggets of meat, tomatoes, cheese, and rice, I just knew I had to get over my dislike of homemade, fried foods and make them. The chef even says that supplì are one of his favorite treats, so I had to make them.
*UPDATE* Supplì are not arancini, although they are very similar. The latter are shaped differently and do not include ragù (the tomato & beef sauce). Moreover, supplì are said to have originated in Rome and arancini in Sicily. I hope to try out arancini sometime very soon.
While this dish takes quite a bit of time, it is well worth it in the end. I made the ragù the day before so that the flavors could meld overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, I made the rice mixture and created my assembly line for the coating. I had never fried in olive oil before, but I didn’t notice a huge difference between using any other type of oil.
Anyway, I highly suggest making supplì for a party, your kids, or just because. I halved the recipe and still had enough for 3-4 people (I don’t know why the chef says the full recipe is for four people!). I decided to roll up the supplì you see in the photos and to save the rest of the rice mixture for whenever I want more. That way, the supplì are always fresh. If I don’t feel like making more supplì, I could also just eat the rice mixture as is, which is made almost exactly like risotto. It tastes amazing with or without the coating. Seriously.
I took the last photo while eating my first bite ever of supplì. I almost ended the photo session at that point. LOL! That first bite was amazing.
Ragù alla Bolognese
You only need a FOURTH of this recipe, but I halved it here so that you can have leftovers for other dishes.
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
4 cups (1 Litre tomato sauce (I used about one box of Pomì crushed tomatoes)
1/2 of tomato paste tube (2.25 oz)
1 big carrot (½ cup) chopped
1 celery rib (½ cup) chopped
1/2 white onion (½ cup) chopped
1/4 cup of red wine (I used about 4 oz of Fre Red Wine, a non-alcoholic wine!! Yeaa!!)
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1-2 Tbsp fresh sage
1-2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Heat a large saucepan. Pour in olive oil. Add celery, carrot, onion, and let them brown over medium heat. Then add sage, rosemary, and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
Add the ground beef, divide it well, and cook until the liquid has evaporated (about 5-10 minutes), then season with salt and black pepper.
After 10 minutes of cooking pour in the red wine, and let it evaporate. Add tomato paste, stir well, and add tomato sauce, cover and let it simmer for 1 ½ hour on a low heat. Make sure you season this sauce well before assembling the lasagne.
Supplì
Make the ragù
ahead of time. You could also form the supplì
without coating them ahead of time.
3/4 cups (175 gr) (6.15 oz) short-grained rice (I used arborio. Other suggestions: Carciofi, Bomba)
1 cup (250 gr) (9 oz) ragù (meat and tomato) Sauce (homemade or storebought; can be vegetarian)
1 large egg
50 gr (3.52 oz) cubed mozzarella cheese (enough to put in the small rice balls)
1/4 cup (50 gr) (3.52 oz) finely-grated parmesan
2 Tbsp (30 gr) (2.11 oz) unsalted butter, separated
2 cups (500 ml) beef broth or stock (can use chicken or vegetarian stock)
Enough flour and breadcrumbs to coat (I used Italian breadcrumbs)
Extra virgin olive oil for rice and for frying
Kosher salt to taste
Heat up a pot over medium heat then add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of the butter, and let it melt. Once the butter has melted, add rice and toast it for about 2 minutes.
Add enough hot broth to cover the rice and when the broth has almost completely evaporated, continue to add enough broth to cover the rice, and keep doing this until there is no more broth, and the rice has evaporated.
When the rice is cooked al dente, season with salt, add remaining butter, ragù sauce, grated parmesan and stir quickly until becomes creamy. Turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
Make your supplì:
Break the egg and whisk. Pick up a handful of the rice mixture, mold into small balls, and firmly press it, place a small cube of mozzarella into the center then reshape into a ball. Firmly press the rice giving the typical elongated oval shape.
(In order to not make too much of a mess, I rolled up half of the rice mixture up to this point, and set them aside. That way I did not have to roll each ball through the coatings, wash my hands, and start over.)
Roll the rice ball in flour. Continue molding the rice to give it the elongated oval shape, then dip the supplì in egg, and finally roll it well in breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the rice is used.
Heat extra virgin olive oil, which should be 3 inches deep, in a pot over high-medium heat, then add supplì. Let them fry until golden brown and crisp on all sides, turning over occasionally. When all supplì are golden brown, remove with a slotten spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain the olive oil.
Transfer supplì to a serving dish and offer to your friends. Remember to eat them with hands!
26/07/2010 | Categorias: beef, cheese, fried, Italian, rice, sauce | 38 Comentários »
Remember the black-peppered egg noodles? Well, I used them as a fragrant, flavorful base to these Swedish noodles. I searched for an authentic recipe that didn’t call for sour cream and found an excellent recipe on Cafe Johnsonia’s website.
Unfortunately, my limited exposure to Swedish meatballs includes the type you usually see in church potlucks. I remember popping them in my mouth like popcorn and feeling like 5 of those suckers were never enough.
I had a feeling that these meatballs would taste different b/c the potlucks I frequented were in the South, and I was right. The meatballs I was used to eating were more like Italian meatballs without the tomato sauce. These meatballs didn’t have Italian spices, but it was flavorful and unique. I had to add some more salt to the dish after the fact, but aside from that, it was very good.
Accompanied with the peppered noodles, the dish was full of flavor and the spices that danced in your mouth. I added paprika in the noodles because I read that paprika is a common ingredient in Swedish noodles. The gravy is basically a roux plus beef stock or beef broth – my favorite type of gravy.
Did you notice the color scheme in the above photos? I tried to match the colors of the flag of Sweden. I didn’t have a good background the same shade of blue, but this .75 cent blue plate from Bed, Bath, & Beyond was good enough. The yellow “napkin” is actually my Psi Chi Graduation Stole from undergrad LOL!
I hope you give this recipe a go. It was definitely a new and welcomed dish for my tastebuds!
Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs
from The Joy of Cooking
1 Tbsp. butter (I used margarine)
1 Tbsp. onions, finely minced
3/4 lb. ground pork (I used all ground beef)
3/4 lb. ground beef (I seasoned the meat with kosher salt before adding it into the mixture)
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs*
1 cup milk or water
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each: nutmeg, allspice, ground pepper
4 Tbsp. butter (I changed back to butter b/c margarine affects roux)
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups beef stock (I used one 14.5 oz can of beef broth)
Melt butter in a small, heavy-bottomed pan and cook the onions until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the bread crumbs* and water. Let stand 2 minutes.
To the bread and milk/water, add the egg yolks, spices, salt, meat, and cooked onions. Beat on low speed until smooth.Turn the mixer to high and beat until the mixture becomes light in color and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
I apologize for the yucky photos of the beef. It isn’t that red because it was stored in the freezer for awhile.
Use two spoons or a 1″ small ice cream scoop dipped in water to shape the meat into 1″ balls. Heat the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
Cook the meatballs in batches of 15-20, making sure to brown them evenly on all sides. Divide the butter in half, and use 2 Tbsp. per batch of cooked meatballs instead of all 4 tbsp at once.
Remove the browned meatballs and drain them briefly on a plate. After all the meatballs have been browned and removed, add the flour to the skillet with the drippings and leftover butter.
Cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Slowly add the beef stock. Cook while whisking until the gravy is thick and smooth. Then, add the partially-cooked meatballs back to the gravy, and let them simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
Serve atop egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
*For homemade breadcrumbs, preheat the oven to 350 degrees; break up old (or fresh) bread, and place them in the blender (2 slices at a time!). Blend the bread, and pour the crumbs onto a jelly-roll pan. Spread the crumbs out evenly and toast for 15 minutes. (It is suggest that you toss around the crumbs halfway through, but I didn’t do that, and it worked out fine. It was darker around the edges of the pan, but once I mixed it around, it looked fine.)
You can store the crumbs in your freezer for up to 3 months and use the crumbs for meatloaf, meatballs, and a topping on salads.
26/05/2010 | Categorias: beef, sauce, Swedish | 17 Comentários »
¡Hola! from the land of Daring Cooks. Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce, was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.
Yes, I’m a Daring Cook. Yes, I’m late. Yes, I’ve been a Daring Cook for a long time without posting anything. Shame on me. I saw this dish, though and knew I had to make it. It didn’t come out as pretty as I’d like, but the enchilada sauce was amazing. Click here for more!
I first made everything with a juicy cut of beef, and it was amazing. However, the sun had gone down by the time I was done setting up everything, so I just made some soft tacos with the meat.
I also made frijoles refritos (refried beans) and arroz mexicano (Mexican rice).
For the challenge, I stuck with all the basic and made the stacked enchiladas with chicken. I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for added flavor but later found that I would have preferred the breast for this particular dish b/c the thigh’s flavor took over the dish. It was still good, but the beef tacos with the same enchiladas sauce were a million times better.
I know I don’t shred my chicken up very finely. I don’t have time or patience for such shenanigans haha.
As I stated already, I really liked the recipe for the enchilada sauce. I will be making it over and over again. It was surprisingly mild but still very good. Next time I will add a couple of jalapeños along with the Anaheim peppers and tomatillos instead of hot sauce.
I altered the instructions for the sauce a bit by following what I’ve seen my (Mexican) ex-girlfriend’s mother did when she prepared salsa verde (pronounced sort of like “BEHR-day”).
I first grilled and scorched the Anaheim peppers and
tomatillos.
Then, I placed the hot peppers in a bag and peeled the skin off. These photos look gross!!
Then, I used the blender for all the for scorched peppers and tomatillos along with garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, and lime juice.
After blending everything I poured the contents in the saucepan and followed the instructions for Daring Cooks from there.
Here is the Mexican Oregano I used in the sauce.
Of course, I made my own flour tortillas. Barbara, the co-host of this challenge was kind enough to link back to my site for the tortillas, and I used that very same recipe. I already blogged about how to make these tortillas ahead of time, so if you missed that post, you can go here.
Stacking the enchiladas was easy. (The sun had really gone down by now.)
It was nice to use homemade tortillas, sauce, and fresh monterey jack cheese…
…and fresh cilantro.
This was a fantastic challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven’t participated in the past challenge b/c it is more expensive to cook than bake. Also, I’m a picky eater, so many of the past dishes consisted of foods that I would not want to or could not eat. So I have to pick and choose my challenges. I wish I had the money to participate in all the challenges, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Nevertheless, I enjoy looking at what others have done and see their interpretations on the dishes. I hope to be more active in the Daring Cooks and Bakers Groups this summer.
WINNER OF GUITTARD GIVEAWAY!
I used the Random Generator to pick out the winner of the “Bittersweet” giveaway, and the number was #7, which is WIZZY THE STICK of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Punch and One Thousand Faces (both BEAUTIFUL blogs) who stated:
What would I make? You mean what wouldn’t I make with these chocolates! I would love to try the two cocoa powders most of all. Goodness there is ice-cream, mousse, truffles, brownies, ohhhhhhh molten cakes. Listen I don’t live in any of the above countries but I do have a US address that I use for my Internet shopping can I participate in this giveaway?
Wow! Congratulations!! I’m really glad you won, chica! Send me an e-mail with your address information!
19/05/2010 | Categorias: beans, beef, chicken, chiles, daring kitchen, Mexican, spices | 11 Comentários »
Why do so many cooks still act like they assume only women cook? For instance, aside from using “y’all” all of the time, Paula Deen frequently addresses her audience as “ladies” or “women” even though she has two sons who love to cook. On Spanish-speaking cooking shows, the male and female hosts address the audience as “señoras” (“ladies” or “women”). I just don’t get it; it is so frustrating to me. Click here for more…
Another related pet peeve of mine is when people say something like “Oh, this [insert comfort dish] is just like how your mom or grandma used to make.” ARGH!!!! Most of my readers know that I am proud that my mom doesn’t know how and doesn’t like to cook. My dad, on the other hand, was a great cook before he had his stroke. Just because someone is female doesn’t automatically mean she should be in the kitchen, and contradicting examples of that assumption are everywhere!!
I only mention these pet peeves of mine because it reminds me of this meatloaf. This wonderful, flavorful, moist, amazing meatloaf was inspired by the recipe on Paula Deen’s website and Food Network. According to her site, the meatloaf has two titles: “Old-Fashioned Meatloaf” and “Basic Meat Loaf Recipe” and some of the cooks/readers wrote comments about how it tastes just like mom or grandma used to make. WHATEVER THAT MEANS!! A meatloaf from my mom would be…well….Mother’s Day is coming up, so I will just fill that blank with “I LOVE YOU, MOM!”
I modified this meatloaf recipe so much that I can no longer say it is from or even adapted from the “Lady PD” (hehe), so I’ll just say that it was inspired from her recipe. My version is a bit more involved than that of Paula Deen, but I think it is much more flavorful because I cooked the veggies, added another type of ground meat along with crispy bacon. The broken-up bacon pieces add a great contrast to the soft texture of the meat!
I added Worcestershire sauce to the glaze, and just put it over the top of the loaf. I accompanied the meatloaf with a quick version of the mashed potato recipe on Pioneer Woman. It was quicker because I didn’t bake it after mashing and heating up the potato mixture over the stove. Not baking the potato mixture made the mashed potatoes much smoother. Lastly, in order to incorporate more veggies in my diet (yes, you’re still on my blog hehe), I made a simple salad with Romaine lettuce, fresh tomatoes, cheese, and Ranch dressing.
I hope you make this dish. It is so comforting and adaptable. It tastes just like how your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, cousin, OR favorite restaurant used to make it LOL!
Old-Fashioned Bacon Meatloafrecipe inspired by Paula Deen’s recipe on Food Network
5-8 pieces of bacon
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 handful of fresh (or dried) parsley, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork (you could also use more beef, ground turkey, veal, or chicken)
1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher or seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
2 freshly cut tomatoes or 16 oz canned, diced tomatoes (w/o juice) (I cut 2 fresh tomatoes)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
Topping:
2/3 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon yellow mustard (or Dijon, if you like that flavor)
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Render the fat from the bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon and set aside. Place chopped veggies (I chopped the veggies together in the food processor) in the bacon fat, and cook until translucent. Allow veggie mixture to cool, and prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Season the ground meat, and place it, along with the crispy bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and oats in a big bowl. With a slotted spoon, remove the cooled, cooked veggies on top of the meat mixture, and mix everything with your hands (using your hands helps prevent over-mixing and helps you feel when the mixture is fully amalgamated). Place mixture in a loaf pan, and shape or flatten it into a loaf.
Topping:
Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour. (I accidentally placed the topping on the meatloaf AFTER baking it. You could put half of the mixture on the loaf before baking and the rest afterward. The sauce is so addicting!)
06/05/2010 | Categorias: bacon, beef, oats, pork, potatoes, vegetables | 19 Comentários »
I cannot believe I forgot to blog about this dish! Remember when I made the adobo sauce many moons ago?! Well, there was a purpose for that sauce, and I was supposed to share with you all this dish I’m posting today.
What a bad food blogger I am!! I must have been distracted by something sweet or something because this dish was fantastic. Along with this flavorful beef, I made arroz mexicano (yes, I used the same recipe. I guess I used more red tomatoes the first time and tomatillos/regular tomatoes this time. I don’t remember.) and tortillas de harina or flour tortillas.
The good thing about the beef is that you make it in the crockpot. You could also make the tortillas the day before by rolling them out, placing the uncooked, flattened discs of dough between wax paper, place them all in a freezer bag, and keep them in the refrigerator (or freezer for a longer amount of storage). The next day, you take them out and cook them on a comal, cast-iron skillet, or some very hot oven-top surface.
The arroz can be made ahead of time, too, but it tastes better when it is first made. I grated monterey jack and lots of cheddar cheese. I also used a bunch of jalapeños. These jalapeños weren’t very spicy, so I could handle a bunch of them for added flavor and zing.
I apologize for holding out on this amazing dish. It was truly perfect. I wish I could make some more right now, but I haven’t been in the kitchen much these days. I think I’ve lost my mojo for now. I hope to get back in the kitchen very soon.
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (homemade version here!)
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Flour tortillas, homemade or store-bought
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side. Do NOT MOVE the meat while it cooks for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Remove the beef from the skillet, and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle or adobo sauce, and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Remove the beef from the slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.
Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings, such as fresh salsa like pico de gallo, frijoles refritos, arroz mexicano, etc.
14/04/2010 | Categorias: beef, cheese, chiles, Mexican, rice, sauce, slow cooker, spices | 21 Comentários »
For my first giveaway, one of the questions I posed dealt with what types of dishes you all would like to see on my blog. A couple of commenters suggested I blog about some family recipes. While most people would see this suggestion as normal and more than satisfactory, I thought it was quite humorous because for my family, there is really no such thing as a family recipe because the relatives with whom I grew up never really learned how to cook. Their inability to cook stemmed from the fact that my grandmother would kick the kids out of the kitchen!
This sentiment may come off weird, but I’m actually proud to admit that my mom is considered the worst cook of my family b/c her ineptitude in the kitchen goes against gender stereotypes. She doesn’t like to be in the kitchen for more than 5 minutes. In fact, her dream house would include a small kitchen and a huge bathroom. My dad, on the other hand, does know how to cook, but I was not raised by him. My maternal aunts and uncles are inept in the kitchen as well; however, one or two of my aunts have been getting better b/c their husbands or ex-husbands taught them how to cook.
So, unfortunately, I won’t have any family recipes to share on this blog. Well, my mom does know how to make one dish: potato salad. So, I could share that one day (mom?). Anyway, I wrote all of that to say that the recipes on my blog will probably become my future family recipes if I ever procure my own family, and this sloppy joe recipe will definitely be one of them.
The dish was very flavorful. I didn’t make any buns, so I just used regular, store-bought bread. I highly suggest you make this recipe part of your “family recipes” soon. Enjoy!
Sloppy Joes
adapted by allrecipes
1 pound lean or regular ground beef or black/kidney beans (for vegetarian option)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (optional; I didn’t use)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Topping: cheddar cheese, optional
In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Plan-ahead: Fill the cups in a muffin tin with leftovers, and freeze them. When frozen, pop them out, and store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. Each one is the perfect size for a bun and ready to microwave.
06/04/2010 | Categorias: beef, cheese, slow cooker, vegetarian | 9 Comentários »
If you don’t like your different food items to touch each other, please don’t look at the subsequent photos. 
When Monica from Lick the Bowl Good and I decided to meet up for the first time, we went to Mimi’s Cafe. The first I ever ate at this restaurant, I was happy with what I ordered so I never went again until my meeting with Monica. She gave me some suggestions on what to order, and one of her suggestions included pot roast with mashed potatoes. I don’t normally order or even eat pot roast, but I was in the mood for a comforting, “home-cooked” type of meal and veggies.
Well, that pot roast was AMAZING! It was so tender and succulent, and the mashed potatoes and veggies were perfectly seasoned. The dish was so good that I kept thinking about it for days. I then decided to try making it myself for the first time.
After unsuccessfully looking for a copycat recipe for the Mimi’s Pot Roast, I decided on the recipe found on Pioneer Woman’s site because she didn’t use a crockpot. I cooked the meat for half the time she suggested because my oven overheats (I have to cook half the time for every recipe I use), and the meat wasn’t ready (see photo below).
So, I ending up cooking the meat for one more hour, and it came out just as tender as it looks on Ree’s site. I served this pot roast with leftover colcannon, carrots, and onions. Although it was tender and flavorful, it didn’t taste like the pot roast at Mimi’s. Maybe it was because I didn’t use fresh thyme and rosemary, and I used all broth instead of wine. I don’t know, but I guess I’ll have to keep on trying. For the next time, I’m going to use a crockpot and a different recipe. Nevertheless, this pot roast came at a close second place.
*UPDATE* After eating it a second and third time, the flavors have melded, and the pot roast tastes amazing. I think the only missing is the gravy. I used the juices from the broth as my gravy, but a real, thickened gravy would make this even better than the pot roast I had at the restaurant. So, please make gravy out of the leftover beef broth by making a small roux (about 2 Tbsp flour + 2 Tbsp butter) and adding the juices to the roux. I wish I had done that.
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 whole Chuck Roast (mine was 2.5 lbs)
2 whole Onions (I used 1/2 onion chopped in long, semi-circled cuts)
6 whole Carrots (I had only 2 carrots and chopped them in smaller pieces)
Salt To Taste (Try using Lawry’s Seasoning salt)
Pepper To Taste
3 cups To 4 Cups Beef Stock (can substitute one cup of broth for red wine if you want)
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste (I didn’t have)
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste (I used dried, about 2-3 Tbsp)
Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and butter.
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices. When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved or chopped onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan, and sear it for about a minute or two on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that flavor up. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.
20/03/2010 | Categorias: beef, potatoes, vegetables | 25 Comentários »
I was struggling with the proper way to name this dish since “tamale” isn’t a word in Spanish. However, this dish is nothing like tamales, so I guess “tamale” is appropriate since both are are not authentically Mexican . Anyway, when I told my Mexican girlfriend that I was making this dish, she went crazy because it is nothing like a tamal. I’ve made tamales, and I’ve helped my girlfriend’s mother make tamales as well. So, I’m aware of how much work, time, and ingredients are involved in making the real thing.
LOOK! As a reward to myself for completing my paper, I bought my first Le Creuset item at an outlet mall! It is a 3 1/2 quart casserole pot. I love it!
Nevertheless, I was curious about the combination of cornbread, cheese, and seasoned meat all in one dish and wanted to try out this dish. No matter how this dish should be called, I must say it is beyond tasty. I loved it so much that I immediately spooned out seconds after eating the portion you see on the plate below.
Look at that crust!
I compared a few recipes online, but I preferred the one I used because of the layer of corn and the mix-in of cheese in the cornbread batter. The “originator” of this recipe used Jiffy cornbread mix, but I used my favorite cornbread recipe instead. Even though I’m a southerner, I prefer a little sugar in my cornbread, but feel free to reduce or eliminate the sugar. It was easy to put together the cornbread batter, so I really don’t think you need go out and buy a pre-made box of cornmeal, flour, and baking soda. That is really all it is, you know haha.
I know I almost always tell you all to try out whatever meal or dish I post, but this is really good. You can make it with ground turkey or a load of beans if you don’t eat beef. Make sure you season the meat/bean section well. I added the other filling options in the recipe below. Enjoy!
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp veg oil
1/2 medium onion 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or canned beans (I actually used grass-fed beef for the first time)
1 cup diced peppers of your choice (optional; I didn’t use)
1 16-oz jar salsa (I used Pomì chopped tomatoes)
1 tsp salt (I used Lawry’s Seasoning Salt)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chipotle pepper (I used 3 Tbsp homemade adobe chile sauce; recipe here)
1-2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (I used 1-2 tsp Mexican Oregano)
4 oz cheddar cheese, divided (I used sharp)
4 oz monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups frozen or fresh corn
In a skillet, melt butter and oil. Add onions and garlic, and cook until translucent. Add the beef, turkey, or beans and green peppers, and cook until brown (for beans, just move on to the next step).
Add salsa or chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, chipotle pepper/adobe sauce, cumin, and oregano. Once the mixture is seasoned well, allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, p
reheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare the cornbread batter.
Buttermilk aka Dixie Cornbread
1 3/4 cups enriched white cornmeal
(I used yellow)3 Tbsp AP flour
1 tsp salt
(I used kosher)1 tsp baking soda
1-3 Tbsp sugar
(depends on how sweet you like your cornbread)1 1/2 cups buttermilk (You could use milk + lemon juice, too)
1 egg
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
Stir together dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, egg, and add melted butter. Mix the ingredients until they are moistened; do not over-stir. Mix 3/4ths of the cheese to the cornbread batter.
Pour 1/4 of the mixture into the casserole pan.
Add 1/2-1 cup of the frozen or fresh corn on top of the batter.
Add all of the meat mixture. Then, add the rest of the corn (1/2-1 cup) (optional;
I forgot to do this, so I had only one layer of corn, and it tasted more than fine.)
Add the rest of the cornbread batter.
Add additional cheese on top.
Bake uncovered in a preheated hot oven for 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
03/03/2010 | Categorias: beans, beef, breads, cheese, Mexican, pie, tamales, vegetables, vegetarian | 19 Comentários »
More than three years ago, I joined an online weight-loss group on xanga.com. I had lost a lot of weight, gained it back, lost it again, and then gained it back. Through all of those ups and downs, I also had gained a lot of online buddies. Once I began to stray away from this site, I lost all of those friends…except for one — Laurian.
Laurian and I have met only once, but she knows me more than most of my friends who live close-by. We have much in common. She is an intelligent, graduate student studying Anthropology in Philadelphia, and I’m glad that we still stay in touch.
About a year ago we briefly had discussed the makings of true, authentic lasagne, and I told her that Italian lasagne usually have besciamella (beh-shyah-MEL-lah) or béchamel, instead of ricotta (ree-COAT-tah) or cottage cheese.
Well, last week, we were chatting with each other on MSN Messenger, and she told me that she was looking at my food blog as usual. I didn’t know that she visits my blog regularly, but I was happy to know she does. She asked me why hadn’t I made that lasagne for her. I told her that I didn’t know that I’d promised to make lasagne for her, and she said, “Well, you didn’t.” She just wanted me to do it haha.
So, this post is entirely dedicated to my best, virtual friend in the world.
Questo è per la mia migliore amica. Ti voglio bene! I love you!
LASAGNE: Because I was making this dish for my friend, I put in a lot of effort and love into it. I bought fresh herbs and vegetables. Also, I purchased lasagne noodles,
parmigiano reggiano, and ’00′ flour imported from Italy, etc.
I am thankful for knowing so many languages, such as Italian, because I was able to find a close-enough to authentic recipe given in the lovely Italian language. I found this video and recipe on Italianfoodnet. It is a fabulous website that contains a bunch of videos of popular, Italian recipes. There are English subtitles on most (but not all) of the recipes, and there are text versions of all the recipes in English. The video for this dish was in Italian, and I couldn’t believe that I had understood about 90% of it! I was shocked!
Anyway, I stuck to the recipe pretty closely. I even made the
ragù on the site instead of the one I usually
make. I thought that this new version of lasagne wouldn’t be seasoned well enough, so I added a bit more ingredients such as extra salt, cream, and Italian seasoning. Interestingly, even though the meat sauce or
ragù wasn’t seasoned as much as my other standby, its flavor matched perfectly with the other components of this dish. You don’t want a meat sauce that overpowers the
besciamella,
parmigiano grattugiato (grated
parmigiano), and lasagne noodles. Everything was perfectly balanced.
Surprisingly, I’m not crazy about lasagne. I’ve tried lasagne at various restaurants, and I’m never impressed by the taste. However, this particular recipe has changed my perspective completely. The
besciamella really boosted up the flavor. The lasagne had a lot of oil on and in it, so I will reduce that the next time I make this, and there WILL be a next time. I also didn’t add extra butter on top of the dish as the cook does because it just wasn’t necessary. Nevertheless, everything was perfect. Please make this dish soon. You won’t regret it.
Ragù alla Bolognese1 lb 3 oz (600 gr) (21 oz) Ground Beef
2 Litres Tomato Sauce (I used about 52 ounces of Pomì crushed tomatoes; it was more than enough)
1 Tomato Paste Tube (4.5 oz)
1 Big Carrot (½ cup) chopped
1 Celery Rib (½ cup) chopped
1 White Onion (½ cup) chopped
3 Glasses of Red Wine (I used about 8 oz of Fre Red Wine, a non-alcoholic wine!! Yeaa!!)
1/4-1/2 cups heavy cream (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Sage
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper
Heat a large saucepan. Pour in olive oil. Add celery, carrot, onion, and let them brown over medium heat. Then add sage, rosemary, and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
Add the ground beef, divide it well, and cook until the liquid has evaporated (about 5-10 minutes), then season with salt and black pepper.
After 10 minutes of cooking pour in the red wine, and let it evaporate. Add tomato paste, stir well, and add tomato sauce, cover and let it simmer for 1 ½ hour on a low heat. Make sure you season this sauce well before assembling the lasagne.
4.2 cups (1 Litre) (33.8 fl oz) Whole Milk
about 1 stick (100 gr) (3.52 oz) Butter
about 1 cup (100 gr) (3.52 oz) 00 Flour (I used ’00′ flour, but you could use AP flour)
A Pinch of Salt (I used more than a pinch of salt. Season to taste)
Fresh, grated nutmeg
Pour the milk into a large saucepan, add salt, some grated nutmeg, and place the pan on medium heat.
Put the butter into a medium saucepan, and place the pan on medium heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour, and let the mixture cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat whisking constantly. When the mixture is ready, remove the pan from heat and let it rest.
As soon as the milk reaches the boiling point, pour it into the mixture little by little, whisking briskly to avoid lumps from forming. When the milk is incorporated, return the pan over a medium-low heat, and let it cook for 15 minutes whisking continuously.
When your béchamel is ready, remove from heat. If not using the mixture immediately, transfer it to a large bowl. We suggest you let the béchamel cool to room temperature, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the béchamel, to prevent a skin from forming while the sauce cools.
Le Lasagne al Ragù
20-25 fresh Lasagna pasta sheets (Soak your lasagna sheets in a pot of hot water if they are hard)
about 8 cups (1½ Litres) besciamella (use the sauce you made; you will have more than enough)
8 cups (2 Litres) Ragù (sauce from above; you’ll have more than enough)
2-3 cups (250 gr.) (8.81 oz.) Grated parmesan
80 gr (2.82 oz.) Butter (I only used the butter to butter the pan. I didn’t add more on top; it was oily enough from the olive oil)
Extra virgin olive oil
Butter the baking tin, spread ragù along the bottom (I forgot to take a photo of that!) , lay lasagna sheets over ragù and press along the rims of the baking tin.
Spread ragù, add besciamella, sprinkle with grated parmesan and extra virgin olive oil.
Repeat layers: Lasagna sheets, ragù, besciamella, parmesan, olive oil until you got to the rim of the pan. Fold Lasagna sheet sides so that they will not burn.
Top with ragù, which must cover all Lasagne. Add a little more besciamella. Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan. Add some knobs of butter (optional) and a little extra virgin olive oil.
Preheat oven to 250 C (482 F). Once you place the dish in the oven, lower the temperature to 180 C (356 F), and bake lasagne for about 20 minutes. Remove lasagne from oven, and let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
01/02/2010 | Categorias: beef, cheese, Italian, pasta | 21 Comentários »
I have a paper due on the 10th of February, and it is an important paper that will determine if I will be a PhD candidate or not. Therefore, I will not be as active on the blog for a few weeks, but I will still post regularly. I will just be a bit more terse. (PLEASE PRAY FOR ME, OR SEND GOOD KARMA MY WAY!)
Nevertheless, I’m glad I have been taking advantage of the winter break by making a lot of dishes that I had always wanted to make like tamales, a rosca de reyes, and bagels. I now want to make churros, pretzels, and perfect my puff pastry-making skills. I will worry about all of that later, though.
Anyway, I made this chili macaroni yesterday, and it is beyond delicious. That little puny bowl of macaroni you see just teased and prodded my tastebuds haha.
I’ve been trying to use my cookbook more lately, so I got this recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. The feminist in me doesn’t like the title of the cookbook, but it does have a lot of good recipes and tips in it. Below the recipe, I have also included a Southwestern variation of this dish. I also added some optional additions in italics that were not mentioned in the cookbook. You can make this a vegetarian meal easily by adding more beans or tofu. Enjoy!
Want some?
Chili Macaroni1 cup (3.5 oz) uncooked elbow macaroni (I would add 1/2 – 1 cup if you like a more even ratio of pasta)
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey, ground chicken, tofu, or nothing at all)
1 med onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15-16 ounces) kidney beans, drained (use another can if not using meat)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained (or whole tomatoes, cut up)
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional; my addition)
2 slices of Velveeta (optional; my addition)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (I shredded it myself from block cheese. YUM!)
Cook macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, cook beef, onion, and garlic in 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. Drain (I didn’t).
Drain macaroni, and add it to the meat. Add in the remaining ingredients with the exception of the cheese (I actually added two slices of Velveeta to the sauce itself). heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Then, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with cheese, or add cheese to individual bowls.
Southwestern Chili Macaroni: Use black beans instead of kidney beans, rinsed and drained. Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar. Add 1 can of chopped green chiles. You could also add cilantro on top of individual servings.
13/01/2010 | Categorias: beans, beef, cheese, Mexican, pasta, soup, vegetables | 14 Comentários »
I was craving salisbury steak a few weeks ago and decided to make it at home for the first time. I haven’t had salisbury steak in years, and I had no idea of how to make the dish.
Fortunately, my friend allowed me to borrow her cookbook from Costco, and it had a recipe for this dish in it. The goal of the cookbook is to get you to buy products/ingredients from their store, so I had to figure out how to make my own gravy instead of buying the store-bought variety. I just followed the recipe I use for my chicken gravy with a few adjustments. The gravy came out beautifully and tasted great.
This steak came out almost perfectly! The only change I would make is to brown the meat in the skillet before putting it in the oven. I like when the edges of the meat have a slight crunch.
I also made mashed potatoes…
and heated up some frozen broccoli (my favorite vegetable, if you haven’t noticed already).
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs (or the store-bought variety)
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1 egg, beaten
16 oz or 2 cups beef gravy (recipe below)
1/4 finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine beef, onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce, egg, 1/2 cup of gravy and parsley. Mix well.
Form into 4-6 patties (grill patties in skillet to form crispy edges before cooking it in the oven, if desired) and place in a baking dish. Pour the remaining gravy over the meat.
The dish before being placed into the oven. I didn’t pour the gravy on top of the meat, and it came out fine.Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for 15 minutes longer.
Beef Gravy
1/4 of butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 flour
4 cups of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
Optional add-ins:
onions, finely chopped
mushrooms, sliced
Create a roux by melting the butter in a skillet or saucepan on medium heat and then add in the flour. Stir the mixture with a whisk, and cook it for 1-3 minutes before adding in the broth. If using onions, add the onions to the roux before adding in the broth.
Once the broth has been SLOWLY added, add in the mushrooms, if being used. Allow the mixture to cook for about 15 minutes. If it gets too thick for your liking, add in more broth or water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
23/12/2009 | Categorias: beef, vegetables | 12 Comentários »
Look at that cheese…One of my colleagues decided to throw a party in the form of an International Buffet, since we all work and study in the Spanish and Portuguese department and thus come from various countries. We all made dishes that come from our place of origin. Since I was born in the United States, specifically Texas, I decided to make Tex-Mex Enchiladas. I have made these enchiladas MANY times; they are outrageously good. To make them even more over the top for the buffet, I made the enchiladas with homemade, FLOUR tortillas instead of corn. They taste fantastic either way.
Look at that gravy…
The chili gravy is so unbelievably good that not even the greatest amount of accolades could give it justice. Now, a warning, if you are into authentic Mexican food, you may get angry or bothered about this dish. As a Spanish-speaking, xenophile, new foodie born in Texas and raised on Tex-Mex (whew, say that five times fast!), I go through my moments of being ashamed of liking the processed, yellow cheese (i.e., Velveeta), carne molida (ground beef), and brown gravy. However, I get over it once I take one bite of this stuff.
This photo comes from another occasion when I made this. These have corn tortillas, beef, and LOADS of Velveeta and sharp cheddar.
You will have to break out the Velveeta for this dish or you could use medium or sharp cheddar for a less Tex-Mex taste. I obtained this invaluable recipe from Homesick Texan who got it from Robb Walsh’s Tex-Mex cookbook. I have made them with chicken and with ground beef (my fav). You could also make these with cheese and lots of veggies.
Homemade flour tortillas fresh off of the cast-iron skillet (I need to get a comal).Everyone who tried the enchiladas raved about them. In fact, one person, whom I didn’t know very well, ran up to me and requested the recipe and then reminded me to give it to her as I was leaving.
Pleeeeeease make this dish; you won’t regret it. 
(If adding meat, start preparing it before or while making the chili gravy.)
Chili Gravy (Yields 2 cups):
1/4 cup lard (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it’s available)
2 T chile powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods)
2 cups chicken broth (or water)
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.
Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.
Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness.
Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
Yields 8 enchiladas (I get more than that every time I make this dish)
1 lb of ground beef (any variety) or 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 corn (or flour) tortillas
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can make it with Velveeta for Tex-Mex authenticity)
One medium onion, diced
2 cups chili gravy
Preheat the oven to 450.
[If using corn tortillas, pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the corn tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated. If they are homemade and still hot, you'll still need to fry them a bit to make them pliable.
If using flour tortillas, simply microwave them for about 30 seconds. If they are homemade, fresh off of the comal or skillet, just start filling them.]
Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy in a baking pan.
Take a tortilla, put 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 tablespoon of onion in the center and roll it (I just cook the beef with the onion (and garlic) and then spoon the filling in the tortillas).
Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining tortillas.
Take remaining chili gravy, and pour it over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions on top.
Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
20/12/2009 | Categorias: beef, breads, cheese, chicken, Christmas, Mexican | 8 Comentários »
I wasn’t going to post about my Philly Cheesteak sandwich that I made out of the Italian Sandwich Rolls I made yesterday because it was dark when I had finished assembling the sandwich and because I thought I couldn’t produce a decent enough photo, especially compared to that of Ezra Pound Cake.
However, this afternoon, I made another sandwich and thought it looked photogenic enough to post. I still have half of a sandwich sitting in the microwave for later consumption. The sandwich is really good and cheesy. As you can see, I love mayonnaise…a little too much.
This sandwich doesn’t taste like an authentic Philadelphia Cheesesteak, but it is still very meaty, cheesy, and hearty. If you’re far (geographically) from the real thing, you should definitely make this dish…no side dishes needed.
TIP: In order to cut the meat thin, I suggest you freeze the meat for a couple of hours and then cut the meat against the grain. The firmer texture makes cutting the meat a breeze.
- 2 (homemade or store-bought) Italian sandwich rolls, split in half vertically
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional; I didn’t use this)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used kosher)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound rib-eye steak, very thinly shaved or sliced
- 1/3 pound thinly sliced white American cheese or Provolone OR 4 ounces melted Cheez Whiz (I used provolone and Velveeta)
- Garnish: Italian pickled peppers (I didn’t use this)
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place the rolls on a baking sheet, and warm them in the oven.
2. In the meantime, heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add oil, onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 6 minutes (I cooked the onions for about 2-3 minutes in a cast-iron skillet since it will cook more on the side of the skillet). Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Push off to 1 side of the griddle.
3. Add the meat to the hot pan and cook, stirring and breaking up with the back of 2 metal spatulas, until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes (yeah, I couldn’t do that so I just kept flipping it over until the pink was gone). Mix in the sautéed vegetables.
4. If you’re using cheese slices, lay them on top of the meat and vegetable mixture, and melt. Spoon the cheesy meat mixture into the warm buns.
5. If you’re using Cheez Whiz (or Velveeta), put the meat and vegetable mixture in the bun, dip a spatula in the Cheez Whiz, and wipe the spatula down the inside of the bread (I didn’t dip the cheese in the spatula. Just get the processed cheese on there hehe). Serve immediately.
06/12/2009 | Categorias: beef, breads, cheese, yeast | 7 Comentários »
I had some cubed steak sitting in the freezer for a little over a week reserved just for this meal. I finally took it out the day before yesterday so that it could defrost in the refrigerator. This was my first time to make chicken fried steak, so I was excited about trying this out.
So far, I’ve been able to recreate all my favorite meals that I used to depend on getting from various restaurants. This chicken fried steak is now another meal to add to that list. It was perfect and easy to make. So easy that I didn’t need to depend on a recipe. I just seasoned the flour to my liking, made the egg dip, and did everything else.
I did look up some recipes to make sure I was on the right track, but I didn’t need to print them out or bring the laptop to the kitchen. I just confirmed any doubts and went on and started cooking.
One tip I found out about was that once you have dipped the meat in the flour, egg, and then flour again, you should let it sit on wax paper for 5-10 minutes so that the coating stays on once you place it in the hot oil.
Everything was perfect.
The gravy was so creamy and tasted better than that found in restaurants.
The steak was so good and flavorful.
The green beans were good, but I had put a little bit too much salt on them, so I just ate them with potatoes.
The mashed potatoes were the perfect texture and had the right amount of seasoning. The mashed potatoes came from one potato. The photo shows half of the portion I made. I was surprised at how much you can get out of one potato. You could easily make 2-4 portions from one potato!
Anyway, I’ll stop jabbering and let you get to making this wonderful, unforgettable dish. Even though I didn’t follow a strict recipe, I have posted the recipe (with minor adaptations) from Allrecipes.com.
Bom apetite! Bon appétit! ¡Buen provecho! Buon appetito!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, CANADA!!!
BONNE ACTION DE GR ÂCES!!!
(Monday, Oct. 12)
Chicken Fried Steak and Milk Gravy Gravy
adapted from various recipes on the internet, including
allrecipes.com
2 cups shortening, lard, or vegetable oil (for frying)
2-4 cube steaks
Lawry’s seasoning salt
1-2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
salt and pepper to taste
In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1/2 inch shortening to 350-360 degrees F (185 degrees C).
While the shortening, lard, or oil is heating, prepare cutlets. First, season the steaks with seasoning salt and pepper on both sides. Then in a shallow bowl, beat together egg, buttermilk, salt and pepper.
In another shallow dish, mix together garlic powder, seasoning salt, pepper and 1 cup flour.
Dip cutlets in flour, turning to evenly coat both sides. Dip in egg mixture, coating both sides, then in flour mixture once again. Allow coated meat to sit for 5-10 minutes on wax paper.
Place cutlets in heated shortening, lard, or oil. Cook until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes), turning once. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
Milk Gravy:
Drain grease, reserving 1/2 cup. Using the reserved drippings in the pan, prepare gravy over medium heat. Blend in 1/4 cup flour (I used the leftover, seasoned flour from coating the meat. If you don’t want to use that flour, then use 1/4 cup of new flour.) to form a paste. Gradually add milk to desired consistency, stirring constantly. For a thicker gravy add less milk; for a thinner gravy, stir in more. Heat through, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken fried steak.
Mashed Potato (small portion)
Yield 2-4 servings
water
1 potato
salt
pepper
half-n-half
2 Tbsp butter
Boil water. Peel potato, cut in big chunks (4-8 chunks). Place in boiling water for 20-25 minutes (until tender and almost breaks when fork is inserted).
Turn off heat. Drain potato chunks. Place saucepan back on hot stove. Mash potato chunks. Add butter and stir with masher. Then add enough half-n-half until desired consistency (1 Tbsp at a time). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Green Beans
1 can of green beans (drained) or frozen/fresh green beans
1-2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
Cook beans in small saucepan. Add butter and seasoning. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
08/10/2009 | Categorias: beef, fried, vegetables | 10 Comentários »
Umm, steak fajitas. As I said before, the steak was good, but the warm tortillas were definitely the star of the show. I used a marinade that came from two different websites. It mainly consisted of cilantro, lime juice, salt, chili powder, and other ingredients. It was still lacking in flavor for my taste. I’m not going to bother posting the recipe for the steak since it didn’t taste all that great, but I’ve included the link to one of the marinade varieties I used below. Following tradition, I used skirt steak and then grilled the steak on a cast-iron skillet for about 5 minutes per side. I prefer almost well-done to burnt meat, so I wasn’t happy to see the red inside. However, I’ve noticed that most foodies like their steak that way. Next time I will add more seasoning to my marinade and while it’s in the skillet. I will also cook the meat for 6 to 7 minutes.
When you have to depend on the side ingredients for a good fajita (or would you technically just call this a steak taco since I don’t like red or green peppers?), then something is wrong.
The chicken fajitas I made a few days later were a whole ‘nother story. I will talk about those next. YUM!
One of the marinades I used for the fajitas de bistec (recipe in Spanish).
18/09/2009 | Categorias: beef, Mexican | 3 Comentários »
Noodles with italian seasoning on top. This past weekend, I decided to make my first batch of homemade pasta after seeing the detailed, yet simple process on Pioneer Woman’s website. She had a visitor called Pastor Ryan who made this pasta along with bolognese sauce (usually a ragù or meat sauce originating from Bologna, Italy). *NOTE* After reading a comment on PW’s site, I found out that this recipe was copied (and not acknowledged! That is not cool.) from Chef Gordon Ramsey. I included the youtube video of him making the recipe below.)
It was so easy to make. I only had one problem and that dealt with the texture of the noodles after I cooked them. I followed the recipe exactly, but I think the noodles should have dried for a few minutes before cooking them. I also think they could have cooked one more minute longer. Nevertheless, it was so good. I will definitely make this again.
Make sure you flour your surface well and flip over the dough as you roll it out to prevent the noodles from sticking too much.
At this point, most of the noodles were sticking to the table. I had to pry them up with a dough scraper. I also cut the noodles with a pizza wheel.
I made the sauce first so that it could simmer for up to 2 hours. I also halved this recipe and ate it for over two days for lunch and dinner (four meals +!). Make this ASAP!
I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top and poured a glass of iced green tea in a wine glass to make everything look special .
Bolognese Sauce (halved version)
copied and adapted from Chef Gordon Ramsey and Pioneerwoman
3/4 cups grated carrots
1/2 large red onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon dried basil flakes
1/2 6-ounce can tomato paste (I used tomato sauce because I was out of this)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/1 to 1 cup red wine (I don’t drink; I used leftover, homemade chicken broth)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
salt
pepper
1 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1/2 cup milk (I used heavy cream; you could also use half-n-half)
Fresh Parmesan cheese
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or big pot over medium heat.
- Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add in the ground beef (or turkey or chicken).
- Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.
- Throw in oregano and basil.
- When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well.
- Add tomato paste (or sauce) and let it heat.
- Add garlic and stir to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine (or chicken broth). Stir together.
- Add Worcestershire and stir.
- Add canned tomatoes.
- Finally, pour in milk (or cream or half-n-half), stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Make the homemade pasta while it simmers
Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Homemade Pasta
Pastory Ryan states: “Two eggs per one cup of flour. Make well in flour, crack in eggs, and slowly mix with hand. Knead by hand until dough becomes smooth and pliable, adding flour to the board as necessary. Let rest for a little while before rolling it out. I usually figure one egg per person to determine how much to make. Example: Two eggs and one cup of flour would make enough pasta dough for a dinner for two. Got it?” (I made a portion for two people so that I could have leftovers. I should have made a portion for four so that I could have more homemade noodles the next day)
For two:
1 cup flour
2 eggs
- Make a well in the flour.
- Crack the eggs into the well.
- Start mixing it lightly with one hand until it’s all combined.
- Turn it out onto a floured surface and begin kneading it, rolling and punching and pushing, until it’s smooth, not sticky or tacky.
- Stick the dough in a plastic bag if you’re going to use it later, or just let it rest for a little while on the counter if you’re getting ready to make it now.
- When you’re ready, roll it out on a floured surface as thinly as it’ll go. The noodles will plump up quite a bit when they boil in the water, so the thinner you can roll it, the better.
- Cut the noodles really thin. You can use a sharp knife (if you can keep it in a straight line), a pizza wheel (this is what I used), or a long pizza/bread cutter like this one.
- (Let the noodles hang to dry for about 30 minutes.)
- To cook the noodles, just boil them in salted water (very important!) for probably two (I suggest cooking them for four minutes) minutes. Don’t let ‘em go too long since they are not like the dry variety.
- Drain the noodles, and then toss them with some dried herbs.
29/05/2009 | Categorias: beef, Italian, pasta, vegetables | 7 Comentários »
Stir together dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, egg, and add melted butter. Mix the ingredients until they are moistened; do not over-stir. Mix 3/4ths of the cheese to the cornbread batter.
Pour 1/4 of the mixture into the casserole pan.
Add 1/2-1 cup of the frozen or fresh corn on top of the batter.
Add all of the meat mixture. Then, add the rest of the corn (1/2-1 cup) (optional; I forgot to do this, so I had only one layer of corn, and it tasted more than fine.)
Add the rest of the cornbread batter.
Add additional cheese on top.
Bake uncovered in a preheated hot oven for 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
