RICOTTA MEATBALLS

Posted in Beef by sallybr

Vegetarians will have to forgive me, but I firmly believe a person cannot have too many meatball recipes. They cook quickly, can be served with many different types of sauces, and leftovers taste as good or better as the first time around. This version was originally published in The Meatball Shop Cookbook, but it is also available online. I added my own twist to it, using almond flour instead of bread crumbs. I don’t have gluten allergies, just happen to love playing new twists on a classic.

CLASSIC RICOTTA MEATBALLS
(adapted from this version)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds 80% lean ground beef
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
about 2 cups simple tomato sauce (store-bought or home-made)

Heat the oven to 425°F.

Combine by gently beating together the ricotta, eggs, almond flour, parsley, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel in a large mixing bowl. When the mixture seems homogeneous, add the ground beef and mix by hand until incorporated.

Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs and place on a rack over a baking dish, allowing some space in between them. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through.

While the meatballs are roasting, heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often. Add the meatballs to the saucepan, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click

Comments: I do not remember the last time I fried a meatball. Baking works so much better! I am not even talking about excess fat consumption, but the whole preparation is much more user-friendly. Recently I found this cute baking dish with an insert that is perfect for cooking meatballs, as they sit elevated and the hot air circulates all around them. No need to mess with them once you start baking. After they are brown and almost cooked through, I add them to my sauce of choice, simmering them gently until serving time.

The almond flour and the ricotta gave these meatballs a wonderful texture, creamy but not at all heavy. You can make them smaller if you prefer, but I like them to be more substantial. The tomato sauce I used was very simply prepared: a can of tomatoes simmered with sautéed shallots, celery, and carrots. Salt and pepper. A touch of orange zest at the end.

Almond flour is not cheap, but where we live for some odd reason every once in a while it goes on sale. When that happens, I grab a couple of bags and stick them in the freezer. It is a wonderful ingredient for both sweet and savory dishes. One of my favorite cakes ever is this one, in which the almond flour shines in all its nutty glory. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Farro Salad with Roasted Leeks

TWO YEARS AGO: It all started with a roof

THREE YEARS AGO: Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree

FOUR YEARS AGO: Impromptu Pasta Dinner

26Sep2013

BEER-MARINATED GRILLED SKIRT STEAK

Posted in Beef by sallybr

When grilling meat, I normally follow the Brazilian rule of using only salt as seasoning. We are all about the flavor of the beef, preferring not to mask it with spices and rubs. But, I thought that Marcella’s take on skirt steak was too tempting to pass. She marinates the meat in beer and soy sauce, and also adds orange slices to the party. I normally reach for lemons or limes, but whenever I use oranges in cooking I am surprised by how much I enjoy their subtle citric tone, a tad less aggressive. We both loved the flavor they imparted to the meat… the beer definitely comes through loud and clear. I marinated the meat from early morning to dinner time.

BEER-MARINATED GRILLED SKIRT STEAK
(adapted from Mexican Made Easy)

1 orange, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 + 1/2 pounds skirt steak
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup light-colored beer (preferably lager style)
1/2 cup soy sauce
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In a wide, shallow glass baking dish, scatter half of the orange slices, half of the onion slices and the garlic on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the steak all over with salt and pepper and put in the dish on top of the orange and onion slices. Scatter the remaining orange, onion and garlic over the steak and pour in the beer and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

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Prepare a grill on medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the steak to your taste, about 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second for medium-rare.
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Let the meat rest, tented with foil, for 10 minutes before slicing it.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here
.

Comments: Skirt-steak is one of the busy cook’s best friend! Less than 10 minutes on the grill and you are on your way for a tasty dinner. Now, if not only you are very busy but you also don’t have a functional kitchen, this type of meal will be a life-saver. I like to wrap the meat in large butter lettuce leaves, top with salsa and/or guacamole, but this time I made it even simpler and only added fresh, juicy tomatoes, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of grated Cotija cheese, just to keep it on the Mexican environment… 😉 Of course, corn or flour tortillas, fajita-style are the most authentic way to go.

The same marinade worked great on chicken thighs, as you may remember from a recent post. I marinated the chicken the whole day in the beer-soy-oranges, roasted low and slow with the skin side down, then flipped the pieces to have the skin up, and finished them off under the broiler.

ONE YEAR AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Corn Chowda

TWO YEARS AGO: Page-A-Day Calendar (Pits and Chief 5 minutes of fame…)

THREE YEARS AGO: Home Sweet Home (our beloved Pits in one of his last photos)

FOUR YEARS AGO: Marbled Rye

16Aug2013

ROAST BEEF FRENCH DIP SANDWICH WITH GREEN PEA PESTO

Posted in Beef, Burgers & Sandwiches by sallybr

Vegetarian readers: stick around, because the GREEN PEA PESTO IS AMAZING!

One of Phil’s favorite sandwiches is a roast beef au jus, also called a French Dip. I had never heard of it until we started dating, and was a bit confused by the association with France, as I had never seen it while living in Paris either. 😉 It turns out that this is an American classic, created in the beginning of last century in Los Angeles, of all places! Two restaurants claim to have “invented” the deliciously moist sandwich, and quite likely the issue will never get settled. You can read all about it here. I never thought of making it at home, but watching FoodTV the other day I caught a show by Rachael Ray in which she made her own version. It perked my attention, not only for the sandwich itself, but also for her choice of green pea pesto to gild the lily. Something told me that would be a winning combo. Plus, the fact you can prepare the meat in advance and just re-heat the slices in simmering beef broth makes it a perfect option for a quick and easy dinner after work. If you have home-made beef broth (also known in our home as “liquid gold”), by all means use it, as it will make your sandwich very special.

ROAST BEEF FRENCH DIP SANDWICH WITH GREEN PEA PESTO
(adapted from Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day TV show)

for the green pea pesto:
1 cup fresh basil leaves (about 20)
1 cup defrosted frozen green peas
1 tsp dried mint leaves
1 clove garlic, pasted (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for desired consistency

for the roast beef:
2 pounds beef eye of round roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups beef stock, home-made is best
bread of your choice for the sandwich

For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the basil, peas, mint, lemon juice, and garlic (if using) and process until a paste forms. Add just enough olive oil to get a spreadable consistency. Season with salt and pepper and process to almost smooth. Refrigerate and bring to room temperature when ready to serve.

For the beef: Bring the roast to room temperature. Sprinkle the meat with the salt, pepper and rosemary.

Heat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat evenly, 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast 30-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 120 degrees F on a meat thermometer.

Transfer the roast to a cutting board and cover with foil, 30 minutes. Wrap and store if not serving right away.

To serve, very thinly slice the meat. Heat the stock to warm but not boiling. Quickly dip the meat slices in the stock and place on the French bread. Top with the green pea pesto and set the bun top in place.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You might be wondering how on Earth would I be turning the oven at 475 F in the height of the Kansas summer to roast the meat? Well, let’s say I did not need to heat up the house for that. Stay tuned for my next installment of “In My Kitchen”, when the mystery will be solved. I loved making this meal! Some people like to have the bread very moist with the beef broth, so you might offer a small, individual bowl with hot beef broth at the table. I prefer to just add a tablespoon or two of beef broth to the bread before assembling the sandwich. The combination of the meat with the green pea pesto is simply fabulous! We added a slice of cheese, did not seem to hurt at all…

I cannot give enough praise to the green pea pesto. Next day my lunch was just a few slices of the roast beef simmered in beef broth, and all the leftover pesto. All of it. I did not share. I announced that the pesto would be consumed, so that Phil would not count with it for his dinner preparation that evening. You know, we do the “alternate cooking days thing”. It was a perfect lunch, and in fact I would have been equally happy with just the pesto on some bread. Wouldn’t you?

ONE YEAR AGO: A Smidgen of a Tart

TWO YEARS AGO: A Tropical Street Market

THREE YEARS AGO: Groceries

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Souffle to Remember Julia Child

28Feb2013

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON ON A SNOWY EVENING

Posted in Beef by sallybr

Phil rarely requests a specific recipe for dinner, with the exception of my chicken parmigiana, that he craves on a regular basis. Last weekend, though, he did not even blink when I asked for ideas. Boeuf Bourguignon. Clearly, a man of fine tastes! It was my turn to cook on Sunday, so that was a perfect suggestion. With all our grocery shopping done the day before, I indulged in the preparation of this French classic all afternoon. The snow falling outside was a perfect setting for our dinner…

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
(adapted from Julia Child)

6 oz bacon
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup sliced onions
2 cups sliced carrots
1 bottle of red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 bouquet garni (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, a few sprigs of dried thyme and wrap in cheese cloth)
24 pearl onions
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
Chicken stock
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cut in large pieces

Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste by dropping the slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bringing to a boil, and simmering for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.

In a large frying pan, sauté the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and put them into a heavy casserole pan with a lid. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add to the browned beef.

Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them. Add the veggies to the casserole containing the beef and bacon. Deglaze the frying pan with the wine, mixing it well to dissolve all the browned bits left from browning the meat and veggies. Once it’s all deglazed, add the wine into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in a 325°F oven, until the meat is tender, about 3 hours.

While the stew is cooking, prepare the onions. Blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the onions and score the root end with 1/4 inch cuts. Sauté onions in a single layer in a tablespoon of butter until lightly browned. Add chicken stock or water half way up the sides of the onions. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes or until tender. The onions should absorb most of the water. If there is water remaining after cooking, drain the excess. Set aside.

A few minutes before serving the stew saute’ the mushrooms in butter until browned and cooked through.

When the meat is tender, remove the bouquet garni from the cooking liquid, if necessary cook longer without the lid to reduce it further. Add the onions, mushrooms, and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This is comfort food at its best! The big batch I made lasted us for three meals, and it was better and better each day. My only modification of the classic was omitting a beurre manie’ step at the end. Julia thickens her sauce with a mixture of butter and flour, but instead I cooked the meat longer in the oven, reducing the sauce without any need for thickening agents. It was luscious and plenty thick for our taste. In fact, on the last evening I had to add some water to the leftovers to thin it slightly.

When you make this dish, I’d say the most important step is browning the meat. You’ll need all that caramelization on the outside to give maximum flavor and a perfect texture at the end of the cooking time. It makes me think of a Zen proverb, full of the wise simplicity often associated with them: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” Not to make light of the Chinese wisdom, I’d like to add: “When browning the meat, brown the meat.” 😉 Do it slowly, do it mindfully, do it well. No crowding the pieces in the oil, no moving them around until they are properly seared. Enjoy the process!

ONE YEAR AGO: Chickpea Salad

TWO YEARS AGO: Soft Spot for Chevre

THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Onion and Asiago Cheese Miche (this bread is simply outstanding!)

18Jan2013

KEEMA BEEF CURRY

Posted in Beef by sallybr

If you prefer your curry to be mild instead of incendiary, this recipe is for you. I actually don’t mind a very spicy version, but when serving a meal for guests I usually tone it down just to be safe. This recipe from Food and Wine magazine was another great recommendation by our friend Cindy. I made it over the holidays for my stepson and his girlfriend, and we all loved it. I served it over white rice, but it coud lalso be enjoyed as a stew, with soft naan bread. The potatoes make it almost a complete meal.

KEEMA BEEF CURRY
(adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, January 2012)

1 TB canola oil
1 pound lean ground sirloin
1/2 pound ground turkey (or use all beef, omitting the turkey)
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 TB minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 + ½ TB Madras curry powder
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 + ½ cups chicken broth
1 can (14-ounce) unsweetened coconut milk (light is perfect)
1 can (14-ounce) diced tomatoes with their juices
1 + 1/2 cups frozen baby peas
Chopped cilantro to taste (optional)

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the ground beef and turkey (if using) and cook over high heat, stirring to break up the lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the shallot, ginger, garlic and curry powder and season with salt and pepper.

Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the potato, broth, coconut milk and the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the potato is tender, about 15 minutes.

Using the back of a spoon, lightly crush some of the potato. Add the peas and cook just until heated through. Serve in bowls with cilantro, if you like.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

My only modification of the recipe was to use some ground turkey together with the beef. Not so much to make it lighter, but to use some ground turkey I had bought with the firm intention of making meatballs. It turns out that the intention was not as firm as I thought, so a mixed-meat curry was born. As I mentioned, this version is mild, if you like more spice, use a hotter curry mix or add more pepper or even a red pepper sauce (my never-ending love for Sriracha shows). I love the inclusion of potatoes and the trick of mashing some of them to add body to the curry. And the green peas give that boost of color and a healthy “feel”.

Cindy, thank you once again for another winner!

ONE YEAR AGO: Pork Tenderloin with Soy, Ginger, and Lime

TWO YEARS AGO: No-Fuss Coffee Cake

THREE YEARS AGO: Swedish Limpa