Balsamic Pot Roast

 
The balsamic vinegar really makes a huge difference in flavor AND  it helps to tenderize the meat as well.  This is one the best pot roast I've  made, if I do say so myself.  I know pot roast isn't exciting, but give this version a try - you won't be disappointed!  It is a great Winter Comfort Food

Balsamic Pot Roast

3 lbs beef chuck roast, boneless 
Garlic Powder & Pepper seasoning (You can find this mix in the spice section, if not, just combine 3 parts garlic powder to 1 part ground pepper)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 fresh sage leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup red wine
1/3 cup GOOD balsamic vinegar
2 cups beef stock or broth
3 tbsp corn starch
Salt & Pepper
Baby carrots, about a bag
2 medium potatoes, cut into mouth sized pieces

Whether or not you prefer to cook my pot roast in a crock pot, or dutch oven,  I do think it's essential to sear the meat first.  If you have the time, do this the night before:  

Sprinkle garlic powder & pepper seasoning all over the meat.  Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large skillet.  When nice and hot, sear the roast on all sides - couple of minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and place in the bowl of your slow cooker.  Top with the sliced onion, chopped garlic and balsamic vinegar. I use a piece of cheesecloth and placed all the herbs in it, tie it up with kitchen string and place it into the pot - this way you don't need to fish all the herbs out later.  Cover pot and put in fridge overnight.  

In the morning, add the red wine and beef stock/broth.  Cover and turn slow cooker on low and cook for 6 hours.  Add the carrots & potatoes, turn the slow cooker up to high heat and cook for another 2 hours, or until desired tenderness of the vegetables.  Personaly, I prefer them with a bit of a bite to them rather than mushy.

Once everything is done to your desired tenderness, remove the liquid into a large measuring cup or bowl.  I find it easier to remove the meat and vegetables to a plate first, the remove liquid, returning meat and vegetables back to pot.   Let the liquid settle, then skim off the fat.  Put the corn starch into a small bowl or cup, and add COLD water, just enough to cover, and stir until smooth.  Add the beef liquid to a medium saucepan and turn it on medium-high heat and bring to a slow boil.  Add the cornstarch liquid to the saucepan and stir to combine.  Heat until it gets hot and thickens up a bit.  Once you've got the thickness you prefer, turn off heat and pour the gravy/sauce back into the crock pot over the top of meat and veggies.  Serve hot.  

Rosemary Steak

Rosemary Steak

One of my favorite herbs to use is Rosemary. Fresh Rosemary of course. The flavor it infuses in meats is delightful. With spring here, warmer weather coming, and the grills coming back out, give yourself a treat by trying out this recipe. After the steaks are finished, top with the delightful Rosemary Butter.

YIELD: 4 Steaks

INGREDIENTS:

4 New York Strip Steaks, about 12 ounces each
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 sprigs fresh Rosemary

1. Lay out the steaks on a large platter or baking dish. I find a 13x9 baking dish is perfect size for this.
2. Sprinkle one side of the steaks with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rub half the garlic onto each steak.
3. Flip each steak over, placing one sprig of Rosemary UNDER each steak. Sprinkle tops of steaks with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rub in rest of garlic. Place one Rosemary spring on top of each steak. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside and let rest for at least 45 minutes.
4. TIP: Let the steaks come up to room temperature before you cook them.
5. Grill or pan fry the steaks until at desired temperature. For me, that is Medium Rare. Use the temperature chart below if you like.
6. let steaks rest no less than 10 minutes before serving. Top with Rosemary Butter.

Rosemary Butter

1 stick of butter (8 tbsp)
1 sprig Rosemary

1. Melt butter over low heat, add sprig of Rosemary, let steep in butter for 10 minutes. If using unsalted butter, add salt to taste.
2. Keep temperature LOW, you don't want to brown or burn the butter.
3. Spoon over finished steaks.

Temperature Chart

Beef Bourguignon (modified)

For those of us who have seen the movie "Julie and Julia", we saw the wonderful French dish called "Beef Bourguignon" made in the movie, and have wanted to try it.

If you looked up Beef Bourguignon, you would see it is a daunting recipe, labeled as "difficult", for advanced cooks. So most people will not attempt to make it.

What is Beef Bourguignon? Bascially, its a beef stew, but yet SO MUCH MORE! The richness of the flavors are far and above any of the basic beef stews you may of had in the past.

Well, I have taken the daunting recipe, and modified it to make it MUCH more simple, keeping all the cooking on the stove top, and omitting the pearl onions, which are the biggest pain in the rear to peel and prep. Instead of using "lardons", I substituted regular sliced bacon.

So try out this modified recipe of mine, and enjoy the rich flavors with out undertaking a major task.

Beef Bourguignon (modified)

6 ounces Bacon
3 pounds Stew meat, Cut in 1" cubes
2 medium Onions, Diced
1 each Carrot, Sliced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons Flour
3 cups red wine, full bodied, liked Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy
3 cups Beef stock, Use more or less as needed
1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme (if using dry thyme, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
1 Each Bay leaf, crumbled
1 stick butter (1/4 pound or 8 tablespoons)
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 Each Spring onions, Sliced, including most of green stem
3/4 cup Beef stock
1 pound Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

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1. Heat dutch oven over medium high heat. Medium dice the bacon and add to dutch oven and redner the fat, letting the bacon crisp, but NOT burn. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel.

2. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat the bacon fat in same pot until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Remove beef from the pot and set aside.

3. In the same fat, saute the diced onions and carrot, until just turning brown. Pour out the excess fat.

4. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

5. Sprinkle on the flour and toss to coat the beef lightly. Let cook over medium high heat until the beef developes a nice brown light crust.

6. Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.

7. Add the tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and bacon. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Slow simmer for about an hour, checking meat for tenderness. If meat is still tough, let slow simmer longer.

8. While beef is simmering, melt the 1 stick of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and let the butter and garlic simmer for about 2 minutes, then add spring onions and the mushrooms and saute until mushrooms until mushrooms are nicely browned. Add the 3/4 cup beef stock and let simmer until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid, or reduced. Set aside.

9. Keep checking the beef, adding more stock if needed to keep the meat covered. This dish is meant to be very thick, not liquidy.

10. When beef is ready, add the mushrooms.

This is great served over home made egg noodles (see this recipe in my blog as well).

Pan Seared Strip Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Who say's you have to fire up the outside grill for a good steak? You can create a great and very tasty steak right on your stove top.


Pan Seared Strip Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce
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(With Salt-Baked Potatoes)

(4 to 6 Servings)

Ingredients

• 4 (14-ounce) strip steaks, trimmed
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon green peppercorns, preferably in brine, lightly crushed
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 cup veal stock, home-made or store-bought
• 4 sprigs fresh tarragon, washed, dried, leaves finely chopped

Salt-Baked Potatoes:

• 1 1/2 pounds small fingerling potatoes, washed and dried
• Pinch coarse sea salt
• 15 bay leaves

Directions

For the steaks: Heat 2 cast iron skillets large enough to hold 2 of the 4 pieces of beef until they begin to visibly smoke. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Shut the heat off underneath the skillet and use a pair of tongs to place the steaks in the pan 1 by 1 in a single layer. Turn the heat on under the skillet and brown the first side, 3 to 5 minutes. Try to resist the temptation to turn them over or move them as they cook.

Turn the steaks on the second side and brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Arrange the steaks on a rack to "rest" while you make your sauce.

Remove the excess grease from 1 of the pans that was used to cook the steaks and reserve the other pan for the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the shallots and cook until they are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the green peppercorns and brandy and cook until the liquid reduces almost completely.

Stir in the mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest and Worcestershire sauce. Swirl the pan so all of the flavors start to meld together.

Add the veal stock and reduce to a desirable consistency, then stir in the tarragon.

For the potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the potatoes to a casserole with a fitted lid that is just big enough to hold the potatoes. Toss them with some sea salt and the bay leaves. Cover the casserole and put in the center of the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

When the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, remove the casserole from the oven and discard the bay leaves.

Heat the reserved skillet that the steaks were cooked in over medium heat and add the potatoes into the steak drippings. Cook until they brown and become slightly crisp. slightly. Season with salt, to taste.

Arrange the potatoes on the bottom of 4 dinner plates and top with the steak. Drizzle with the sauce and serve immediately.

Beef Empanadas

Feel free to use the frozen pastry dough in lieu of making the pastry yourself. It will save some time, and make it easier to prepare.


Beef Empanadas
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YIELD: 12 Empanadas

Ingredients
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1 Pound Ground Beef
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Cup Beef stock, or Beef Broth
2 Large Ripe Tomatoes, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Can Green Chilies (3 oz can), drained and chopped
1 Each Bay leaf
2 Tablespoons Black Olives, Chopped

1 1/2 Cups Unsifted flour
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Shortening
4 Teaspoons Cold Water
1 Each Egg Yolk

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1. For Filling, brown the ground beef in large skillet over medium high heat, drain and set aside. In now empty skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute until fragrent, about 30 more seconds. Return beef to pan and mix with onions and garlic.

2. Add beef stock (or broth), tomatoes, green chiles, 1 teaspoon of salt, and bay leaf. Simmer, stirring occasionally abuot 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, and stir in the olives.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. For the Pasty, in medium bowl, combine flour, salt, shortening, and water. Blend until mixture holds together like bread dough.

5. Divide pastry into 12 pieces on lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a six inch round. What I do is roll the dough flat to abuot 1/4 inch thick, then I will use a number 10 can as a "cookie cutter". Place about 3 tablespoons of filling in one half of each round, and fold over the other half of the pastry.

6. Press edges together with fingers, to seal flute edges with a fork. Cut slits on top of each empanada. Beat egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush over top of empanadas.

7. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden Brown

Shepherd's Pie

Shephard's Pie is traditionally made with ground lamb. If you like lamb, feel free to use lamb in place of the beef and sausage. I am not a big lamb fan, so I use what I like, as should you.

Shephard's Pie was originally made by Shephards who needed an easy, quick, and balanced meal they could make while out tending the flocks. It consisted of ground lamb topped by potatoes. In these more modern times, we have revamped Shephard's Pie by adding vegetables and herbs. Some people will call this recipe a "Cottage Pie" because it does not have lamb.

Shepherd's Pie
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Ingredients
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1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Sausage
1/2 Cup Burgandy
5 Each Bacon Slices, Chopped
1 Each Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Stalks Celery, Diced
2 Each Carrots, Diced
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Cups Mushrooms, sliced
2 Teaspoons Fresh Thyme
1 Teaspoon Fresh Oregano
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Pound Corn Kernels, Fresh or Frozen
1/2 Cup Beef Stock
6 Large Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 Stick Butter
1/2 Cup Cream
1 Cup Cheddar cheese, Shredded
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground pepper
2 Teaspoons Fresh Parsley
2 tablespoons Butter, Melted

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1. Brown the ground beef and sausage over medium high heat, drain, set aside. Deglaze the pan with the burgandy, pour over meat mixture.

2. Saute the bacon pieces in pan over medium heat until crisp, remove bacon pieces with slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.

3. Saute the onions, celery, and carrots in the bacon fat over medium heat until onions become translucent. Add to beef and sausage mixture.

4. Add the 4 tablespoons (half stick) of butter to skillet on medium heat, add garlic and saute until fragrent, about 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms to pan, and saute until the mushrooms have absorbed most if not all the butter. Add this mushroom and garlic mix to the beef/vegetalbe mix.

5. Remove all stems from the Thyme, Oregano, and Pasley, and chop the leaves and add to beef/vegetable mix. Add the chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon pepper the 2 teaspoons of salt, the corn, and the beef stock. Mix together until evenly distributed. If you haven't done so already, put this mix into a deep dish casserole dish or roasting pan, 13x9 dish works well with deep sides.

6. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain completely and place in mixing bowl. Add the butter, cream, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 2 teaspoons fresh parsly, and whip together until smooth.

7. Spread evenly over the beef and vegetable mix with spatula, or you can use a piping bag if you like. Brush top of potatoes with melted butter. Bake, uncovered in 400 degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until top of potatoes are browned.

8. Take the bacon pieced you cooked earlier and sprinkle over top. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serviing.

Beef Stock

This will make a wonderful, rich beef stock, full of flavor that you can never get from a can.

This stock can be used the same day it is made, it is only recommended to let it chill overnight in order for the fat to float to the top and harden, making it easy to remove.

You can also substitute a veal knuckle in place of the pig's foot.


Beef Stock
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YIELD: 2 Quarts

Ingredients:
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4 pounds beef bones, cut into 3-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 each carrots, sliced
3 medium onions, sliced
1 each pig's feet
2 each leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 each garlic cloves, chopped
2 each celery ribs, chopped
1 each turnip, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 sprigs parsley
1 each bay leaf
4 each cloves
8 each peppercorns
4 quarts cold water
1 tablespoon salt

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1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place the beef bones and half the carrots and onions in a roasting pan, sprinkle with the flour, and brown in the oven for 30 minutes.

3. Transfer bones and vegetables to a 8 to 10 quart stockpot. Drain fat from roasting pan, deglaze pan with a little water, and pour juices into the stockpot. Add the pig's foot, the remaining carrots and onions, and all other ingrediants except the salt to the stockpot. If necessary, add more water to cover by 3 inches and bring mixture to the boil. reuce heat to simmer, skim off scum, cover partly, and simmer for 2 hours. Add the salt and simmer for 3 hours longer, adding more water if necessary.

4. Strain broth into a large bowl, cool, chill thoroughly (preferably over-night), and remove fat from the top.