Gyros

I was recently looking through my very first cookbook that I bought for myself.  I was a Freshman in College then – and the Betty Crocker Cookbook was just the beginning of a growing passion.  I found a recipe for Gyros in the cookbook and I hesitate to try new recipes on my family – my two girls were off to winter camp with their church youth group – and the only child remaining was my adventurous eater… so I stopped at Trader Joe’s and picked up a few pita bread pockets.  I looked for ground lamb, but all they had was ground beef and it was an acceptable substitute. I also picked up some crumbled seasoned Feta cheese (though not in the original recipe) and it took the Gyro to the next flavor level.  Yum!

The recipe:

Gyros
adapted from Betty Crocker Cookbook (1998)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb ground lamb (beef)
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp canola oil
Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek works too)
1 Tbsp fresh minced mint (or 1 tsp dry)
1 tsp sugar
1 small cucumber peeled, seeds removed, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, small dice
4 pita sandwiches, cut in half and opened
Crumbled seasoned Feta cheese

Instructions:
Mix first 8 ingredients together.  Form into 8 small meat patties.  Heat a skillet and add oil. Cook the meat over medium heat, turning frequently until meat is cooked. About 10-12 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, combine the yogurt, mint, sugar and cucumber. Stir to combine.

Serving Instructions:
Open the pocket of each half of pita bread and put one meat patty inside. Top with a heaping spoon full with the cucumber sauce, diced tomatoes and about 1 Tbsp feta cheese in each pocket. 2 halves equal 1 serving.

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Chili

In my quest to find a new chili recipe I turned to the Food Network website.  I have to admit, I don’t like watching Guy Fieri- from the way he wears his hair, to his over the top loud obnoxious personality -to the way he pronounces his name “Fi-etti!”  I am sorry, is there a “t” in your name? He just isn’t my cup of tea, but if you love him that’s great.. he needs a fan base– and he is on TV and I am not…

But I digress!  I did however try his recipe for “Dragon’s Breath Chili” after I read the reviews.  The name (of the chili) is more intimidating than the taste and I made some changes.  I reduced the peppers and cayenne pepper for one thing, because I wanted my kids to have half a chance of eating it!  This is a good recipe with a bit of spice to grab you, but not overpowering.  I may have to change my opinion of Fi-etti yet (Nah, that’s not going to happen!)  But the guy can cook – I give him that much!  It is more involved than my regular chili recipe that I make.  I changed a few things from the cooking too… I first cooked the peppers and onions- removed them from the pot.  Browned the chuck pieces in batches so they would brown properly (if you follow the directions of the original you won’t get nice browned pieces), then cooked the ground beef and sausage together. Once cooked added the spices and then threw it all in the crock pot to cook.  Here is the link to the original recipe. For best flavor, plan ahead and make this a day in advance.  I would place this in the medium+ heat category.  My kids were able to eat it.

Dragon’s Breath Chili

adapted from Food Network (Guy Fieri)

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 Tbsp jalapeno, minced
2 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
2 yellow onions, diced
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 lbs boneless chuck, trimmed of most fat and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 lb ground beef, coarse grind
1 lb bulk Italian sausage

2 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
12 ounces lager beer
1 cup chicken stock
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained, but not rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained but not rinsed

Topping:
8 oz bacon, cooked and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Cheddar

Instructions:

Roasting peppers: I don’t think it is completely necessary, but it does add nice flavor.  How? You place the peppers on your gas burner grate above the flame (or over a barbecue) and turn it from time to time after the skin blisters and turns black.  Then while the peppers are still warm, place them in a paper bag and seal the bag to “steam” them. This loosens the skin and makes them easier to peel later.  I did this process the day before I made the chili.

Chop the peppers and onions.  Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat and melt the butter and heat 1 Tbsp canola oil.  Saute the onions and peppers (bell, chilis) until they are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.  Remove the pepper mixture and set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp of canola oil.  Season the chuck cubes with salt and pepper and brown them in batches in the stock pot.  Remove the browned pieces (set aside), and brown the next batches. (Julia Child was right, for proper browning, don’t crowd the meat).  After the chuck is browned, cook the ground beef and Italian sausage in the same pot.  Remove any drippings.  Add the seasonings (the long list of them- it is worth it).  Stir into the meat and cook for a minute or two. Add the tomato sauce, paste, beer, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Carefully pour the contents of your stock pot into your large crock pot.  Add the peppers and browned chuck beef.  Add the beans and stir everything together.   Turn the crock pot on to LOW setting.    Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, stirring from time to time, or until the chuck beef is tender to the point of falling apart when you try to shred it with a fork.

To serve: top each serving with diced green onions, cheese and crisp bacon, if desired. Serve with cornbread or corn bread pudding.

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Chicken Fried Steak

There is something special and comforting about Chicken Fried Steak. I think it is the sensation I have of my arteries closing up with the fat content in this dish!  I had to do something about the 5 lbs I lost in the past few weeks.  This did it! I made it before and even posted it on my blog, but it was a long time ago and my picture of it was very poor.

Here is the link to the original recipe.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak
Adapted from allrecipes     Serves 4
Ingredients

• 4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups vegetable shortening for deep
• frying
• Gravy:
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 5 dashes of Tabasco

Instructions
Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.
Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325°F. Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a rack over a cookie sheet to drain.  Keep warm in the oven (around 275°F) until you have finished cooking the other steaks.
Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.
Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks serve with mashed potatoes.

Recipe Notes: Place wax paper between the steaks as you dredge them to prevent the steaks from sticking to each other  before frying.  I added a dash of tabasco to the gravy to give it more flavor.  Good recipe everyone liked it!

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

My Aunt Helen gave me this recipe when my husband and I got married.  I have made it quite a few times over the past 18 years.  18 years? Wow!  My Aunt is a wonderful cook.  I lived with them briefly before our wedding and my Uncle is the Pastor who officiated over our wedding ceremony.  My children enjoy this meal as well, but now that they are getting bigger, I may have to increase the servings to keep them satisfied!  Thank you Aunt Helen!

Aunt Helen’s Sweet and Sour Meatballs

serves 5-6

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

For the sauce:

• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 (13 oz) can pineapple chunks or tidbits, in juice
• 1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Serve with:

• 2 cups hot cooked rice
• steamed vegetables

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to package directions.

To prepare the meatballs: combine all the ingredients listed and stir to incorporate.  Form into meatballs (I use a small ice cream scoop so the meatballs are uniform in size).  In a non stick skillet heat over medium-high heat with a little oil in the pan.  Brown the meatballs, turning them from time to time to brown them and cook them through.  Remove the meatballs to a serving dish and keep warm while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, drain any fat from the skillet you used to make the meatballs.  Stir the cornstarch into a small bowl with a little water and stir to dissolve the cornstarch.  Set aside.  Put all other sauce ingredients into the skillet and heat through.  Add the slurry of cornstarch.  Continue to heat the sauce through, bringing it to a boil, stirring on occasion.  The sauce will turn a little opaque once you heat the cornstarch and will thicken.  Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve over steamed rice.

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Slow Cooked Swiss Steak

Slow cooked Swiss Steak is a comfort dish. I also love to make this for friends who have had surgery or a new baby. It has a few steps to get it into the crock-pot, but it is worth the effort and the meat is tender and just falls apart. The flavors are good. I like to serve mine with garlic seasoned rice and green beans.

Slow Cooked Swiss Steak
Serves 6
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 lbs thinly sliced round steak
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 (12.5 oz) can cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 Tbsp beef bouillion granules

Instructions

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, pepper and salt.

Dredge the slices of beef in the flour mixture.

Preheat a skillet to medium high heat and add the oil and butter.  Pan fry each piece of beef in the butter mixture, about 2 minutes on each side and put in the crock-pot.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour the mixture over the browned steak.  Turn the crock pot on to low, cover and cook for 8-9 hours.

For the garlic seasoned rice: I bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add 1 Tbsp garlic seasoning, 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp salt.  Add one cup of Jasmine rice.  Bring to a boil again.  Stir.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Then turn off heat and let sit another 15 minutes.

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Crock Pot Shredded Beef for Tacos

It has been HOT here.. really HOT (well over 100 F)- and I wanted good food that did not heat up my kitchen.  Out comes my trusty crock pot. I adapted a recipe from the Food Network to make this recipe (link).  Serve with Spanish rice and Guacamole.

Crock – Pot Shredded Beef (for Tacos)

adapted from Brian Boitano (Carne Asada Tacos with Green Salsa)

Carne Asada:

• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 (15 oz) cans whole tomatoes, broken up with juice
• 1 large Jalapeno pepper, sliced, seeded and white ribs removed
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic sliced
• 2 1/2 to 3 lbs sliced beef round roast
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground pepper

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients in a crock pot.  Cook on high heat for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Shred the beef with two forks and pour about 1/2 cup of the liquid over it for moisture.  Serve with flour tortillas, cheese, sliced tomatoes, lettuce with Spanish rice and fresh guacamole on the side.

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Oven Roasted Tri-Tip

Tri-Tip was on sale last week and I bought it, because it was cheaper than ground beef.  I never made tri-tip before.  Our barbecue needs some work done on it, so I wanted an oven version of it.  Having read up a little on tri-tip, I found it needed some time to marinate with seasonings before cooking it to impart flavor.  One recipe suggested cutting slits in the roast and putting whole cloves of garlic – I liked that idea!  Nothing wrong with keeping Dracula at bay!

Becky’s Oven Roasted Tri-Tip

• 2 1/2 lb beef tri-tip with a fat cap on one side (this protects it from drying out)
• 6 cloves of garlic cut in halves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic pepper seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dried ground chili
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

1. Place the tri tip in a large glass Pyrex dish.  Cut slits in the Tri-tip and insert the garlic clove halves in various places. Combine the spices in a small bowl and mix them.  Coat the trip tip on both sides with the spice mix.  Drizzle some olive oil over both sides of the roast. Cover the tri-tip roast with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Remove the beef about 2 1/2 hours before you want to eat.  Allow the roast to sand for 2 hours to come to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F.  Place the roast (fat side up) on the rack of a shallow roasting pan.
4. Roast for 20 minutes and begin checking the internal temperature. (115-120F for rare; 120-125F for medium rare; my family likes it medium: 130F) My roast took 30 minutes of roasting time for medium.  I let it rest for 15 minutes.  I served it with a quick pan sauce (1 cup beef broth, 1/2 cup red wine, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard and a slurry of cornstarch) and boiled potatoes with herbs. Slice the Tri-tip thinly at a bias.

Our whole family enjoyed this.  Why did I wait so long to make tri-tip?

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Herb-Stuffed Red Peppers

You guessed it: allrecipes again!  It has been so hard to return to blogging (and cooking) after taking a great vacation!  That does not mean I have not cooked at all since returning, it means I have not cooked with the intent to blog it.  Here is another good recipe.  I have another stuffed pepper recipe we like a little better, but this was not bad! This recipe only served 2.  I doubled the stuffing and used 4 bell peppers.  I still had some filling left over. I did make a few other changes. And I would omit the cayenne pepper for the children.  They thought it was spicy.  My husband and I enjoyed it however.

Herb-Stuffed Red Peppers

adapted from allrecipes.com

Serves 6

• 4 large sweet red peppers, sliced length wise and cleaned

Filling:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1  chopped onion
• 3 cups cooked basmati brown rice
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tsp dried basil

Topping:

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preparation:

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions.  You could use any brown rice, I like the texture that the brown Basmati rice gives the dish.
2. Slice the bell peppers from top to bottom and remove stem and seeds and ribs (the white part of the pepper).  Lay them cut side down on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 3 minutes to soften.  Place the peppers in a large casserole (like little boats).
3. Preheat oven to 350 F
4. Prepare the filling: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are tender.  Drain any fat.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Heat through. Ladle the filling into the prepared peppers.  Sprinkle the tops of the filled peppers with the Parmesan or Romano cheese.
5. Cover the casserole with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 350F.  Remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.  Serve with a salad.

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Sauerbraten

My husband is of German descent.  I grew up in Austria and have a love for German and Austrian food.  A little German restaurant that we used to frequent in Anaheim had a good Sauerbraten – though the last time we went there the spätzle were not very good and the Sauerbraten also was not on its usual game either – we are a little scared to go back and try it again.  Many Americanized recipes for Sauerbraten have a super sweet gravy that has been sweetened with gingersnaps, but I found that the authentic recipes are not super sweet.  Many thicken the sauce with bread (dark rye bread) or a slurry of cornstarch.  Like most things in life there is more than one way of doing things.  I wanted to find a recipe that was not too sweet.The variations of Sauerbraten are as diverse as the regions that make it, so if you like it sweet find a recipe with gingersnaps.  This time I made a rendition that I found on a German recipe site on the internet.  It claims to be someone’s grandmother’s recipe. (link) I served ours with red cabbage and homemade spätzle (Wolfgang Puck’s Goulash and spätzle recipe follow directions for spätzle.)

Why is it called Sauerbraten? Sauer means sour.  Braten means roast.  What makes this dish unusual is the time it marinates.  I let mine marinate for 3 days before preparing it.  I made it to celebrate my husband’s birthday because he loves German food.  I used a larger roast than the original recipe, because of the effort it takes to make the roast and because I wanted to get two meals out of it.

Sauerbraten (German recipe)

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb rump roast
• 3 onions, peeled and quartered
• 4 carrots, cut into pieces
• 8 Juniper berries (I found them at my local grocery store.  Brand: Morton and Basset)
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 leek, cleaned and cut into quarters lengthwise
• 3 1/4 cup vinegar (you could use red wine vinegar or white)
• 3 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp salt
• dash pepper
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp cold water

Instructions:

In a large pot, combine the quartered onions, pieces of carrot and cleaned leek.  Add the vinegar and water.  Add Juniper berries, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

I lined a large pot with a liner that is used for crock pots and folded the edges over the rim of the pot.  I placed the roast into the bottom of the pot and poured the marinade (now at room temperature) over the roast.  I tied the plastic liner shut and covered the pot with a lid (you do not have to use a liner, I wanted the keep as much as the roast covered as possible and the plastic “pulled” the liquid up and around it more than if it had just been in the pot by itself)  Place the covered pot in your refrigerator.  Turn the roast over once a day to allow the marinade to penetrate the roast completely.  Do this for 3, 4 or even as long as 5 days.

Remove the meat to a plate and blot it dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper on all sides.  Place the vegetables into a bowl and pour the remaining marinade through a mesh sieve to remove the Juniper berries and other seasonings.  You will only use half of the marinade for the roast, discard other half or marinade

Heat a large pot over high heat and add canola oil.  Brown the roast in the oil on all sides, 2-3 minutes on each side until it has a nice crust develop.  Pour the reserved liquid over the roast to douse the roast and return the vegetables to the roast.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover the pot with a lid and and simmer for 90 minutes or more depending on the size of the roast.  My roast was closer to 5 lbs than 3, so I found it was not finished after 90 minutes and because I had used my pressure cooker pot, I removed some of the liquid to a bowl and continued using the pressure cooker for 60 minutes so it would speed the cooking process.  I am unsure now if my cut of meat was the right type.  In hind sight I should have used my enameled cast iron pot and had it roast in the oven for 2 hours at 400F.

When the meat is done, remove it to a cutting board, remove any strings that may have been tied on by the butcher and slice the meat into thin slices.  Place the meat into a baking dish and keep warm in an preheated oven (300 F).  Return the liquid to the pot.  Use an immersion blender to blend the vegetables into the sauce.  Taste the sauce for flavor and add seasonings if you desire.  I found mine to  be nicely flavored.  I had a lot of liquid after blending the sauce.  I poured about half of it to a smaller skillet to make the gravy.  I made a slurry with the 3 Tbsp of water and 2 Tbsp of cornstarch in a small bowl and added the cornstarch mixture to the gravy in the skillet and brought it to a boil and cooked until thickened.  Serve the gravy over spätzle and slices of Sauerbraten.

Printable Recipe -also included are the recipes for spätzle and red cabbage

Mini-Bacon Meatballs

Mini-Bacon Meatballs — I know that brings you visions of Heaven right?  Well, almost! These are used in the Meatball Soup that I posted (link)  My husband thought these are a shining star!  Yes, I agree they are quite good!  I doubled the recipe but wished that I had quadrupled it.  The meatballs are Tablespoon size scoops that cook quickly and are easy to make.  A little prep work of course is necessary, but well worth it.  I actually wish I had made the meatballs a little smaller for the soup, but this would be a nice size for Spaghetti and Meatballs, or Sweet and Sour Meatballs, or Meatballs in a sauce for a Superbowl party… let your imagination go wild.  These are very versatile.

Mini-Bacon Meatballs

Cuisine at Home April 2010 issue page 48 (28-1″ meatballs)

• 2 strips of bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb ground beef (sirloin)
• 1/4 cup dry plain bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (larger grain than table salt)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 400F and spray your broiling pan with non stick cooking spray.

Cook bacon over medium high heat until it begins to crisp.  Remove the bacon to paper towels to allow to drain.  Remove all but 1 Tbsp bacon fat from the pan.  Cook the onion in the bacon fat over medium heat until it is softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Combine the cooked bacon and onion-garlic mixture (I allowed it to cool some first) with the beef, bread crumbs, chopped parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Mix together with a wooded spoon until well combined.  Add the beaten egg once the mixture seems evenly mixed.

Form the meat mixture into 1 inch balls (I found a 1 Tbsp measurement to be perfect) roll in your hands to make them round.  Place the meatballs on the prepared broiling pan.  Bake at 400F for 10 minutes.  Check meatballs and cook longer if needed.  I found 10 minutes was the right amount of time, but if your meatballs are larger they may take another few minutes.

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