meat

Steak with Corn Salsa

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

It’s always exciting to find yet another steak recipe when it seems that we’ve been cooking steak for years. This one was yet another gem from our favorite Wine Lover’s Cookbook that we feel vindicated in having picked up while in Healdsburg in Sonoma, California wine country.

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After all, we are truly wine lovers and food lovers, so who could turn down an entire book of pairings?! Food-wise, the recipe calls for a pairing with a radish daikon slaw, but easily would have been fine with just the salsa. In terms of wine, the recipe recommends a Zinfandel, and that a Sangiovese could work just as nicely. (We used the Zin and it was fantastic.)

Ingredients

Flank steak (1/2 lb/person)

Marinade

  • 1/3 cup dry sherry
  • 3 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup of sliced yellow onions
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chiles in adobo

Salsa

  • 1 can corn
  • 1/2 cup roasted bell pepper (chopped, I buy the jar of roasted pepper which makes this a cinch)
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1/2 tsp of white wine Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp of minced jalapeños
  • 2 tsp sherry wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions

  1. Mix the marinade ingredients in a plastic bag or bowl and add the steak. Turn the steak a few times to make sure it is all covered in the marinade, and then let it sit in the fridge, in the marinade for 4-5 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. When oven comes to temperature, cut off the top of the head of garlic. Place it on foil and pour olive oil over the top. Stick in the oven for 45 minutes to make roasted garlic.
  3. Once roasted and soft, scoop the garlic cloves out of the head and place in a medium sized bowl and mash them lightly.
  4. Add the corn, chopped bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, jalapeños, sherry vinegar and basil. Mix thoroughly and then cover and refrigerate to let the flavors meld.
  5. Once the steak is finished marinating, bring a cast iron skillet or grill pan to high heat.
  6. Scrape the marinade off the steak, and add to the skillet for about 3 minutes on each side. Turn off the heat, cover in foil and let rest for about 5 minutes.
  7. Serve the steak over the the corn salsa.

Adapted from the Wine Lover’s Cookbook.

Beef Stew

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

img_2350My sister has been after me to make my beef stew and since the weather has turned autumnal, I’m happy to comply. I’ve made Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon and frankly, I like this better and it is much less fuss. There is also a lot of built-in flexibility with my version. I happen to like really big chunks of meat and LOTS of vegetables. Sometimes I actually run out of room in my cocotte and I have to leave out the mushrooms. It still is wonderful. I always use wine in my stew but you could use only beef stock and it would still be delicious. The one thing I am adamant about, however, is that the meat you use should be a well-marbled chuck roast. This is cooked “low and slow” and something that is leaner will end up like shoe leather. I buy my chuck roast whole and trim and cut it myself. It really only takes about 15 minutes to cut up yourself and is well-worth the time. Other than peeling the potatoes, there isn’t that much active time with this dish, so take the time and cut the meat yourself. This way you can have lovely large, meaty, moist chunks of beef and who wouldn’t want that?! I have made this in a slow cooker but prefer the results when I make it in the oven. This dish can – and should – be made ahead. The flavors only improve with age and reheating. Purely for aesthetics, I would, therefore, only add my peas just before serving when I am heating the stew through or I add them straight from the freezer into the hot stew after I have turned off the heat when I know that I will be only reheating this once. You can of course, make this and eat it in the same day. It just is even better when made a day in advance.

Lisa’s Beef Stew

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

4.25 pounds of untrimmed chuck roast (This will yield about 3.75 pounds trimmed)

2 Tablespoons EVOO

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste (don’t be too stingy)

2 cups beef stock

2 cups red wine (Use what you will be drinking – a cabernet or malbec or zinfandel)

28 ounces canned tomatoes, preferably fire roasted

5 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons sugar (brown or white)

1 pound baby carrots

1.5 pounds small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled but left whole

10 ounces pearl onions (Use frozen – it is NOT worth the effort to peel fresh ones. Trust me, I’ve done it!)

10 ounces frozen peas (If you prefer, you could use green beans, cut into thirds, but I always use peas…)

8 ounces of brown mushrooms like a Cremini or Baby Bellas, halved or quartered (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Trim the roast and cut into large chunks (2 x 2 inches)img_2344img_2345
  3. Toss the meat with salt and pepper
  4. Brown on all sides in a heavy Dutch Oven or Cocotte in the heated EVOO. I did this in two batches. When your last batch has browned, add back all of the meat along with the bay leaves and canned tomatoes.
  5. Sprinkle the Tapioca, sugar and thyme over the meat and mix through. Add the wine and beef stock. Bring to a boil, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 1.5 hours.
  6. After 1.5 hours, add in the carrots, onions and potatoes and gently stir through. Re-cover the pot and place it back in the oven for another hour. If you are using the mushrooms, add them now and cook for another 30 minutes. Otherwise just cook the stew for the additional 30 minutes for a total of 3 hours. Turn off the heat and add in the frozen peas, gently mixing through. Allow the stew to cool, covered. I don’t bother refrigerating it if I am using it the next day but feel free. When you are ready to eat the stew, place it in a 300 degree oven for about 30 – 45 minutes until heated through. Adjust your seasonings if necessary.

Note: Because you are using the Minute Tapioca, there is no need to thicken the sauce or to add a roux. I told you this was easy! Serve this with a crusty bread and a green salad.

Siniyeh – A Spin on Meatloaf

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

While flipping through The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook years ago after receiving it as a gift from Lisa, I came across this dish that was described as “spiced meat loaf with sesame topping.”  Intrigued, I decided to try making it and it has turned into a staple in our dinner rotations.  It’s probably not the prettiest dish, but the flavor makes up for it!  This goes extremely well with a bottle of spicy red wine, such as a nice California Zinfandel, or a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon and a zesty vegetable side, such as this Moroccan Carrot Salad.

siniyeh dinner

Ingredients

Meat Loaf

  • 2 lb ground beef or ground lamb (I generally use very lean ground beef)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 cup of finely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Topping

  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves

Garnish
About 3 tbsp pine nuts

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9×13″ baking dish with nonstick spray or grease very well.
  2.  In a large bowl, combine all the meatloaf ingredients, and mix by squeezing through your fingers until well combined and smooth.
  3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the top is browned.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the sesame topping.  Put the tahini in a small bowl, and slowly add the water, stirring vigorously.  Stir in the remaining topping ingredients.
  5. When the meat loaf is browned, remove the dish from the oven and carefully drain off any excess fat that has been released from the meatloaf.  Be especially careful to not let the meatloaf fall out of the dish!
  6. Spread the prepared sesame topping over the meatloaf.  Sprinkle the pine nuts on top.
  7. Return the meat loaf to the 400 degree oven, and bake for about 10 minutes longer or until the topping is puffed and lightly browned, and the meat is cooked completely through in the center.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Adapted from The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook, by Gloria Kaufer Greene