good pot roast

I'm not a fan of cooking with wine in general, but this pot roast is good. From here.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
• salt and pepper
• 1 large coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon worked well)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• thyme & rosemary 
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 5-6 potatoes

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 350º.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine,  chopped garlic, beef broth, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.

Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf from pan; discard. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

shepherd's pie

Or is it cottage pie?  I'm not sure.  Anyway this shepherd's pie is good with leftover roast.  I made some last week or a couple weeks ago and froze it, and then made this from here. 

It took quite a while; next time I would consider just using frozen vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds cooked beef roast, chopped up
• 2 cups sliced, cooked carrots (I simmered them about 8 minutes)
• 2 cups green beans (I used my other recipe for green beans)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes (about 3 to 4 large potatoes)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• (1 cup shredded cheddar) - I don't use

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Grease a baking dish and add the beef in an even layer.
3. Cover with the carrots, then the green beans.
4. Set aside.
5. Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a heavy frying pan.
6. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until it is a golden color, about 2 minutes.
7. Whisk in the milk and simmer until the gravy is smooth and thick.
8. Pour over the meat and vegetables.
9. Set aside.
10. Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks.
11. Boil them in salted water until they are very tender.
12. Mash them with the 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup butter.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
14. Spoon over the meat and vegetables and sprinkle the cheddar over the top.
15. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cheese it bubbly and the dish is heated all the way through.

ground beef and cabbage

ground beef and cabbage - recipe from here with my additions

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey, venison, etc)
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic 
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 c. diced tomatoes
• Spices to taste: salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, etc- I use at least a teaspoon of each

Instructions

1. Brown beef in a large skillet or wok, adding spices to taste as you go.
2. When beef is almost completely browned, add sliced onions and grated carrots.
3. When onions/carrots are starting to soften, add the cabbage and spice well.
4. Cook about 10 more minutes, stirring often until cabbage starts to soften.
5. Can be topped with salsa or sour cream if desired.

feta burger

Got this recipe at a weekly Weight Watchers meeting and love it.

Ingredients

	1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef
	1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
	1/2 cup(s) uncooked onion(s), minced
	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	4 item(s) light hamburger roll(s) or bun(s)
	5 tsp crumbled feta cheese
	3/4 cup(s) fresh spinach, baby leaves

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine beef, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and onion. Gently form into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.
  
• Coat a nonstick ridged grill pan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Place burgers in pan; grill for 4 minutes. Flip burgers and grill until cooked through to center, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
  
• Place burgers on buns; top each with 1 1/4 teaspoons of cheese and some spinach. Serve immediately. Yields 1 burger per serving.

beef and quince plov

Plov is the national Azerbaijani dish, and it basically appears to mean (from what I've had) rice cooked with saffron and broth served with a stew of sorts. Our cook at work makes it and includes meat, dried fruits, and chestnuts. I love rice, and what's not to like about meat and fruit?

I also love quince, which I probably haven't had in the 23 years since I lived in Germany. It's a special, sweet flavor. So when my German friend who is an extraordinary international cuisine expert suggested a quince with beef plov, that sounded perfect.

I pretty much copied it from this site, and I'll make notes to remember for later.

Overall, it was really good - just really rich and a tad too sweet. I'd love to add more vegetables to it so I need to think about what would go well. Or maybe the answer is to have a good salad with it and reduce the portion size of the plov. It was quite a bit of work to saute everything separately, but I do think it made the taste really, really good. It was exactly what I wanted after a week of pretty "meh" food in Istanbul (don't know how we found the only blah places in town, but we did).

My beef was pretty tough but before it got tender the quince got a little too soft - so I'd probably add the quince in later and let the beef stew away first.

Persian beef with quince (Khoreshe behh)
(Blog: "In Erica's Kitchen" and adapted from a recipe by Haydeh Bina Motavasel)

• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 pounds stew beef cut into smallish cubes (lamb or veal work also)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (definitely no more - this small amount is great)
  
• 2-3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 quinces, cored and cubed, not peeled (resist impulse to put in more - but do figure out vegetables to add in)
  
• handful of prunes
• 3 Tbsp honey (reduce or omit - the fruit is sweet enough)
  

Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches until it is seared well on all sides, then remove the meat to a plate. Add the onions and cook 6-8 minutes, until the onions are starting to brown nicely. Add the meat and any juices that have accumulated on the plate back to the pot. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, tomato paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and enough water to come halfway up the meat mixture. Stir to combine and bring the pot to a simmer.

While the meat is coming to a simmer, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and saute the quince for a few minutes. You don't want to cook it thoroughly, just to start caramelizing the edges. Add the quince to the stew pot along with the prunes and honey. By this time the stew should be simmering; stir everything to combine, cover the pot, and let it cook a good three hours over very low heat. Check it occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot, and if it looks dry, add some water. Shirin notes that the longer it cooks, the better it will be.

***

HERE IS ANOTHER RECIPE (2024 update) that includes a lot of carrots so that sounds good and I'll make it today with brown basmati (halving it).  Edit:  the brown rice I just couldn't get to cook so I think I need to partially cook it and then add it.  The quince can be cooked less.  And, it took like three hours to cook, which I wasn't expecting.  But, otherwise it's good and I would definitely make it again. 

 

• 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
• 1/2#+ stew beef or lamb
• salt, pepper
• 1/3 cup oil 
• 2 onions (or 1 large), cut into wedges
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 quince, cut into wedges and cored and peeled
• 3 carrots, cut into thick matchsticks
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup currants (or other dried fruit)
• fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish
  

Prepare the Plov

1. Put the rinsed rice into a large bowl of cold water to soak while you start the recipe. Season the beef with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in the pan until hot and foaming.

3. Brown the beef over medium–high heat, in batches if necessary, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon leaving the oil behind. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, cumin, and allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden.

4. Return the beef to the pan with any collected juices, the bay leaves, quinces, and a small cupful of water. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down very low, cover the pan, and gently simmer for one hour until the meat is tender.

5. Spread over the carrot matchsticks, but don’t stir as you want to keep the layers separate. Scatter with the spices and cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Drain the rice and layer it on top of the carrots. Poke the whole garlic cloves and cinnamon sticks into the rice and flatten the top with the back of a spoon. Scatter over the currants. Season very generously with salt and slowly pour in enough boiling water to just cover the top of the rice. Increase the heat and leave the pan uncovered so that the water starts to boil away.

7. When the liquid has cooked off, make six holes in the rice using the handle of a wooden spoon to help the steam escape. Cover the pan and cook at a low simmer for five minutes. Turn off the heat without removing the lid and leave the dish to steam undisturbed for another 10 minutes. If the rice isn’t cooked, add a splash more boiling water and cover again.

8. Serve the layers in reverse, first spooning the rice onto the platter, then the carrots, and finally the tender chunks of meat on the top. Rain fresh pomegranate seeds over the top.

 

tamale pie

I brought back some Trader Joe's taco seasoning mix last time I visited the US and it needs to be used, so tamale pie it is! (If I want to make this in the future, I'll just my own mixture of spices. For whatever reason when I was standing there at TJ's, I just had to have that packet. Who knows my thinking.)

Crust: (Combine and put in bottom of pie tin or casserole)
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
(1 cup whole kernel corn, drained)

Saute together in a little oil:
2+ small onions
3-4 cloves garlic

Add:
1# ground beef and cook until browned.

Take off heat and add:
taco meat seasoning packet
diced peppers (fresh or canned)
diced tomatoes (1 can) and/or tomato sauce
black beans (1 can - or kidney or pinto)
frozen or canned corn (I omit)

Stir together. Put on top of crust. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and put back in oven to melt.

Eat with sour cream/yogurt and salsa and cilantro.

**

Update from August 2025 - this vegetarian tamale pie from NY Times popped up on a feed, and while it's more labor intensive (broiling peppers), it seems tasty and I plan to make it soon.  I think it may freeze well, which has become a common food prep thing for me which really helps when too busy to cook.  Bonus is that I have almost all the ingredients on hand (only need to pick up jalapenos, as I pickled them all yesterday), and I have just about that amount of cornmeal needing to be used up.  

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

For the Chili

• 1large red or white onion, halved
• 2jalapeños, halved lengthwise and seeded (if desired)
• 1poblano or green bell pepper, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1¾teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
• 1(28-ounce) can whole plum or diced tomatoes
• 3fat garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 2tablespoons mild or hot chili powder, more as needed
• 2teaspoons dried oregano
• 1¾teaspoons ground cumin
• 3(15-ounce) cans black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (optional)

For the Cornbread

• ¾cup/135 grams fine cornmeal
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1½teaspoons baking powder
• ½teaspoon kosher salt
• 1large egg, at room temperature
• ⅓cup/80 grams sour cream or whole-milk yogurt, plus more for serving
• ¼cup/57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2teaspoons honey
• 2scallions, whites and greens thinly sliced, plus more for serving
• 1cup grated Cheddar (optional)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Prepare the chili: Move a rack as close to the heating element as possible and heat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Finely dice half of the onion and set aside for later.

2. Step 2

   Slice remaining onion half into ½-inch-thick half-moons and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Place jalapeños and poblano next to onions, cut sides down. Lightly brush vegetables with oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Broil 2 to 4 minutes, until vegetables are charred on one side. (If the chiles are small, they will be charred after 1 to 2 minutes.) Flip vegetables and broil until the other side is charred, 1 to 3 minutes.

3. Step 3

   Transfer pan to a rack until cool enough to handle, then stem the peppers. Transfer charred vegetables and any accumulated juices to a blender (or use a bowl and immersion blender). Add canned tomato and ¼ teaspoon salt, and blend to a coarse purée. You can make this up to 4 days ahead, and store in the refrigerator until needed.)

4. Step 4

   Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add diced onion and sauté until lightly browned, 6 to 9 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, oregano, remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and cumin, and cook until spices darken, about 30 seconds.

5. Step 5

   Add beans and the reserved tomato purée, and let mixture simmer until thick like a chili, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro, if using. Taste and add more salt and chili powder, if needed.

6. Step 6

   While the chili simmers, prepare the cornbread: In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

7. Step 7

   In a small bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, butter and honey. Whisk egg mixture into cornmeal mixture until combined. Fold in scallions.

8. Step 8

   Spread cornbread topping over the chili, then top with grated cheese, if using. Bake, uncovered, until cornbread is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or warm, topped with sour cream and more scallions.

roast in a crockpot

(Yeah, the meat is there, hidden under the mushrooms.)

(When first cooked, it was fall apart tender. A night in the 'fridge firmed it right up [above].)



*roast (I used sirloin tri tip because it was on sale; I read chuck is good); mine was about 2.5 pounds (can use larger)
*vegetables (I used: 4 carrots, 1 onion, 2 stalks celery, 7 cloves garlic, 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms) (potatoes would also be good, or other sturdy vegetables)
*liquid (I used 1 c tomato juice and 1 c chicken stock from freezer, then added probably two more cups of water and a vegetable bouillon cube - and that was TOO MUCH LIQUID)
*herbs/spices (salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme - or whatever you like!)

***
Sear the roast. Heat up a pan to pretty high heat with a high heat point oil such as peanut oil. Roll the roast in flour and kosher salt & freshly ground pepper. Place roast in heated oil until you can smell it browned, then turn over and repeat for all sides.

While searing, chop vegetables in chunks (I usually chop quite finely, but I leave in larger chunks for the crockpot - so they don't lose all shape). Place in bottom of crockpot. However, don't put in more delicate ones - the mushrooms I added later.

Place seared roast on top of vegetables.

Deglaze pan. Pour some of the liquid into the hot pan and use it to scrape up the flavorful bits from the bottom (the "fond"). I then added all liquid to heat to boiling to speed along the cooking process.

Pour heated liquid into crock and add herbs/spices.

Cook on low for about 5 hours (meat thermometer about 160 degrees for medium). (see below)

Add mushrooms and other delicates the last hour or so.

****
I'm on a big marjoram kick lately and think I should probably get a plant. I find it blends so well with so many things. I also am liking thyme, and still have some fresh sprigs so tossed those in.

For liquid, a lot of people use wine but I really do not like the taste of meat cooked in wine. Blech. And yes, I've tried a variety of wines and I always feel like I've just wasted perfectly good food by doing that. I also am not loving Worcestershire sauce, though that could be a nice addition. I think that most people would not put tomato sauce/juice/paste into a roast, but I like the mild acid and the flavor richness it adds (and if not using it, I would add some apple cider vinegar). Of course a lot of people would throw in onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup, but I am most assuredly NOT those people. (You will NEVER see me cook with cream of anything soup because they most assuredly taste like crap. Trust me - I grew up in a household that went through cases of the stuff.) I'm trying to wean myself off bouillon, but as far as evils go the one bouillon cube for all that food - I'm not worried.

When I added all that liquid, I erred on the side of caution, and it ended up looking very much like soup. I will probably save the broth to cook rice with because it's very flavorful - but it is A LOT.

When figuring out how to cook a roast (never done it before in my life), I chanced upon a java roast recipe. It sounded intriguing, but my organic fair trade coffee is pretty expensive and I didn't want to waste it - plus, the idea of putting cream cheese into a saturated fat extravaganza of red meat - well, not really my thing. But if I have some extra coffee lying around in the future I might try it.

Regarding time: I guessed I would need more time than I really did. My roast was pretty small and my crockpot runs hot and I started it with boiling liquid - but when I checked it at 5 1/2 hours, the meat was well over 200 degrees. The vegetables were great texture then, carrots still a little firm. Didn't add mushrooms at end - will saute them tomorrow to accompany.

It turned out very tender, but a little on the dry side (probably because it was quite lean).

Would be awesome with mashed potatoes & gravy! Would also be good with a green salad or something fresh to balance this long-cooked food. I wanted to accompany it with roasted beets and sweet potatoes, but with the timing so off those will be dessert.

Yeah, since I didn't add the mushrooms to the roast because it cooked a lot faster than I expected, the next day I sauteed them and and then added some broth and let them cook down. YUM!!

London broil

I always have a dickens of a time figuring out how/what to marinade London broil (which is usually top round; I buy when on sale at Whole Foods).

So, here's the marinade I usually assemble. (I don't like to use red wine because I think that overpowers the meat.)

For about 1# of meat, I used approximately the following:

*1/3 c soy sauce
*2 T sesame oil
*3-8 cloves garlic (depending on size)
*onion - green, white, sweet, red - whatever! (the dehydrated are a good money saver)
*ginger - about 1-2" piece, peeled
*pepper - a bunch of fresh ground (maybe 20 turns) - no need for salt b/c of soy sauce
*honey or brown sugar or maple syrup - less than 1T (I don't like my meat really sweet)
*(citrus zest if you want)

Whirl all that together in a food processor/blender (I let it sit with the dehydrated onions for 5 minutes or so and then whirl). (Or, can chop everything finely and stir it all together.)

Then add:
*3 bay leaves

And leave to marinade at least a few hours and preferably overnight. (I put in a glass dish that fits the meat well, covering it with marinade. Can also use a ziploc-style bag.)

Then cook on grill ... depending on thickness. For about 2" thick, I'll try 7 minutes on each side over medium heat.

When you take it off the grill THIS IS IMPORTANT - don't cut into it right away. Put some foil over it and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. (If you cut into it right away, all the juices flow out and it's dry.)

Then cut thinly against the grain (making the tough fibers very short) and serve.

London broil is great with salad, vegetables, rice ...

thai basil beef (or holy basil)

3/4 pound flank or flap steak - cut diagonal in thin slices and fry in sesame seed oil at high heat for a short time (keeps it tender) - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

onions (I use whatever I have on hand - yellow, red, 1/2, whole - whatev. Tonight I used green onions instead)
garlic (I love garlic so I use at least three cloves)
chili peppers (I like to mash them with garlic in the mortar; I use the super hot beautiful little Thai chilis when I can find them - it's a little masochistic but they add a great flavor)

Saute until aromatic.

Add a bunch of vegetables. This is a great dish to throw in whatever is seasonal/on sale.

Suggestions include:
green beans (but they need longer to cook if they're fresh - or blanch/steam first)
various greens
cabbage, especially Chinese types
broccoli
cauliflower
zucchini
bell peppers
carrots
(I just empty my fridge and have even used cucumbers and tomatoes)

Saute, add more oil and water or stock until tender.

Stir in chopped basil leaves:
approximately 40 leaves of Thai basil and/or holy basil

Add sauce:
about 1 tsp to 1 T each (depends on how much vegetable mass)
fish sauce
oyster sauce
soy sauce (um, no, this isn't salty at all)
sweet chili garlic sauce (or a chili garlic sauce with a little honey or sugar - just a little sweet to emphasize the flavors if nothing else sweet added; can omit this altogether if you use enough garlic & chilis)

Stir through, add meat to reheat and enjoy! I like with freshly steamed rice. We tried once with noodles and I was underimpressed (but I also omitted chilis for a tender-mouth and in general I thought that was icky - the spice is great)

**
Notes - I really, really like this with holy basil. But I picked up some beautiful cheap Thai basil from the Asian market and it's good.

The meat is easier to cut if slightly frozen. I also chop shorter so it's not long strips. The secret really is to cook on high heat alone for a short time - it's so tender and flavorful.

Every time I make this I love it - a great way to get lots of vegs with such great flavor and protein. But by the fourth day of eating it I'm long tired of it - so I'm going to try freezing half of it and see how that works. I should have under cooked everything and pulled that portion out first. Hm.

Loosely based on this. I'm getting super frustrated because I can't find any of my regular recipes on my regular blog. So I'll post the ones I use most here.