Best Sloppy Joes

Here's a well loved family favorite which my 90-year-old mother immediately took to when she moved in with us.

I am not positive but believe this recipe came from Gourmet in the letters from readers section quite a long time ago. I skip the chopped onion when I am especially pressed for time.

Enjoy!

Step 1:
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion

Sauté beef and onion until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat.


Step 2:
1 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon Dijon
Pepper to taste

4 burger buns

Add all and cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Pop on the buns and enjoy!

Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad

From Beyond the Great Wall, another of the wonderful books by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. This is an unusual dish — a warm salad from Inner Mongolia — which the authors posit may be a fusion dish of some kind, possibly with a Russian influence. The sauce is literally a ground beef dressing which is delicious.

I turned it into a main dish by doubling it — which worked well — and the simple expediency of serving it with rice. Oh, so very good ... and it looked just like the picture in the book. It will not only make your taste buds sit up and sing but will be easy on the budget as well.

Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad

About 4 packed cups coarsely torn romaine lettuce

Dressing
1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 pound (1 packed cup) ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon Jinjiang (black rice) vinegar, or to taste
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

Place the lettuce in a wide salad bowl or serving dish and set aside.

Place a wok or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. toss in the garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the ginger. Stir-fry over medium-high to medium heat until slightly softened and starting to turn color. 

Add the meat and use your spatula to break it up so there are no lumps at all, then add the salt and stir-fry until most of the meat has changed color. Drain fat. 

Add the soy sauce and vinegar and stir to blend. Add the warm water and stir to blend. (The dressing can be prepared ahead to this point and set aside for up to 20 minutes. When you are ready to proceed, bring to a boil.)

While the dressing mixture is coming to a boil, place the cornstarch in a small cup or bowl and stir in the cold water to make a smooth paste. Once the liquid is bubbling in the pan, give the cornstarch mixture a final stir, add to the pan, and stir for about 1 minute, the liquid will thicken and become smoother. Taste for salt, and add a little salt or soy sauce if you wish. 

Add the sesame oil and stir once, then pour onto the lettuce. Immediately toss the salad to expose all the greens to the hot dressing. Serve immediately (or see Note).

Serves 4 as a salad or side dish.

Author's note on texture: If you use romaine lettuce, the salad will have good crunch as well as some wilted softer textures when you first serve it. We love the contrast. If you prefer a softer texture, either let the salad stand for 5 minutes before serving it, to give the greens more time to soften in the warm dressing, or use leaf lettuce instead of romaine.

Cajun Meatball Fricasee

This is from Cook's Country. It is quite good and makes a nice change from the regular idea of meatballs derived from Italian or Swedish roots.

They say it serves 4-6 but we were able to put half of it in the freezer for another meal later. So I'd say it serves 8 ... and with two pounds of hamburger, that makes sense. Also, we're going to halve the amount of broth called for when we make it again. There was no way that was cooking down enough to be the texture of cream. Even brothy it was good though.


Cajun Meatball Fricasee

Step 1 — Meatballs
22 saltines, crushed finely
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
2 pounds ground chuck
2 ounces Parmesan
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1-1/2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425°. Line jellyroll pan with foil, set wire rack in pan and spray with cooking spray.

Whisk saltines, milk and Worcestershire together. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften crackers. Whisk until smooth paste forms. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly with hands.

Divide into 24 scant ¼-cup portions. Roll with wet hands into meatballs and evenly space on rack. Roast until lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes.

Step 2 — Roux
1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
1⁄3 cup flour

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir continually for entire roux making: stir in flour and cook until mixture is color of peanut butter, 2-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until milk-chocolate brown, 5-10 minutes.

Step 3
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 scallions, white and green separated and sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning
2 cups chicken broth (original recipe - 4 cups)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
White rice, cooked
Tabasco, to taste

Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and bacon and cook until softened, 7-10 minutes.

Stir in scallion whites, garlic and creole seasoning and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Whisk in broth and Worcestershire. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.

Step 4
Add meatballs to stew; reduce heat to low and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. Uncover; increase heat to medium-high and cook until thickened to texture of heavy cream, 8-12 minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with scallion greens, with Tabasco on the side.

Shepherd's Pie

This is from Cooking for Friends by Gordon Ramsay. Rose is a Gordon Ramsay fan and after sampling the many recipes she's made for us, I can see why. This Shepherd's Pie is a great example. It is still a simple dish but has been elevated beyond the regular Shepherd's Pies I've tried in the past, which, to be fair, never seemed that great. This one is great and will make you and your family very happy.


Shepherd's Pie

1 pound ground lamb or beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1.5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 pounds baking potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons hot milk
4 tablespoons Parmesan
2 egg yolks

1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Season the ground meat with salt and pepper and fry in a thin layer of oil until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

2. Add more oil to the pan and stir in the onion, carrot, and garlic. Fry, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Add the flour and tomato paste and stir for a couple of minutes longer. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge the browned sediment. Let the wine boil until it has almost all evaporated and the pan is quite dry.

3. Pour the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Return the meat to the pan and add the Worcestershire sauce. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and partially cover the pan. Simmer, stirring every once in a while, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, 30-40 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, cook the chunks of potatoes in boiling salted water until tender when pierced with a small knife, 15-20 minutes. Drain well, then mash with butter, hot milk, Parmesan, and egg yolks. Season to taste and set aside.

5. Pour the lamb or beef mixture into an 8 cup baking dish. Spoon the mashed potato on top. Bake until top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling up around the sides, 20-25 minutes.

Quick, Mildly Spiced Beef

This is from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries II. It is a lot like a korma-style mild curry from an Indian restaurant.

I don't know if I'd call it "quick" since that tends to mean 20 minutes, but it was straight-forward and easy and probably took me about 45 minutes. This has a lot of sauce and is wonderful with rice.

Quick, Mildly Spiced Beef

oil
500 g cubed chuck steak (I used hanger steak)
2 large onions, thinly sliced (I think English onions are smaller than ours. I used one large onion and it was plenty.)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp garam masala (or whatever curry powder you have around)
500 ml veg or beef stock (I used chicken stock)
1 tbsp grain mustard
200 ml double cream (a.k.a. heavy cream)
salt and pepper

Warm the oil in a heavy shallow casserole. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides in the toil, turning only occasionally. remove from the pan with a draining spoon.

Meanwhile halve, peel and thinly slice the onions, and garlic. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, letting them soften a little but not brown beyond pale honey color. Stir in the ground cumin, coriander, and garam masala, then continue cooking for five minutes before returning the meat and any juices to the pabn. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes, till the liquid has reduced by half.

Stir in the mustard, pour in the cram and bring back to the boil. check the seasoning before serving

Banh Mi Burgers

What's better than a burger? A Vietnamese flavored one! This is from Cooking Light and it hits every flavor button you've got. Plus, it's easy!


Banh Mi Burgers

Step 1
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar (we used 2 tablespoons and it was just right)
1 cup shaved English cucumber
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots (we shaved these just like the cucumbers)

Bring vinegar, water, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high. Combine cucumber and carrots in a heatproof bowl; pour hot vinegar mixture over vegetables. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes or up to 3 days.

Step 2
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Stir all together; set aside.

Step 3
1 pound 93% lean ground beef (we used chuck)
2 tablespoons olive oil (since we were using chuck, we skipped the oil)
2 teaspoons grated garlic
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat grill to medium-high (about 450°F). Combine beef, oil, garlic, ginger, and black pepper in a bowl; gently mix just until ingredients are incorporated. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Place patties on a grill grate coated with cooking spray. Grill, covered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140°F, about 3 minutes per side, or to desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

Step 4
4 whole-grain hamburger buns, split and toasted
1-1/2 cups loosely packed cilantro sprigs
2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced

Spread about 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture on each bun half. Place 1 burger patty on each bottom bun half. Drain cucumber mixture; place about 1/4 cup on each burger. Divide cilantro sprigs and chiles among burgers. Cover with top halves of buns.

Favorite Meat Loaf

I've never been a meat loaf fan but for some obscure reason I tried recipe after recipe looking for one I could love. When I came across this in James Beard's American Cookery, I knew I'd found my meat loaf at last. For one thing, it is covered in bacon. For another, it has strong seasoning anchored by sausage. For the third thing ... did I mention the bacon?

Another advantage is that you shape the loaf without putting it in a loaf pan. That means it isn't soggy because the fat has somewhere else to go than soaking into the loaf. That makes the texture nice and firm.

It is the meat loaf I cooked for my family winter after winter and I really love it.


Favorite Meat Loaf

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork (sausage meat will do)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fairly large onion, finely chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon summer savory (I never have this on hand and it works fine without it)
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Bacon or salt pork cut in strips

Thoroughly blend the meats, garlic, onion, seasonings, and crumbs.

Add the eggs and blend again.

Arrange the bacon or salt pork slices on the bottom of a shallow baking pan or dish 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep. (I use a jelly roll pan.)

Form the meat into a loaf of rather even proportions and lay it upon the strips. Lay a few additional strips of bacon or pork across the top of the loaf. Bake at 350 degrees 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Test with a meat thermometer, and when its center has reached 150 degrees it is done.

The recipe says to baste, but that's what the bacon on top is for. Am I right? Of course I am!

Cincinnati-Style Chili

Here comes Fall weather and the first thing that springs to my mind is chili. Talking to my mother about a planned October visit for a horror-movie fest (this is my mother's passion, not mine) she brought up making a pot of chili. "There's just something about cooler weather," she said. To be fair, her weather is not going to be very cool since she lives in Florida, but we will crank the air-conditioning and pretend it is a chilly Midwest fall day.

The only question I have is whether she's thinking of Texas-style chili or the sort I remember from school lunches, which I really loved also. Since she grew up in Cincinnati I have a feeling I know which she'll pick. It was when looking through the archives to send her the links for choosing that I found I never shared this delicious recipe.

It is from Gourmet magazine and the only gussying up that I can detect is using black beans instead of the traditional kidney beans. I'm good either way. Love beans in my chili, although that horrifies and mystifies my Texas-bred husband and children. Good thing I'm adaptable!

Cincinnati-Style Chili

Step 1:

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef

Cook until softened. Add beef and cook, until no longer pink.

Step 2:

3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon each: ground coriander, allspice, oregano
1/4 teaspoon each: cayenne, cinnamon, ground cloves, mace
1 bay leaf

Add all and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Step 3:

1-1/2 cups water
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

Add all and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep beef barely covered, for 2 hours, or until thickened but soupy enough to be ladled. Discard bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.

Filets Mignons with Mushrooms

This is what I selected for our New Year's Day dinner. It had been forever (almost literally) since we'd had that American standard, a steak and a baked potato. In particular, for this meal we also added a serving of  Creamed Jalapeño Spinach (we are in Texas, after all).

It was scrumptious and seemed to bode well for the New Year.

In particular, these mushrooms are simply wonderful and would complement any steak. I am not a big filet mignon fan but could foresee a nice grilled ribeye with these alongside.

This recipe is from the latest Cook's Country magazine (March 2014) from their 30-Minute Supper section.

I used regular button mushrooms. I also used a pinch of dried thyme, instead of fresh, add with the mushrooms so it could soften up over the cooking time.

Filets Mignons with Mushrooms
Serves 4

4 (6-8 ounce) center-cut filets mignons, trimmed
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup Marsala
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in  12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steaks and cook until well browned and meat registers 125 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cover, and cook until mushrooms release their juice, about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until moisture has evaporated and mushrooms are brown, about 5 minutes. Add shallot, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in Marsala and Worcestershire, scraping up any  browned bits, and cook until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and any accumulated meat juices from platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.

Sichuan-Style Orange Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

This is from the latest Cook's Country magazine. They always have a center section of 30-minute recipes printed on card stock, perforated so you get the photo on one side, the recipe on the other, and it makes a nice recipe card that I punch holes in and put in my kitchen binder. These have been consistently good and simple whenever I've tried them.

I think next time I'd use more sugar snap peas but since I also steamed some broccoli (dressed with a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce) we had plenty of vegetables.

It was delicious with the beef tender, the snow peas crisp, and the flavor bright from the orange and red pepper flakes. Also, we had plenty left over for a second meal. In fact, I think the flavor was improved on the second night.

The obvious pairing is to serve this with steamed rice, although I could see it being a good match with pasta or rice noodles.

My only beef (ha!) with this recipe is that there weren't enough peas. A second time I made it with double the amount and that was just right. 

Sichuan-Style Orange Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

2 teaspoons grated orange zest plus 1/2 cup juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed, cut into thirds lengthwise, and sliced crosswise into 1/4" thick pieces
8 ounces peas, sugar snap, strings removed (I double this)
2 scallions, sliced thin

Combine orange zest and juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic and pepper flakes in a bowl.

Combine beef and 1/3 cup orange juice mixture in a 12" non-stick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid has evaporated and beef is caramelized, about 15 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Add the remaining orange juice mixture and the snap peas to now-empty skillet and cook, covered, over medium heat until the snap peas are bright green, about 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the snap peas are tender, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the skillet and toss with the snap peas to combine. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with scallions. Serve.

Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo and Grilled Onions

I made this this weekend and, since I was using the torn out page from the magazine, thought it was from Fine Cooking. That's how good it was. Imagine my surprise at getting ready to share the recipe here and finding it was from Cooking Light!

These blue cheese burgers with the somewhat charred grilled onion rings were simply fantastic. I actually can't wait to make them again.

I have to admit I used the recipe as inspiration rather than following it to the letter. Although what I did was pretty close. Looking it over, the most variations were to the onions. The recipe was sent in by a reader and you can see it in its entirety at Cooking Light.

I used:

• Chuck instead of sirloin
• Hellman's regular mayonnaise instead of a canola version (for all I know it may be made with canola)
• Dried thyme (have you seen the price of fresh thyme?)
• Regular onions (if your CSA farmer continually kept bringing onions for weeks, you'd ignore buying special onions too ... plus I'm not that big a sweet onion fan)
• Onion rings instead of keeping the slices intact. I like my onions fully cooked or fully raw and the idea of those slices just seemed too much in-between ... which would have grossed me out.
• No marinade of sherry vinegar and fresh thyme for onion slices ... since I wasn't using slices. That might have been a good addition but the rings were charred enough that I was worried they might dissolve a bit.
• No arugula (I didn't read the recipe carefully enough ... I'm leaving that in because arugula or even a good leaf lettuce would probably have been a fantastic addition)

So here is our version, though I encourage you to click through above to see the real deal.

Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo and Grilled Onions



Ingredients

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1 pound ground chuck
Pepper
Salt
1-2 tablespoons oil
1 medium to large onion, cut into fairly thick slices and then turned into rings
4 burger buns
2 cups loosely packed arugula, washed and dried

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine 1/2 cup blue cheese, mayonnaise, thyme, and Tabasco in a small bowl; stir well.
3. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper.
4. Toss onion rings with oil and some pepper. 
5. Place the patties and onions on grill rack. (We use a vegetable rack for onions.) Grill burgers to taste and onions until fairly well cooked and browned on the edges.
6. Spread cut sides of buns evenly with mayonnaise mixture. Arrange 1/2 cup arugula on bottom half of each bun.
7. Put a burger on the arugula and top with crispy onion rings.

Salsa Mac 'N' Cheese

When I did a little lagniappe episode featuring Velveeta on my podcast, Forgotten Classics, I promised to link to this recipe. Only to discover I never shared it.

Not surprisingly, this recipe came from the Pace Picante Sauce website. It is one our family's favorite dishes. Easy, quick, and tasty. Though, you must like Velveeta. Which we do!

Salsa Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Step 1:
    1    pound extra-lean ground beef
Brown beef; drain.

Step 2:
    1    16-ounce jar Pace Picante (chunky salsa)
    2    cups water
    7    ounces dried elbow macaroni
Stir in all. Simmer, covered 10-15 minutes until macaroni is tender.

Step 3:
    12    ounces Velveeta, cut up
Add and stir till melted.

Easy Smoked Brisket

This is one of Matt Martinez's shortcuts to achieving authentic flavor with less than usual work. I know that when I have used this technique it is universally acclaimed as delicious. It could hardly be any easier. I can't remember which of Martinez's cookbooks this came from at the moment but they are all very good.

Smoked Brisket
8-12 pound short, fat beef brisket
Wood chips soaked for 1 hour

Season untrimmed brisket if desired.

Prepare charcoal grill so that charcoal is ash white. Place wood chips on coals. Grill until dark and crusty on both sides, 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally. Expect flare-ups, but allow meat to char.

Bake in oven on a rack, covered, at 300° or 350° for 30-45 minutes per pound.

Curried Beef with Potatoes and Peas

Thanksgiving left me all cooked out and we lived on leftovers from that and other recent meals for several days.

However, this dish, which is Cooking Light's version of an Indian dish called Tori Keema, appealed to me so much that I made it twice within the last two weeks. It is easy, savory, and quick ... all highly appealing qualities whether faced with feast cooking recovery or a mid-week meal.

I have rearranged the cooking instructions somewhat to only use one pan. I also use more oil than they call for, though the as little as possible needed to get the job done.

Start some rice cooking before you put this on and you'll have a great dinner with little effort.

Curried Beef with Potatoes and Peas

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled red potatoes (I always use a baking potato)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound ground round
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup chicken broth
2-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon mango chutney, such as Major Grey (don't sweat this if you don't have any)
1 teaspoon salt (my amount, not CL's)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add potato, cook 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to bowl.

2. Cook beef and onion in skillet over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble. Stir in peas.

3. Add potatoes, curry powder and broth; cook 2 minutes. Add chutney, salt and pepper; simmer 1 minute. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Red Cooked Beef

This originally was from a food newsletter that I subscribed to. I can't remember the name of the newsletter now, however, immediately recognized it as a sort of variation of Chinese Red Cooked Beef and thus I dubbed it in our household.

I do remember that it was made with round steak. It never seemed to me that round steak held up to the long simmering time so I changed it to chuck.

Other than that, it is unchanged. Simply scrumptious for a winter day I must say. I post it now so that y'all have a frame of reference for my Hamburger and Rice recipe.

Step 1:
2 pound chuck steak, in 1” cubes
2 tablespoons oil
Brown beef over high heat. Remove meat and juices to a bowl.

Step 2:
2 large onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
Cook onions with garlic and sugar until golden. Push onions to the side. Dump meat back into pan and pile onions over it.

Step 3:
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
Water
Add soy sauce and water (enough for the meat to simmer in). Let meat simmer, covered, until tender (1½-2 hours). When tender, uncover pan and cook a little more to thicken and intensify juices.

Hamburger and Rice

It is somewhat embarrassing to admit that this is one of my kids' favorite dishes and one of the very few that I created myself. It is a bastardization of Red Cooked Beef which developed as I was cooking weeknight meals and didn't have time to go the whole nine yards on the original ... which is also much loved in our household.

Step 1:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
In a large nonstick skillet cook until softened.

Step 2:
1 pound ground round
Add and sauté, until lightly browned.

Step 3:
1 tablespoon flour
Soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Sprinkle in lots of soy sauce, then stir in broth fully. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly. Correct seasoning. Serve over rice.

Green Beans with Spicy Beef Sauce

Yet another fantastic recipe from Jim Fobel's Big Flavors. Fobel says in the head notes that he makes this ahead of time and then reheats it to get the fullest flavor. I made it and we ate it, with no stops in between and it was delicious.

Now, due to unexpected shortages in my kitchen I made a couple of revisions and mistakes ... it still came out wonderfully. In fact, this could be called a lesson in both forgiving recipes and adaptation on the fly.

• Remember, you don't have to use a wok. A large frying pan will also work. The higher the edges, the better.
• It calls for 2 pounds of green beans. I forgot that I had to have two pounds of beans for this and used one pound of beans earlier in the week. Oops.
• The green beans should be fresh but I used frozen haricots verts. I figured I probably could do without the browning called for but thought I'd give it a try. I quickly tipped them in and covered the wok to avoid the worst of the spattering. To my amazement, they actually did brown. Ahem ... some of them browned a bit too well as I was distracted by making salad dressing ... but you know, you can fish out the completely burned, charcoal-like beans very easily. No one objects to the very well browned, almost burned beans and said that they added a deep note to the flavor. Thank goodness for easy-going eaters!
• I forgot to get scallions. So we did without.
• With the idea of making it more of a main dish, I doubled the meat called for. Since bison has a wonderful flavor but is quite lean, I used ground bison instead.
• As I was using half the beans and double the meat, I left the sauce proportions alone. I did double the sherry since I doubled the meat.
• Finally, when I went looking for bean sauce in the fridge, there was none to be found. I think that it was a victim of that time a few months ago when the compressor went south and we had several days of living from an ice chest. I forgot to replace that little item ... So I used oyster sauce. And a dab of ground chili sauce.
• REVISITING: we made this again recently with the 2 pounds of fresh green beans and 1 pound of beef. Simply superb. I like a recipe that can adapt so gracefully!

Serve it with rice or noodles.

Green Beans with Spicy Beef Sauce
Makes 6 side-dish servings

8 ounces lean ground beef
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons Chinese hot bean sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon black Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
3-1/2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 pounds tender young green beans, topped, tailed, strings pulled, and halved on a severe angle.
1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 large clove, minced or crushed through a press
1/4 cup minced whole scallions

1. Crumble the ground beef into a medium bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the sherry. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator until needed.
2. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sherry with the cornstarch and stir to dissolve. Stir in the bean sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir in the stock; set the sauce aside until needed.
3. Place a large wok over high heat and spoon in 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the green beans and stir-fry over high heat until well browned, 3-5 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup water, cover the wok, and cook until the beans are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter.
4. Dry the wok with a paper towel. Return it to high heat and spoon in the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds. Crumble in the beef and stir-fry to brown well, about 1 minute. Add the scallions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Stir the sauce and add it to the wok. Bring to a boil and cook, tossing, until slightly thickened. Add the beans and toss until heated thoroughly, about 3 minutes. turn out onto a platter and serve hot or warm.

Thai-Style Ground Beef

This is from Cooking Light. I have to say that they really are geniuses at getting an essential cultural flavor down in the easiest possible way for a quick meal. Probably the best tribute to this recipe is that I didn't mention to Tom it was something new. He took a bite, his eyes widened, and he looked at me. "Wow!
This is great!"

Notes:

• I didn't have light coconut milk, just the regular sort. However, I inadvertently cut out a lot of the fat by just using a church key style can opener to poke holes in the top. This kept most of the fat in the can as it was evidently cool enough for it to be solidified.
• I was in a tearing hurry so didn't do the leek step ... and also didn't have iceberg lettuce. No matter. It was still great.
  

Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced leek
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 pound lean ground sirloin
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
3 cups hot cooked short-grain rice
Iceberg lettuce wedges (optional)
Chopped cilantro
Chopped green onions (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.

Add leek; sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.

Add beef; cook 7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. [Drain any fat, especially if, like me, you had ground chuck and not ground sirloin.]

Stir in curry paste and tomato sauce; cook until half of liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

Add coconut milk and next 4 ingredients (through fish sauce); cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Serve with the rice and lettuce wedges, if desired. Garnish with cilantro and green onions, if desired.

Serves 8

Tags:Food

Broccoli Beef

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe before now. So simple, so delicious, and it even makes Rose like broccoli. I wish I could remember which cookbook it came from but there you go ... I've forgotten.

As with most Chinese food in our house, I serve this with what the girls call "sticky rice" which translates to Jasmine rice or Calrose medium grain sushi rice. Mmmm, it makes cleaning plates a pain but it is soooo good!


Step 1:
1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3/4 pound sirloin, thinly sliced

Marinate beef: combine all until cornstarch is dissolved. Stir beef gently in marinade until coated. Let stand 10 minutes.

Step 2:
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

Prepare sauce by mixing all together.

Step 3:
1/2 pound broccoli florets or gai lan

Cook broccoli in a small pot of boiling water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Step 4:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Heat wok over high heat until hot. Add oil and heat. Stir-fry beef until no longer pink, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.

Add sauce and broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scoop contents of wok onto a serving platter and serve immediately.

Tags:Food

Something Old: Kansas City Steak and Vegetable Soup

I have been trying to get a chance for several days to put this recipe out there for y'all. Especially for those who have not been having this terrible, terrible 80+ degree weather.

My husband is not a soup fan (except for Chicken Tortilla Soup, which is a whole other ball game). Naturally, that means I love all soup with a passion. When I say that I'm making soup, even this soup which is a proven family favorite, for dinner his response is tepidly polite.

And then he tastes it and tastes it again. And says, "This is really good!' (This has happened more than once.)

It is from The Soup Mix Gourmet (which puts it in the category of being cringe-making a la hiding the Velveeta in my shopping cart so no one else sees it and judges it the way that I would judge them). But it is soooo good, do give it a try.


2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 pounds boneless sirloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I use chuck, which cooks more gracefully for a long time.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic mashed (I put them through a garlic press)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 envelope Knorr Tomato Beef Soup Mix (I suspect that this is not being made anymore which is a shame because it is wonderful ... I use Knorr Tomato Basil instead)
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
6 cups water (the recipe calls for 4 cups of water but that is really, really thick and not very souplike)
1 cup peeled potatoes cut into 1/2-inch dice
1-1/2 cups corn kernels, either cut fresh from the cob or frozen (and defrosted)
2 cups green beans cut into 1-inch pieces (I can get frozen haricot verts for a good price and so just break those into small pieces instead. I leave them frozen before adding them.)

Heat the oil in a 5-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Dry the beef with paper towels and sprinkle it with the salt and pepper. Brown the beef in batches in the hot oil, turning it frequently.

When all of the beef is browned, return it to the stock-pot, add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the soup mixes, water, and potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the beef is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (I add the potatoes after half an hour of cooking, otherwise they tend to lose their shape and identity by the time the soup is done.)

Add the corn and green beans and cook the soup until the beans are tender, another 6 minutes. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.