Thursday, December 30, 2010
More Left Over Maddness
So still dealing with roast beef left overs and the other night I made some mushroom ravioli and after they cook I added a cup of beef broth to some Alfredo sauce threw in some cooked mushrooms, some beef and what do you know a new meal. I also used some meat that was rarer than other pieces and threw that into a some salsa verde, simmered it for about 5 minutes, and used it as taco meat. Yummy! I think that today's left over meal will be a variation on this great (I really do mean great) beef stew. I will let you know how that turns out. I am also getting ready for tomorrow night's little party and putting together a great cheese platter that will have over ten different types of cheese. More to follow on that and on the best things to eat with Champagne.
Left Over Roast
From our Christmas Dinner I have tons of left over roast beef. I have made sandwiches, and eaten the random bite from the plate, but I have also been paying around and seeing what else I can make. I am not a true brit so there was no bubble and squeek, but I did have left over uncooked cabbage and decided to play around with that and the left over roast. I created this recipe that used the some of the fat from the roast too.
One Pan Cabbage, Potatoes and Roast
Ingredients
6 small red potatoes cut into fourths
1/2 onion, sliced
10 oz. of cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons of fat cut off left over roast beef pieces
2 to 4 cups of diced Roast Beef
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fill a medium size pot with water and add potatoes, set on stove and turn on high heat. Boil potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. When the potatoes are half way done cooking, place fat in a medium high pan and allow it to melt and coat the pan. When the fat is melted and the potatoes should be done, drain potatoes in a colander and place onion in the pan, cook until the onion becomes translucent, add cabbage and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, sauté until cabbage begins to wilt, add beef. Cook on low heat covered, for 3 to 5 minutes to heat the beef, serve.
One Pan Cabbage, Potatoes and Roast
Ingredients
6 small red potatoes cut into fourths
1/2 onion, sliced
10 oz. of cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons of fat cut off left over roast beef pieces
2 to 4 cups of diced Roast Beef
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fill a medium size pot with water and add potatoes, set on stove and turn on high heat. Boil potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. When the potatoes are half way done cooking, place fat in a medium high pan and allow it to melt and coat the pan. When the fat is melted and the potatoes should be done, drain potatoes in a colander and place onion in the pan, cook until the onion becomes translucent, add cabbage and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, sauté until cabbage begins to wilt, add beef. Cook on low heat covered, for 3 to 5 minutes to heat the beef, serve.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Holiday Traditions
It has been way to long and I must say that I am at fault for not maintaining this blog. Sometimes life gets in the way of sharing however; I am planning to begin anew with the new year. Yet I needed to take the time to share perhaps one of the best recipes that I have ever come across. This meal while for some is a Sunday tradition has become my family's traditional Christmas meal. Please leave a comment and let me know what yours is....
I will admit that I can be easily intimated by meals that are this big, but I must give a big thanks to Gordon Ramsay for making me feel comfortable enough to give this a try....
I will admit that I can be easily intimated by meals that are this big, but I must give a big thanks to Gordon Ramsay for making me feel comfortable enough to give this a try....
Roast beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy
Gordon Ramsay
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 to 3 1/3-lbs rib beef, on the bone (I used an 11 lb. boneless Rib Eye Roast)
1/2 tsp sea salt plus more for seasoning beef
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
11/4 cups milk
About 4 tbsp vegetable oil (or beef dripping) for cooking
3 to 4 sprigs thyme
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
4 plum tomatoes, halved (I use two tablespoons of Tomato Paste)
1/2 bottle red wine (about 11/2 cups)
5 cups beef stock
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in a hot roasting pan with the olive oil to brown on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to the oven and roast, allowing 15 minutes per 1 lb for rare or 20 minutes per 1 lb for medium.
For the Yorkshire pudding batter, sift the flour and ½ tsp of salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and half the milk and beat until smooth. Mix in the remaining milk and let the batter rest.
When the beef is cooked, transfer it to a warmed plate and let it rest, lightly covered with foil, in a warm place while you cook the puddings and make the gravy. Increase the oven setting to 450 degrees F. Put 1 tsp of vegetable oil or, better still, hot fat from the beef roasting pan, into each section of a 12-hole Yorkshire pudding tray (or muffin tray) and put it in the oven on the top shelf until very hot, almost smoking.
Whisk the batter again in the meantime. As soon as you take the tray from the oven, ladle in the batter so each tin section is three-quarters full (it should sizzle) and immediately put the tray back in the oven. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes until the Yorkshire puddings are well risen, golden brown and crisp. Don’t open the oven door until the end or they might collapse.
To make the gravy, pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan, place it on medium heat, and add the thyme, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Squash the tomatoes using a potato masher to help thicken the sauce. Pour in the stock and bubble until reduced by half, for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Pass the gravy through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to extract their flavor. Bring it back to a boil and reduce to a gravy consistency. Check the seasoning.
Carve the beef thinly. Serve with the gravy and Yorkshire puddings, along with sautéed cabbage, glazed carrots and roast potatoes.
This recipe was taken from “Gordon Ramsay’s Sunday Lunch” ©Gordon Ramsay. Published by Quadrille Publishing, 2006.
Oven Roasted Potatoes - Cook time - 1 hour
Ingredients
Fingerling or other small potatoes about 1/3 pound per person
1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf Parsley
1/4 cup of thyme leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Using a cookie sheet or other shallow dished pan place cleaned potatoes in pan, sprinkle with parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, add garlic cloves and pout olive oil over potatoes. One hour before the roast is done put the potatoes in the bottom rack of the oven and let roast.
Honey Glazed Carrots- cook time - 15 min
Ingredients
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Thyme honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped Thyme
Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until crisp tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
Sautéed Cabbage - cook time 15 min
Ingredients
• 1 small head white cabbage, including outer green leaves (2 1/2 pounds)
• The drippings from the browning of the roast
Directions
Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible around the core, as though you were making coleslaw. Discard the core.
After browning roast, set pan aside, about 15 minutes to serving time reheat pan and add cabbage, saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Season, to taste, and serve warm.
Gordon Ramsay
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 to 3 1/3-lbs rib beef, on the bone (I used an 11 lb. boneless Rib Eye Roast)
1/2 tsp sea salt plus more for seasoning beef
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
11/4 cups milk
About 4 tbsp vegetable oil (or beef dripping) for cooking
3 to 4 sprigs thyme
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
4 plum tomatoes, halved (I use two tablespoons of Tomato Paste)
1/2 bottle red wine (about 11/2 cups)
5 cups beef stock
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in a hot roasting pan with the olive oil to brown on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to the oven and roast, allowing 15 minutes per 1 lb for rare or 20 minutes per 1 lb for medium.
For the Yorkshire pudding batter, sift the flour and ½ tsp of salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and half the milk and beat until smooth. Mix in the remaining milk and let the batter rest.
When the beef is cooked, transfer it to a warmed plate and let it rest, lightly covered with foil, in a warm place while you cook the puddings and make the gravy. Increase the oven setting to 450 degrees F. Put 1 tsp of vegetable oil or, better still, hot fat from the beef roasting pan, into each section of a 12-hole Yorkshire pudding tray (or muffin tray) and put it in the oven on the top shelf until very hot, almost smoking.
Whisk the batter again in the meantime. As soon as you take the tray from the oven, ladle in the batter so each tin section is three-quarters full (it should sizzle) and immediately put the tray back in the oven. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes until the Yorkshire puddings are well risen, golden brown and crisp. Don’t open the oven door until the end or they might collapse.
To make the gravy, pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan, place it on medium heat, and add the thyme, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Squash the tomatoes using a potato masher to help thicken the sauce. Pour in the stock and bubble until reduced by half, for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Pass the gravy through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to extract their flavor. Bring it back to a boil and reduce to a gravy consistency. Check the seasoning.
Carve the beef thinly. Serve with the gravy and Yorkshire puddings, along with sautéed cabbage, glazed carrots and roast potatoes.
This recipe was taken from “Gordon Ramsay’s Sunday Lunch” ©Gordon Ramsay. Published by Quadrille Publishing, 2006.
Oven Roasted Potatoes - Cook time - 1 hour
Ingredients
Fingerling or other small potatoes about 1/3 pound per person
1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf Parsley
1/4 cup of thyme leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Using a cookie sheet or other shallow dished pan place cleaned potatoes in pan, sprinkle with parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, add garlic cloves and pout olive oil over potatoes. One hour before the roast is done put the potatoes in the bottom rack of the oven and let roast.
Honey Glazed Carrots- cook time - 15 min
Ingredients
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Thyme honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped Thyme
Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until crisp tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
Sautéed Cabbage - cook time 15 min
Ingredients
• 1 small head white cabbage, including outer green leaves (2 1/2 pounds)
• The drippings from the browning of the roast
Directions
Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible around the core, as though you were making coleslaw. Discard the core.
After browning roast, set pan aside, about 15 minutes to serving time reheat pan and add cabbage, saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Season, to taste, and serve warm.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Dinner Dilemmas
So here is the deal, I think that I have become a little lazy in my cooking (and my blogging too), lately it has been really hard to come up with something to pull together that will please my husband, the almost 2 year old, the 6 year old, and myself. Perhaps it is the lack of wonderful farm fresh vegetables that I get from the Farmer's Markets near me, or could it just be that while spring has sprung, I am not finding a way in which to add some spring to my cooking?
Tonight's dilemma is split chicken breasts....
I have the package defrosting, but I am not sure if they will be ready to cook any time soon as at last check they were pretty frozen still....
The other issue is that I have no idea what to do with these breasts.....
So off I head to google to see what others have done with this cut of meat. Well I like that the lady over at $5 dinners makes them into boneless skinless breasts, that at least gives me some more options, but I really don't know if I want to the work.... While I am cruising different ideas I have a moment of clarity, MY BASE!!!!
My base you are thinking, what in the heck is this lady talking about, please let me tell you....
Base for Almost any Meal Recipe
1 24 ounce can of diced tomatoes, partially drained
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 sprigs of fresh thyme, (more if you like)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of dry white wine or vermouth
1 to 2 cups of chicken broth
Optional: 1 finely grated carrot
In a large skillet heat olive oil and add onion and garlic sautéing for 5 to 10 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add in carrot if using, wine, broth, thyme, and tomatoes, simmer for 20 minutes to let flavors combine. From this point, you can add the base to pasta, through in some shrimp, beef, or chicken and simmer until meat is cooked through. I have used this base for beef shanks, shrimp, and now split chicken breasts. If the tomato base starts drying out just add some more wine or broth. Yummm....
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Moroccan Vegetables
I love making Moroccan Roast Chicken and never know what other than grains to serve with the chicken. So the last time I made my Moroccan Roast Chicken I began looking all over the web to try to find a veggie side dish, I didn't find one, but I learned more about some of the flavors and ingredients used in Moroccan cooking and came up with this really colorful and tasty dish.
Moroccan Vegetables
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large red bell pepper, diced in large pieces
1 large onion, diced in large pieces
Left over purple roasted potatoes
2 tea spoons of dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
The juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
In a large skillet heat olive oil to medium/medium high add in veggies, sprinkle with parsley and cumin and cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until onions are just beginning to turn translucent. Stir up the vegetables and squeeze lemon juice over mix, turn heat up to medium high and cook stirring frequently for about 3 minutes, remove from skillet and serve with Moroccan Roast Chicken.
Moroccan Vegetables
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large red bell pepper, diced in large pieces
1 large onion, diced in large pieces
Left over purple roasted potatoes
2 tea spoons of dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
The juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
In a large skillet heat olive oil to medium/medium high add in veggies, sprinkle with parsley and cumin and cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until onions are just beginning to turn translucent. Stir up the vegetables and squeeze lemon juice over mix, turn heat up to medium high and cook stirring frequently for about 3 minutes, remove from skillet and serve with Moroccan Roast Chicken.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Crockpot Chicken Gumbo
It would have been nice if I as able to post this before Mardi Gras rather than after, but better late than never, especially with a recipe this easy and tasty. This meal is fast becoming a family favorite as I have made it three times in a month and a half. I hope that your family enjoys this too.
Crock Pot Chicken Gumbo
Crock Pot Chicken Gumbo
2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks of celery with leaves, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 24 ounce can of diced tomatoes, partially drained
1 box of chicken broth
3-6 tablespoons of Creole seasoning
Cooked white rice
Combine all ingredients but rice in a crock-pot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Serve over white rice. Enjoy.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Chicken Stew/Cassoulet
I love the flavors that go into the traditional french cassoulet, but I never have all the pork products needed to make it, so instead I play around and today is no exception. Chicken and prosciutto are the meats today, and while I have no served it up yet, the smell in the house is wonderful to all expect the almost six year old.
Chicken Cassoulet
1 3 lb package of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1/2 lb of prosciutto, browned
2 small onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 tablespoons of diced celery leaves
8 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 box of chicken broth
1 can of great northern beans, rinsed and drained
Take all ingredients and place in a crock pot, cook on low for about 6 hours or until chicken is falling apart. Serve in a bowl with crusty bread and a nice white wine, enjoy.
Chicken Cassoulet
1 3 lb package of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1/2 lb of prosciutto, browned
2 small onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 tablespoons of diced celery leaves
8 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 box of chicken broth
1 can of great northern beans, rinsed and drained
Take all ingredients and place in a crock pot, cook on low for about 6 hours or until chicken is falling apart. Serve in a bowl with crusty bread and a nice white wine, enjoy.
Enchiladas
My family and I are huge fans of chicken enchiladas. I love it because it is an easy meal to make ahead and it is a great use of left over chicken. My kids like all the gooey cheese, and my husband just likes eating some kind of Mexican food. Without further ado, here is the super simple recipe....
2 chicken breasts, shredded
1 or 2 chopped Serranos
2 cans of enchilada sauce
1 brick of Colby jack, shredded
1 package of corn tortillas
1 tomato, diced
2 green onions, chopped
sour cream
Take your shredded chicken and place in a bowl, add in serranos, and pour about 3/4 of can of enchilada sauce over chicken and peppers. Mix and set aside. In a small pan, heat up about 1/4 teaspoon of oil. Pour remaining 1/4 can of sauce into a shallow baking dish (depending on how many enchiladas I am making I use 9x13 or 8x8). Take one tortilla and dip both sides in sauce and place in heated pan until sauce is fired in to tortilla. When the tortilla is fried up, take about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture, some cheese, and roll up in the tortilla, like making a wrap. Place prepared enchilada back in baking dish and repeat until chicken mixture is gone or baking dish is full. Open the other can of sauce and pour over the top of enchiladas, cover with more cheese and either cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to cook, or cook at 350 for around 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with sour cream, tomatoes, green onions.
Snow Sorry
As I write this my little area of the world is being pelted by a "severe" snow storm. I have no clue how many inches have fallen, but my world is covered in white and it is really pretty. It is also giving me a day stuck in the house which finally gives me time to write this blog. I want to apologize to any of my readers who have felt let down by my lack of posts. Between school, the kids, and crazy schedules finding the time to share my cooking with others has been pretty hard to do. I have been creating some yummy new things and will be sharing those soon. I also am going to try to post at least once a week, but we will see how that goes. With the extra cold winter that we have been having you can expect some soup, stew, and slow cooker recipes that will definitely warm you up. I look forward to sharing with you again and hope that you enjoy.
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