Beef

Rose’s Meatballs
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Rose’s Meatballs

What was a Sunday dinner at Rose’s without meatballs? This is a dish that a pinch of and a handful of that really comes to play. A dish that my side of the family would kill for, a plate of pasta topped with some of Rose’s meatballs.  Lyn and I used to sneak these into Dad when he was in the hospital. Well this was my first try and Lyn says I did ok. You really have to make these every week so you get it down. But then I would be 900 lbs. Quick easy but soooooo good.

I must first say we will probably never be able to master what she did but practice is a lot of fun.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. of ground sirloin I used 93% lean
  • 4 eggs – 2 per lbs
  • About 3 handfuls of seasons bread crumbs, each handful was about 1/4 cup
  • About a tablespoon or dried parsley (about a table spoon)
  • About 1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • About a table spoon of dried basil (about a table spoon)
  • A couple of teaspoon of garlic powder
  • About a tablespoon of onion powder
  • 1 tsp. Salt and fresh ground pepper

How:

Preheat oven to 350◦

Line a backing sheet with high sides with tin foil and drizzle with then and spread olive oil

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop out and shape into 2” balls. (Approximately) and line the pan with meatballs leaving a little space between each. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, checking after 30 minutes. The will be firm but not too firm. You can place sauce until ready to serve.

Note: for Xmas I put in sauce and let them simmer with the sauce they came out very moist and as Lyn said melted in your mouth.

                        

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Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Red Bell Peppers and Caramelized Onions

My wife came up to me with that smile and this recipe in her hand as I was entering in the Herb Rub Flank Steak and said guess what you’re trying tomorrow. Tomorrow came and it was the football wild card playoffs games and I kept saying in a minute, when she asked should we let the meat come to room temperature I jumped on the suggestion agreeing hole heartedly and quickly jumped back into my chair. It was NY and the game was boring but it was the playoffs. Anyway I soon heard the wok going and dishes rattling and soon she stood beside me with a huge smile and a nice aroma, the food smelt nice too. For our taste, we both thought it needed a little more spice, kick, heat but not sure at what point to add it. She sprinkled some red pepper flakes on after but just did not give the results we like.

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Red Bell Peppers and Caramelized Onions

Servings: 4

Dish: Main Dishes

Date added: 2006-10-16

Recipe number: 69

Recipe By:

Laura Giannatempo

Courtesy of Sustainable Table ®

Description:

Do not be fooled by the long list of ingredients. This recipe is very easy and incredibly tasty, inspired by the sharp, tangy flavors of Asian cooking. A wok would be ideal, but a good skillet or sauté pan will do the trick.

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Note: We thought maybe adding some crushed red pepper flakes to this but think it might be too much since we like to marinate a lot longer than suggested. We are the overnight marinate believers.

  • 1lb flank steak
  • 2-3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 sweet organic onion
  • ½ pound locally grown asparagus
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup free-range chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water
  • Optional  a pinch or two of crushed red peppers (1/4 to ½ tsp. or more)

Directions:

1. Trim the excess fat and cut the flank steak in small, bite-size pieces. Combine the ingredients for the marinade and let the beef marinate for at least 20 minutes. We like overnight marinating.

2. Meanwhile, cut the onions in thin slices. The bell peppers should be seeded, deprived of the inside white spine and cut in 1-inch slices. Cut the tougher ends of the asparagus and slice them on the diagonal into 2-inch long pieces.

3. Bring a medium pan of water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and throw the asparagus in for about 2 or 3 minutes. Drain them, run them under cold water and dry them.

4. In a wok or sauté pan over a high flame, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the marinated beef strips, making sure it makes a nice sizzling sound. Once the meat is nicely browned on the outside, but still tender in the middle, about 2-3 minutes depending on the size, take it out and set it aside on a plate. You may need to sear the beef in two batches if your wok is not big enough.

Note: Now this is where we think the heat might work in the oil as it is heating up. Add crushed red pepper to the oil as it heats up. Stand back and have the exhaust fan on. A pinch or two depending on your taste.

5. Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil, and briefly stir-fry the asparagus for 3-4 minutes at medium-high heat. Set the asparagus aside and keep warm.

6. Add another tablespoon of oil, if necessary, and add the onions. Toss and turn until they have a nice golden brown color, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the peppers and stir until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar, and cook for a few more minutes until the onions begin to caramelize.

7. Add the stock and bring to a simmer cooking for another 2 minutes to reduce the liquid. Add the cornstarch and water mixture if you want a thicker sauce.

8. Return the beef and the asparagus to the pan and stir for another minute or so to amalgamate the flavors. Serve immediately with some white or brown rice.

Tips:

Serve this dish with plain white or brown rice.

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Seared Beef Tenderloin

This is an expensive cut of meat but it just melts in your mouth, I’ve tried broiler, grill but this methods beats them all. Lyn and I treat ourselves maybe once every month and a half and it has become a staple for Xmas or New Years. We could or should only eat half of one but heck we pig out on this one. They are small after all.

 

Seared Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:

  • 1 or 2 – 8 OZ tenderloins 2” thick
  • 1-2 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil – something with high smoke temp.
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven with rack in center to 425°. First depending on where you buy there might still be a little membrane on it I say, remove it.

Season the filets with salt and pepper, sort of liberal but not too much.

Heat the pans, add the oil and when hot sear the filets in oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. It should sizzle when you put it in. Now turn them over and place the pan in the oven and roast to desired doneness. Let sit for 5 minutes.

This cut should be done to rare or medium-rare in my opinion to obtain the maximum tenderness and flavor.

Here’s a chart for you

  • Rare: Sear, roast and rest 5 minutes
  • Medium-rare: Sear 5 minutes, roast 6 -7 minutes, rest 5 minutes
  • Medium: Sear 5 minutes, roast 9 minutes, rest 5 minutes

Serve with sauted onions or mushroom sauce or just plain the way I like them, mashed or bake potatoe, salad, vegetable.

Optional

We tried buffalo tenderloins once they were very good and a little learner.

Hints:

I once forgot to turn on the exhaust fan and had to deal with the smoke during searing.

Buy a good cut of meat like I said we buy mostly organic and from Wholefoods or a good butcher.

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Meatloaf with a hint of Mexican – well Texmex

My wife used to make this for our son and it was the only meatloaf besides Martha Stewart’s mothers she would let me make. I used to use the recipe on the Quaker oats oatmeal box when I was uneducated I guess. It worked for me when I was single and lasted a few meals. He like this so much we bit the bullet and planned buying a BJ’s club size package of taco seasoning, he stopped eating it a few months later, go figure.

Meatloaf with a hint of Mexican – well Texmex

Preptime: 30 minutes

Cook: 45 to 50 let stand for 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Lbs. of ground chuck
  • 1 envelope of taco seasoning – 1 ¼ ounce
  • ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1 small sweet onion, diced
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 1 can of Mexican style tomatoes and chilies about 8 to 10 oz.

How

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Shape the mixture into a 10 x 6 loaf and place in a lightly greased 13×9 inch pan. Yep no meatloaf pan. Cover and refrigerate for 8ish hours. Good thing to mix in the morning and make at night. Top the meatloaf with the tomatoes and chilies.

Bake at 425° for 45 to 50 minutes until meat is no longer pink. Pour off juices. Sprinkle meatloaf with cheese and let stand for 15 minutes.  You can top with catsup or salsa.

Serve: With mash potatoes and a green vegetable.

You can use the leftovers and make quick tacos the next day.

Sloppy Joes (light)
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Sloppy Joes (light)

I remember bringing this to work one day and the owner told me we had a lunch meeting one of our hard drive vendors. I offered it to one of my sales people who I knew would eat anything and keep on going. When I returned he attacked me and asked me who made it…My Wife…he was ready to propose to her then and there who cared about me.

Sloppy Joes (light)

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of ground round
  • ¾ cup minced onion
  • ½ cup diced green pepper
  • ¼ cup diced celery
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup low calorie organic catsup
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. vinegar
  • ¼ tsp. dry mustard
  • ¼ tsp. chili powder
  • ¼ tsp. fresh cracked pepper
  • 6 whole wheat hamburger buns, or sandwich thins

Combine first 5 ingredients in a non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat until beef is browned, stirring to crumble.

combine and brown                    brown

Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towel.  Return beef mixture to the skillet and add water and the next 7 ingredients stir to mix well.

Add remianing ingredients bring to boil and simmer

Reduce heat and cook uncovered about 15 minutes occasionally stirring. Spoon about ½ cup of mixture onto a bun and serve. Sides your choice I prefer a salad or in this case Kale with Smoked Paprika by Lyn.

sloppy joe with kale and potatoe

or try this Sloppy Joe Salad

 

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Beef Brisket with Caramelized Onions and Merlot Sauce

Again another brisket recipe this one was sent to us by Missi, my pseudo adopted daughter, back when she was trying meat again. We tried a few times then moved on to others but it is well worth mentioning. Thanks you Missi and Williams-Sonoma.

 

Beef Brisket with Caramelized Onions and Merlot Sauce

A hearty entrée for a Passover meal, this brisket tastes even better when it’s cooked a day in advance. Cut the cold meat into thin slices and reheat just before serving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 first or flat-cut brisket, 4 to 5 lb.
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 can (28 oz.) plum tomatoes, with juices
  • 2 cups Merlot or other full-bodied red wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • For the caramelized onions:
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3 cups thinly sliced sweet onions such as Vidalia
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup pitted dried cherries

 

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 325°F.

Season the brisket on all sides with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or a large, wide ovenproof pan with a tight-fitting lid, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the brisket and brown well on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion and carrot to the pan and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and juices, 1 cup of the wine and the bay leaf. Mix well and bring to a boil. Return the brisket to the pan, cover and place in the oven.

Cook, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until the brisket is fork tender, about 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool in the juices. Carefully lift the brisket from the juices and transfer it to a deep platter. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Let the pan juices cool, then pass through a food mill or press through a sieve into a bowl. Discard the solids and refrigerate the juices until ready to use.

Just before serving, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut the brisket across the grain into thin slices. Arrange the slices, slightly overlapping, on an ovenproof serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes to heat through.

Meanwhile, cook the onions: In a large fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring often, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While the onions are cooking, pour the remaining 1 cup wine into a saucepan over high heat. Add 1/4 cup of the dried cherries and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pureed brisket juices and return to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, remove the brisket from the oven. Pour the sauce evenly over the top. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining 1/4 cup dried cherries. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles Series, Holiday Celebrations, by Marie Simmons (Time-Life Books, 1998).
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Meyer Lemon Brisket with Pomegranate Gremolata

2 years ago we discovered Myer lemons we searched the web for something to cook with them and discovered Martha’s recipe. This has become my wife’s favorite brisket recipes and whenever Myer lemons are in season its brisket time again. Funny the first year it seemed like a very short season but this year they have hung around perhaps they are becoming more popular. Lyn juices these and keeps in the refrigerator and I take my life into my hands if I touch it. I suggested that we save the zest in the freezer to use when needed and it seems to keep ok although I like the fresh zest.

Meyer Lemon Brisket with Pomegranate Gremolata

Meyer lemons give this brisket a slightly floral, not sour, flavor and aroma. Pomegranate-studded gremolata adds juicy bites of color.

Martha Stewart Living, April 2011

 

  • Prep Time 20 minutes
  • Total Time 5 hours
  • Yield Serves 6 to      8

Ingredients

  • FOR THE BRISKET
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 first cut of beef brisket (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
  • 3 Meyer lemons
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • FOR THE GREMOLATA
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Flaked sea salt

Directions

  1. Make the brisket: Mash garlic and a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle or the side of a knife until a paste forms. Season brisket with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then rub with one-quarter of the paste. Transfer to a baking dish. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Finely zest and juice 2 lemons. Juice remaining lemon. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear brisket until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour lemon juice over brisket, and add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the meat (2 to 3 cups). Raise heat to high, and bring to a boil.
  3. Braise brisket, covered, in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Flip brisket, add remaining garlic paste, and continue braising until brisket is easily shredded with a fork, about 1 hour. Stir in reserved zest. Braise, uncovered, for 10 minutes more. (If the sauce seems too thin or not flavorful enough, remove brisket, and bring to a boil until desired consistency and flavor are reached.)
  4. Make the gremolata: Toss together pomegranate seeds, parsley, chives, lemon zest, and garlic. Season with sea salt.
  5. Slice brisket. Serve with pan juices and pomegranate gremolata. Sometimes I do the gremolata sometimes I do not. I have made a quick mild lemon sauce that work but it was from the gut no recipe sorry.
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Flat, Single or First cut Brisket Jewish style

Brisket

If you don’t know a lot about brisket or even if you do my wife got this book for me over the holidays and I have to say it is one of the first cook books I have read starting at the beginning without just jumping to the recipes.

The Brisket Book: A Love Story with Recipes by Stephanie Piersonisket

Flat, Single or First cut Brisket Jewish style

I say Jewish style only because this was the way my Mom the “I’m not a Jewish princess” made it. My Aunt made a totally different style but we won’t go there.

Remember there are Braised, Corned and BBQ style of cooking brisket, in time I will try and give you my full range of recipes. I am still trying to master BBQ or smoking.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 4-6 hours until fork tender.

Serves: That depends on you

This is the basic recipe that my mother used to use although she still gasps “you used a recipe” when I tell her I tried a new method, hey you have to get ideas from somewhere right? When you mix a Jew and an Italian Roman Catholic together coupled with our enjoyment to experiment (I’m talking food here, my dear brother) we discovered and still are discovering the full range of brisket. This was once a cheaper cut of meat that needs the slow and low approach. If you treat it right you have something that melts in your mouth. I have never matched what my Mom did but then she never really told us exactly what went in. When it comes to the gravy/ brasing liquid try just about anything but the kitchen sink each time the flavor varies slightly. It’s all personal taste.

Ingredients

  • Flat cut brisket  about 4lbs
  • 4-6 onions peeled and chopped
  • 1-4 cloves of garlic minced or chopped
  • Potatoes and carrots cut into slight larger than bite size pieces
  • 1 ½ cups ketchup
  • ½ cup yellow mustard – have used grey poupon, Trader Joe’s Grey poupon (very hot), spicy brown mustard  you get the idea
  • 1-2 Tbsp. horseradish

Optional

  • There are so many options for the braising liquid make up, here are a few I have added honey, cranberry sauce, beer, cocktail sauce, basically anything  so if I suddenly discover I do not have XYZ there are options.

Directions

Mix last three ingredients (and any others you choose to) together in a bowl or measuring cup.  Sear the brisket over medium high on all sides in a large Dutch oven I start with fat side down, adding some canola oil first if there is not a lot of fat. With fat side up add onions along the sides of the brisket and sauté until translucent. Stirring occasionally so the onions cook evenly, add garlic cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute you will smell it. Now pour the braising liquid over the top of the brisket covering the whole thing. Cover tightly and lower heat to low so that it simmers for anywhere from 4-6 hours turning half way until fork tender meaning that a fork or a probe thermometer goes in and out of the meat with little resistance. Remember the key slow and low.  I always cooked this stove top then my wife and sister bought me a Le-Creuset pot I just started to experiment with this pot in oven at about 225-230 they run hot.

Cook the potatoes and carrots, I have added to the pot about 30 minutes before I thought it would be done or boiled separately (better control of doneness) and add to the gravy while warming up. Your choice try both let me know what you think.

Serving is also a choice and there are choices, serve fresh out of the pot or sit in the gravy it creates overnight in the refrigerator, my preference, I have tried sliced or not sliced. Mom says it cuts easier if you wait. A benefit of letting it sit overnight is the fat congeals on top and you can spoon it off before reheating.  Speaking of fat, some like it taken off (I just scrap it off with a knife pretty much comes off easily) others leave all or some of it on for serving. I like some fat my wife no so much. Of course serve with plenty of gravy on the side.