Main Course

Grind It Baby Grind It – Fresh home ground beef
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Grind It Baby Grind It – Fresh home ground beef

I’ve been busy lately hence the slew of postings but I just have to tell you about my Father’s day present.  I know, I know a little early but we used it on Mother’s day. I am used to all the packages come to our house Lyn’s brother works for the post office and I suppose she is doing her part to support him. So I usually put them on the counter and forget them. Anyway it was one of those rare weekdays that Lyn was home when the mail came and she looked at me with this odd smile, then she blurted out that it was my Father’s day present.  I was happy with that but she was not, she opened the box and pulled it out a meat grinder attachment for our mixer. You see for two years now, maybe longer, we had been toying with the idea of one of these, read all the articles but really could not justify it. Anyway it was just in time for mother’s day so she decided that fresh grilled burgers were called for.

Now what cut of meat….Sirloin Roast too pricy, Chuck roast too fatty for us, the butcher suggested the eye of the round Ok will give it a try.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs Eye of the Round roast, trim some of the fat off
  • Salt and pepper or rub

How

This is the fun part

Attached the grinder to the mixer

Cut the roast into chucks that will fit into the grinder tube

Place of baking sheet and into the freezer for about 20 minutes – do not freeze

Turn the mixer on and feed the meat into the tube until all meat has been ground, a second grinding really makes it tender.

Form patties, indent the center slightly, sprinkle and rub with favorite rub let sit for a few minutes

Grill about 4 minutes per side depending on size.

The meat had very little shrinkage and cooked faster than I thought, it was tender, very tender, I thought too dry but no one else found it that way.

Best early present I ever got.

Side note: Lyn found sirloin steaks on sale and we ground up for lunch today very tasty and tender especially after double grinding. I cooked about 4 minutes per side and they came out very tender, juicy and medium. Like grass feed beef it looked more well down than it was.

    

    

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Turkey Burger
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Turkey Burger

I can’t believe I had not posted this before, I thought I did so I never thought to look. This is a pretty standard for us a good red meat alternative. I never make the same but similar so when I had all these left over roasted vegetables the other day I quickly threw them in.

Ingredients

  • 1 Lbs. ground white turkey meat
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ¼ roasted sweet or red onion minced
  • ¼ roasted red bell pepper minced
  • ¼ roasted potatoes minced
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Pinch of fresh cilantro minced

How

Combine all ingredients, form patties and pan fry or grill until done.

Real hard huh? Usually we just do the mustard.

Grilling is tricky since the patties can tend to be very loose just be patient and let set before you flip them. I suppose you could add some bread crumbs to bind not sure if that would do the trick or not any suggestions out there?

Related articles
Poached-Chicken Salad Roll Up with Creamy Vinaigrette
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Poached-Chicken Salad Roll Up with Creamy Vinaigrette

Adapted from a recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Had to use what I had on hand.

Yield: Serves 4

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Two 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1.5 Tbsp. lemon juice or the left over lemon from juicing

 

  • Whole wheat roll up (low carb)

Salad

  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds or more
  • 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice or juice of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 celery stalks–trimmed, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias
  • 3 scallions, white and light green part only, thinly sliced

How:

Poach the chicken: Set the chicken on a plate and season with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the olive oil, shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the shallot is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, then pour in the chicken broth and water.

If using whole lemon, juice the lemon and set the lemon juice aside for the vinaigrette. Add the juiced lemon halves or 1.5 Tablespoons juice to the saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer, then add the chicken breasts and reduce the heat to low. Gently cook the chicken in the broth until it registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the chicken in the broth for 10 minutes, then remove the chicken breasts from the broth and set on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool for 10 minutes. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred them into shards. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, tarragon and salt together. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of the olive oil is added and the vinaigrette is thick and creamy. Add the pulled chicken to the bowl along with the sunflower seeds, celery and scallions. Gently toss to coat and serve on roll up, buns or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Oven Roasted Chicken
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Oven Roasted Chicken

Two Sundays ago Lyn and I were driving around doing our errands when I made the announced that I had a craving for roasted chicken. We pulled into the Stop and Shop, not our usual choice for meats Whole Foods is, but they have Natures Prides which is not that bad, definitely less expensive. Anyway I grabbed a 5 pound chicken and a Cara Cara Orange*, you can use any kind of orange but I never noticed a Cara Cara orange before so what the heck I took a chance.  The orange was actually good when I cut it open and saw the reddish color my first reaction was grapefruit but it was sweet and more like a naval orange. I would buy again.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 pound roasting chicken
  • 1 Cara Cara orange sliced in eights
    • I like to add a fruit in the cavity it adds some moisture and flavor so whether it is lime, lemon, orange or a combination does not matter.
  • 1 small to medium red onion sliced in eights
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic gently crushed just a little
  • A handful of fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Kosher Salt and pepper
  • Your favorite poultry rub I used mine which I made a long time ago and can’t remember what exactly is in it.
    • Williams-Sonoma makes a good one. We’ve combined kosher salt, black pepper and garlic with traditional herbs and spices, including fennel, thyme and cayenne. Hints of tangy lemon and aromatic mustard add a lively finishing touch.
    • 3-4 thicker carrots slice in 1 inch pieces
    • 3-4 potatoes quartered or smaller depending on size
    • 2-3 red onions quartered
    • Whole garlic cloves if you want

How

Preheat oven to 4500

Remove the giblets etc. and set aside to make a chicken broth future use or toss it. Rinse the chicken inside and out and dry with a paper towel. Optional with handle side of regular dinning knife or fingers loosen the skin from the breast and place a sage leaf on both sides or push some butter mixed with some of the poultry rub.  I usually do something like this but not this time. Lyn says too much fat……

Fold the wings under

Season the cavity with salt and pepper.

Stuff with onion, garlic, orange and thyme.

Sprinkle the rub on the bottom side of chicken, drizzle some olive oil and give it a good massage, do the same to the other side and then grind some pepper all over the top. Tie the legs together to hold the stuffing in and give the chicken a more uniformed shape.

Place in roasting pan on middle rack and roast for 30 minutes. Take out and close the oven door. Drain about half of dripping add the vegetables making sure that the potatoes are cut side down.

Return to oven reduce heat to 3250  roast for 30-40 minutes more until juices run clear and temps is about 160-1650

Remove from oven place on platter cover loosely with tin foil for about 15 minutes before carving.

Now decide how crispy you want the vegetables and whether you want to drain the drippings out of not. So depending on what you decide either turn off the oven now or not…

I wrote this recipe from memory I do not think I forgot anything but I feel every cooking experience should have a little experimentation in it how else can we/you discover new taste treats.

Roasted Chicken with Onions, Carrots and Potatoes                  Roasted Chicken with Onions, Carrots and Potatoes

Cara-Cara-Naval * The Cara cara navel, or red navel orange is an early-to-midseason navel orange believed to have developed as a cross between the Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahia navel. Discovered at the Hacienda de Cara Cara in Valencia, Venezuela in 1976, the parentage is apparently uncertain enough to occasionally warrant the distinction of a mutation, with only the tree on which it was found—the Washington navel—being an accepted progenitor. Cara caras did not enter the U.S consumer produce market until the late 1980s and were carried only by specialty markets for many years thereafter. From Wikipedia

Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes and Cheddar Sauce
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Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes and Cheddar Sauce

For a long time we made turkey or chicken burgers but they always came out too dry and bland.

I came up with the idea of adding some Dijon mustard to spice it up and we have been doing that forever. Then Lyn found this and we tried our twist to it. It got the two chewing heads bobbing approval!

Classic Salisbury steak is a patty made of ground beef and seasonings that is fried in butter or oil and smothered in a brown sauce. Although it was once considered health food by its inventor–a 19th century English-American physician named James Salisbury–it’s really not. This grilled version, made with ground turkey breast and fresh vegetables and smothered in a low-fat cheese sauce, makes the grade.

Adapted from Now Eat This … Cookstr

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey breast
  • 1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (We like trader Joe’s it is spicy as heck)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
  • 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 1  medium red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 1 cup evaporated skim milk
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

How

1. Preheat Panini grill pan to sear or grill.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey and rosemary until well combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into an oval patty about 3 inches wide, 5 inches long, and 1 inch thick. Season the turkey “steaks” with salt and pepper to taste, and spray them lightly with olive oil spray. Place them on the hot grill.

3. Spray the tomato and onion slices with olive oil spray, and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Place them on the Panini grill next to the turkey steaks. Grill the turkey steaks and onions for 3 to 6 minutes. Grill the tomato until charred and warmed through, about 2 minutes.

If you are using as a flat grill then 3-4 minutes per side for onion and burger and 2 minutes for tomatoes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the evaporated milk into the cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan, and bring it to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk the cheese into the sauce until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pile the tomato and onion slices on top of the turkey steaks. Spoon the cheese sauce on top, and serve.

Turkey Salisbury Steak                                   Turkey Salisbury Steak

Turkey Salisbury Steak

 

Thyme, Celantro, Oregano, Garlic Grilled Chicken
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Thyme, Celantro, Oregano, Garlic Grilled Chicken

The spring brings some of my favorite things asparagus, winter hardy herbs popping into life. I love cooking a whole chicken stuffed, no jammed packed, with fresh thyme, orange, garlic and lemon wedges. I love cooking with the fresh herbs and have no objection to picking out the leaves and stems before using. So I was off to the garden to pick a handful of this and that.  This is the kind of meal you can use over and over in salads, sandwiches and other dishes throughout the week you can even freeze a chicken breast or two for a quick meal later on.

This can actually be made with rosemary or any other herbs you might have ready to pick.

Ingredients

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast
  • A handful of oregano maybe 1/4 cup chopped
  • A bunch of sprigs of thyme leaves only
  • A handful of celantro about 1/2 cup chopped
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic smashed in 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • Fresh ground pepper

How

In a plastic bag combine all ingredients and cover chicken

Place in refrigerator for at least at an hour turning occasionally

Grill on medium heat for about 6-8 minutes preside until it is about 164-50

Remove from heat loosely cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes before slicing or severing.

Ingredients  Let's Eat

We served this with mashed sweet potatoes, broccoli. and apples and cinnamon roasted on the grill in tin foil.

We go about 4 oz. of protein about half a breast each and pile up on the veggies.

Chipotle Mango Pulled Turkey Breast
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Chipotle Mango Pulled Turkey Breast

I thought it would be too dry, I thought I rather use pork, I thought I would go along with her. I think she was right.  The Mangos gave you sweetness and the chipotle gave it that little heat. There were leftovers galore and my lunch salads taste mighty fine these last two days. The rest into the freezer for a quick defrost and eat meal at a later date.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless boneless turkey breast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia), thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 chipotles in adobo, seeds removed, and chopped, plus 1 tablespoon sauce
  • 2 mangoes, diced, or 2 cups frozen mango chunks, thawed set aside
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro set aside

How

Season turkey with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Brown all sides of turkey, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

In the crock pot, stir tomato paste, brown sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper into chicken broth. Add onions, garlic and chipotles. Place browned turkey on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

With 30 minutes remaining, add mango and re-cover.

Remove turkey, stir in cilantro.

When turkey is cool enough to handle using two forks pull /shred the turkey and return to crock pot, stir to mix and serve.

Chipotle Mango Pulled Turkey

Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary
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Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary

The longer the lamb marinates in the seasoning paste, the better flavor you’ll have. Anywhere from 1 to 24 hours will work, but overnight is best. Slice the leftovers for pita stuffed sandwiches topped with tabbouleh.

Mike and Laurel came over for Easter but we started them off with Charoset on Matzah and some Matzah (Matzo) Ball Soup. Happy Eastover Day (The Day was for Laurels birthday we had boston cream pie for that.

From Martha Stewart – Mad Hungry, October 2010 Yield Serves 6 to 8 we served with mash potatoes and asparagus and my wife made a nice mint sauce with pomegranate molasses.

Ingredients

  • 2 whole lemons, washed, seeded, and chopped
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves removed
  • 5 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 boneless leg of lamb, butterflied, boned, and cut to lay flat (about 5 pounds)

Note: I was handed the recipe and rolled this not realizing that it was to cook flat. I found the video today and am red-faced. I thought 45 minutes was a pretty short time.

How

  • Place the chopped lemon, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a food processor. A blender can also be used, if done in batches. If you have neither, finely chop all ingredients together.
  • Open up the lamb and lay it flat. Spread and massage the lemon paste evenly over the inside and outside of the lamb. Place in a baking dish and cover, or in a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight to marinate, turning occasionally.
  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before cooking. Place the lamb FLAT on a rack in a foil-lined roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Place the meat in the oven and after 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 425 degrees. Roast for 45 minutes (rolled about 1 to 1/12 hrs) , or until medium rare, 140 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Allow the meat to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.

Raosted leg of lamb cooking flat   Raosted leg of lamb  Rosted Leg of Lamb rolled

Note: I think besides trying it roasting flat LOL, I would cut the lemon rind down to maybe 1 lemon it just had a little too much of the bitter taste, it was not overwhelming by any means and everyone else seemed to enjoy. I’m just saying. 

My Favorite Brisket recipe
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My Favorite Brisket recipe

Funny story we originally had planned on a candied brisket and went shopping on Friday night instead of our usual Saturday morning. Wholefoods was very crowed at the meat counter and I forgot to get the brisket so we looped back to the crowed counter and without thinking purely out of habit asked for a single cut brisket instead of a corned beef. To top it off it was kids night and I had to fight for the samples.

So what does one do when they get home, adapt. When it was all said and done we voted that my original Jewish style recipe was better it created thicker richer tasting gravy the meat absorbed more of this flavor. This had a soupier more wine tasting gravy which flavored the meat as such. Don’t get me wrong it was very good but could have used a little kick. Maybe more garlic and onions or some sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 5-pound brisket of beef, shoulder roast of beef, chuck roast, or end of steak
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 onions, peeled and diced
  • 1 10-ounce can tomatoes
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 stalks celery with the leaves, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 6 to 8 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
  • I added about of whole berry cranberry sauce.

How

  • Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the brisket and rub with the garlic. Sear the brisket in the oil and then place, fat side up, on top of the onions in a large casserole. Cover with the tomatoes, red wine, celery, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary.
  • Cover and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 3 hours, basting often with pan juices.
  • Add the parsley and carrots and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes more or until the carrots are cooked. To test for doneness, stick a fork in the flat (thinner or leaner end of the brisket). When there is a light pull on the fork as it is removed from the meat, it is “fork tender.”
  • This dish is best prepared in advance and refrigerated so that the fat can be easily skimmed from the surface of the gravy. Trim off all the visible fat from the cold brisket. Then place the brisket, on what was the fat side down, on a cutting board. Look for the grain – that is, the muscle lines of the brisket – and with a sharp knife, cut across the grain.
  • When ready to serve, reheat the gravy.
  • Put the sliced brisket in a roasting pan. Pour the hot gravy on the meat, cover, and reheat in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Some people like to strain the gravy, but I prefer to keep the onions because they are so delicious.

From JEWISH COOKING IN AMERICA by Joan Nathan (Alfred A. Knopf, 2001)

Mornin Oatmeal
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Mornin Oatmeal

I guess the older one gets the more set in their ways they become. Look around everyone has their quirks from the same breakfast routine to one who has to enter office from a certain door, drive a certain route, getting ready for bed……. Routines they are there with us all the time once set are hard to break you can chuckle at them they are kind of funny. What are a few of your routines? One of my many is my mornings, I come down stairs around 5 AM have my juice and daily supplements, turn on the coffee maker, go to the living room and do my 33.5 minutes of Qi Gong, then I make my oatmeal and coffee sit and watch the news until I see the weather (heh I am getting older for some reason it has become important), then I write my “morning” email to my family, get ready for work and leave. That was one long sentence I told you I am a flow of thought writer.

Ingredients

½ cup organic rolled oats

1 cup water

Pinch or 2 of ground cinnamon

Small hand full of raisins

Small hand full of whole raw unsalted almonds

Morin Oatmeal

How

Combine all ingredients in small pot simmer to desired thickness.

You can serve with cut up banana, apple whatever I like it without.

You can prepare with walnuts

You can use milk if you like

I’m just telling you my routine