Cooking Class with Caleb: Beef Stroganoff

For this cooking class, we were making a main dish to serve 10.  We chose to make Beef Stroganoff.  The recipe:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/beef-stroganoff-recipe/index.html

The specified four servings per recipe are extremely generous, but we doubled the recipe, using 3 pounds of beef and adding a bit more broth to stretch the recipes.  Another change we made was to add a splash of sherry to each finished sauce to round out the flavor.  We did use pre-sliced mushrooms for expediency since this was an after-school class.  In our final seasoning we used both Murray River Flake Salt (a pink salt) and a bit of smoked sea salt (a black salt).

Caleb did an awesome job learning to cut an onion, using the boning knife to trim fat off the beef and kept pace with me as we each cooked one recipe of the stroganoff.  He also did a great job of clean-up, being careful to return the kitchen to it's clean state.  His dinner received rave reviews from his family as they gobbled it up!

Impromptu dinner last nite

Looking into the freezer, I found some cooked shrimp.  I put a pot of water on to boil and cooked some fettuccine florentine - half are spinach noodles.  In a skillet, I put one lonely frozen pre-cooked piece of bacon that I had chopped up with scissors.  Next I added a bit of butter then flour to make a roux.  Since I hadn't added any salt, I added some Murray River Flake salt (my current fave) and a bit of California Citrus Rub (both from Savory Spice Shop).  Then I added about a cup of milk, making a nice white sauce.  After tasting it (it had a nice bite from the citrus rub), I added the thawed shrimp and a generous sprinkling of parsley and some frozen, shredded parmesan.  I put the lid on it to meld flavors until the pasta was done.  A nice tidy dinner with leftovers for tonite.

Chicken: A new recipe

From Bobby Flay at Food Network:  Garlic and Oregano Marinated Chicken with Roasted Pepper and Black Olive Relish with Saffron-Tomato Rice

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/garlic-oregano-marinated-chicken-with-roasted-pepper-black-olive-relish-recipe/index.html


My Notes:
*  Cutting the recipe in half (which is what I made) would easily serve eight!

*Don't be shy with the ancho chile powder - most of it is neutralized by the time you bake the chicken

*I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs - it actually took about 25 minutes to bake them

*For the rice, I used one can of chicken broth and another cup of water; only 7 minutes in the pressure cooker on first ring; don't skimp on the saffron; cook the onion first then add the rice to coat with the oil, then add the broth & water adding the saffron then

*I roasted my own peppers over a gas burner (a grill would work well too), tossed in a bag to steep, then seeded & chopped the olives, garlic, and peppers for the relish in the food processor - tossing the vinegar, honey, thyme & parsley with the chopped veggies in a bowl afterwards; the juice of half a lime, half a lemon is just right

*To serve a crowd, coarsely chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, layer it on top of the rice and top with the Relish to serve on a platter or out of a very large casserole

Comments:
The Relish is awesome - would make it just to have as an appetizer with some crackers and goat cheese

Sloppy Joes - a new favorite

Sloppy Joes

Servings: 4-6 Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery (small dice)
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (small dice)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
11/2 pounds lean ground beef (about 91% lean)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup beef or chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons hot sauce (optional)
4 to 6 hamburger buns

Directions

Heat the 2 teaspoons olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over
medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, black
pepper, and salt, and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 2
minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the beef,
breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and brown for 2 minutes.
Then add the brown sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce, and beef
broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook
for 15 minutes, stirring as needed.

Add the hot sauce if desired, and remove from the heat. While the

mixture is cooking, preheat the broiler. Arrange the buns, open-faced,

on a baking sheet and lightly brush the cut sides with the remaining

2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil until the buns are golden, about 3 minutes.

Alternatively, grill them in a grill pan or toast them in a skillet,

oiled side down, over medium-high heat.)

Generously spoon the Sloppy Joe mixture over the toasted bun
bottoms. Top with the bun tops, and serve immediately (with
forks).

4 to 6 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total: 30 minutes

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril 20-40-60, Fresh Food Fast

Note: you may also use red, orange or yellow pepper;

be sure to use very lean beef; freezes well; if the finished

product is too soupy, cook on medium high a bit longer to thicken

Braised Orange Brisket

So this was our Super dinner - turned out so good. With high altitude, took an extra half hour to cook, but was so tasty & tender!

1 hr 30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

2 hr 50 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 12-ounce can (11/2 cups) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup hot mustard
• 1/4 cup hot Asian chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
• 1 4-pound beef brisket, lightly trimmed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 4 leeks, white parts only, cut into pieces
• 4 carrots, cut into pieces
• 4 parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions

Puree 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate, the tomato paste, mustard, chili sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic and five-spice powder in a food processor until smooth. Season the brisket with salt and pepper and rub with the spice paste. Place in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat the vegetable oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Sear the brisket until golden, about 7 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate. Cook the onion in the pot until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks, carrots and parsnips, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 1/4 cups orange juice concentrate and the broth, scraping up the browned bits in the pot. Add the brisket and bring to a simmer.

Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and continue to cook until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 more hours. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Skim the fat from the sauce, then return the pot to the oven until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce and vegetables. Garnish with scallions.

Note: For a 3# brisket, made it with only one 14 oz can of chicken broth and only the onions (no leeks, carrots or parsnips - they weren't handy) and it was still tasty. Substituted Fischer Wieser Cherry Chipotle Sauce for the Asian Chile Sauce. Also substituted Dijon mustard with 1/4 t dry Chinese hot mustard.

Carrot Casserole - who knew?

One of my latest cookbook acquisitions is: Bake Until Bubbly: The Ultimate Casserole Cookbook by Clifford A. Wright, 2008. (Okay, I refrained from putting it in citation format). I always find something interesting in here. So this weekend I needed a veggie dish to add to my dinner menu. And, I found this simple recipe.

2 # medium carrots, peeled & sliced 1/4" thick (Note: I used the mini peeled carrots, sliced with my food processor)

6 T unsalted butter

1 C crushed Ritz crackers

1 large onion, chopped

2 T flour

6 T milk (I actually used more)

1 t dry mustard

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 X 13 casserole dish.

*Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook the carrots for 7 minutes. Drain & set aside.

*In a skillet, melt the butter. Transfer 4T to a bowl and add in the crushed crackers.

*To the remaining butter, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add the milk, mustard and salt - cooking on low until thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese, stirring until melted.

*Combine the carrots and cheese sauce and place in the buttered casserole dish. Top with the buttered crackers and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

*Note: may halve recipe

Kicked Up Spinach Artichoke Dip a la Emeril

Don't miss this - spinach artichoke dip without cream cheese . . . and so wonderful! The brie adds a nice kick. Serve with Wheat Thins. Note: half a recipe makes plenty!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spinach-and-artichoke-dip-recipe/index.html