Chili Con Carne

Yep. It's Cinco De Mayo. Let's make some chili. Once again, most of the amounts aren't exact. You should add and taste until you find a combination that suits your taste. I made mine mild this time because my 2-year-old cousin would be here. My husband added extra hot sauce to his. But really, you could just add more cumin and more chili powder. Also, as funny as it sounds, chocolate is not an unusual addition to chili. Give it a shot (just a bit)...

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1lb+ of ground beef for chili (it's larger than regular ground beef, but both would work fine), already cooked and strained
• cans diced tomatoes
• ground cumin
• chili powder
• parsley
• white corn (I used frozen)
• 2 cans kidney beans, drained
• 2 tsp dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup salsa (any kind)
• shredded cheese (your preference but I'd recommend a mexican mix that includes mad cheddar)

- heat olive oil over medium high heat, add onions & garlic. Cook over med to med-low heat until onions are translucent.

-Add the rest of the ingredients. Turn heat to med. and simmer without boiling too much for as long as you wish.

- That's really it. Keep tasting. Add more ingredients (corn, kidney beans, black beans) to fill it out, or add more seasoning (worchestershire sauce, chili flakes, tabasco, hot salsa, chilies, etc.) to suit your taste. If you want it thicker, stir in some flour.

- Top with as much cheese (and maybe sour cream and some chives) as you wish.

- Chili is like soup - it's lovely because you can taste as you go and make it your own. Mine was a hit. Not bad for a first try. I'll take a picture next time.

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

**so the picture isn't mine. But it could have been. Just picture it with white corn. Same damn thing.

Beef Barley Soup

I just made this up as I went along. Obviously you can follow the basics and totally make it your own.

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled & chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• olive oil
• flour
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 large red potatoes, skins on, cut into cubes
• some kind of beef, preferrably stew meat, but leftover chunks of chain meat is great too
• dried parsley
• beef stock/beef broth
• 1/2 cup pearl barley

Heat about 2tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.

Roll onions, carrots & garlic around in some flour, then add to the pot. Stir to coat. Saute about 5 minutes so onions begin to soften.

Add meat. Stir to combine.

Add enough broth so that everything is covered by at least 2 inches of liquid.

Add can of tomatoes (juices and all), and bring to a gentle boil. Add potatoes and barley.

Cover, turn down heat to about medium, maybe medium-low.

Let simmer for about 40 minutes until potatoes and barley are fully cooked.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Other things you could add include:

- 1 tsp worchestershire sauce

- shredded cabbage, mushrooms, celery, etc.

(Hearty soup in the hands of my sick husband...)

Beef Stock

I've never made beef stock before. I had some chain meat left over from one of my butchering odysseys and this being the week of St. Patty's Day, we wanted to make a good ole Irish Beef Stew. So I boiled the meat in water. But wait. Stock comes from bones. Crap. I put the meat water in the fridge for the night. Went to the store today to buy marrow bones. Behold:



Looks like a crime scene photo, no? So before I continue, I want to confess, I'm afraid of marrow. They serve it in fancy restaurants and people pay an arm and a leg for a $1.50 marrow bone just so they can scoop out the gelatinous iron-rich fat from the inside and spread it on crackers. It's literally the junk in the middle of the bone:

Do I have to say it? It does not appeal to me. I've been told it tastes like "beef jelly" and I don't really think that helped matters. But I got my marrow bones. And here we go....

• Beef marrow bones (you can also include knuckles...ewh...and veal bones, oxtail, etc)
• beef chunks or roast (preferably stew meat)
• olive oil
• onions, peeled & quartered
• cut up carrots
• handful of celery tops
• garlic cloves
• parsley
• bay leaves
• peppercorns

The amounts are up to you. There are exact recipes online if you wish, but who wants to paint by number? Add the things you like in the quantities you like.

Preheat oven to 400. Rub a little olive oil over stew meat pieces, carrots & onions. Place stock bones, stew meat or beef scraps, carrots & onions in a shallow roasting pan.

Roast in oven for about 45 minutes, turning the bones and meat once halfway through roasting, until nicely browned. If the bones begin to char, lower the heat. They should brown, not burn.

When the bones & meat are nicely browned, remove them & the veggies & place them in a large stock pot. Place the roasting pan on the stove top on low heat & deglaze with water or wine. Then, pour the water and browned bits into the pot.

Add the celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaves & peppercorns. Fill the pot with enough cold water so that it comes 1-2 inches over the top of the bones.

Put the heat on high, bring to a low simmer & then reduce the heat to low. Keep at a bare simmer, just barely bubbling. Cover loosely & let simmer for a minimum of 3 hours. 6-8 is better. The instructions I read said,

"Do not stir while stock is simmering - it will mix the fats with the stock and cloud up your stock."

Um. I'd never even thought to stress about my stock being cloudy. Ok, moving on. As the stock cooks, remove fat from the marrow at the top (now how do you do that without it stirring things up a bit?)

When the stock is ready, use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently remove bones and veggies from the pot. Then, it said,

"If there's any marrow left in the bones or floating on top, taste it - it's delicious!"

Fine. But I'm telling you it looked like booger soup with that marrow in there. Did it anyway. Scooped out just a little bit....and tasted it. Newsflash: it was god awful. Who are you people who like this stuff? I took another glob of the stuff and smeared it on a Triscuit and fed it to my husband saying, "here's something that a lot of people think is delicious". He ate it. Looked at me. No reaction. Apparently his cold has made it so he can't taste anything. Sigh. Oops, where was I?

Strain the broth through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Cool to room temperature. Remove any excess fat from the top.

Now you have your own beef broth to store for all kinds of delicious things. Freeze it if you don't have any use for it immediately.

Oh, and give the bones to your dog. They go nuts for them. Just make sure you clean all the goo out first.

Delicious snack, or overpriced wad of bone fat? Let me know what you think.

Beef Carpaccio w/ Lemon Mustard Remoulade

Oh the glorious day has come. We bought another tenderloin. And I butchered it myself (which I'm getting really good at) and then resesrved a piece of the tenderloin to make carpaccio (raw meat or fish that is pounded out paper thin and served as an appetizer.) Originating in Venice, Italy, it's raw filet mignon, pounded into flat discs. From there you can serve it with a small salad on top, with oil and vinegar, shaved parmesan, etc. I decided to make mine with a homemade lemon mustard remoulade (remoulade being french for "stuff you mix in with mayonnaise".) It's really expensive at restaurants and it seemed so simple to make that it was only a matter of time before I tried it in my own kitchen. Here are the basics of what I did:

• beef tenderloin (suggestedly from the tip end of the roast, but I just used a tenderloin steak I'd already butchered earlier this week.
• mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo.)
• mustard (preferrably dijon, but I didn't have it so I used yellow and it turned out fine.)
• lemon juice
• sea salt & freshly ground black peper

Ok, so the best way to get your meat to slice really really thin is to freeze it first for at least two hours. Once it's good and frozen, move it out of the freezer, remove bag or whatever plastic you used to seal it in the freezer.

thinly slice the beef into approximately into 1/8 to 1/4-inch pieces.

Don't worry about being exact, just cut it as thinly as you can.

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on your cutting board, and put the meat on the wrap. Then add a 2nd layer of plastic wrap on top.

Here's the fun part - pound the meat with a mallet until it is paper-thin.
Once all of the meat is sliced and pounded, divide the meat evenly among your plates (however many you're using).

From here you have several options. You can serve with greens tossed with vinaigrette, salt, pepper and/or Parmesan.

I opted to make the remoulade. You just mix the mayo, mustard and lemon juice until you get the right consistency and flavor. Drizzle it over the carpaccio.

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the top and maybe add a few more drops of lemon juice.

These days you'll find carpaccio of all kinds on restaurant menus, not just meat and fish, but also fruits and veggies. Still, beef carpaccio will always reign supreme.

Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin w/ Rosemary & Garlic

This is a Williams-Sonoma recipe. They included a recipe for a bordelaise sauce to go alongside the meat. We made it. It turned out like crap. So if I were you I'd just make a little pan gravy and call it a day. It's awesome even without the sauce. Melt. In. Your. Mouth.

• 1 beef tenderloin roast (that you maybe even butchered yourself?) 2.5-3lbs
• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. Let the roast stand at room temp. for 30-40 minutes. Set the roast on a clean work surface & lay the rosemary springs lengthwise along the roast. Using kitchen twine, tie the rosemary to the roast at 2-inch intervals (like above).

Rub the roast with garlic & season with salt & pepper. Preheat a large saute pan over med-high heat & warm the vegetable oil. Add the roast & brown, 3-4 min per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven & roast, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 125 degrees (for very rare to rare), 15-20 minutes. Or cook it longer if you have bad taste. Yeah I said it. Transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover loosely w/ aluminum foil & let it rest for 5 minutes. At least.

DE-lish! (dammit I sound like rachel ray)...

Martha Stewart's Elaborate-As-Hell Potroast w/ Winter Vegetables & Pan Gravy

From my parents 39th anniversary menu. I don't think it's the best pot roast recipe out there, but it was good and fun to make. Man, that Martha is detailed...

For Browning Meat:

• 3-4lbs chuck roast, tied if necessary
• coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
• sunflower or other neutral tasting oil

For Aromatics:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled & thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled & coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled & thinly sliced
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

For Braising Meat:

• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (plus more, if needed)
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (plus more, if needed)
• 1 1/4 cups water

For Garnish Vegetables:

• 3/4lb turnips (about 3), peeled & cut into 1 1/2 inch wedges
• 3/4lb new potatoes (about 12 small)
• 3/4lb carrots (4-5 medium), peeled & cut into 3-inch lengths

I. Brown the Meat

Pat meat dry with paper towels, then season on all sides with salt & pepper. Heat a dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Add enough oil to barely coat the bottom of the pot & heat until simmering.

Sear the meat until golden brown, turning to cook on all sides evenly, about 8 minutes. Martha says, "don't be tempted to turn the meat too soon, or it will tear; instead, wait until it easily releases from the pot". Um, ok. If there are lots of blackened bits on the bottom of the pot, wipe it clean with a paper towel, or deglaze with a little water & then discard.

II. Cook Aromatics

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil & all of the aromatics and cook, stirring fairly often, until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Martha says, "you may need to increase the heat after a minute or two if the onion isn't softening, but only slightly. If the garlic or onion begins to burn, add a little water & stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan." I told you she's elaborate.

III. Braise Meat

Sprinkle the flour into the pot & stir to coat everything evenly; cook the flour just long enough to remove the starchy taste without taking on any color, about 30 seconds.

Add vinegar & water and bring to a boil. Deglaze pot, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Put the roast in the pot, the water should come only about 1 inch up the sides of the meat. Reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering, not boiling, and cover the pot tightly with the lid.

While the meat is braising, turn it every 30 minutes; the meat should be almost tender. Martha says, "a sharp knife inserted into the center should meet little resistance after 2 1/2 t0 3 hours." Thanks.

Remove the meat from the pot. Strain braising liquid through a sieve (fine), pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.

IV. Finish Braising w/ Garnish Vegetables

Return the roast & the strained liquid to the pot. Nestle the garnish vegetables around the roast, submerging them a bit in the liquid. The liquid should almost reach the top of the vegetables.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. The meat should be very tender by now and give no resistance (again, thanks Martha) when pierced with a knife. The meat will be firm enough to slice; if you want it to be falling-apart tender, cook 30 minutes more.

V. Finish Sauce

Transfer the meat & vegetables to a serving platter, leaving the sauce behind (there should be about 1 cup). Cover & keep warm near the stove. If the sauce is too thin, heat until reduced. Martha shares - "be mindful of the saltiness, since the more the sauce is reduced, the saltier it will taste". You could also thicken it with a bit more flour, whisking until smooth. Add a small amount of vinegar if necessary, to balance the flavors.

Let the roast stand for about 20 minutes, then slice to desired thickness. Spoon some sauce over pot roast & vegetables to moisten. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

*whew!*

You can help your own hamburger

Lately I've been cooking on the cheap. I was thinking you might be too. So I've gone back and marked meals that were really affordable to make.

Got ground beef? got pasta? You don't need sauce. You don't need Hamburger Helper. We're in a recession. Do it this way and spend about $1.25 a serving.

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb ground beef, browned & drained
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup small pasta (I used mini bowties)
• lemon pepper
• dried basil
• dried oregano
• dried parsley or chervil

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil until translucent.

Brown ground beef & drain.

Add ground beef, tomatoes and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Prepare pasta separately, strain, then stir in.

Add herbs to taste.

Garlic Pot Roast

This really is just a standard pot roast recipe. I stole the basics of it from Martha and made some changes to make it my own. I suggest you do the same. You could add mushrooms, replace the potatoes with celery, use water instead of broth, add more wine....

• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3lbs)
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 tsp coarse salt 1/2
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1.5 c chopped carrots
• 1.5 c baby carrots
• 1.5 c chopped red potatoes (skins on)
• 1 can of beef broth
• 2 bay leaves

1. Using the top of a sharp paring knife, make 20 small evenly space slits about 1.5 inches deep all over the roast. Insert garlic pieces into the slits as far as it will go.

2. In a dutch oven, heat oil over high heat. Carefully add meat & sear on both sides until well browned (4-6 minutes per side).

3. Add salt, pepper, onion, carrots, potatoes and bay leaves as well as 2/3 cup (or more) of the beef broth.

4. Cover and reduce heat to med-low & cook for 3 - 3.5 hours, turning 2-3 times until very tender. Add more broth or a little red wine as needed so that there is always a little liquid in the bottom.

5. Transfer meat to a cutting board & let stand 10 min before serving with vegetables and drippings.

Standing Rib Roast

Special occasions call for rib roast. This has been the gospel according to martha. The end.

• 1 tbsp lemon pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1.5 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• standing beef rib roast (recipe rub is for a 6-pounder)
• 2 cups beef boullion

Combine lemon pepper, paprika, garlic salt, rosemary & cayenne pepper; rub over roast.

Place roast with fat side (don't we all have a fat side?) up in a large roasting pan.

Insert a meat thermometer and bake uncovered at 325 until roast reaches 130 for medium-rare. (Actually, the temp. for medium rare is 140 but it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven...)

Allow 23-25 minutes per pound for rare, 27-30min per pound for medium (160) and if anyone wants it darker than that, they can put theirs in the microwave because I'm not letting you ruin an entire standing rib roast because one person likes their meat overcooked. We good? Ok.

Let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Don't forget the best part - the Au Jus:

1. Pour the meat juices from the roasting pan into a glass measuring cup and skim off the fat.
2. Add boiling bouillon to pan & stir to scrape the bottom of the pan and get everything all mixed in.
3. Stir in the mean drippings and serve on the side.

Swedish Meatballs

This is another recipe from my mother (which means some of the ingredients don't have specifications for amounts). But this is hard to mess up.

• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water or milk
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2/3 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp shortening
• sour cream

Blend soup with water (or milk). Combine 1/4 cup soup mixture, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, parsley & salt; shape into balls about 1" in diameter.

Brown meatballs in shortening. Pour remaining soup over meatballs.

Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. OR you can bake them at 350 for 20 minutes. Whatever you do, just make sure you pour off some of that excess grease before serving. Over what? Massive egg noodles work for me.

3-Ingredient Sausage Balls

Another of my mom's. Three ingredients. Yes really. It's delicious - feed this to everyone you know. Ok not the vegetarians, but everyone else.

• 2 cups Bisquick
• 10oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1lb package hot sausage (any kind, beef or pork)

Combine everything together (uncooked) & roll into balls (about 1-2 inches big)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

THAT'S IT!!!

Oven-Braised Beef with Tomato Sauce & Garlic

This recipe is perfect for beginners. If you've never cooked in your life, you can do this. It always comes out beautifully and is a real crowd-pleaser during the winter months.

• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 boneless chuck roast (3 to 3.5 lbs). Note: the type of roast makes a big difference. You need a roast that isn't too lean. Look for one with some fat on it and again, it should really be chuck.
• 2 heads garlic, peeled, but leave the cloves whole
• 1/2 yellow onion, or a handful of pearl onions (Trader Joe's has bags of tri-colored pearl onions for $2 or so)
• 2 bay leaves
• dried rosemary
• dried thyme
• lemon pepper
• you can add any herbs you like, sometimes I also include parsley, basil and oregano

Preheat oven to 300.

Coarsely chop tomatoes.

Put roast in casserole dish with lid.

Pour tomatoes over roast.

Sprinkle meat with herbs & spices (depending on how much you want in there. I think I used about a tbsp of each but I always overdo things...).

Scatter garlic & onions around the roast, and hit it with a little salt & pepper.

Braise covered until fork tender. Takes about 4 hours.

Crazy Spicy Jambalaya

Don't remember where I got this recipe but I made it last May and it's very spicy. I had to have our friend Davie come over and eat it because it was too spicy for us to eat more than one bowl. Still, it was delicious & if you go easy on the cayenne, you can make it milder. Many jambalaya recipes call for okra, and I'm not a fan so I was glad to find one that doesn't call for it.

Again, I took the recipe and altered it because just following a recipe is like doing a paint-by-number. It gets boring ... fast!

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (I think I used a full cup)
• 2 tbsp cayenne pepper (less! less!)
• 1 lb smoked sausage (I used sweet italian), sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1/2 head chopped garlic
• 2 cups white rice (or less, mine was a little rice-heavy)
• 4+ cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups frozen shrimp
• 1 cup chopped green onion

First, grab yourself a massive saucepan. Heat the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, peppers & celery (the creole "holy trinity" as opposed to the french "mirepoix" of carrots, onions & celery).

Season with salt & cayenne (easy on the cayenne!).

Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes, or until wilted.

Add the sausage & saute for 2 minutes. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes & garlic. Saute another 2 minutes.

Stir in the rice & saute 2 more minutes. Add the stock.

Season with salt & more cayenne (resist! taste first!). Bring liquid to a boil & reduce to a simmer.

Cook the jambalaya for 30 minutes, covered, or until the rice is tender & all liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in the shrimp & green onions. Re-season to taste.

Invite a spicy-food loving friend over in case you overdo it with the cayenne.

Creole Holy Trinity: onions, peppers, celery...

Beef Stew with Guinness Stout

Made this last month. Everyone loved it:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 lbs stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch with some fat left on
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled & quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2-3 tsbsp flour
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1/2 lb carrots (and/or parsnips)
• 6 small red potatoes, peeled & quartered
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup Guinness stout (um, we used a lot more than that, but just add & taste to make sure you want more before you keep adding like a crazy person)

Heat a 6 quart stove top casserole or oven proof pot & add the oil & the bay leaves.

Cook the bay leaves for a moment & then add the meat. Brown meat on both sides on high heat.

Add the onion & cook for a few minutes until it is clear. Reduce the heat to low & add the garlic, thyme, rosemary & flour. Stir until smooth.

Add the bee stock & stout; simmer, stirring until the stew thickens a bit. Add the remaining ingredients & cover.

Place the pot in the oven at 275 for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. maybe turn it up if it's not boiling. I kept mine pretty hot.

Salt & pepper to tastse.

Good by itself or over rice or noodles.

Idiot-Proof Tenderloin Roast

I couldn't wait to use the roast that I had cut (myself!) from that tenderloin yesterday. So I let myself make it for lunch. Whatever, it's Sunday. Lots of people have a big Sunday dinner at 2pm, right? It's a hell of a fancy lunch but I'm having a great time, and with the money I saved from doing the butchering, it's not as bad on the wallet. Ok, that being said, I wanted to use a simple recipe that wouldn't overshadow the flavor of the meat. Also, I didn't want anything too intricate that would require a trip to the store. I wanted simple. After a bit of research (ok, 40 minutes, but I like it) I found this (courtesy of recipezaar.com):

Peppery Beef Tenderloin

• 1 tsp oregano


• 1 tsp thyme


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tsp paprika


• 1/2 tsp garlic salt (had none, threw some Montreal Steak Seasoning in there)


• 1/2 tsp onion powder (I used 1 full tsp of dried onion)


• 1/2 tsp basil


• 1 tsp cracked black pepper


• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


• 3 lbs beef tenderloin

Mix spices well. Rub into the tenderloin. Bake at 400 until the internal temp reaches about 130 (for med-rare). Cover, and let sit for 5-10 min. Cut & serve.

That's IT. I also tied it up with kitchen twine just before seasoning, to make sure it held it's shape. Gorgeous. Delicious. Took about 35 minutes. I was concered because the recipe didn't call for searing. But it turned out so great. The beauty of tenderloin is it makes you look good even when you do practically nothing.

I've gotta do this more often.