Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Beef and Broccoli
I have been thinking about making beef and broccoli since last week when a co-worker suggested it as a good way for me to use some left over steak. On that particular night, however, I remember really wanting some french fries and decided to make my version of a steak sandwich instead. I am actually glad I waited a few days because the anticipation was well worth it. I promise you, this was better than most beef and broccoli you have ever had, if not THE best!
The first place to start is with the rice. I used Jasmine rice which is my absolute favorite with Asian influenced food. I only made one serving which is 1/2 cup of rice to 1 cup of water. Placed it in a saucepan with the lid on over low heat and left it steam for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. If you are not ready, just put the lid back on and it will stay hot for quite some time.
For that delicious rich brown sauce in a mixing bowl combine, 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of chinese garlic chili sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and about 1/4 cup of water (after adding the sauce to the pan, you can add more water if it is a little too thick). Set aside.
For the beef part of this beef and broccoli, I used a small New York strip steak and, while it was still very cold, sliced it as thinly as possible against the grain. Dredge the steak through some corn starch and set aside.
Next, I sliced and prepped all of the veggies including a sliced mini portabella mushroom, 1/2 a chopped onion, 1 cup of broccoli florets (par cooked for 50 seconds in the microwave), 2 minced garlic cloves and about 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger. Heat a large skillet or work and add 2 teaspoons of canola or peanut oil and add the mushrooms all by themselves so they get an opportunity to brown and not just steam. When nicely browned remove from the heat and set aside. While the pan is hot, add a bit more oil if necessary and the cornstarch coated beef to the pan. Cook until brown on one side and turn each over to brown on the other. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe out the pan, add a little oil and add the chopped onion and let cook for a minute before adding the broccoli florets. Cook for a minute and add the minced garlic and ginger. Return the mushrooms and beef to the pan and stir to combine. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan and allow to come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let flavors come together for about 5 minutes. Serve hot over Jasmine rice.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Marinaded Beef Kabobs
This is one of those dishes I am sure I have not bothered to try in at least 20 years. The memories of dried out, tough meat with the texture of shoe leather paired with mushy over cooked vegetables lacking any sort of flavor was enough to discourage me from inviting Beef Kabobs into my kitchen and onto my dinner plate. However, after reflecting further, I was certain there I could replace the distasteful old memories with tasty new ones. After all, I embrace everything skewered onto a beef kabob including the beef, green and red bell pepper, fresh pineapple, onion, portabello mushroom and zucchini. So, theoretically, all it would take to transform my former unwelcome dinner recipe into a frequent guest was a flavorful marinade and proper cooking. Indeed, I was right.
Beef Kabob Marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon peach preserves
salt
pepper
Prepare grill by cleaning grates and preheating to high. Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside while the kabobs are prepared. Gather all veggies, fruit and meat that you wish to include on each kabob. You are certainly not limited to the ingredients I choose, so feel free to substitute your favorites. Cut everything into roughly 1-2 inch pieces, keeping a consistent size and shape whenever possible. Thread the veggies, fruit and meat onto a skewer, cover with half the marinade and let flavors combine in the refrigerator for as little as 1/2 hour or up to 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator and place on a hot grill. Rotate kabobs and baste with remaining marinade about every 5 - 10 minutes. Total cooking time will be approximately 15 minutes. Serve hot and over rice if desired.
Friday, February 28, 2014
SANDRAS OVEN BRAISED CORNED BEEF BRISKET and CABBAGE with a HORSERADISH SAUCE
 |
| Excellent for St. Patricks Day or any other time of year... |
Prep: 15 mins.
Cook: 4 hrs.
INGREDIENTS:
--Brisket:
· 4 lb. center-cut corned-brisket, trimmed of visible surface fat
· 1 bottle of beer (Recommend: Alaskan Pale Ale)
· 2 tablespoons pickling spice (tied up in cheesecloth)
· water to cover
· 3 large garlic cloves, minced
· 1 lemon, quartered, seeds removed
· 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
***Add to pot 1 hour before done:
· 10 medium red potatoes, unpeeled, and cut in half
· 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
***Add to pot 20 minutes before done:
· 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
· 1 large head of green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
--Optional: Fresh lemon wedges for serving (although highly recommended)
---Horseradish sauce:
· ¾ cup sour cream
· ¼ cup jarred ‘hot’ horseradish
· 1 tablespoon dried chives
· 1 tablespoon lemon juice
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse brisket to release its corning salt. Place corned beef in dutch oven and cover with beer and water. Add the pickling spice tied in cheesecloth, then the garlic, lemon wedges, and pepper. Cover pot and bring to a boil on stovetop. Transfer dutch oven, covered, to preheated oven, placing it on the middle rack. Braise for 3 hours, and add the ingredients listed as stated above (1 hour before done), and return, covered, to oven. After 40 minutes add the remaining ingredients listed as stated above (20 minutes before done), and return, covered, to oven.
Meanwhile, make the horseradish sauce in a small bowl by adding all the ingredients in the order listed, and whisking to combine (I like to do this about 1 hr. ahead of time for the flavors to meld.)
Place vegetables on a serving platter, adding the brisket that has been sliced against the grain and drizzled with a bit of cooking liquid. Place lemon wedges around edge of platter. Serve meal family style with a side of horseradish sauce. ~ Enjoy!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Beef in Ale from A Slice of Cherry Pie!
Its a funny thing, but through the world of food blogging, you get to know people in a way that would never have been possible in the past. I first met Julia Parsons through the UK Food Bloggers Association Forum and her blog A Slice of Cherry Pie, so when she published a recipe book I just had to buy it. Ive had it for a couple of weeks now, but hadnt had a chance to make any of the recipes, so this week I checked out a couple of recipes and shopped accordingly.
Beef in Ale
First brown your beef
Then add your vegetables
Now I have to confess that I didnt have any Ale (failed on the shopping accoridingly!) so I used the equivalent quantity of red wine (I always have red wine!), this would give a different flavour. Ive used ale in previous stews and it does give a lovely depth of flavour, but the wine worked very well.
I love dumplings, these were very simple, just self raising flour, suet and salt and they were really lovely and light and fluffy.
There was lots of delicious gravy and the meat was very tender after three hours in a low oven. Highly recommended on a winter day.
I havent given you the recipe and quantities as I would recommend that you buy Julias book. Although I am an experienced cook and know how to make a stew, Julia does provide very full and clear instructions and a good explanation of techniques which also makes it ideal for anyone who is less confident in their cooking skills.
Monday, February 17, 2014
National Corned Beef Hash Day
If you have some leftover corned beef, you should seriously consider making the hash recipe below. There really isn’t anything like a plate of crusty corned beef hash. Topped with a perfectly poached egg, its not only a classic breakfast (and proven hangover cure), but makes for one hell of a dinner. To read the original post, and get all the ingredients amounts, click here. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Beef with Bell Pepper and Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 lb beef
5-6 med-large yellow potatoes
1 large red bell pepper
1 tsp BTB (Better than bullion)
Salt, pepper, bay leaf, parsley flakes
Butter, oil
Enjoy!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Beef braised in Barolo Wine
This recipe is a real family favourite and I have lost count of the number of friends to whom I have passed on the recipe. My Mum found the recipe in a magazine she bought at the airport and its one of those recipes ideal for entertaining as it is prepared in advance leaving the host or hostess relaxed to greet and entertain their guests.
I wasnt doing any major entertaining, but had bought some brisket at the Farm shop and my SIL was coming for the weekend, so I thought it was a good excuse to make this recipe again.
Beef Braised in Barolo Wine
2lb (1kg) boneless braising beef in one piece (I used brisket)
1 bottle tannic red wine, preferably Barolo or Barbera (Ive never used either of these as they are just too good to cook with! I had a bottle of the full 15 Australian Red which is way to potent for me to drink these days, it worked perfectly)
2fl oz (60ml) brandy
4 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots cut into thin rounds
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
3 ribs celery, cut into thin slices
1 5 inch sprig rosemary
1 tsp whole black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
2 medium onions, peeled and halved
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. In a 5 1/4 pint (3 ltr) heavy flameproof casserole with a lid, combine the beef, wine, brandy, 4 tbsp of the olive oil, the carrots, the bay leaves, celery, rosemary, crushed peppercorns and cinnamon stick. Stick a clove into each of the onion halves and add to the casserole. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Turn the meat form time to time.
2. At least 2 hours before cooking the meat, remove the casserole from the refrigerator to bring the mat to room temperature.
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Pour the marinade into another container and reserve. Rinse and dry the casserole. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the casserole and heat the oil over a moderately high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the beef and brown evenly on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper., Add the marinade to the casserole. Bring just to a simmer, then reduce heat to very low and cover. Simmer gently until the beef is fork tender, about 3 hours. Turn the meat from time to time, and do not let much of the liquid evaporate. You should have about 8 fl oz (250ml)of liquid remaining for the sauce.
4. To serve: transfer the beef to a carving board. Cut the beef against the grain into thick slices and transfer the slices, slightly overlapping them, to a warmed serving dish. Cover with foil and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-meshed sieve and discard the solids. Return the liquid to the casserole, taste for seasoning and, if necessary, boil until reduced to 8 fl oz (250ml) Spoon the sauce over the beef and serve immediately
Alternatively the beef may be sliced and refrigerated for one more day long with the sauce. Simply reheat at serving time.
The meat is delicious and tender and also very good served cold with salad and baked potatoes.
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