Picadinho de Carne (Brazilian beef stew) from Falling Off The Bone by Jean Anderson

Apr18

Starches like pasta and side dish vegetables like broccoli are easy to improvise recipes for. They cook quickly and are hard to mess up. But preparing a luscious meat dish requires much more finesse, especially when dealing with tougher, wallet-friendly cuts. Fortunately for us home cooks, Jean Anderson (James Beard Award-winning author of over 20 cookbooks) dispels all the mysteries of cooking with less tender cuts of meat in her cook, Falling Off The Bone. In the book, she covers beef, veal, lamb and pork. She describes from which part of the animal each cut comes from and discusses the best methods for cooking them and why.

Here is the first recipe I made from the book. It is a classic Brazilian beef stew, which is the perfect recipe for a tough, virtually un-marbled cut of beef like bottom round (meat from the well-exercised, hind leg area of the cow). Many thanks to Justin Schwartz, the editor of this book, for sending me a copy of the newly released paperback edition!

Recipe from Falling Off The Bone by Jean Anderson (Wiley, 2010)

(Yield: 4 large or 6 small servings)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp corn or peanut oil (I used vegetable)

2 large yellow onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 lbs finely diced bottom round or ground lean beef chuck (I used bottom round)

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 ground ginger

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 c finely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives (I skipped these)

1/2 raisins

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp raw sugar (I used regular granulated)

1 tsp salt + 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Procedure: Heat oil in large skillet (I used my Dutch oven) over moderately high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened, 8 to 10 min. Push all to the side and add beef. Brown well, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 min. Stir in all remaining ingredients, turn heat to low so that mixture simmers very slowly. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Then taste and re-season if necessary. Serve hot.

The spices, sugar and raisins make this a very flavorful, well-balanced beef stew. And because of the long simmering time, the tomato sauce ends up coating the meat like a gravy.

I chose to serve it over pearl cous-cous but Anderson recommends tossing it with pasta, or ladling it over potatoes, hamburger buns as in sloppy Joes, or rice.

Take it from someone who tends to be intimidated by cooking with unknown to me meats, this book is a truly invaluable find. I see myself referring back to it for recipe ideas for years to come.

Beef and muenster empanadas

Jan14

So it appears that this is my second post in a row in which I’m being the “My boyfriend and I this…” and “My boyfriend and I that…” girl. I know that this can be a little irritating to you, my dear readers, and I hate to do that to you, but there is just no way I can avoid mentioning Rene in this post. You see, empanadas are kind of a special thing for us.

There is a little place by Rene’s house in Brooklyn called Fiesta Chicken that sells rotisserie chicken and other specialties from the Dominican Republic. Probably more often that we should, we stop by this place on the way home to pick up the succulent chicken, yellow rice and beans, and our favorite, beef empanadas. All this food ends up weighing like five pounds and costs only about $10. The woman who works the counter knows us by now – she always smiles when we walk in and sometimes gives us little extras, like a salad or something. We take the food home, get into our pajamas, and eat it on the floor. Not because there’s no table, but because that’s just the way we like to do it. It’s not glamorous, but it is satisfying and so, so delicious. We always ~~eat~~ inhale the empanadas first. Again, they’re not gourmet or anything, but they are crispy, meaty and warm, which is exactly what we crave at the end of the day. Every time we eat them, we say “We have to try making these!” And last weekend, we finally got around to it.

(Yield: 1 dozen pastries)

Ingredients:

Dough recipe adapted from Alejandra Ramos

6 oz cream cheese, at room temp

6 oz unsalted butter, at room temp

2 c minus two tbsp all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

Filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 lb ground beef

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 oz canned tomato sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 4 oz muenster cheese, sliced or shredded

Plus:

Extra flour for dusting

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp water

Sour cream, if desired

Procedure: First make the dough. Beat cream cheese and butter in a mixer or food processor on high until smooth and creamy. Switch speed to low and add flour slowly until completely combined. Remove dough from bowl and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour (can be made ahead up to 48 hours). While dough chills, prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add onion with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 4 min, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook another minute. Then add beef with 1/2 tsp of salt and all the other spices. Break up beef with a wooden spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, for about 7 min. Add tomato sauce and cook for another minute. Turn heat off, taste and re-season if necessary. Let the filling come to room temperature before making pastries.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Remove dough from the fridge and let it rest at room temp for 2 min. (Separate ball into 2 pieces, if desired). Dust your counter and rolling pin with flour, and roll out dough to 1/6″-thickness. Use a 4″ round cutter or upturned bowl to cut out circles, rerolling and cutting any remaining scraps. Fill each circle with about 2 tbsp of filling and top with cheese. Fold over and crimp and seal edges, using a fork. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. In a bowl, whisk together egg and water, and brush tops of pastries with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 min, until empanadas are golden brown. Serve hot, with sour cream if desired.

Do you have any strange yet comforting food traditions?

Any ideas for intesting empanada fillings?

Taco pie

Aug3

This dish that doesn’t call for hard-to-find ingredients. It’s not mysterious, nor is it surprising. It’s something to be craved at the end of the workday. It is filling and fulfilling.

Adapted from this She Makes and Bakes recipe by Emily

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

About 10 corn tortillas, divided

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

Cayenne pepper to taste

4 oz shredded Cheddar cheese

Salt + black pepper

Toppings of your choice

Procedure: Line a pie dish with overlapping tortillas (it’s okay if they tear a little) and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to skillet with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until soft, about 3 min. Add beef, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and about 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper. Raise heat to high. Break up meat with a wooden spatula in the skillet, making sure seasonings are well incorporated. Cook until browned, stirring frequently, about 12 min. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350F and cut 2 tortillas into 1″ squares.

Place browned beef into prepared pie dish. Cover with a layer of tortilla squares and cheese, and repeat.

Place into oven and cook until cheese is melted, about 15 min.

Remove pie from oven and let stand for 10 min before cutting into it.

I ate this with sour cream and a quick salsa (tomatoes, cilantro, lime). The only imperfection of this ‘pie’ is that it is a bit difficult and messy to cut into. I don’t know if lining the dish with whole tortillas is the best way to do it. Do you have any suggestions for how to repair this situation?

My 3-year blogiversary and a very special dish!

Mar7

It was three years ago this month (I don’t recall the exact date) that my friend Irina talked me into starting a blog to share my recipes. I didn’t know anything about the blogosphere at the time but she used to religiously read several hugely popular fashion blogs so she told me how popular bloggers can become and how much free stuff they can get. The idea obviously appealed to me. Having a sufficient amount of free time, decent writing skills, and a passion for cooking, I thought, “Hey, why not? I have nothing to lose.” And here I am today, three blog name and numerous layout changes later. Sure, my blog is no Smitten Kitchen, and “free stuff” never went beyond a cookbook here or a coupon there, but I’m proud of it nonetheless and I absolutely love writing it. Though it’s only been three years, it feels like forever. I don’t even remember a time when I didn’t feel the need to scribble down new recipes, or to photograph my food prior to eating it, at home or elsewhere. It’s also been wonderful meeting (well, virtually anyway) and learning from my fellow bloggers.

I would like to once again thank all my readers for showing their support. And, as always, feel free to share your ideas/suggestions in the comment box below or via email at ChezSasha@yahoo.com. Hopefully, there are many more blogging years to come

Also, you may have noticed some minor changes around here: First, I added the “Share with:” buttons, which appear above the comments section. Second, I added a Blogroll page. And third, I have finally purchased my own domain name! No more ‘dot wordpress’ for me! I don’t know why I didn’t do this earlier but better late than never.

No kitties were harmed in the preparation of this post.

Fred couldn’t resist the heavenly smell in the kitchen and absolutely had to interrupt my photoshoot.

Phew! That was a lot of words. But wait! There’s more!

Here’s the story of why this dish, Boeuf Bourguignon (for help pronouncing it, click here), is so special to me: When I was like 17, I made a reservation for my girlfriends and me to Capsouto Freres during NYC Restaurant Week. I knew nothing about the restaurant scene then either but I knew I wanted to go to a nice French restaurant and $35 for three courses seemed like a good deal. The menu was all in French but I did recognize this dish so that’s what I ordered. When I tasted the first bite, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The beef was unbelievably tender and it melted in my mouth, and the mashed potatoes it came with, were the airiest, most buttery potatoes I had ever tasted. That was one of the most delicious and memorable meals of my life, and I thought to myself, it must take years of experience and true craftsmanship to create something this remarkable.

I’m not going to tell you that my Boeuf Bourguignon is as amazing as the one discussed above, but it is pretty damn good.

*Bacon and mushrooms are usually a part of this dish but I decided to omit them.

Boeuf Bourguignon

(Yield: 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

1.5 lbs beef eye round, cubed

2 large carrots, sliced on a diagonal

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1 c dry, full-bodied red wine (like Burgundy, Pinot Noir, or my favorite, Malbec)

1 14 oz can beef stock

Salt/freshly ground black pepper

Procedure: Place a Dutch oven on high heat and add olive oil. Wash beef and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Place in pot seasoned side down and season opposite side. (Sear beef in two batches! Do not overcrowd the pot!) Cook 2-3 min per side, or until well seared.

Lower heat to medium-low and add carrots and onions, with a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened, about 6 min, add garlic and cook for 1 min.

(Preheat oven to 325F at this point). Then add beef back to pot and stir in flour. Cook for 1 min. Then add tomato paste, thyme, wine, stock and a pinch more of black pepper. Stir until incorporated, raise heat and cover tightly with lid. Bring to boil. Then transfer to oven for 2 hours.

I served this with parsley mashed potatoes, but it would also work with boiled potatoes, noodles, or crusty French bread.

Beef stir-fry

Oct19

I had some eye round steaks in my freezer and I didn’t know what to do with them as I’d never cooked them before. They appeared pretty lean so I figured I’d either have to marinade them or beat them into submission – I chose the more pacifist route.

I’m a lover, not a fighter.

You can use any vegetables you have on hand. I opted for white onions, bell peppers, baby bella mushrooms and white cabbage.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb (4 thin pieces) eye round steak, at room temp

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 tsp dried cilantro

About 2 c of chopped vegetables of your choice

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/3 c low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp freshly-grated ginger

Sesame seeds for garnish

In a shallow dish, dress the beef in lime and salt. Massage it for even distribution and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour. Then remove and bring to room temp for 15 min. Slice into strips. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Heat a wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. Add half of beef and cook for 2 min, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove from pan, and add second half and repeat. (This is done in 2 batches to avoid over-crowding the pan, which results in a lower temp, which results stewing the meat instead of browning it, which, for these intents and purposes, is undesirable. Phew.) Add first batch of beef back to wok, along with vegetables and sesame oil. Cook for 2 min, stirring frequently. In a bowl, combine soy sauce and corn starch until dissolved. Stir in mixture along with ginger. Stir and wait until sauce thickens, 1-2 min. Taste and re-season if necessary.

Easy beef stew

Oct2

Right now, and presumably for another month or so, New York City is experiencing perfect weather. It’s chilly early in the mornings and at night, but still warm and often sunny in the afternoons. It’s a good time for light sweaters and cardigans but there isn’t yet need for a jacket. I don’t know about you (and feel free to share in the form of a comment) but this type of weather makes me painfully nostalgic; and hungry for warm, rustic foods. Like this stew.

Although the cooking time is approximately two hours, they are mostly inactive, so you don’t have to worry about over-working yourself…

(Yield: 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb “stewing” beef, cut into 1″-cubes

3/4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried thyme

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp tomato paste

1 c water

2 dried bay leaves

3 russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1″-cubes

2 large carrots, peeled, chopped

1 tbsp flour

Salt/freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the oil over high heat in a heavy-bottomed, large pot. Rinse beef cubes and pat dry with paper towel. Season beef with chili and thyme, and salt and pepper. Sear in oil, in two separate batches (do not over-crowd pot!), for about 2 min per side – just to caramelize the outside. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves and tomato paste. Stir and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 min. Add water and bring to boil. Cover tightly with lid, turn heat down to low, and let cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, add potatoes, carrots and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir. Cook for another 40 min, or until vegetables are soft. Stir in flour. Cook for another min. Turn heat off, remove bay leaves, and re-season if necessary.

Serve with fresh bread.

Make extra stew if you like – it tastes even better on the second and third days.

Creamy shallot and mushroom steak sauce

Jun28

I have been trying to achieve the perfect, juicy, pan-seared steak for years and I do believe I have finally done it. I went to Morristown, NJ to visit my friend Ally last week and I made us quite the dinner: pan-seared rib eye steak, smashed baby potatoes with roasted garlic and Caesar salad.

Steak procedure: Once you have your hands on some good quality, well-marbled beef, 1. Bring the meat to room temp. 2. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. 3. Preheat some oil in a large skillet on high heat. 4. Season one side of steak as desired. 5. Place seasoned side down in skillet and season reverse side. 6. For 1″-thick steaks, cook for 4 min on each side flipping once, for medium. (3 min for rare, 5 min for well done) 7. Take steak off skillet and let rest for 5-7 min prior to consumption. 8. Enjoy.

If ya’ll have any tips for cooking steak at home, please share!

Now for the sauce: it is the perfect compliment to beef and is very easy to make.

(Yield: enough for 4 steaks)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

1 shallot, sliced

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/4 c dry white wine

1/3 c heavy cream

Salt/pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet (preferably the one you cooked the steak in) over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2 min to soften. Add mushrooms and sauté for about 7 min, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, and add wine. Cook for about 4 min to evaporate alcohol. Stir in heavy cream until incorporated. Serve immediately.

My de-constructed meatball sub.

Feb5

I love the idea of a meatball sub but not its reality. It’s messy and difficult to eat. That’s why my version is so much better! All the flavor and satisfaction and none of the mess.

This sandwich is also great for those of you hosting Superbowl parties tomorrow night.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large or 2 small yellow onions, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

Salt/fresh ground pepper

1 tsp chili powder

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

1 1/2 c marinara sauce

Parmesan cheese

French bread

Heat the oil in a large skillet on low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and saute for 3-4 min, until they start to sweat. Raise the heat to high and add the beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon and add the seasonings. Cook for about 6 min, stirring frequently. Stir in the marinara, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 more min. In the meantime, toast the bread. (The best way I find to do this is to heat a large griddle and toast for a few min on each side).

Fill the bread, top with cheese, and enjoy.

Beefy Mac & Cheese

Oct14

Baked pasta dishes are one of my guiltiest and most comforting pleasures. This one is a combination of classic macaroni and cheese and another of my many guilty pleasures, the cheeseburger! (Yield: 6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow macaroni

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1/3 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 tsp garlic powder

1/3 tsp paprika

Salt/cracked black pepper

Sauce:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c whole milk

1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese

1 c shredded cheddar, divided

Cook the pasta just short of al dente and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and add beef. Add spices, along with salt and black pepper. Break up with a wooden spatula and sauté for 8-10 min, stirring frequently. Set aside.

On low heat, in a medium sauce pan, combine butter and flour and cook for 1m, making a light roux. Add milk, slightly raise heat, and whisking frequently bring to a gentle boil. Let sauce thicken a few minutes, until it can coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add Swiss cheese and 3/4c cheddar. TURN HEAT OFF and whisk until combined.

Combine pasta, beef and cheese sauce, re-season if necessary. Place into baking dish and top with remaining cheddar. Bake at 375F for 10m and at 415F for another 10m, until the top is golden brown.

Kharcho.

Jun29

Kharcho [kh='h' sound] is one of my favorite soups. It is served in most Russian/Ukrainian restaurants though it’s really Georgian (the country, not the state). There are many ways to prepare this hearty, aromatic soup but most versions have a beef or lamb base, rice, a tomato element, lots of garlic, and fresh herbs.

*I usually cook this soup with hot sauce but recently I was introduced to Thai red curry paste so I used that instead, which was definitely a good move. I found red curry paste in an Asian food market – if you can’t find it, use hot sauce.
*This recipe includes making your own beef stock. If you don’t have the time/will, just use the store-bought kind and make a meatless version altogether – just use more rice.
(Yield: 6 servings)
Ingredients:
Beef Stock:
3/4 lb brisket
Water
1 tbsp salt
1 yellow onion, peeled
1 large carrot, whole
Bouquet garni – a handful of fresh herbs, tied together with string

Soup:
3/4 c white rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
Salt
1/2 c chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro and/or dill)

The stock: place the beef in a pot and fill with just enough water to cover it. Cover with lid and bring to boil. Spill the water out and replace with new water, about 6 cups. Bring to boil and add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to a simmer, crack the lid and simmer for 1 hour. After the hour, discard the vegetables and remove beef from the pot.

The soup: once brisket is cool enough to handle, cut it into bite-size pieces and set aside.
Heat butter and oil on medium-low heat in a skillet and add the onion and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and sweat out for about 7 min. Add 3 tbsp of the stock along with the tomato and curry pastes. Stir until homogeneous and turn heat off. In the meantime, bring the stock back to boiling point and add the rice. Turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the sauteed mixture and meat to pot, stir and taste for seasonings. Simmer for another 10 minutes, uncovered. Then turn the heat off, cover with a lid and let sit for 15 minutes, in order for the rice to release its starch. Then stir in the herbs and serve.

P.S: If your neighbors come a knockin’, don’t be surprised. Kharcho will make your house smell like garlic heaven ; )