beef Archives - The Midnight Baker

Rouladen

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:57 +0000

Rouladen is pure German comfort food. Very easy to make.

Rouladen Is German Soul Food

Well, at least that’s what I call it.

My late husband was a first-generation American of German parents and this was a dish he loved. My mother-in-law would make it all the time. The curious thing is my husband was not fond of pickle so mom made a couple without the pickle relish.

I might add these are equally as good if you omit the pickle, but as a German friend said, “It ain’t rouladen then.” She, of course, was correct, but they’re still good.

I do add pickle but in a different form and that makes them even more awesome.

In A Pickle

This little trick with the pickle I learned from a very dear friend who was a chef and a restaurant owner.

Klaus was making rouladen for guests when I stopped in to say hello to him. I noticed that his rouladen had a pickle spear wrapped up in the meat. It made a nice presentation and when I tasted one, it was so delicious I couldn’t wait to use this trick myself.

Of course you can substitute sweet pickle relish for the dill pickle spear. The relish will make them a bit sweet and they are really good. The pickle spear doesn’t introduce any sweetness and the slight sourness adds a beautiful dimension to the beef rolls. I find they lighten up the taste a bit.

Round Steak

Thinly cut round steak is available in the meat case of most stores. However, as you know, the more that’s done to process anything always costs more.

Since you have to pound even the thinly sliced product to be even thinner, why not buy a round roast that you can cut yourself? What I do is usually buy an eye of round roast–whole. I then slice off steaks to be used for the rouladen then vacuum seal the other part to use as roast beef. I prefer the eye of round because it’s a solid piece of meat, but bottom round works pretty well too.

The Recipe

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Rouladen

German comfort food

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: German

Keyword: German comfort food, Oktoberfest, rouladen, traditional German dinners

Servings: 4

Calories: 418kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1.5 lb thinly slices round steak--8 slices
3/4 cup finely diced onion
8 slices cooked bacon
8 dill pickle spears
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbs butter
1 tbs oil
1 cup beef stock
2 tbs flour
1/2 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pound round steaks with a meat mallet to about 1/8-inch thickness.
Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until it's just translucent. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Divide the onion evenly over each pounded round steak. Place a slice of bacon over the onion then place a dill pickle spear over that. Roll up and secure each roll with a toothpick.
In the same skillet you cooked the onions in, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the beef rolls on all sides.
Add the beef stock to the pan, heat to boiling then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the beef is tender.
Mix the flour and water so there are no lumps.
Remove the beef rolls from the pan and whisk in the flour/water mixture. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the beef rolls back to the pan and heat for 5 minutes to heat through.

Notes

What I do is get an eye of round roast and slice of thin slices then pound them down very thinly.

For UK readers--the bacon is streaky bacon.

Nutrition

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Beef Patties With Onion Gravy

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 00:00:52 +0000

There’s no better comfort food than these beef patties with onion gravy.

Beef Patties With Onion Gravy: Pure Comfort

These beef patties are in the same category as meatloaf and mashed potatoes–it’s pure comfort food and a traditional family favoirte.

The reason I love this meal is that not only is the gravy outstanding, but the beef patties are interesting as well.

In this recipe, you sauté the aromatics before adding them to the meat mixture. This especially comes in handy if you are using very lean–90 per cent and above–ground beef. The reason is you are not only adding the sautéed veggies but the oil they cooked in as well. This will make the beef less dry. That tablespoon of oil is the trick.

If you like the spurtle (affiliate link) in the above pic, I got it on Amazon.

That Mix Isn’t Just For Gravy

We all know those envelopes of brown gravy mix–because a lot of us cheat and use it for gravy. I do now almost exclusively because beef roasts are so extremely trimmed nowadays that there aren’t sufficient drippings to make the real deal. I think it tastes pretty good too.

However, that’s not the only thing I use it for. It’s also a great seasoning for burgers and lots of other beef-based recipes. This is one of those recipes. The idea came to me when it was called for in a pot roast recipe–not as a gravy component but as a seasoning.

Onions

I used one large onion, but if you want more, use as much as you want. By the same token, use less if you desire.

If you don’t like onions or they don’t agree with you, then they can easily be omitted from the gravy. It will taste fine without them.

Additionally, any medium red wine will do here. I’m just partial to Madeira with beef. If you have no wine on hand or just don’t want to use it, substitute with an equal amount of additional beef stock.

The Recipe

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Beef Patties with Onion Gravy

The ultimate comfort food

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef patties with onion gravy, hamburgers with gravy, skillet salisbury steak

Servings: 6

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lb lean ground beef
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup celery finely diced
1/2 cup onion finely diced
1 envelope brown gravy mix or 3 tbs bulk dry brown gravy mix
1 tbs olive oil

Gravy:

3/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup Madeira wine
1 large onion sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Thickening:

3 tbs flour
6 tbs water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook onion and celery until tender but not browned; about 5 minutes.
Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs eggs, cooked celery and onion and brown gravy mix in a large bowl. Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties.
Heat the same pan you used for the celery and onions over medium high heat. Brown patties on both sides. Remove from the pan.
In the same pan, cook the onions for 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the onions. Deglaze the pan with the wine then add the beef stock, salt and pepper.
Return the patties to the pan with the onions and stock, bring to a boil, cover then reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.
To make gravy, remove the beef patties from the pan, mix the flour and water and whisk into the pan liquid. Cook, whisking frequently, until it bubbles. Cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Return patties to the pan and heat through.

Notes

If you don't want to use the Madeira wine, just add an additional 1/4 cup of beef stock.

In UK, old-fashioned Bisto (the kind you have to cook) can be subbed for American brown gravy mix.

Nutrition

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Oven Cube Steak

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:26 +0000

Oven cube steak is one of those recipes that is so simple, that you’re amazed how delicious it is.

Easy Oven Cube Steak

I’m here to say this is one of the easiest recipes I ever made. Incidentally, I was a bit dubious that something so simple and with so few ingredients could be so darned good. That’s something I never seemed to learn either.

Since it’s winter and running the oven isn’t such a bad thing, I really encourage you to try this. It has a rather long cook time, but don’t let that fool you. This cube steak is tender, juicy and amazingly delicious.

Start With A Good Stock

The tastier your stock, the better this meal will be.

If you make your own stock starting with roasting/browning the bones, that’s an excellent choice. I’ve done it and I won’t lie–it’s time consuming. However, you end up with a finished product where you know exactly what’s in it. You can’t beat that.

Most times I don’t have the inclination nor the time to make my own. Yes, even with an Instant Pot which speeds up the process. Fact is, I got pretty lazy in my old age and mostly use stocks that are available in the supermarket. There are many good ones. And even though I’m pretty frugal, this is one place where I don’t pinch pennies with a store brand. If it’s labeled “rich stock,” believe it. It’s good. I often use the concentrated ones referred to as “bases.” They have a long shelf like and if you buy ones made with real chicken or beef, they’re comparable to your own homemade.

Add Ins

The original recipe on Just A Pinch had nothing added in. It was just the steaks and gravy.

Since I love mushrooms and had some baby bellas in the fridge, I added those. Of course if you hate mushrooms, don’t add them. But onions would be nice and some peas or carrots would make the meal complete.

The Recipe

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Oven Cube Steak

The very best cube steak you'll ever eat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cube steak recipes, cube steak with gravy

Servings: 4

Calories: 719kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs beef cube steak
8 oz fresh mushrooms thickly sliced
2 tbs oil divided
32 oz beef stock
3 tbs butter

Seasoned Flour:

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C
Mix all seasoned flour ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup for thickening.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Dredge cube steaks in the seasoned flour and brown on each side--about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate when browned.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Saute the mushrooms until they start to get brown. Remove them from the pan.
To the same pan, add the butter and let it melt. Whisk in the reserved flour so you get a nice smooth paste--this is called a roux. Let the flour and butter cook for 2 minutes so the flour cooks.
Whisk in the beef stock and stir until it begins to thicken.
Place the cube steaks and mushrooms in a 13x9-inch/3L oblong pan. Pour the gravy over the steaks/mushrooms, then cover with foil and bake for 2 hours.

Video

Nutrition

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Madeira Beef With Braised Onions

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:00:25 +0000

Madeira beef with braised onions is warm, comforting and totally delicious!

Beef Stew Is Winter Comfort Food

Is there anything more warming and comforting than a good beef stew? The answer to that is not too many things! This Madeira beef with braised onions is one of those stews.

A great stew can always be made better with the addition of different yet tasty ingredients. Since I like the way wine flavors food, I will add it to enhance the flavor. My favorite wine to use with beef is Madeira so you guessed it; that’s what I used here. It imparts a very distinctive flavor. That’s my choice but whatever red wine you like to cook with is perfectly fine. It’s all about individual choice–so don’t run out and buy stuff you don’t have. If you have a cabernet on hand, that’ll work here. Another rule of thumb is you never cook with a wine that you wouldn’t drink. The stuff Julia Child coined as “rot gut.”

Fancy White Onions–YUM

That’s right; the kind you’d use in creamed onions. In fact my recipe for caramelized creamed onions is what you’re using here. Minus the cream, of course.

What you’ll be doing here is browning the onions. That’s all covered in the linked post.

Because of the onions, this is pretty much a hack of coq au vin with beef substituted for chicken.

As far as the mushrooms go–they can be left out if you hate them or don’t have them. I had no fresh ones so what you see is the canned kind. I always have at least one can of those in my pantry.

Best Cut Of Beef

Hands down, that’s chuck.

What I generally do is buy a chuck roast, on sale of course, and cut it up into 2-3-inch chunks. For dishes such as this, I personally prefer larger chunks of meat and shy away from pre-cut “stew” meat. Mainly that’s more expensive because of the added labor and it’s pretty simple to cut it up yourself so why pay more,

Always make sure you pat the meat dry with paper towels as “wet” meat won’t brown it will steam. Also never crowd the pan. Brown in batches if you have to.

The Recipe

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Madeira Beef with Braised Onions

The ultimate stew

Prep Time25

Cook Time2

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef stew with wine, braised white onions, Coq au vin, gourmet beef stew

Servings: 6

Calories: 422kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs beef chuck roast cut in 2-3-inch pieces
2 tbs butter
1 tbs oil
8 oz button mushrooms fresh or canned
1 lb small white onions browned
1 cup Madeira wine
2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Thickening

3 tbs flour
1/4 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a large (best size is 5 Q/L) dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add butter and oil. When butter stops foaming, add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
In the same dutch oven, add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown.
Deglaze the pan with the Madeira. Add the beef back to the pot along with the bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours or until beef is tender.
While beef is simmering, prepare browned onions per this method (but do NOT add the cream). When onions are browned, set aside.
If you want a thickened gravy, combine the flour and water making sure there are no lumps. Add to the pan, stirring until thickened. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Add the onions to the pan and heat through. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs (if fresh was used) before serving.

Nutrition

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Madeira Sirloin Steak And Potatoes Skillet Dinner

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 00:03:38 +0000

Everyone will love this budget-conscious sirloin steak and potatoes skillet dinner.

Sirloin Steak On A Budget?

Absolutely! The key is making the meat essentially a condiment. The Asians have been doing this for years with their delicious stir fry dishes, so why can’t we?

That’s exactly what I did with this sirloin steak and potatoes skillet dinner. I’ve kept it to two add-ins but here’s where you can go wild with that. The sautéed potatoes are pretty much a “must” here. They’re the perfect accompaniment. In fact, you don’t have to go any further with add-ins. Just the potatoes will do.

This is also a meal where parts can be prepared way in advance. That way, you can have dinner in a dash.

Oh Those Potatoes!

The potatoes that are in this sirloin steak and potatoes dinner is also one of my favorite sides. These herb sautéed potatoes are even great with breakfast.

Changing the herbs makes them different every time. I mostly use tarragon on thyme with these but with this skillet dinner, I used thyme. But don’t let that limit you–whatever you think would go with the steak is perfect. In other words, use what you like!

For The Wine

With beef, I’m partial to Madeira because it pairs very well. However, mostly any red wine will do here. White or vermouth can also be used if you have that on hand. But I do urge you to pick up a bottle of Madeira to try it–it won’t break the bank if you get a reasonably priced bottle.

Not into cooking with wine? That’s good too. Just substitute a good-quality beef stock.

The Recipe

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Madeira Sirloin Skillet

Deliciously gourmet but very easy

Prep Time25

Cook Time15

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: budget steak dinners, inexpensive dinners with sirloin steak

Servings: 6

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb thick sirloin steak cut in large chunks
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms optional
1 tbs butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbs finely chopped onion
1/2 cup Madeira wine Marsala may also be used
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 recipe Herb Sauteed Potatoes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Melt butter and oil over high heat. Pat meat dry and brown meat on all sides; remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.
If using mushrooms, add them to the same skillet and cook until they are beginning to brown; remove them to the plate with the meat so they stay warm.
In the same skillet, add the onion and cook for about a minute to soften. Deglaze the pan with the wine, letting it reduce a bit--maybe 25%. Then add the cream and cook until slightly thickened.
Add the meat, the sautéed potatoes and mushrooms (if using) back to the pan. Stir to combine and heat through.

Notes

Nutrition information calculated without the potatoes. Nutritional info can be obtained by following the link to that recipe.

Nutrition

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Vegetable Beef Soup

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:00:37 +0000

Is anything better for lunch or dinner than a hearty vegetable beef soup?

Vegetable Beef Soup Any Way You Like It

Vegetable beef soup is one of the most popular soups around. There’s numerous reasons why.

First reason is simple; it tastes so good. It really is a meal in itself because it contains meat and veggies.

Another reason is that if you have any leftover beef and vegetables, it’s a great way to use those leftovers up.

Maybe best of all is that it can be a quick choice for dinner when you’re using up what you have on hand or it can be a labor of love when you make your own stock.

Making Your Own Stock

Making your own stock isn’t necessary for this soup, but it’s well worth it if you have the time.

First you start with about two pounds (I kg) of meaty beef bones. Lay them in a single layer in a large baking pan then toss in a cut-up carrot and a cut-up medium onion. Preheat your oven to 450F/220C and oven brown them for approximately 30 minutes, turning them half way through the cooking.

Place the browned bones in a large stockpot or Instant pot. Deglaze that baking dish with a bit of water and scrape up the browned bits. Add this mixture to the bones in the pot. Add a bay leaf, some celery ribs or leaves, a cut up onion and 3 whole peppercorns and you’re set to go. You can add a teaspoon of salt but I don’t bother since I season when I make the soup. You simmer this about 4 hours on the stovetop or cook at high pressure in the Instant Pot (affiliate link) for 2 hours. The Instant Pot produces much better stock so I advise it.

When done, cut any meat off the bone to use in the soup and strain the liquid through a strainer so all those bits and pieces are not in your stock. You can easily degrease the stock by putting it in a bowl and refrigerating until chilled. Then the congealed fat is simply lifted out and discarded.

A Word About Veggies

As always, use what you have.

I like celery and carrot in particular, so that’s what I use. But again, use what you like.

Pasta is a great addition to make the soup heartier. I used orzo here.

The Recipe

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Vegetable Beef Soup

What can be better than this hearty beef soup on a cold night

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Homemade Beef Stock (Instant Pot)2

Total Time35

Course: Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Making your own beef stock, vegetable beef soup, winter soups

Servings: 6

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 quarts beef stock
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
14 oz can diced tomatoes drained
1 cup cut up cooked beef
1/2 cup orzo
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried from the jar

Homemade Beef Stock (Nice but not necessary):

2 lbs meaty beef bones
2 quarts water
1 small onion cut up
1 rib celery cut up
3 whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making the stock--place beef bones in a baking dish and preheat oven to 450F/220C. Roast bones for 30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Place the bones in an electric pressure cooker. Pour about 1/2 cup of the water in the roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits; add this to the pressure cooker.
Next add the rest of the water, onion, celery, peppercorns, salt and bay leaf.
Seal the pot and cook on high pressure for 2 hours. Let pressure reduce naturally (don't release the valve) then strain the stock discarding all the veggies, but reseving the bones. Pour stock in a bowl and refrigerate until it's chilled and fat is congealed. Remove congealed fat.
To make soup--place the degreased stock in a dutch oven. Add the sliced carrots, diced celery and thyme. Cut about 1 cup of the meat off the reserved bones and add it to the pot. Add the drained tomatoes and heat to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
Add the orzo and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.

Video

Nutrition

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Instant Pot Creamy Mushroom Flanken

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 23:00:18 +0000

Flanken done in the Instant Pot requires less cooking time.

Flanken-Style Short Ribs

Despite its unusual name, all flanken is merely a cut of short ribs.

They are pretty easy to find in New York City because it’s the preferred cut. Many of eastern European descent; especially Jewish people prefer them..

They have a lot of flavor because of all the exposed bone. Instead of one large bone like the more standard cut, flanken have at least 4 small bones with the marrow exposed. That produces the most excellent flavor.

While short ribs of any cut require a long and preferably slow cooking time, the Instant Pot comes to the rescue producing great results in about half the time.

No Instant Pot?

I can urge you to buy one and am pretty sure you won’t be sorry. However, if this appliance isn’t in your future, no problem.

Your slow cooker can do a bang-up job although it will take at least 8 hours and possibly 10 to get them to that “fall-off-the-bone” consistency that most folks love. Just dump everything in (I would leave out the 2 cups of water) except the thickening and you’re set to go. I always brown any meat before slow cooking since I think the flavor is better. However, it’s not necessary.

Another option is your oven. Just make sure you have a nice heavy–preferably cast iron–dutch oven and cook at 300 F/150 C for around 3 hours. As with the slow cooker, do any thickening at the end of cooking.

Don’t Do Mushrooms?

Then just leave them out and substitute another cream soup. Cream of celery would be good here, but it’s your choice.

If you make your own cream of soups, you could try my cream of onion soup in this since it will enhance the oniony flavor of the recipe quite nicely I believe.

The Recipe

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Instant Pot Creamy Mushroom Flanken-Style Ribs

Comforting and full of flavor

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef ribs in the instant pot, flanken short ribs, slow cooker flanken short ribs

Servings: 4

Calories: 599kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 lb flanken-style short ribs
2 tbs oil
1/4 cup onions chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups water
10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
8 oz mushrooms cut in quarters

Thickening:

3 tbs flour
1/4 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Set Instant Pot to "saute" at high heat. Add the oil then brown the ribs on all sides--you may have to do this in batches. Since these ribs are long, I generally cut them in half so they're easy to handle. Remove to a plate and drain any accumulated fat, leaving about a teaspoon in the pot.
Fry the onion and mushrooms on the saute setting at medium heat until onions are soft and mushrooms begin to sear. Then deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add the water and onion soup mix; stir well.
Add the ribs back to the pot and cook at high pressure for 40 minutes. Release the pressure as soon as the time is up.
Remove the ribs, set the pot to saute at medium heat and whisk in the mushroom soup. If you desire a thicker sauce, mix the flour with the 1/4 cup water and stir into sauce. Let the sauce cook for 5 minutes then place the ribs back in the pot to heat through.

Notes

Any short rib cut may be substituted.

Nutrition

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Steak And Beer Pie

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 23:00:53 +0000

Steak and beer pie is my take on an old British standby.

British Staples: Meat Pies

High on the list of favorite British foods are their meat pies. They’ve been around forever and are one of the most popular foods there. In fact, there are shops that sell only meat pies. I remember seeing this on one of Mary Berry’s shows. And as she said, they’re not exactly the most healthy choices for dinner. However as she also said every once in a while it’s a good old-fashioned treat to have one.

There are so many varieties of pies, I won’t go into them here. One of the most favorite ones is steak and ale pie. That’s what this steak and beer pie is based upon. I used beer as it imparts a less bitter undertone than does ale and the result was outstanding.

Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is the one that’s used for all the British “steak” pies–there’s lots of them too!

Fortunately you’re not stuck with making your own puff pastry since it can be bought ready made. Here in the US, it comes frozen, but in the UK there are more choices for this product.

The good part here is that this pie is not heavy on pastry. You only cover the top; there’s no bottom crust although I believe some ready-made British meat pies do have a bottom crust. However, I find that a bit much since puff pastry is a bit on the greasy side.

The Filling

If you don’t want to do the pie, you can stop right after making the filling. It’s wonderful served over rice or mashed potatoes. Add a green veg to it and it’s a perfect meal.

I used pre-cut sirloin tips that I get from my online meat place. That saves a lot of work, but you can always use a sirloin steak cut up into small cubes. Chuck would work well too and is very flavorful so it may be a better choice. I had the cut up tips in my freezer. I’m always banging on about using what you have and I did just that.

The Recipe

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Steak & Beer Pie

Beefy pie that satisfies

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 20

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: british meat pies, steak pie, traditional british steak pie

Servings: 4

Calories: 504kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs beef sirloin tips cut in 1-inch/2.5 cm cubes
1 small onion sliced
8 oz fresh mushrooms sliced
1 cup beer
1 cup beef stock
1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbs oil
4 tbs flour
1/2 cup water
1 tbs Gravy Master optional

Crust:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
1 beaten egg yolk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs of the oil and the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms, shaking or stirring frequently until they begin to brown. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes or until they turn translucent. Remove mushrooms and onions to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tbs of oil and pat the meat dry with paper towels. When the oil is hot, add the meat to the pan to brown. You may have to do this in shifts--don't overcrowd the pan as the meat won't brown if you do. Remove the meat to a plate.
Return the pan to the heat and deglaze with the beer, scraping up all the bits at the bottom of the pan.
Add the stock, soy sauce, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the meat, mushrooms and onions back to the pan. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
Mix the flour and water so there are no lumps. Stir into the meat mixture continuing to stir until liquid is thickened and it bubbles. If the liquid seems too light, add the Gravy Master.
Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. Place the meat in a 1.5 quart/1.5 liter round baking dish or pie pan.
Cut an 8-inch/20 cm circle of the puff pastry. For a nice effect, score the pastry with diagonal lines, being careful not to cut through the pastry (nice but not necessary).
Place the pastry circle on top of the meat and brush with beaten egg yolk.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is puffed and golden brown.

Nutrition

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Anthony Bourdain’s Beef Bourguignon

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:00:56 +0000

This is Anthony Bourdain’s famous beef bourguignon. And it’s worth all the effort.

A Timeless Classic

Beef stew or beef bourguignon, is the quintessential comfort food since it’s warm and delicious. As a result, there’s many recipes for it as well as cooking methods.

This one comes from the one-and-only Anthony Bourdain. And who knew more than he about great cooking? I was a huge fan of his and when I saw his recipe in a recent Washington Post edition I had to make this.

This recipe leans more toward the French than the American. It does contain one ingredient that some may not find on the shelf at their local grocery, but it is an optional ingredient. However, I do urge you to use it and I will give a source for it.

Demi Glace

This is the optional ingredient. There are shortcut methods to making it and even substitutions. This is one instance where I say don’t bother making it–buy it. If you live in a larger metro area, it’s likely you’ll find this in the aisle where stocks and broths are or where browning sauce and gravies are located. I bought mine off of Amazon and it was pretty reasonable. It also has many uses and it’s shelf stable so it won’t go bad.

It does add a special something to this bourguignon so I do encourage you to use it. However, the stew will taste awesome even if you don’t.

Onions?

No, it’s not a typo. This recipe uses four, yes four onions.

But here’s the scoop. They all cook down and actually thicken the sauce. It sounds ridiculous, I know. But that’s what happened. Even a good friend who is not “into” onions didn’t detect any overpowering flavor and in fact, she loved this stew.

The Recipe

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Copycat Anthony Bourdain's Beef Bourguignon

This stew is worth all the effort

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 30

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: anthony bourdain beef bourguignon, burgundy beef, demi glace, gourmet beef stew

Servings: 6

Calories: 452kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lb boneless beef shoulder or chuck cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil divided
4 medium onions halved and thinly sliced
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup red burgundy wine such as pinot noir
6 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni a tied bundle of herbs, typically thyme, bay and parsley
Water
Demi-glace optional
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Thoroughly pat the meat dry with paper towels and generously season it with salt and pepper.
In a Dutch oven over high heat, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Working in several batches, and without moving the meat much, sear the meat on all sides until well browned, adding more oil as needed. (If you try to cook too much meat at once, it will steam and turn gray instead of brown.) Once the meat is well browned, transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the onions and any remaining oil to the pot. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions have softened and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and, using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping up all the browned bits (fond) off the bottom of the pot.
Once the wine starts to boil, return the meat and its accumulated juices to the pot, and add the carrots, garlic and the bouquet garni. Add 1 1/2 cups of water (and about 2 tablespoons of demi-glace, if you have it). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the meat is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, skimming off any foam or oil that might accumulate on the surface. Check on the stew every 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching or sticking.
As you check on the stew, continue adding 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water, as needed, up to 2 1/2 to 3 cups total — to ensure there is enough liquid to cook down and concentrate. If the stew begins to stick, reduce the heat to low. The onions should fall apart, creating a thick, rich sauce that coats the meat.
When the stew is done, discard the bouquet garni, taste the stew and season with more salt, if desired. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

Video

Nutrition

The post Anthony Bourdain’s Beef Bourguignon appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Beef Fajita Salad Bowls

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 23:00:18 +0000

Who wouldn’t love a big salad with a spicy fajita seasoning? It’s easy and tasty!

Even Eat The Fajita Plate

Have you ever said you were so hungry you could eat the plate too? Well, you get to do exactly that with this satisfying fajita salad since the bowl is edible too.

In fact, that’s the only real labor-intensive task; shaping the “bowl.”

If you’re into Mexican food, or if you’ve ever made a brioche, you have the equipment to do this. It’s just a fluted deep metallic bowl that you drape the flour tortilla over to mold the shape.

However, if you don’t have those bowls, a nice softball-sized aluminum foil ball will suffice nicely. Just drape the tortilla over the ball so you get a bowl-like result. While it won’t be as pretty as using the mold, it works and that’s all that counts here.

Simple Fillings

The beauty of these fajita salad bowls is how simple the filling is. It’s some veggies and a spicy fajita seasoning seasoning.

For this recipe, you can use commercial fajita seasoning, but I always think it’s better to make your own. First of all, it’s way cheaper and maybe even more importantly, you control the ingredients so there’s nothing in it that you can’t pronounce. And since you make relatively small batches, it’s always fresh.

As for the veggies, I use a mix of baby salad greens and try to vary the colors of the bell peppers. However, using just one color–green–works well too. All the colors taste the same so it’s just a visual thing to mix colors. The orange and yellow peppers are costly, but if you can catch a sale, then by all means use a variety. Remember, you can freeze bell peppers so anything extra won’t go to waste.

Spicy Fajita Seasoning

As I said before, feel free to use any commercial fajita seasoning you like. But since I have a lot of herbs and spices on hand, I make my own spicy fajita seasoning.

One substitution I make when I make up a batch is use chipotle chili powder instead of the generic. Now, it may render it “unuathentic,” but the taste of chipotle really ups the ante on flavor. I’ve also tried ancho chili powder as well. Both are great substitutes that can also enhance the flavor of other recipes, such as these spicy pork chops, so I recommend buying them.

The Recipe

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Fajita Salad Bowls

Combine a salad with fajitas--all served in an edible bowl

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: fajitas, flour tortilla bowls, spicy fajita seasoning

Servings: 6

Calories: 273kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb thinly sliced sirloin steak or any tender steak
6 flour tortillas about 10-inches/25 cm in diameter
6 cups assorted salad greens
2 bell peppers julienned
1 large onion sliced
2 tbs oil

Fajita Seasoning:

1 tbs cornstarch
2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp paprika hot paprika preferred
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all the fajita seasoning ingredients in a small bowl; set aside
To make tortilla bowls, preheat oven to 400F/200C. Dampen the flour tortillas with a few drops of water. Mold them to shape on the exterior of fluted tortilla shaper bowls. If you don't have the shapers, see post for another method. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the tortillas begin to brown and hold their shape. Remove from oven and cool completely. FYI you can make a bunch of these for later use.
Fill the tortilla bowls with about 1 cup of salad greens.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the thinly sliced steak and brown. Add the onion and cook until onion just becomes transluscent. Add the peppers and fry just until they turn a bright color. Add the fajita seasoning and stir well to blend.
Place the meat mixture on top of the salad greens in the bowl. Serve immediately

Nutrition

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