Beef Stroganoff à la Bittman

Yes, there was another hiatus (family emergency). Yes, I'm back. Hi!

This quick but luxurious recipe was the perfect treat for New Year's Eve dinner, and went wonderfully with some rice and a glass of dry sparkling wine. I halved Bittman's recipe, but used the full 8 oz. of mushrooms, which produced enough for 2-3 people. I also splurged on a wonderful piece of beyond fork-tender beef from Canales. Perfect way to fortify myself for 2012.

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• salt and pepper
• .8 lb. beef tenderloin, sliced into 1-1/2 in. pieces
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 c. beef broth
• 1-1/2 t Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c sour cream
• dill or parsley, chopped, for garnish

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms. Season them with salt and pepper then cook, stirring occasionally, till the onions are very soft but not brown, about 10 min.

Add the meat and cook for about a minute.

Add the tomato, beef broth and mustard. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily, then cover and cook till the meat is tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in sour cream. Adjust seasoning, then garnish with your choice of herb.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Stew, originally uploaded by essgee51.

With a Christmas Amazon gift card from John's aunt and uncle, we finally bought a slow cooker!

Our first project, based on this recipe, was a success - the meat was tender, and the sauce was rich, silky and savory in a way that only slow-cooked food can be. Next time, we may experiment with more/different herbs -- and definitely add more mushrooms. Tweaks below.

• 2 tbsp. oil (used peanut this time)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves,chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme (orig. 1/2 tsp. dried, but in an unusual reversal, I didn't have any)
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 c. low-sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb. frozen peas
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Put the oil in a large pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the celery, carrots, onion and thyme. Cook till the carrots begin to soften, about 7-10 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Cook another 3-5 minutes or so, till the tomato paste starts tasting a bit roasted. Add wine and mustard, then stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook till wine's reduced by about half, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut the roast into 1-1/2 in. cubes. Put the meat and mushrooms in the flour mixture and toss to coat.

Put the meat, mushrooms and any excess flour into the slow cooker. Add the wine and vegetable mixture, and a bay leaf. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook till meat is pierced easily by a fork, 5-6 hours.

Add peas and cook till heated through. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Meatloaf for Dinner!

Meatloaf for Dinner!, originally uploaded by essgee51.

We returned from Eastern Market with a bounty, including the makings of this dinner. The meatloaf recipe is based on Bittman's basic one, with changes (particularly more cheese, garlic and parsley) outlined below. It turned out to be delicious - tasty, juicy and perfect for a warm but still wintery evening. Note: Creates lots of drippings, which I'm sure we can figure out lots of delicious uses for.

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (used panko)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 lbs. meatloaf mix (they were out of pork, so equal parts veal and beef)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb. bacon (six slices - three in the original)

Preheat oven to 350.

Soak breadcrumbs in milk till liquid is absorbed, around 5 minutes.

Mix together all ingredients except the bacon. Shape meat into a loaf in a baking pan (we used John's cast-iron skillet), then drape the bacon over the loaf. Bake for 45-60 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, till the meatloaf is firm, lightly browned and 160F.

Optional: put under the broiler for a minute or two to get a browner crust.

Beef Stew a la Bittman

Beef Stew a la Bittman, originally uploaded by essgee51.

While I typically make stew the lazy way, this time I bothered to brown the meat. It made a big difference, and I'll definitely be making the time investment in the future. The stew turned out to be rich, comforting and flavorful, but next time I think I'll use a fattier cut of meat and up the umami quotient (perhaps with Worcestershire or soy sauce, anchovies and/or tomato paste). Recipe, with my modifications, below.

• 2-4 tbsp. neutral oil (used grapeseed - started with 2 tbsp. but had to keep adding more because of the lean meat)
• 2-1/2 lbs. stew beef, in chunks
• 1 clove garlic, crushed + 4-5 cloves (1 heaping tbsp.), chopped
• 2 large onions, cut into eighths
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 3 cups liquid (used 2 cups beef broth from a very good concentrate I found + 1 cup red wine)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 6 small/medium potatoes, cut into 1-2 in. chunks (used Yukon Gold)
• 5 medium carrots, cut into 1-2 in. chunks
• 8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
• 1 10-oz. package frozen peas and pearl onions

Heat large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high for 2-3 minutes;. Add oil, then wait another minute. Add crushed garlic clove, then remove once it begins to turn golden-brown, about a minute.

Brown meat, working in batches and seasoning the meat with salt and pepper as you go. Remove meat and reserve, then drain excess oil if necessary (wasn't in my case, since the beef was very lean).

Lower heat to medium. Cook onions, stirring often, till softened, about 10 minutes.

Add flour and stir till completely incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.

Return meat to pot. Add liquid, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes undisturbed.

Add carrots, potatoes and mushrooms to pot. Cool till vegetables are tender, anywhere from 30-60 minutes (closer to 60 on my finicky stove). Adjust texture of sauce to taste, adding liquid if you want it soupier and boiling for 5 or so minutes if you want to reduce it.

Add peas, pearl onions, chopped garlic. Simmer for another 10 or so minutes, till peas are warmed up and garlic has infused stew. Adjust seasoning, then serve.

Caldereta

The dish so nice I packed it twice - pictured here with the rest of today's bento: rice and a spinach-red onion salad with homemade red wine-Dijon mustard vinaigrette.

I was hankering for some home cooking, and so created a riff on this recipe. Alas, the butcher stand was out of goat, but I made do with what was left of the stew lamb and some beef to make up the difference. Turned out wonderfully - rich and umami-filled from the long-simmered meat and soy sauce, tangy from the vinegar and tomato sauce, and just a tad sweet from the vegetables. Next time, I'll probably add another bell pepper, more peas and carrot; I'll also add some garlic during the vegetable sauteing process and remember to use either liver pate or the liverwurst we had in the fridge.

• 2 lbs. stew meat, cubed  (I used 1-1/2 lb. lamb and 1/2 lb. lean beef and cut it into 1 to 1-1/2 in. pieces)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 heaping cup garlic, minced (most of a plump head)
• 2-3 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1-1/2 medium carrots, chunked (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1-1-1/2 lbs. potatoes, chunked (about 3 heaping cups)
• 1 cup peas (frozen were fine)
• 1 small can liver pate (couldn't find any, alas, so skipped this)

Marinate the meat in the soy, vinegar and garlic for at least an hour. Pat the meat dry (forgot to do this) and put in a bowl; reserve the marinade.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat briefly, in batches (got about halfway through this and raised a decent amount of fond despite the added moisture from the marinade). Remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if necessary. Saute the onion and bell pepper till onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and simmer till slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes.

Return meat to pot. Add reserved marinade and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, till meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes and peas. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir pate (next time!) into dish. Adjust seasoning and serve over white rice.

Nilagang Baka (Beef Stew/Soup)

My near-constant craving for soup probably has something to do with the encroaching cold and the cold/cough I've been fighting off. I wanted something nourishing but not bland, and so riffed on this recipe for an old comfort food staple. Prep took a little longer than usual - partially because I opted to brown the beef, and I've never been the world's fastest mincer - but was easily accomplished during innings 2-6 of this sad-making game.

• 3 tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
• 2 lbs. beef, cut into 1-1/2 to 2 in. cubes
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cups water (not enough for the soupiness I wanted - will add 2 or so cups more next time)
• 4 tbsp. patis (will try more next time)
  
• 1 heaping tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 to 2 in. cubes
• 1 small cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 bok choy, chopped (alas, didn't have this)

Place oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Brown beef on all sides (about 5 min.). Remove from pot and reserve.

Add onions and garlic. Saute till soft (3-5 min.), making sure to scrape the pan and free the fond-y goodness from the browned meat.

Return beef to pot. Add water, patis and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer till beef is tender (1 hour, maybe more).

Add potatoes; return to a boil, then to a simmer till potatoes are nearly done (10-15 min.).

Add cabbage; return to a boil, then simmer till everything's done (10 or so min.).

Correct seasoning if necessary, then serve hot over lots of white rice.

Bolognese-Style Meat Sauce

Way too many of my recent recipes have been inspired partially by the need to use up a gigantic bunch of celery. This one (actually cooked last week, but I got lazy and didn't bother typing it up till now) is based on the one in the first edition of Bittman; my changes are in italics (note too that my stove seems to heat up more slowly than his - cooking times have been amended accordingly).

• 1 carrot, peeled and minced
• 1 large onion, peeled and minced
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 3 oz. pancetta (alt. 1/4 cup), minced
• 1 lb. ground beef (alt. 1/2 lb. beef, 1/2 lb. veal)
• 1 28-oz. can tomatoes, juice reserved
• 3/4 cup juice from tomatoes (alt. white wine)
• 1 cup beef or chicken stock
  
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk
• grated Parmesan

Put olive oil in large pot. Turn heat to medium-low. After a minute, add the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender (about 10-15 minutes).

Add the ground meat. Cook, stirring and breaking up any clumps, till all traces of red are gone (about 5-10 minutes).

Raise the heat a little. Add the tomato juice and cook, stirring occasionally, till most of the liquid's evaporated (about 5-10 minutes).

Crush the tomatoes and add them to the pot; stir, then add the stock. Turn the heat to low and cook at a slow simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps. After an hour or so, season with salt and pepper.

Cook for at least another hour (more like 1-1/2 or 2 hours more in my case), till much of the liquid has evaporated. At this point, you can take the sauce off the heat and freeze or refrigerate for a while. If you're doing this, reheat it before going to the next step.

Add the milk and cook for another 15-30 minutes (didn't actually do this, as the sauce was rich and milky enough without - and well, more to the point, as I wanted to maximize storage time), stirring occasionally. Correct seasoning. Serve with pasta (or rice!) and grated Parmesan to taste.

You Say Puchero, I Say Pochero (Filipino Beef Stew)

This took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated, and was a bit more complicated than I wanted dinner to be, but turned out wonderfully. And, as it's a stew (albeit a very soupy one, as I used all the delicious broth), I expect it will taste even better tomorrow. It's based on two recipes - one from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad, and the other from this website - and the usual impulse to use up the greatest number of perishables. Would have rather gotten shanks instead of supermarket-style stew beef cubes, but EM was closed, alas.

• 1.75 lbs. stew beef, cut into inch-square cubes
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 medium onions - 1 sliced,1 chopped
• 7 cloves garlic - 4 crushed, 3 minced
• 3 celery stems - 2 cut into 4 in. lengths, one chopped (will probably leave out the chopped portion next time)
  
• 2 chorizos or 4 oz. spicy pepperoni (used the latter since I didn't have any chorizo handy)
• 1 14-oz. can of tomatoes
• 1 14-oz. can of chickpeas
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1/2 head medium cabbage, quartered
• 1 medium potato, cut into 1-2 in. chunks
• 6 scallions, cut into 2-in. lengths

Place the beef, peppercorns, salt, sliced onion, crushed garlic and 2 celery stems in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water (about 4 cups in this case). Bring to a boil then simmer till the beef is tender - anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (The recipe to this point makes a nice, tasty beef broth that I'll be using as a base in the future, especially for nilagang baka [beef soup].) Add the chorizo or pepperoni 30 min. before you finish cooking this part.

Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes, till the onion turns translucent. Add the tomatoes - crushing or chopping them, as is your preference - and cook till the mixture turns saucy for about 5 minutes (if you're more patient than I was at this point, you can cook them for another 5-10 minutes or so, till they break down and turn saucy). Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once the beef is tender and the chorizo/pepperoni has cooked, add the potatoes, chopped carrots and chopped celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the cabbage. Cook for about 10 minutes more or till the vegetables are tender but still have bite to them.

Add the tomato mixture to the large pot. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two. Correct seasoning.

Remove from heat, add the scallions and cover. Wait 5 minutes, then serve over white rice.

Bistek (Steak with Onions and Citrus-Soy Sauce)

While poking through my Gchat logs for old recipes, I came across this one, courtesy of the wonderful and funny Burnt Lumpia. Though I haven't made the dish since Oct. 30, 2008, I seem to have found it yummy. The version below incorporates my modifications.

• 1 lb. sirloin beef, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup kalamansi juice (or lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5-7 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Marinade the beef in the citrus juice, soy sauce and garlic for at least 30 minutes.

Put oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Remove meat from marinade, reserving the liquid. Sear the meat on all sides (4-5 minutes or so).
Remove meat from pan, place in a bowl, and set aside. Add the onion rings to the pan and saute for 3 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.

Pour the reserved marinade into the pan with the onions. Be sure to deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the black pepper to the sauce and correct seasoning. If the sauce is too salty, or too sour - or if you just want more sauce - add 1/2 cup of water. (Mine turned out a tad salty, but a few more squeezes of lemon fixed that.)

Return the meat to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes. You can also thicken the sauce with cornstarch if you like.

Serve over white rice.