Wine Lover's Beef Stew

This is easy and perfect for a cold winter day. I like to serve it with biscuits :)

1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 can (14 ounces)whole peeled tomatoes
1-1/2 cups water
1 cube beef bouillon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup red wine
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 potatoes, cubed
1 cup pearl onions

Season the stew meat with some of the salt and pepper and coat with flour. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, Saute the beef and onions in the butter and oil until browned on the outside. Transfer the beef and onions to a stockpot and stir in the tomatoes, water and bouillon cubes. Season with garlic, parsley, thyme and remaining salt and pepper. Stir in the red wine.

Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours before adding carrots, celery potatoes and pearl onions. Continue to simmer until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.

Guinness Cottage Pie

(Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food)

2 tbsp olive oil
2 lb. lean ground beef
Salt & pepper
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1 large carrot, diced
1 1/2 c Guinness (1 bottle)
5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-1/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 c frozen corn niblets
3/4 c frozen peas
Sprinkle of sugar
2 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled & roughly chopped (* See note)
1/4 c butter
2 tbsp finely grated cheddar, plus extra for grating
1 large egg yolk

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat and brown the ground beef. Season with salt & pepper. When cooked, remove to a bowl & set aside. Drain if it's especially fatty.

Return skillet to heat, add remaining 1 tbsp of oil. Cook onions, garlic & thyme until onions are soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes, tomato paste and cooked ground beef. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add Guinness & worcestershire sauce, bring to a simmer and let cook until reduced by half. Pour in stock and stir in corn and peas, return to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until thick and glossy, about 20 minutes. If mixture is still a little liquidy, let simmer another 5-10 minutes. Taste & adjust seasoning, adding a sprinkle of sugar if the tomato acidity is too overpowering.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350, and add potatoes to a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain, then return to the hot pan for 15 seconds or so to dry them out, then remove from heat. Pass potatoes through a potato ricer, or mash with a hand masher. Mix in butter, cheese & egg yolk. Taste & adjust seasoning.

Spoon the beef mixture into the bottom of a large pie dish, 9x13 pan or casserole dish. Spoon blobs of mashed potato over top, even out and rough up with a fork. Grate on some more cheddar, and pop in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

* Note: Ramsay's original recipe calls for a floury, starchy potato, peeled. We made this with a waxy yukon gold, unpeeled, and it was a delicious, rustic alternative. Any potatoes you want, peeled or unpeeled, will surely work well in this.

The Best Steak Sandwiches Ever!

My husband and I came up with this open-faced sandwich when we had a bunch of steak left over from the night before. These are truly delicious!

1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, sliced thinly in half-rounds
splash of white wine - optional
8 oz leftover steak, sliced thinly
4 slices of bread (preferably a nice crusty loaf)
1/2 stick garlic butter
3-4 oz old white cheddar, or swiss cheese, sliced thin (or grated)

Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onions and saute 'til golden brown, soft and caramelized. If desired, deglaze pan with a quick splash of white wine. Remove onions to a bowl & set aside.

Return pan to heat. Let warm and add sliced steak. Stir quickly to heat through, remove from heat.

Lay bread on a baking sheet. Spread top side with garlic butter. Layer with warm steak, caramelized onions, and cheese.

Stick under broiler for a couple minutes, until cheese is melty and bubbly. Serve!

Coffee Peppercorn Steak

(Adapted from Eating Well)

3 Tbsp strong coffee
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp whole black (or mixed) peppercorns, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1 to 1.5 lbs steak (* see note)

Mix together, pour over meat & marinate for a few hours, or overnight. Grill steak to your desired doneness.

* Note: Use your favourite cut of beef! The original recipe calls for 1 lb of flank steak, but we have used this on a pound and a half of striploin with delicious results.

Blue Cheese Burgers

Adapted from Pinch My Salt

This is an absolutely amazing blue cheese-filled burger. I used Danish Blue, but you could easily use whatever blue cheese strikes your fancy. These burgers are a little bigger than indicated in the source blog - I used the Tupperware burger press to form my patties, and found that the suggested 2oz balls weren't enough to make the patties big or thick enough to hold up. The extra ounce makes a big difference! These patties also freeze beautifully, so you can make them ahead and enjoy them at a moment's notice!

2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
salt and pepper
1.5 lbs lean ground beef

Mash together cream cheese and blue cheese in a small bowl. Mix in herbs and spices, and some salt and pepper to taste.

Break your ground beef into about 8 3oz portions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll into balls and flatten into thin patties all about the same size. Tip: form the patties on waxed paper, it will be easier to move them!

On 4 of your patties, spread about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Be generous, but leave about a half inch around the edge of the patty so you can seal your burgers. Carefully place one of the non-cheesed patties over top, and gently press the edges to seal.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill!

Because the blue cheese is such a strong flavour, condiments are best kept to a minimum. Our tastiest burgers yet involved a little ketchup, some mayo, sliced avocado and bacon. Just enough to accent without overpowering. Yum!

Slow Cooker Korean Ribs

Adapted from Daily Unadventures in Cooking.

This is a favourite slow-cooker recipe in our home now. We buy ribs in giant packs at Costco, and half a pack is about perfect for this! Leftovers are delicious, too.

3 -4 pounds pork or beef ribs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into single ribs
½ cup soy sauce
1 cup + a couple Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp ginger, grated
2 tsp hot chili flakes
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp corn starch mixed w/ cold water, as needed.
Sesame seeds & chopped green onions (garnish)

The night before:
Place a large saute pan over medium heat add ribs and cook for 15-20 minutes until browned on all sides. Remove from pan to a plate to cool, and use a couple tbsp of orange juice to deglaze the yummy sticky bits off the bottom of the pan. Reserve these delicious juices.

Transfer ribs to a container and refrigerate.

In a bowl, combine the reserved juices, soy sauce, juice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, chili, oil and honey and mix well. Refrigerate.

The next day:
Transfer ribs to slow cooker and pour sauce over top. Cook on low for about 8 hours or until meat is very tender. If you would like a sauce, remove the ribs from the slow cooker, and add cornstarch & cold water (mixed together) to thicken.

To serve arrange on a platter and pour sauce over top, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Beef Stew

So today I decided to make a big old batch of beef stew for dinner (it has been cold here!) I have never made stew and had no real recipe... here is what I came up with:

2lbs stewing beef cut into cubes
1/4 cup flour
S & P
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bottles dark beer
2 cans beef stock concentrate
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
S & P
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2-3 carrots, chopped into large pieces (I like chunky stew)
3-4 stalks celery, chopped into large pieces
4 potatoes, chopped into large pieces
1 onion, chopped into large pieces

Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Toss beef cubes in flour until coated. Heat up olive oil in a large pot, toss in beef (in batches) and brown all sides. Add beer, stock, 2 cans water, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, garlic, and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil then turn down and simmer until beef is tender (mine took about 2 1/2 hours.) About 30 minutes before you want to eat, add carrots and celery. 10 minutes later, add potatoes (if you use smaller pieces, adjust this accordingly.) Cook for about 15-20 minutes of until all veggies are tender but not mushy. Serve and enjoy!

This is not a thick stew, more of a chunky soup This would freeze very well (most of my batch is in the freezer already!

Slow-Cooked Moroccan Short Ribs

Slow-Cooked Moroccan Short Ribs
Adapted from Cuisine at Home
Source Blog - Noble Pig

The Rub:
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt

The Ribs:
2-1/2 lb. short ribs
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3-1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock (or broth), divided
3 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks (cups)
10 baby red potatoes or baby Yukon golds (2 cups)
1/2 onion, cut in half, root intact
2 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric and salt. Rub the spice mix into the ribs, thoroughly coating all sides, pressing the spices into the meat as best you can.

Sear the ribs in olive oil over high heat, until all sides are browned, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a slow-cooker, pouring off any excess oil from the pan. Deglaze the pan with 3 cups beef stock or broth, scraping all bits from the bottom, transfer to the slow-cooker, pouring over the ribs.

Add carrots, potatoes, honey, red pepper flakes, and onion to the ribs and deglazing broth. Simmer the ribs on high-heat until they are fork-tender and falling off the bone, about 3-1/2 hours.

Discard onion and strain any fat that has accumulated on the surface.

Whisk flour and a 1/2 cup beef stock (broth) together and stir slowly into the slow cooker. If you pour it all at once and do not stir well you will end up with globs of flour balls. Add dried apricots and simmer for another 1/2 hour, until thickened. Stir in lemon juice before serving.

We had the dish last week on one of the really cold days. My husband's only complaint was the ribs, he his not a fan of ribs bc of the bone. :p Anyho, it tasted yummy and is divine on a chilly day. I made rolls to go with it as the stew does make quite a thick gravy that is awesome for bread/roll dipping! I have this on the meal plan for this week and this time I just bought some boneless beef for stews to put in to appease my Husband. :p

The Famous Cola Roast

No foodie blog is ever complete without the famous slow-cooker cola roast! Bizarre yet deliciously simple, this is the perfect roast to have with garlic mashed potatoes on a cold winter night. The sauce makes a fantastic gravy, too.

1 beef pot roast (the cheapest cut of meat you can find is perfect for this!)
1 can cola (regular, not diet)
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp cold water

Set roast in the slow cooker. Gently whisk together the cola, onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup. Pour mixture over top of the roast, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-6. Remove roast from slow-cooker to a cutting board for slicing. To make the gravy, whisk together corn starch and cold water, stir it into the remaining sauce and crank the slow cooker up to high. In a few minutes it should thicken and turn into a delicious bubbling gravy. Add more cornstarch and water if necessary.

Mexican Casserole

This is a fantastic casserole that is quick to put together and reheats beautifully. Anyone who likes tacos or burritos will be sure to love this!

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg (or 6 Tbsp) taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 can refried beans
1 can corn niblets
4 tortillas
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or more!)
Sour cream & green onions (to garnish)

Cook ground beef fully, drain excess fat. Stir in taco seasoning, salsa, refried beans and corn, mix well. In a 2.5-3-quart round casserole dish, layer beef mixture, a tortilla, cheese. Repeat the layers three more times, top with what's left of the beef mixture and some more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-45, until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve with sour cream and green onions.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie, based on http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=7189

The roasted potatoes, lamb, and worcestershire sauce make this dish for me. I would try all lamb if it wasn't so expensive.

Ingredients:
Potato Topping

* 8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
* Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
* 1/4 cup half and galf cream (60 ml) (You could skip this if you want)
* 1 tbsp butter (15 ml)
* Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
* Salt and pepper

Meat Filling

* 1 tbsp olive oil (15 ml)
* 1 lb. ground beef (454 g)
* 1 lb. ground lamb (454 g)
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, finely diced
* 2 carrots, finely diced
* 2 tsp dried thyme (10 ml)
* 1 tsp dried oregano (5 ml)
* Pinch ground cloves
* 2 cup beef stock (500 ml)
* 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (45 ml)
* 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (30 ml)
* 1 cup of frozen peas (less or more, up to you)
* 1 cup of frozen corn (less or more, up to you)
* Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper


Directions:
Potato Topping
Tip: This can be done even the day before. If you happen to have the oven on for some other dish, just throw the potatoes in on the side!

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put potatoes into a roasting pan and bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until easily pierced with a fork.
3. Remove from oven, peel and put into a large bowl.
4. Mash potatoes and add butter, cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
5. Stir with wooden spoon until blended. Adjust seasoning.

Meat Filling

1. Put oil into a large deep skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and sauté until softened.
3. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Add meat, breaking it apart and stirring until it’s browned.
5. Add the celery, carrots, thyme, oregano and cloves and season with salt and pepper.
6. Continue to cook over high heat until carrots begin to soften.
7. Pour stock into pan and then add the Worcestershire and Dijon.
8. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
9. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and simmer covered, until meat is tender and moisture is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
10. Stir in the frozen peas and corn.
11. Put meat mixture into a rectangular baking dish
12. Spread the mashed potatoes over top, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil.
13. Bake at 375 until top is golden and meat filling is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Nacho Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg hamburger
1 pkg Old El Paso taco seasoning
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 can tomato soup
1 pkg cream cheese
shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses

Method:

1. Fry hamburger with taco seasoning (as directed) in frying pan
   
2. Add onion, green pepper and tomato and continue frying
3. Add can of tomato soup to mixture
   
4. In a square baking pan spread cream cheese (use two packages if using 9"x 13" pan)
5. Pour hamburger mixture over cream cheese
   
6. Add shredded cheeses to top
7. Heat in oven until cheeses melt and cream cheese is "gooey"

Use nacho chips (Scoops work best) and enjoy!
Hint: A party favorite!!!

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 - 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 large onion
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 2 cans whole tomatoes
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 2 tins tomato paste
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
  
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Brown the beef with the olive oil, onion and garlic. Drain if necessary.

Dump in everything else and burble (covered) for hours and hours, until reduced to a nice saucy consistency.

This is one of the recipes I use when I'm looking to stock the freezer. Using 2 lbs. ground beef, I get enough sauce for 5 meals. Then when I'm looking for a quick and easy meal, I just thaw a package of sauce and cook some pasta and garlic bread. Easy peasy!