Our Bella Cucina » Beef

Cottage Pie

sarah — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:00:46 +0000

I can hear it now, you’re thinking “Isn’t this shepherd’s pie?” No. It’s not. Shepherd’s pie has lamb, not beef.

Beef = Cottage
Lamb = Shepherd’s

Got it?

Get it?

Good.

I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

What? Stop looking at me like that!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
½ onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes, mashed
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mixed herbs (I used Montreal Steak seasoning)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 cup beef stock (or 1 beef stock cube mixed into 1 cup of water)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter

Yes that is bread flour – I was out of all purpose flour – and it worked fine.

DIRECTIONS
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the beef rapidly, breaking up as many lumps as possible. When brown, drain in colander.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and fry the onion until tender.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, and mixed herbs.

Return the beef to the pan, stir well, and bring to a boil.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the meat mixture is simmering, prepare the mashed potatoes the way you normally do at your house.

When the meat is ready, put it into a baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes across the top.

Run a fork lightly over the top of the potato to rough it up a bit and dot with slivers of butter here and there.

If the meat and potatoes are still hot, you only need to put it under the broiler on high for 10-15 minutes.
If you have prepared the dish ahead of time and it is cold, place it in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, then briefly under broiler to brown the top.

Try to make sure it is under the broiler evenly, not like me!

Serve with the sides of your choice, but the standard cottage pie side in our house is peas!

This is a regular meal in our house – my husband grew up with it and my children are guaranteed to clear their plates.

That’s what it’s all about, right?

♥

PW Wednesday – Sloppy Joes!

sarah — Wed, 05 May 2010 08:00:31 +0000

Would you believe that before I made this recipe I had never had a Sloppy Joe in my life? I remember reading about them in books I read when I was younger, like The Babysitters Club, and wondering what they were. My teenage girl mind came to the conclusion that anything with the word “sloppy” in the title couldn’t be good.

Boy was I wrong!

These were really delicious and definitely something we will be making again. I normally halve PW recipes because she usually makes enough to feed a small army, but this time I made the whole thing and we had leftovers for lunch the next day. I would also imagine that any leftovers could be frozen for future use with no problems.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons Butter
2-½ pounds Ground Beef
½ whole Large Onion, Diced
1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1-½ cup Ketchup
1 cup Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
Worcestershire Sauce To Taste
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Kaiser Rolls
Butter

DIRECTIONS
Add the butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat.

Add the ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add the onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until the vegetables begin to get soft.

Add the ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water.

Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Spread the rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. I could not find Kaiser rolls at my supermarket so we used hamburger buns instead and even though they were toasted, they were still too soft to hold the mixture properly. My suggestion would be to find a roll with more of a crusty exterior for added support.

Spoon the meat mixture over the rolls and top it with a slice of cheese if that floats your boat.

Speaking of P-Dub, guess who I met last month? Yep, the woman herself – minus the calf nuts, thank goodness! Btw, don’t click that link if you’re squeamish.

Yes I really did just post that on the same page as food.

I waited for 4 hours in a food court by the book store having a completely pleasant meal alone with a book (that in itself was worth the trip!), then another hour in line before I got her to sign my copy of her cookbook, exchanged small talk where I may or may not have been a blathering idiot, took a photo with her (which I will not be showing you because my face looks as red as a tomato and I look like I have 3 chins), then went on my way. She was completely lovely and friendly just as you think she would be – despite the fact that she had been signing books for 5 hours and still had a couple of hours to go.

Yes, I’ve turned into a fangirl and my husband thinks that may be grounds for divorce.

♥

Asian Lettuce Wraps

sarah — Mon, 03 May 2010 08:00:10 +0000

I used to eat this as a child when my family would go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I would have one as an appetizer back then, but I now cook it as a main course for my family. I got the recipe from my good friend, Culinary Queen Sheri, and it is a favourite in my house – especially with the hubby!

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs lean ground beef, chicken, pork, or turkey
4 green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
2 carrots, grated
3/4 cup diced water chestnuts
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce (gently peel off the leaves to use as the wraps)

DIRECTIONS
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground meat of your choice, breaking it up as necessary until it is no longer pink. Drain off the fat.

I used ground chicken which is tougher to break up than beef so I used a potato masher which worked well.

Add green onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and water chestnuts and cook over medium heat until the green onions are softened (about 5 minutes).

Whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, water and pepper.

Pour into the skillet and cook, stirring until combined and slightly thickened.

Spoon into a lettuce leaf, roll it up like a burrito, and enjoy! If you especially like hoisin sauce, like my husband and I do, you can spoon some of it into the bottom of the leaf before adding the meat mixture and it is delicious!

The prepared and cooked meat mixture can be frozen for up to three months so it makes a really easy instant meal on those nights when you need something fast!

Now that we have the cooking out of the way, I can say how happy I am to be back. I didn’t think I would miss blogging as much as I did and I’m looking forward to sharing yummy things with you guys again! You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to prepare this post. In the weeks since I last blogged I have lost my posting rhythm and my whole work flow was so scattered. I kept making mistakes and having to redo photos and it was just crazy. Big props to my husband who kept the wild and crazy kids at bay so I could concentrate on getting this finished.

See y’all tomorrow!

♥

P-Dub Wednesday – Pot Roast!

sarah — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:24 +0000

I have never actually cooked pot roast before. I’ve made roast beef once or twice and I’ve done casserole roasted pork, but never pot roast. In fact, I’m not sure I even recall having it in my childhood either. This recipe looked so delicious though that I just had to give it a try!

INGREDIENTS
2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole (4-5 lbs) Chuck Roast (mine was 3lbs)
2 whole Onions, peeled and halved
6-8 whole Carrots, sliced in 2″ segments
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

The rosemary is missing because I hadn’t cut it out of the garden before taking this picture.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Dry your roast with some paper towels (important or it won’t brown as well) then generously salt and pepper it.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups).

Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as the 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in the oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For other size roasts, plan on about an hour per pound.

When cooked, you should be able to use 2 forks to tear the meat apart, though feel free to use a knife to carve it if you prefer. Mashed potatoes go well as side for this dish accompanied by some of the yummy carrots and onion from the pot. Use some of the juices over top as a gravy.

Now, I have to be honest here. This recipe didn’t quite live up to my expectations and I felt it lacked depth in its flavour. That could be because my cut of beef was not very well marbled, which is very likely. Another culprit could be that I used the beef broth rather than red wine. I also felt like it could have done with more substantial gravy than just the juices from the pot.

Overall this recipe really has potential and I will definitely try it again sometime with some tweaking!

♥

Rissoles

sarah — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:00:31 +0000

This recipe makes me feel homesick for Australia. My dad used to make these and they’re just the quintessential home cooked meal to me. The Americans reading this are probably thinking “What’s the big deal? They look like burgers.” I guess they do look like that, but they’re thicker and you don’t serve them on hamburger buns…though the leftovers are great sliced up on a sandwich the next day!

INGREDIENTS
2lbs ground beef
½ large onion, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Italian mixed herbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Olive oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef.

Add the onions.

Add the cheese.

The bread crumbs.

The eggs.

The Worchestershire sauce

And finally the salt, pepper, and mixed spices.

Now comes the fun part, or the gross part, depending on where you’re coming from!

Stick your hands in there and mix everything up thoroughly. Just don’t forget to take off any rings you’re wearing first or they will get mighty mucky!

Divide them into 8-12 evenly sized balls, depending on how big you want to make them.

Over a medium-high heat, add a dollop of oil.

When the oil is hot, plop the rissoles in the pan and squash them down a little to make the cooking time a little speedier.

Cook them for 10-12 minutes each side and serve immediately with the sides of your choice

As you can see, one of the sides we had was potatoes au gratin, or plain old “potato bake” as it is known in my house. I’ll be posting that recipe on Thursday!

Yum!

♥

The Pioneer Woman’s Italian Drip Beef

sarah — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:42 +0000

Looks like its time for another PW Wednesday!

Just last week, The Pioneer Woman posted two recipes for Drip Beef. As soon as I saw them, I knew it would be perfect to serve on Superbowl Sunday. You see, I made a big huge goof up a few months ago. I got a presale notice for the Disney Live show in our town and bought the tickets right away. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the date of the show was Superbowl Sunday. Two weeks ago we realized the show started 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Yikes! Thank goodness for DVR! Anyway, I thought this recipe would be perfect, I could leave it cooking all day and dinner would be quick as soon as we walked in the door.

Here we go!

For the first part of the recipe, you’ll need a chuck roast, beef broth, italian seasoning, salt, water and a jar of pepperoncinis.

Ree made hers in a pot in the oven. Since we were going to be leaving the house for a few hours I opted for the crockpot instead. Don’t laugh at my ancient crockpot. I love it! I tried to replace it once, but the new one just wasn’t the same!

Put the chuck roast in the pot.

Pour in the beef broth.

Add 15 or so pepperocini’s and about half the juice of a 16oz jar.

Next, dump in 3 or 4 tbsp italian seasoning. I decided to use 3. If your seasoning already has salt in it, there is no need to add more salt unless you like salt! Mine didn’t have any so I added just a smidge, but I am not a salt person. Next add in the water, give it a stir and cover. If you are throwing it in the oven, it should be 275 degrees for 5 or 6 hours.

Fast Forward about 8 hours

I planned to take more photos as I assembled the sandwiches. Unfortunetly, by the time we got home from the show we were tired and hungry. Our house was crazy so I forgot all about my camera till it was too late. Sorry about that!

Once the meat is nice and tender, use two forks to pull it apart. Work it till its totally shredded, no big chunks. Next grab some deli rolls. Slice them, smear some butter on both sides and toast them under the broiler. Pile some meat on the bottom slice of bread, top with a slice or two of cheese (I chose provolone). Pop it back under the broiler to melt. Yum yum! Serve it with a little bowl of the left over juice, to dunk it in.

We thought this recipe was delicious! I was nervous about all the pepperocinis, since Ree mentioned they had some kick to them. I am the biggest whimp when it comes to heat of the spicy variety, but I decided to at least give it a try. I am glad I did, I loved it. The pepperocinis gave it just the right spice but no actual heat. My husband as requested that I use this recipe the next time I make a roast too. He really loved the flavor of the meat. I highly recommend you try it for yourself!

Here is the pioneer woman’s recipe, as well as a second more basic version if you don’t want to attempt the pepperocinis.

Italian Drip Beef

Ingredients

1 whole Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5 To 4 Pounds
1 can Beef Broth
3 Tablespoons (heaping) Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ cups Water
½ jars (16 Oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice
Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.

Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven* for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and falling apart.

Remove from oven. With two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving no large chunks behind. Serve immediately, or keep warm over a simmer on the stove.

May make the day before, then store in the refrigerator. Remove the hardened fat from the top before reheating.

Serve on buttered, toasted rolls. Top with cheese and melt under the broiler if desired. Serve with juices from the pot.

~Valerie

PW’s Simple. Perfect. Enchiladas!

sarah — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:00:16 +0000

Time for another PW Wednesday! This time I decided to try out her Simple. Perfect. Enchiladas!, and let me just tell you she was right on when she picked that name. They are fabulous! I didn’t take alot of pictures for a couple of reasons. First off, she has so many beautiful pictures of this recipe on her blog and in her cookbook, I didn’t want to take away from them. Not to mention, its a messy dish to make, so I kept my camera far from the action!

I have made basic quick and easy enchiladas before that are good, but these…these are heavenly. These are true authentic mexican enchiladas. I felt like I was eating lunch at my great aunt Juanita’s house – oh wait, I don’t have a great aunt Juanita! Anyway, if you like mexican dishes, you are gonna love this one! Its well worth the mess!

Simple, Perfect Enchiladas!

Prep Time: 1 Hour30 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
_____
FOR THE MEAT:
1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
½ teaspoons Salt
_____
FOR THE TORTILLAS:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
½ cups Canola Oil
_____
TO ASSEMBLE:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer while you work on the rest.

Step #2 – The Meat
Saute the onions in a little bit of canola oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the meat and brown. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Note – I am kind of a whimp when it comes to heat so I only used one can of diced green chilies and it tasted fabulous to me.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Note – I found out I need to buy some tongs! I didn’t have any so I used a fork, which worked but tongs would have been so much better! Also, I laid four tortillas on a papertowel and then laid another paper towel on top of them and laid four more tortillas on it. That was my way of keeping them warm! It worked just fine!

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Note – There was a blurb on the recipe version posted on PW’s website about the black olives. She said even if you don’t like black olives, just trust her and use them. I love black olives, but my husband does not. I decided to use them and not say anything! As he was inhaling his fourth enchilada I asked him what he thought and told him about the black olives. He said, I know I saw them in it! But he also said he thought they were great in it, since they were chopped so small they weren’t very noticeable at all. So, I would say PW is right, throw them in there even if you aren’t sure!

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Enjoy!

~ Valerie

It’s P-Dub Wednesday! Steak With Whiskey Cream Sauce

sarah — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:00:04 +0000

I saw this recipe in the new Pioneer Woman cookbook and what can I say? I’m a sucker for a good sauce. I love to cook all kinds of foods, but the way to my heart is a good sauce. I’ve been known to say that food is just a vehicle for condiments, and never was that more true that with this meal!

INGREDIENTS
5 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp diced onion
1/4 cup whiskey
1/4 cup beef stock or broth
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup light cream
2 boneless steaks (the recipe calls for ribeye but we use 8oz tenderloin steaks)

DIRECTIONS
Begin by melting 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and cook until brown, about 4 minutes.

When the onion is brown, turn off the burner temporarily so you won’t ignite your kitchen or yourself.

Pour in the whiskey.

As soon as the alcohol evaporates, turn the burner on medium and pour in the beef stock or broth.

Add salt and freshly ground pepper, then whisk in another tablespoon of butter and allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds. Afterward reduce the heat to low.

Over low heat pour in the cream, whisking and adding more cream if the mixture looks too brothy.

Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the steaks. Stir occasionally.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Generously salt and pepper the steak on both sides (we like to use Montreal Steak Seasoning), then add it to the hot skillet.

For medium rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side of a thin steak or 3-4 minutes for a thick steak. Since we used tendeloins which is a thicker cut of meat than the ribeyes these directions are for, we cooked ours for a few minutes longer.

Remove the steaks from the pan onto a plate and generously spoon the sauce over the steak.

And no, I most certainly did not clean the pan with my fingers afterward. Nope. I would never do such a thing!

Really.

You believe me…..right?

♥

BBQ Meatballs – It’s PW Wednesday!

sarah — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:04 +0000

What? You don’t know who PW is? Dude, have you been living under a rock? Can I write a sentence that doesn’t end in a question mark?

Yes!

For the uninitiated, PW is Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman and I’ve been reading her blog for quite a while now. She can cook, has red hair, channels Ethel Merman, and can look at calf nuts without vomiting. That takes talent!

Anyhoo, she has a great new coobook out which I love, even if she won’t be coming to Seattle on her book tour. I tried to entice her with Space Needle shaped pasta and Starbucks on every other corner, but she still didn’t come!

So this brings us all back to PW Wednesdays. We here at OBC have decided to dedicate Wednesdays to Ree and cook something either from her cookbook or from her website. This gives us tons of recipes to choose from and introduce to all you P-Dub virgins out there!

So here we go!

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs
1 ½ lbs of ground beef
¾ cup oats
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
Ground black pepper to taste

1 cup all purpose flour
Oil for frying (PW says canola oil but I prefer olive oil)

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4-6 Tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 dash of Tabasco (optional and I don’t use it)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all meatball ingredients.
Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. I find that a round tablespoon works well for sizing.

Don’t they look like a little meatball military in formation?

Don’t worry ma’am, we’re not here to invade your kitchen.

Place sheet the fridge for half an hour or in freezer for 5-10 minutes if you’re in a hurry.
Remove meatballs from the fridge or freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in oil until just brown. I love using a my 12″ cast iron pan for this!

No you’re not blind, I did forget to dredge these in the flour!

Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Thank goodness you can’t see my drool in this photo!

You’re lucky I had the self control to take this photo and not just dig in!

NOM NOM NOM!

♥

Stuffed Pepper Soup

sarah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:58:36 +0000

We love stuffed peppers in the wintertime. I have a great recipe for stuffed peppers in the crockpot that I will have to share one of these days. Anyway, the other day my husband had “Stuffed Pepper Soup” with his meal at a local restaurant. He loved it and said it tasted just like the peppers I make. So I decided to attempt the soup at home. I found a few different recipes online, but nothing that really sounded good. I ended up converting my crockpot recipe into a soup, and it turned out delicious!

First, brown the ground beef. Once that is done, add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes.

While the meat is cooking, add the tomato soup, water, stewed tomatoes, chili sauce and sliced green peppers to a large saucepan. Bring just to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer.

Once soup is simmering, add rice and serve. I should probably add, I read a few recipes that called for uncooked rice and 45 minutes cooking time after adding the rice. I didn’t have that much time, so I opted for Minute Rice. I prepared it according to the box and added it just before serving.

Whoops…how did that sneak in there? Its a picture of the “Spaghetti O’s” I made for my daughter! I try my best to feed her well, and to avoid the processed foods. However, I also know that she probably won’t enjoy meals like this one. Lets face it, two year olds don’t exactly have a gourmet appetite! Oh well, at least this isn’t her meal every night!

My husband loved this dish! I guess that means it got the thumbs up husband approval!

Here is the recipe…

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 c. chili sauce
1 c. water
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2-3/4 c. prepared white rice

Brown the ground beef. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. In large saucepan add soup, tomatoes, chili sauce, water and green pepper. Cook until boiling. Add rice and serve.

~ Valerie