Meaty Monday Redux: Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

The grilling season is upon us and I just HAD to bring this oldie but goodie back. Meaty Monday is back, although I am working on ice cream recipes right now... I thought this was a great way to launch the season since we are just about at Memorial Day. Hello, Grill!!!

Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

First off, this whole business of calling top round "London Broil" really irks me. Somewhat of a traditionalist at heart, real London Broil, in my heart-of-hearts will always be flank steak. This new nomenclature, calling top round steak London Broil was foisted off on us supposedly by supermarket meat departments (according to my butcher) because there are only a couple of flank steaks on a steer, but a whole lotta top round. Yes, I know it's leaner, and cheaper, but it's not as tender or tasty. So if you have one of these, as I did lurking in the freezer, you need to boost the flavor, hugely. 

Whew, now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that top round can be fabulous. I picked this one up back in May, a nice grass-fed piece of beef top round while it was on sale at my local Whole Foods. Since we just returned from a vacation at the beach, and I haven't had a chance to do any marketing, it just leaped out of the freezer into my hands. Yes, it did.  So I did what any smart girl would do: I thawed it out, and dolled it up.

This wet rub has big flavor, and it's all likely to be things that live in your fridge and pantry all the time. Plain chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, smoked paprika, jarred garlic, salt and a lime. The cinnamon makes it taste sweet without adding any sugar, and the smoked paprika adds a smoky zing. Like I said, I didn't have time to shop and we still want a good meal. Good for low carbers and paleo eaters as well as everyone else who likes good meat.

Because this meat is so lean, after grilling, a finishing drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil, flavored olive oil or a pat of butter (flavored or not) would be nice. If you are eating Paleo, or just lazy like me, go for the olive oil. But if you have some minced green garlic scapes in your freezer, or can mince some garden garlic chives, toss them on the meat, drizzle on the oil, add a squeeze of fresh lime and dig in. This rub works really well on flank and skirt steak, too, so keep it up your sleeve.

Note: Top round isn't as tender as flank for London broil, so be sure to slice it thinly, 1/4" or thinner, with a sharp knife against the grain.

Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

Ingredients:

1 tsp. mild chili powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (pimenton)
1T crushed garlic (fresh or jarred is fine)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black paper
zest of 1 lime
juice from 1/2 lime
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1.25 lb. Top Round London Broil

Garnish:

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1T minced garlic scapes, or garlic chives
juice from 1/2 lime

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix everything through the olive oil, and then rub evenly over both sides of the London broil. Place the meat in a zip bag and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 10 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Pretty much all from the pantry and fridge.

When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill to 550ºF. Oil the grill, and then place the meat on the grill and close the top. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn and cook for 4 minutes on the other side for medium rare. Let the meat stand for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain. 

To serve, sprinkle over the garlic scapes or garlic chives, drizzle with the olive oil and squeeze over the lime.

Serves 3-4.

Retro Meaty Monday: Beef Brisket with Chili Sauce, Onion Soup & Beer

Another repost: we are actually going to have this for dinner tonight. But being a retail manager, I worked yesterday, drove home in snow, and am leaving too early this morning, after shoveling. Thank heavens I put this in the oven yesterday, cause I'll need a hearty dinner tonight. Careful, please, if it is icy where you are as it is here.

Since last September, I've been moving a 9 lb. brisket from one side of my big freezer to the other to make room for other stuff. It was such a good deal, on sale for the Jewish holiday, that I had to have one. My original plan was to cut it into two pieces, since unless I get what's called a "Packer Cut" brisket to smoke,  a big brisket is too much meat for a family of two. But it was already cryovac packaged and I just didn't want to break it open, so I froze it whole. It was time to cook it and freeze the leftovers.  

Last week I was shuffling through my Mom's recipe file that I inherited. I was looking for a blueberry muffin recipe that she made at least once a month, when I discovered three braised brisket recipes in there. Now here's the thing. My mother never once made a brisket. Sure, Mom boiled a corned beef brisket around St. Patrick's Day, but even then it was more likely to be ham and cabbage than corned beef. My Aunt May, who was actually my step-grandmother, was German Jewish and she managed to get me to eat things my Italian Catholic family never cooked. Like brisket. It was great. Everyone was always trying to fatten me up, indeed, I didn't tip the scales at over 100 lb. until I was past 35. She was a terrific  baker, and I would always stuff my mouth and my pockets with the cookies she made, but they were withheld until I ate some "real food" like ...brisket. It was wonderful

I've made a few braised briskets in my time, and smoked quite a few big boys. But  I have never tried the recipes that use onion soup mix, and liquids like barbecue sauce or ketchup in a braise. Always used lots of onions, wine, and other typical braised beef ingredients. So imagine my shock when I found a recipe using ketchup and onion soup mix in Aunt May's handwriting in Mom's recipe box, and scribbled along the edge in my father's unmistakable hand --"Judy's favorite".  

After Googling, I found that there are hundreds of brisket recipes on the web using some variation of Aunt May's onion soup recipe for brisket. Aunt May was on to something. Back in the mid-1960s,  adding processed convenience foods to recipes was considered innovative, and modern, as so many of these foods were new. Now that so many processed foods are on our "foodie shit list," a lot of people write them off, at best, as quaint, retro, mediocre recipes.  This is wrong.  Dumping a packet of onion soup mix over the roast was as au courant as making a recipe from Modernist Cuisine is today. It was called "Progress".

We come, no matter what anyone says about American cooking, from an enormous group of fine home cooks who cared about what was put on the table, and often had to do the best with what was on hand. If they hadn't, we likely wouldn't be here. Like it or not, many of these old recipes are a product of their time, and are part of our collective heritage.  They're still delicious, and deserve to grace your table from time to time. Aunt May's version has ketchup, onion soup and water in it; nothing more.  I have, of course, doodled this up a bit, and it's delish. I think my Aunt would call this Progress, too. 

Not picture perfect, but still perfect brisket.

Note: I happened to have an extremely large brisket. A more normal size brisket is about 7 pounds, and if you want to use a 4 pound piece, use half the amount of chili sauce, half the beer (drink the rest), 2 Tablespoons of molasses and half the garlic. Keep everything else the same. This needs to cook all day, and is much better chilled, sliced and then reheated on the next day in the abundant sauce, so plan accordingly. Freezes well.

Retro Braised Brisket

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1 7 to 8 lb. beef brisket, flat cut, with a 1/4"  fat cap
2  12 oz. bottle chili sauce or ketchup
1 packet onion soup mix
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 tsp. Marmite (opt.)
2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 bottle lager beer or dark beer or stout

12 garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 head)
3 - 4 bay leaves
Salt when reheating if needed

Just needs some foil to cover the pan, and then it's cook time!

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275ºF. Mix everything through the black pepper in a medium bowl with a  whisk. Then mix in the beer.

2. Place the meat fat side down in a roasting pan, that just fits it, scatter the garlic and bay leaves over the meat, and pour the beer  mixture over the top. Flip the meat so the fat is up.

3. Cover the pan tightly with foil, and place in the oven. Roast about 3 - 4 hours, then uncover and carefully turn the meat. recover and cook another 2 to 3 hours until the meat is fork tender.

4. Cool the meat in the sauce, then remove and wrap separately. Chill the meat and sauce. When ready to serve, remove the congealed fat from the sauce, slice the meat in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and reheat in the sauce, either in the oven or on top of the stove.

Braised Beef Roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Well, here another Meaty Monday has rolled around and I haven't been cooking. I've been nursing a nasty case of shingles. Actually, as far as shingles are concerned, there are nothing BUT nasty cases. It is slowly clearing up, and I have just started back really cooking, and promise some new recipes after I get done testing some new dishes. 

Meanwhile, here's a post I wrote last year, and I am actually planning to make it this coming weekend when I have time to run out for a nice, little beef roast. Enjoy!

Looks like a good dinner already, doesn't it?

Now that it's officially Fall, I feel some justification in making the first pot roast of the season. "Pot roast" is the un-fancy name for braised beef.   The fact that it's also gone from the mid 80º's to the mid 60º's in the space of a day doesn't hurt, either. Not that pot roast isn't a good thing to make when the weather is warm since it makes a wonderful cold sliced meat or a sandwich, but somehow, the scent of a pot roast helps take the chill off the house, even if it's not cold enough to turn on the heat yet.

This braised beef recipe evolved from a half-jar of Stonewall Kitchen's totally delicious Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam, that was leftover from the weekend. Rather than give myself the chance to eat the rest of it with a spoon (or a chunk of oozy brie) when no one was watching, this is a truly tasty was to force myself to share it. And no, I don't work for Stonewall Kitchen, and they don't pay me in any way to say nice things about their products. I just like them and want to share. So there, lol. It's a wonderful cool weather dish, garlicky, sweet, orangey, and very beefy.

Savory jams can add so much to your cooking repertoire, or hors d'oeuvre table.
Keep and eye out for good ones, and keep a few in the pantry.

That little pot roast from last spring  you may remember, uses root vegetables that add a lot of rich flavor to the dish. My favorites are turnips, carrots and celeriac, aka celery root. If you would like potatoes, in addition to what's here, feel free to add a few firm, waxy potatoes like  Yukon Golds to the other roots under the roast.  This will make 6 servings, but your mileage may differ depending on how big your roast is, and how lean it is. Or how piggy your eaters are. My favorite is chuck for this, but a bottom round roast or a rump roast will work well, too. Chuck makes for a messy, falling apart roast, but  very juicy, the rump and round will be neater looking but a bit less juicy. Be sure to ask the butcher to tie the roast if it's unevenly shaped, so it will cook evenly, or tie it yourself with butcher's twine. Don't worry if your "roping" job doesn't look great, you'll take the string off the roast before serving.

Notes: I know the anchovy paste seems odd, but don't leave it out. It adds a certain depth (umami) to the juices that you can't get with anything else. If you must, you can substitute a teaspoon of mushroom base, or 1/2 teaspoon of Asian fish sauce. This can be made in the oven, or in a slow cooker. If you choose the slow cooker, after browning the meat, place the vegetables in the bottom of the crock, and set the browned meat on top, then add the seasonings and liquid, pouring it all evenly over everything. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours. Remove the orange zest, and thyme bundle if using, before serving. Do not even consider not browning the meat for this pot roast. Don't make me come after you. I'll know.

Braised Beef pot roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam.
 Grab a plate and eat!

Braised Beef Roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Ingredients:

3 to 4 lb. Chuck or bottom round  beef roast
salt & freshly ground pepper
2T bacon fat or safflower oil
3/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
1 small celeriac (celery root) peeled and cubed
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced 1/4"
1 tsp. anchovy paste
zest from 1/2 orange in 1-2 strips( use a vegetable peeler)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp of dried thyme leaves, or 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, bundled with string

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Season the roast on all sides liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the bacon fat in a deep dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides, allowing about 5 minutes a side. Remove the roast to a plate.

2. Stir the hot coffee, the roasted garlic onion jam, the balsamic vinegar and the anchovy paste together in a small bowl and set aside. Add the cut vegetables to the bottom of the pan, along with coffee mixture, and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the zest strips, the bay leaves and the thyme, stir, then add the roast atop the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cover the dutch oven, and place in the oven, and cook 3- 4 hours until the meat is fork tender (depending on the size of the roast), turning the roast over halfway through the cooking time.

5. Remove the roast from the pan carefully and cut into slices or chunks.  Remove the zest strips from the pot, along with the thyme bundle and discard. Serve with the vegetables and the pan juices. A green vegetable like steamed spinach (soaks up the yummy juices) or broccoli is a great side, especially if you are grain or gluten free, otherwise some mopping up bread is suggested.

Meaty Monday: Molasses Soy Mushrooms and Steak

Ok, I know it really should be steak and mushrooms, not mushrooms and steak. But the mushrooms that are supposed to be the side with the beef are so delicious and savory they have to have equal star  billing.

The marinade is an easy homemade teriyaki that uses molasses to give it a big, deep flavor. i like blackstrap  molasses, but you can have whatever kind you have in the pantry. Most of us have unsulphured molasses and that will do fine. I like to use molasses because it packs a punch flavor-wise, but lets me sugar content in this marinade way down, and still promotes good browning and flavor. The molasses caramelizes as it cooks with the soy, making both the mushrooms and the steak absolutely swoonworthy.

The beef this week was a nice, grass fed, top round  steak cut as a London Broil. You all have heard me go on about how flank is the only true London broil, but if I had to buy a grass fed flank steak, not on sale, I'd have need a second job to pay for it.  Since we eat much less beef now than before, I try to buy only grass fed, not feed lot beef. Better for us and for the environment. Tastes better too. Helps when you can find it on sale, too.

Note: This is a reasonably low carb dish using stevia and molasses, as the molasses adds very little sugar to the marinade, and most of it is not actually eaten. If you are not watching sugar too closely, go with the honey. You'd have to bend the rules a bit to call this Paleo, though.

Molasses Soy Mushrooms and Steak

Molasses Soy Mushrooms and Steak

Serves 4

2T Molasses, blackstrap or unsulphured
1/3 cup gluten free tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic (jarred ok)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (jarred ok)
1/2 teaspoon Asian chili garlic paste or hot sauce
Liquid stevia, sugar or honey, equivalent to 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup dry sherry
Approx. 1.75 lb. beef top round London broil, grass fed preferred
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. sliced baby portabella (cremini) mushrooms

1. Mix all ingredients through the sherry in a small bowl, and then set aside 1/4 cup of the mixture in a small, covered container in the fridge. Place the meat in a zip top bag, and pour over the remaining marinade, turn the meat a few times, and chill for at least 8 hours and up to 24.

2. About 2 minutes before you want to eat, remove the meat from the fridge, discard the marinade in the zip bag, and preheat a grill to high. In a 12" fry pan, preferably non stick, heat the olive oil, and add the sliced mushrooms. Stir to coat with the hot oil, and turn the heat under the pan to medium. Cook the mushrooms in the oil until they give up their liquid, and when that has nearly evaporated, add the 1/4 cup of reserved marinade. Stir until its nearly evaporated, and then cover, turn off the heat and set aside in a warm spot.

3. Grill the meat over high heat about 4 minutes per side for rare or longer  to your taste. Let the meat rest about 5 -7 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain. Reheat the mushrooms if necessary, and serve with the beef. Enjoy!

Meaty Monday: Summer Slow Cooker Braised Retro Brisket

A week or so ago, when it was impossibly hot and humid, I was lying under my AC vent dreaming of beef brisket. Even me, a recovering amateur BBQ competitor, likes to think about a juicy pot roast, something other than  grilled or barbecued meat. The very thought of running the oven for hours, even with AC going full tilt, just put me off when it's sweltering outside. But then I thought of my mother.

When the weather was really hot and sticky, as it usually is in Philadelphia in the summer, she would cook a pot roast over night, either in the oven or in her brand new electric crock, aka a slow cooker, which became quite popular when I was in high school. It always was made with a packet of onion soup, and a cup or two of Italian vermouth.We lived in a hundred-year-old house, and we had window air conditioners and whole house fans, and we would run through the steamy halls from one cool room to another. Not the sort of atmosphere in which you wanted to do anything that would make the house hotter. But back then, we ate at home most nights, and in summer we often had cold sliced  beef with potato salad or green bean salad, and Jersey tomatoes and corn or a warm pot roast sandwich on a roll later in the cooler part of the evening.

I spotted a really nice small brisket at the market this week, just a wee bit under 4 pounds, and the rest is history. Even though this dish has some barbecue sauce in it, it's not barbecued beef. It tastes like summer, in a very beefy, juicy way, and is marvelous cold for sandwiches or platters.  Mom always used a packet of soup mix in her pot roasts, and it does add a lot of flavor to the finished product. Plus it makes this really quick to assemble, and it can cook while you are staying cool doing other things. Like working all day, or, sunbathing. This is quick and simple to start in the morning and just takes a few minutes to finish at dinnertime.

Yes, that is steam rising from my beautiful, delicious braised brisket!

Summer (Crock) Slow Cooker Braised Retro Brisket

4 lb brisket
1 bottle (12 oz.) dark beer
1 cup smoky barbecue sauce
2T Worcestershire sauce
1 packet of onion soup mix

1.Into a 5 - 6 quart slow cooker, add the Worcestershire, the barbecue sauce, the dark beer and the onion soup mix. Stir well to mix. Place the brisket into the sauce mixture fat side down, and then turn to coat in the liquid so it rests fat side up.

2. Start the slow cooker, and cook on low for about 7 - 8 hours until the meat is fork tender. Remove the meat from the crock, and let stand about 7-10 minutes to cool slightly before removing the fat layer on top, and then slicing. Serve hot, with some of the pot juices, or cool, as part of a platter with salads or in a sandwich. If you want, you can reduce the juice in the crock slightly to thicken it before serving.

Makes about 6 servings.

Meaty Monday: Speedy Simple Soy Garlic London Broil & Leftovers

You know those stories about how you can cook once and eat twice? You know what word they never use? Leftovers. Leftovers sound so unglamorous, like a week old tuna sandwich deserted in the office fridge. Truly, there are two kinds of meals, the kind that produce leftovers that really should be forgotten in the office icebox, and then there are the kind that are so good you HOPE there will really be enough for another great meal. This is the kind of grilled meat that will  make you fervently hope there will be leftovers, if you just stop chowing it down at the first meal.

You all know my preference for flank steak over top round for grilled London Broil. That said, you can use whatever steak your budget and your tastebuds prefer. Flank used to be a cheap cut, but, at least around here, its pretty pricey. This marinade is very simple to whip up. I do it in the morning while the coffee is brewing, and let the steak loll in its tasty bath all day. It will help to flip the meat in its bag during the day; but if the meat is mostly submerged, don't worry about it too much. If you can, try to remember to turn it over just before you run out the door. This amount of marinade will cover a flank steak,  however, if you are using top round, and your meat is more than 1-1/2" thick, just double the ingredients, so the meat is covered in the flavorful liquid.

     Speedy Simple Soy Garlic London Broil

Speedy Simple Soy Garlic London Broil

Serves 4 or 2 with great leftovers


1-1/2 to 1-3/4 lb. beef flank steak or top round cut for London broil (approx 1-1/2" thick)

Marinade ingredients:

1/2  cup gluten-free tamari soy ( I prefer lower sodium)
1/4 cup gluten free  Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons crushed garlic (jarred is fine)
2 tablespoons honey or 3 tablespoons granular erythritol
1/2 cup dry red wine

Score the meat, about 1/4" deep with parallel cuts about 1" apart on both sides of the meat. Place the meat in a zip top plastic bag or a container just large enough to hold the meat flat.

Mix all the marinade ingredients and pour over the meat in the bag or container. Turn the meat to coat it well on both sides, although the meat should be just about submerged in the marinade. Chill for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

Heat your grill to high heat, about 550º, remove the meat from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Grill a flank steak for about 3 to 4 minutes a side for rare to medium rare, a round steak about 4 to 5 minutes a side. Cook longer to your own liking as desired.

Meaty Monday: Quick Maple Bourbon London Broil

Mondays. The day of the week when you know the weekend is over and nothing is missing from your To-Do list yet. Ugh. That's how it is for me, and when I get home from work I'm starving and about the last thing I really want to do is fuss with a meal. This is a really quick meal to cook --I actually start my gas grill on the way from the driveway to the house so the grill will be ready to use as soon as I toss my purse onto a chair and get the marinated meat out of the fridge.

I like to make London Broil, and although I'm a cranky girl and really prefer to use flank steak for London Broil over top round, either one will do fine for this recipe. The maple makes it sweet, the soy makes it a little salty and beefier and the bourbon makes it, for some reason a little more succulent. Don't leave out the anchovy paste, it's your secret umami ingredient and I promise your food will not taste fishy, just great. What would be better for dinner after a beastly day than this? Not much.

You can throw this marinade together the night before, or in the morning of the day you plan to soak the meat in it. Or even a couple of hours before, although its better for the meat to have at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours in the marinade for the most flavor. Other than that there is no work on your part other than to heat the grill to high, and cook the beef to your desired doneness. We like ours nearly rare, and that's about 3 minutes per side on a really hot grill. For medium rare, leave the meat on the grill about 4 -5 minutes a side, for a beef steak that's about 1 " to 1-1/2" thick. Remember if you are cooking Primal or Paleo, to skip the tamari and substitute coconut aminoes, and preferably choose grass fed beef.

Now. To crank this up to a whole other level of deliciousness, you can steal an idea from Chef Adam Perry Lang like I did, and make a "board sauce" for this steak. Essentially, what you'll do is place some minced or finely chopped aromatics, and some olive oil on the cutting board or plate on which you're planning to drop the hot cooked meat for it's standing period before you carve it. The heat releases all sorts of goodness, and as you slice the meat you just mix all the flavorful ingredients into the meat like a sauce.  If you are short on time or too pooped to do the board sauce, the London broil is wonderful without it, but use a little judicious sea salt, pepper and a thin drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil after you slice it.

Quick Maple Bourbon London Broil

Quick Maple Bourbon London Broil
Serves 4-6 or (2 with good leftovers)

Be sure to slice either the cooked flank steak or top round thinly (1/2" or thinner) against the grain of the steak for the tenderest bite.

2 lb. beef flank steak or top round steak, about 1 to 1-1/2" thick
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/4 cup plus 2  tablespoons dark maple syrup
1/4 cup wheat free tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground dried ginger
4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon of anchovy paste

1. With the tip of a sharp knife, score the steak diagonally about 1/4" deep in parallel cuts about 1/8" to 1/4" deep. Repeat on the other side. This will help let the marinade get into the meat.

2. Mix all of the remaining ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Place the meat into a zip top bag and pour the marinade over the meat.  Zip top and place in a shallow pan in case it leaks. Chill for at least 4 hours and up to 24. Turn the bag occasionally to redistribute the marinade.

3. Heat your grill to about 550ºF, oil the grill and cook the meat to your desired doneness. Remove the meat to a cutting board or platter and let it stand 5 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with oil and season as desired.

If you want to make a board sauce:
While the grill is heating,  grate  about a tablespoon of fresh ginger, two cloves of garlic, and mince a scallion and a small handful of cilantro. Feel free to add or leave out whatever you'd like here. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Place it all on the  cutting board or platter you have ready for the cooked meat. When the beef is cooked, lay it right on top of the bed of aromatics and let it rest for 5 minutes to the juices can settle. The heat will also release an enormous amount of flavor from the ginger, garlic and herbs. After you slice the meat, mix the herb mixture through the hot meat, and season as needed. Drizzle with more olive oil if you like it.

Quick & Easy Guinness Sauce For Beef or Pork

It is supposedly necessary to publish a seasonal recipe when there is any sort of major or minor holiday. It's in the Bloggers Code of Behavior, so I am offering you something for St. Patrick's Day. Every blah-g is loaded with beer laden main dishes, alcoholic desserts and pasty potato dishes. I'm giving you a Guinness sauce for meat. so i'm sadly right up there with the worst of them. It's good any time of the year, as is a pint of Guinness. Personally, the closest I've ever come to being Irish is having proudly bourne  a good Irish last name for a few years. But if I did have any Irish blood, I'd be insulted to have a holiday associated with my mother country reduced to a tawdry celebration of beer and potatoes. The Irish folk I've know have been kind, strong, intelligent, hardworking and generous. Far better things to celebrate, in my less than humble opinion.

All of that said, I do like a glass of stout every now and again, and Guinness was the first one I ever tasted.  Let's face it, it's delicious. It also makes a wonderful base for a rich and tangy sauce to serve with a spice rubbed pork or beef roast. Our dinner tonight happened to be a small pork sirloin tip roast, which I just rubbed up with Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork Rub and a bit of olive oil this morning, and roasted simply this evening. The Guinness stout makes a deep, dark sauce with a deep, dark flavor that tastes like you had to work on it for hours. I think my favorite Irishman would love it.

Quick & Easy Guinness Sauce For Beef or Pork.
Every blogger has to publish SOMETHING for St. Patrick's Day, right?

Quick & Easy Guinness Sauce For Beef or Pork

Makes about 1 scant cup

1 bottle of Guinness stout
1/4 cup beef stock, or water
1T blackstrap molasses
2T sugar or erythritol
1T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. of Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork Rub ( or other favorite meat rub)
pan drippings from a small (under 3 lb.) pork or beef roast

Place everything but the pan drippings into a medium, preferably wide, saucepan, boil and reduce to about half. Stir in the drippings, taste and thin as needed with a bit of water if too intense. Serve hot with pork or beef.

Easy High Heat Beef Roast: Lazy Woman Makes Dinner

When it's this cold, I have no motivation to leave the house if I don't have to go. Sure the dog needs a few walks, but basically I'm happy to putter around indoors and dream of spring, especially since Groundhog Day is the official halfway point of winter. So at least we're on the downhill slide toward better weather. I spent part of today cleaning out my old home office which has become a catch-all for books and what-not; turns out my friend Leslie did pretty much the same in her basement. Since we're both gardeners, we're just killing time until we can be outside. I got so involved moving and sorting books that I wouldn't have had a good dinner on the table this evening if I didn't have this roast beef trick up my sleeve: Easy High Heat Roast Beef. Guarantees a happy group of eaters, because its delicious, beefy and juicy.

What's really nice about this is it's virtually no work on the part of the cook. All  you need is a 3 pound eye of round beef roast, some salt, pepper, a roasting pan, and a leave-in meat thermometer.  If your oven doesn't have glass in the door, I highly recommend the digital probe style thermometer, so the base unit will sit outside and you can monitor what's going on in the oven without opening the door. And an oven. You can make anything from a rosy rare to a medium well done beef roast while you nap...or clean. I don't however advise making a medium-well roast from an eye of round; it's a beefy tasting, but not especially tender roast, and is best cooked no more than medium and sliced really thin. Emphasis on thin. An electric knife makes this easy, but a good, sharp carving knife will do the job, too.

One caveat on the oven. This is best made in an electric oven, and even better in a self-cleaning oven as they are well insulated, because for most of the cooking time the oven is turned off. Yep, I said off. All you are going to do is let your roast come to room temperature, preheat your oven to 500ºF, salt and pepper the beef well,  and plop it into your roasting pan. Insert the meat thermometer. Pop it into the oven, immediately lower the heat to 475ºF and roast the meat for 7 minutes a pound, and then shut the oven off. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.  Leave the meat in the oven for about an hour and peek through the glass at your thermometer. if you want rare beef remove it at 125ºF, for medium rare, remove at 130ºF, and medium nearer to 140ºF and let stand for 15 minutes or so before slicing so the juices will settle into the meat.  If nothing seems to be happening at all, heat your oven to 170ºF (warm on most ovens) and shut off.  It's a terrific meal with a vegetable and something starchy, and wonderful sliced cold for sandwiches with some horseradish on ...rye? Guess what I'm having tomorrow??

Delicious, beefy, juicy, Easy High Heat Roast Beef

Easy High Heat Roast Beef

Ingredients:

1 Beef eye of round roast, about 3 lb.
Salt & pepper

Instructions:

Remove the meat from the refrigerator about an hour ahead of starting to roast.

Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Salt and pepper the meat evenly and place in a roasting pan. Insert the meat thermometer probe.

Place the pan in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 475ºF. Roast the meat for 7 minutes per pound, and shut off the oven. Do not open the door. It should take your roast about an hour in a very well insulated oven to reach rare (125ºF to allow for carryover cooking as it rests) and nearly two hours to reach medium (140ºF plus standing time). Let stand about 15 minute before slicing as thinly as possibles to let the juices settle, or they'll be on your cutting board instead of in the meat.

Note: if after an hour, nothing much is happening according to your thermometer readout, heat the oven to 170ºF (Warm) and shut it off immediately when it reaches temperature. This may happen in a gas oven, or if your oven isn't well insulated.

8 to 10 servings.

Retro Beef Brisket with Chili Sauce, Onion Soup & Beer

Since last September, I've been moving a 9 lb. brisket from one side of my big freezer to the other to make room for other stuff. It was such a good deal, on sale for the Jewish holiday, that I had to have one. My original plan was to cut it into two pieces, since unless I get what's called a "Packer Cut" brisket to smoke,  a big brisket is too much meat for a family of two. But it was already cryovac packaged and I just didn't want to break it open, so I froze it whole. It was time to cook it and freeze the leftovers.  

Last week I was shuffling through my Mom's recipe file that I inherited. I was looking for a blueberry muffin recipe that she made at least once a month, when I discovered three braised brisket recipes in there. Now here's the thing. My mother never once made a brisket. Sure, Mom boiled a corned beef brisket around St. Patrick's Day, but even then it was more likely to be ham and cabbage than corned beef. My Aunt May, who was actually my step-grandmother, was German Jewish and she managed to get me to eat things my Italian Catholic family never cooked. Like brisket. It was great. Everyone was always trying to fatten me up, indeed, I didn't tip the scales at over 100 lb. until I was past 35. She was a terrific  baker, and I would always stuff my mouth and my pockets with the cookies she made, but they were withheld until I ate some "real food" like ...brisket. It was wonderful

I've made a few braised briskets in my time, and smoked quite a few big boys. But  I have never tried the recipes that use onion soup mix, and liquids like barbecue sauce or ketchup in a braise. Always used lots of onions, wine, and other typical braised beef ingredients. So imagine my shock when I found a recipe using ketchup and onion soup mix in Aunt May's handwriting in Mom's recipe box, and scribbled along the edge in my father's unmistakable hand --"Judy's favorite".  

After Googling, I found that there are hundreds of brisket recipes on the web using some variation of Aunt May's onion soup recipe for brisket. Aunt May was on to something. Back in the mid-1960s,  adding processed convenience foods to recipes was considered innovative, and modern, as so many of these foods were new. Now that so many processed foods are on our "foodie shit list," a lot of people write them off, at best, as quaint, retro, mediocre recipes.  This is wrong.  Dumping a packet of onion soup mix over the roast was as au courant as making a recipe from Modernist Cuisine is today. It was called "Progress".

We come, no matter what anyone says about American cooking, from an enormous group of fine home cooks who cared about what was put on the table, and often had to do the best with what was on hand. If they hadn't, we likely wouldn't be here. Like it or not, many of these old recipes are a product of their time, and are part of our collective heritage.  They're still delicious, and deserve to grace your table from time to time. Aunt May's version has ketchup, onion soup and water in it; nothing more.  I have, of course, doodled this up a bit, and it's delish. I think my Aunt would call this Progress, too. 

Not picture perfect, but still perfect brisket.

Note: I happened to have an extremely large brisket. A more normal size brisket is about 7 pounds, and if you want to use a 4 pound piece, use half the amount of chili sauce, half the beer (drink the rest), 2 Tablespoons of molasses and half the garlic. Keep everything else the same. This needs to cook all day, and is much better chilled, sliced and then reheated on the next day in the abundant sauce, so plan accordingly. Freezes well.

Retro Braised Brisket

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1 7 to 8 lb. beef brisket, flat cut, with a 1/4"  fat cap
2  12 oz. bottle chili sauce or ketchup
1 packet onion soup mix
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 tsp. Marmite (opt.)
2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 bottle lager beer or dark beer or stout

12 garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 head)
3 - 4 bay leaves
Salt when reheating if needed

Just needs some foil to cover the pan, and then it's cook time!

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275ºF. Mix everything through the black pepper in a medium bowl with a  whisk. Then mix in the beer.

2. Place the meat fat side down in a roasting pan, that just fits it, scatter the garlic and bay leaves over the meat, and pour the beer  mixture over the top. Flip the meat so the fat is up.

3. Cover the pan tightly with foil, and place in the oven. Roast about 3 - 4 hours, then uncover and carefully turn the meat. recover and cook another 2 to 3 hours until the meat is fork tender.

4. Cool the meat in the sauce, then remove and wrap separately. Chill the meat and sauce. When ready to serve, remove the congealed fat from the sauce, slice the meat in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and reheat in the sauce, either in the oven or on top of the stove. 

Marvelous Many Mushroom Beef Braise: The Unplanned Dinner.

Almost ready: Many Mushroom Beef Braise

I was planning to fix a shrimp dish for dinner tonight. But the shrimp should have been removed from the freezer about the time I was looking at the Christmas lights at Costco (didn't buy). Then, when I got home, the electrician had just arrived to service our backup generator, and the house power was shut off. So I didn't open the freezer, because I couldn't see a damn thing in the basement, anyway. My other task this afternoon was to divvy up some top round beef into freezer packs, and even though none of it was on the planned menu, a pound of trimmings and chunks suddenly became the basis of a very good, fairly quick dinner. It's fairly quick because, once you get it into the pot, you can walk away for an hour...to do something useful, like write a blog post. And it tastes like you slaved for hours. Just don't tell.  Soothing, and warm you right down to your toes.

Actually, this sort of thing is great with ground meat like beef, lamb or venison. It cooks faster, and makes a fabulous sauce for homemade  whole wheat fettuccine or other fresh wide wheat pasta.  With this chunky meat version, we usually have it with brown rice or a bean puree, and something green. Totally, delectably, wonderful.

Can I eat yet??

Many Mushroom Beef Braise
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2T bacon fat or safflower oil
1 lb. top round beef in 1-1/2" cubes
1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4"
8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
.25 g package of mixed dried wild mushrooms, soaked, in 1 cup hot water 10 minutes
1 cup mushroom stock homemade, boxed or made from mushroom base
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, sprigs and some minced

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven, or other heavy bottomed pot with a cover. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in the hot fat on all sides, about10 - 15 minutes over medium-high heat.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the sliced mushrooms and onions, stirring until the mushrooms release some liquid. Add the sherry and stock, and stir up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer.

3. Add the dried mushrooms, and their soaking liquid, careful to hold back any sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Add the dried herbs, stir well, brig back to a simmer. Cover and cook 1 hour, until the meat is tender. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Braised Beef Roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Looks like a good dinner already, doesn't it?

Now that it's officially Fall, I feel some justification in making the first pot roast of the season. "Pot roast" is the un-fancy name for braised beef.   The fact that it's also gone from the mid 80º's to the mid 60º's in the space of a day doesn't hurt, either. Not that pot roast isn't a good thing to make when the weather is warm since it makes a wonderful cold sliced meat or a sandwich, but somehow, the scent of a pot roast helps take the chill off the house, even if it's not cold enough to turn on the heat yet.

This braised beef recipe evolved from a half-jar of Stonewall Kitchen's totally delicious Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam, that was leftover from the weekend. Rather than give myself the chance to eat the rest of it with a spoon (or a chunk of oozy brie) when no one was watching, this is a truly tasty was to force myself to share it. And no, I don't work for Stonewall Kitchen, and they don't pay me in any way to say nice things about their products. I just like them and want to share. So there, lol. It's a wonderful cool weather dish, garlicky, sweet, orangey, and very beefy.

Savory jams can add so much to your cooking repertoire, or hors d'oeuvre table.
Keep and eye out for good ones, and keep a few in the pantry.

That little pot roast from last spring  you may remember, uses root vegetables that add a lot of rich flavor to the dish. My favorites are turnips, carrots and celeriac, aka celery root. If you would like potatoes, in addition to what's here, feel free to add a few firm, waxy potatoes like  Yukon Golds to the other roots under the roast.  This will make 6 servings, but your mileage may differ depending on how big your roast is, and how lean it is. Or how piggy your eaters are. My favorite is chuck for this, but a bottom round roast or a rump roast will work well, too. Chuck makes for a messy, falling apart roast, but  very juicy, the rump and round will be neater looking but a bit less juicy. Be sure to ask the butcher to tie the roast if it's unevenly shaped, so it will cook evenly, or tie it yourself with butcher's twine. Don't worry if your "roping" job doesn't look great, you'll take the string off the roast before serving.

Notes: I know the anchovy paste seems odd, but don't leave it out. It adds a certain depth (umami) to the juices that you can't get with anything else. If you must, you can substitute a teaspoon of mushroom base, or 1/2 teaspoon of Asian fish sauce. This can be made in the oven, or in a slow cooker. If you choose the slow cooker, after browning the meat, place the vegetables in the bottom of the crock, and set the browned meat on top, then add the seasonings and liquid, pouring it all evenly over everything. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours. Remove the orange zest, and thyme bundle if using, before serving. Do not even consider not browning the meat for this pot roast. Don't make me come after you. I'll know.

Braised Beef pot roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam.
 Grab a plate and eat!

Braised Beef Roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Ingredients:

3 to 4 lb. Chuck or bottom round  beef roast
salt & freshly ground pepper
2T bacon fat or safflower oil
3/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
1 small celeriac (celery root) peeled and cubed
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced 1/4"
1 tsp. anchovy paste
zest from 1/2 orange in 1-2 strips( use a vegetable peeler)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp of dried thyme leaves, or 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, bundled with string

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Season the roast on all sides liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the bacon fat in a deep dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides, allowing about 5 minutes a side. Remove the roast to a plate.

2. Stir the hot coffee, the roasted garlic onion jam, the balsamic vinegar and the anchovy paste together in a small bowl and set aside. Add the cut vegetables to the bottom of the pan, along with coffee mixture, and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the zest strips, the bay leaves and the thyme, stir, then add the roast atop the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cover the dutch oven, and place in the oven, and cook 3- 4 hours until the meat is fork tender (depending on the size of the roast), turning the roast over halfway through the cooking time.

5. Remove the roast from the pan carefully and cut into slices or chunks.  Remove the zest strips from the pot, along with the thyme bundle and discard. Serve with the vegetables and the pan juices. A green vegetable like steamed spinach (soaks up the yummy juices) or broccoli is a great side, especially if you are grain or gluten free, otherwise some mopping up bread is suggested.

Meaty Monday: Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

First off, this whole business of calling top round "London Broil" really irks me. Somewhat of a traditionalist at heart, real London Broil, in my heart-of-hearts will always be flank steak. This new nomenclature, calling top round steak London Broil was foisted off on us supposedly by supermarket meat departments (according to my butcher) because there are only a couple of flank steaks on a steer, but a whole lotta top round. Yes, I know it's leaner, and cheaper, but it's not as tender or tasty. So if you have one of these, as I did lurking in the freezer, you need to boost the flavor, hugely. 

Whew, now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that top round can be fabulous. I picked this one up back in May, a nice grass-fed piece of beef top round while it was on sale at my local Whole Foods. Since we just returned from a vacation at the beach, and I haven't had a chance to do any marketing, it just leaped out of the freezer into my hands. Yes, it did.  So I did what any smart girl would do: I thawed it out, and dolled it up.

This wet rub has big flavor, and it's all likely to be things that live in your fridge and pantry all the time. Plain chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, smoked paprika, jarred garlic, salt and a lime. The cinnamon makes it taste sweet without adding any sugar, and the smoked paprika adds a smoky zing. Like I said, I didn't have time to shop and we still want a good meal. Good for low carbers and paleo eaters as well as everyone else who likes good meat.

Because this meat is so lean, after grilling, a finishing drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil, flavored olive oil or a pat of butter (flavored or not) would be nice. If you are eating Paleo, or just lazy like me, go for the olive oil. But if you have some minced green garlic scapes in your freezer, or can mince some garden garlic chives, toss them on the meat, drizzle on the oil, add a squeeze of fresh lime and dig in. This rub works really well on flank and skirt steak, too, so keep it up your sleeve.

Note: Top round isn't as tender as flank for London broil, so be sure to slice it thinly, 1/4" or thinner, with a sharp knife against the grain.

Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

Ingredients:

1 tsp. mild chili powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (pimenton)
1T crushed garlic (fresh or jarred is fine)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black paper
zest of 1 lime
juice from 1/2 lime
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1.25 lb. Top Round London Broil

Garnish:

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1T minced garlic scapes, or garlic chives
juice from 1/2 lime

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix everything through the olive oil, and then rub evenly over both sides of the London broil. Place the meat in a zip bag and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 10 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Pretty much all from the pantry and fridge.

When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill to 550ºF. Oil the grill, and then place the meat on the grill and close the top. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn and cook for 4 minutes on the other side for medium rare. Let the meat stand for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain. 

To serve, sprinkle over the garlic scapes or garlic chives, drizzle with the olive oil and squeeze over the lime.

Serves 3-4.

Meaty, Beefy Homemade Manicotti

In the oven...beefy, meaty manicotti!

The gods are confused. They gave us 80° sunny weather in March, and now, in May its 59° and gray- grim out. What gives? It is time to plant the tomato plants lingering in a tray on the patio, but the soil in the vegetable garden is too wet to dig into. The peppers should go in too, but it's just mud out there. Like it's April. Instead of wanting to eat Spring-ish, salad-y food, I want comfort food. Homey, delicious Italian stuff. Besides, we’ve had so much asparagus from the garden, I’m tired of it.


But I don't want any old thing. Something rich and delicious. Like homemade manicotti. The good kind made with those wonderful thin Italian egg crepes called "crespelle", not those fat old pasta tubes.  

It might be nearly Memorial Day, the unofficial start of Summer, but I need some solid, savory, warming food. Now. The gods are confused. 

Meaty, Beefy Homemade Manicotti

Note: I've switched up this recipe to use white whole wheat flour instead of regular AP flour, but if that's hard for you to find, just use all purpose. And if you like the baking / lasagna dish, it's from Sophie Conran for Portmeirion, and you can get one just like it here.

Serves 4

For the crespelle / manicotti (Italian crepes)

Makes 12, plus a couple of torn ones

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I prefer King Arthur)

1-1/2 cups whole milk

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon of kosher salt

Beat the milk, eggs and salt in a medium bowl with a whisk until combined. Add the flour and whisk until a thin batter forms and the lumps are gone. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and set aside for an hour. (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours). Go start cooking the meat filling.

While the meat filling is cooking, make the manicotti / crespelle. Set out a heatproof plate and tear off a dozen or so sheets of wax paper to place between the cooked crepes. Stir the batter; it should not be as thick as pancake batter, but thinner like table cream. If it’s too thick, add water, a tablespoon at a time until it’s thin enough.

Heat a small 8” fry pan with a teaspoon or so of olive oil over medium - low heat. Ladle in a scan ¼ cup of batter, and lift and swirl the pan to spread the batter over the bottom as thin as a crepe. Let it cook until the top is no longer shiny, and then carefully remove from the pan, they may tear a bit as they are delicate, but save the torn ones as they can be used to patch up small tears in the whole ones. Stack as they are cooked with a sheet of waxed paper between them. Set aside until the casserole is ready to assemble.

  

For the beef filling:

1 T olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 small carrot, minced

1 small onion, minced

3 large garlic cloves minced

1 cup plain tomato sauce

1 cup whole milk

1 cup dry white wine

Black pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

½ cup Pecorino Romano (Locatelli) cheese

1 egg

In a broad 4-5 quart deep sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks. When it’s cooked but not yet brown, add the minced carrot, onion and garlic, lower the heat, and continue to sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and the meat is beginning to brown. Add the cup of tomato sauce, the milk and the wine. Bring to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is gone and you can mound the meat up in a pile with no sauce running out. Remove the meat to a mixing bowl, and let cool to room temperature. While it cooks, go make the crespelle / crepes/ manicotti. When the crespelle are finished, and the meat filling is cooled, stir in the egg and ½ cup of cheese, mixing thoroughly. Make the sauce.

For the Sauce:

4 cups plain tomato sauce or marinara

1 cup dry white wine or red wine

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp each dried oregano and basil

1 cup coarsely shredded Fontina or Romano cheese (for topping)

Place all the ingredients except for the shredded Fontina or Romano in a 3 quart saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.

Just place the meat on the lower third of the crepe
 and roll like a cigar into a manicotti.

To Assemble:

Lightly oil or spray a deep 9” x 13” baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Place 1-1/2 cups of the prepared sauce in the bottom and spread evenly. Take a sheet of waxed paper and dump out the meat filling and pat it into a square. Cut the square into 12 squares with a knife. Or, if you have a good eye, just divide the contents of the bowl into 12 portions.

Lay a crespelle on the counter in front of you, and place one of the filling squares on it, spreading it out into a cylinder of meat filling across the third (see picture above) closest to you and roll up like a cigar, enclosing the meat in the crepe.

Pack them into the dish, and fit any extra along the sides.
Top with sauce and cheese and bake.

Place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all the meat and filling is gone. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the rolled manicotti, covering them all. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top and bake for about 50 minute to an hour until it’s all bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown on top.