Category Archives: Beef

Short Rib Grilled Cheese

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I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now, but haven’t been able to find the time to write it. Now this isn’t exactly the cheapest sandwich out there ( close to 30 bucks for all the ingredients!), but it’s darn worth it if you ask me! Plus, most of the work is done by the trusty ol’ slow cooker, so it’s an easy dinner.

This special sammich is tender, red wine brazed chuck short ribs shredded then topped with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese on your favorite baguette and pressed on a panini press (as I call my George Foreman grill).

*Please ignore the side dish! This was a failed attempt at oven fried green tomatoes! I will be posting a successful recipe for green tomatoes as soon as I get around to it!   IMG_2360

 

 

For the short ribs:

  • 2 Pounds Bone-In Chuck Short Ribs
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • a few sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 bay leaves
  • a couple cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup red wine
  • Enough beef stock to almost cover the short ribs and veggies in the crock pot, I’d buy the 32 oz size just to be safe!
  • 4 tbsp butter, divided

 

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat, and sear short ribs about 2 minutes on all sides, and remove from skillet. Add remaining butter to the skillet and add veggies, cook until slightly softened, scraping browned bits of meat from the skillet and add to the bottom of the slow cooker. Put short ribs on top of veggies, add seasonings, garlic, wine, and pour the stock over the short ribs until they’re almost covered. Cook in the slow cooker for at least eight hours.

Caramelized onions:

  • 2 large sweet onions, sliced
  • 1/2 a stick of butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a few splashes of balsamic vinegar

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add onions and salt and cook and stir for 30 minutes until onions are nice and caramelized. Add a few drops of balsamic to the onions and remove from heat.

 

To put it all together:

Remove short ribs from crockpot and discard bones (or save as a tasty treat for your pup!).  Shred short ribs and set aside.

Take a loaf of French bread or your favorite baguette and slice it in half. Smear the bread with some horseradish sauce or dijon mustard ( or your favorite sandwich spread ) top one side with the shredded beef, then caramelized onions, and sliced cheddar cheese.

Preheat a panini press or your George Foreman grill. Place a piece of foil on the bottom of the grill then put a piece over the sandwich. Press the sandwich and cook until cheese is melted and bread is nicely toasted.

Serve with chips or fries and an ice cold beer!

Gorgonzola Crusted Steak With Red Onion Faux Demi-Glace

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This came to me from my friend Dean, who previously worked in catering and restaurants. He started salivating while trying to tell me how to prepare this, and while it wasn’t written down, I made a mental note of the ingredients and it turned out quite well!

I used shoulder tender steaks, but any grill steak would work for this, and I also used a simple marinade of oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, but feel free to use whichever marinade you like, if any.

I say it’s a “faux” demi-glace because there was no way I had time to roast beef bones and boil them for hours after being at work all day unless we wanted dinner at midnight, so I found the base for the sauce online from the Sun-Sentinal.photo 4

  • 2 pounds, marinaded and grilled beef steaks, (such as shoulder tender, strip steak, sirloin fillet, or tenderloin)  

For the faux demi-glace:

  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • 3 tbsp cold water
  • dash balsamic vinegar

For the gorgonzola crust:

  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crushed buttery crackers
  • 2 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

In a small stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another stockpot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, and stir in beef stock. Salt and pepper to taste. When heated through, combine the cornstarch with water, and add to beef stock. Add onions to stock mixture, along with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Bring to a gentle boil and continue to cook and stir for 30 minutes, until reduced by half.

In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs). Add gorgonzola to breadcrumb mixture, and use a fork to break apart any large pieces of cheese.

Place grilled steaks on a baking sheet and press breadcrumb mixture onto the top and sides of steaks. Place under a broiler until topping is nicely browned. Remove steaks from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

To serve, slice steaks into medallions and ladle sauce generously over steaks.

Great with oven roasted asparagus and potatoes!

Enchiladas With Red Sauce

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My first post of the New Year!

Something pretty standard in most homes for dinner, enchiladas! So versatile, you can fill them with your choice of meat, veggies, or just plain cheese, and you can always find store bought enchilada sauce to pour on top, or even salsa works well. I’ve been making enchiladas for years, but have never attempted to make my own, homemade red enchilada sauce. I made them here with ground beef, but you could always change that out for shredded chicken or steak.

I wanted to use corn tortillas, but all I could find was the little ones for tacos and they did not work at all for enchiladas, so I used rice flour tortillas that are gluten free and they turned out surprisingly well!photo 3

For the red sauce:

  • 6 dried New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 1/2 cup reserved liquid from cooking chiles
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and heat until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove chiles to a sauce pan and cover with boiling water. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Add chiles to a blender or food processor, along with reserved cooking liquid, and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined.

Pour sauce through a strainer and set aside.

For the beef enchiladas:

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground round
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried cilantro
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, ( I used a GF, ready to eat soup, not condensed)
  • Tortillas,   corn, flour, or gluten free rice flour
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onions over medium heat. When beef is cooked through, stir in chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and cilantro, and cook for 10 minutes. Add salsa and soup, and cook until heated through.

Spoon two heaping tablespoons of meat mixture onto a tortilla, roll up and place in a greased 13x 9 inch casserole. The size tortilla you use will determine how many enchiladas you get. Continue filling tortillas until all beef mixture is used up, or you fill up the pan.

Spread red sauce evenly over enchiladas, and top with cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

Tri Tip Roast with Barbecue Sauce

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Wow! Here it is December and my last posting was in June! I’ve been so busy with two little furry additions to my family, a Chocolate Lab named Hayden and a little pound Pittie named Rossi, that I haven’t had time for much else!Hayden and Rossi

Then recently discovering that I’m gluten intolerant has also been keeping me busy trying to figure out what I can and can’t eat, then trying to alter recipes I can’t live without! Please be patient with me as I try to get all this worked out! My postings might not be quite as often as I hoped, but I’m going to try and get recipes on here at least once a month. I never realized how many things have gluten as an ingredient until I could no longer eat it! It’s been a frustrating journey thus far, but feeling better has made it all worth it!

Now to the food!

I discovered the yummy goodness of this cut of meat on my trips to beautiful California. In an attempt to relive memories of one of my favorite places in the world, I came up with this combining California style barbecue with a Southern style vinegar based sauce. Serve it on it’s own or as a sandwich. Easy and doesn’t disappoint!20121210-174322.jpg

One 2 pound tri-tip roast

Spice Rub:

(Please note these are approximate as I don’t really measure this! Tweak where your taste buds see fit!)

  • 3 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and rub a generous coating all over tri-tip roast. Place in a dish and cover tightly with foil. Let sit in the fridge at least 6 hours.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce:

  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 3 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • pinch red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer while stirring 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. ( This can be done 2 days in advance!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a roasting pan, cook tri-tip 40 minutes, until internal temperature of 140 degrees is reached. This will be for medium, I don’t recommend well done for this cut of meat or it’ll be tough. Remove roast from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve with barbecue sauce!

Easy Beef Wellington

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A Christmas Eve tradition, (and whenever else I feel like it! ) I’ve tried making traditional Beef Wellington, and I wasn’t very happy with the outcome or the time and effort it took. This recipe uses steaks so everyone gets their own little bundle of goodness, and the internal temperature can be adjusted for those that like their steaks well done, AND it’s easy!

  • 3 tenderloin steaks, cut 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick
  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp butter, divided
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 large egg, beaten

Bring the steaks to room temperature and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the steaks on all sides, about 45 seconds per side (for medium doneness. Adjust searing time for internal temperature preference). Remove from the skillet to a plate. Cover the steaks with foil and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onions to the skillet and cook until soft. Stir in mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally about 15 minutes, until any liquid has been cooked out of the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Add heavy cream, and cook until mushroom mixture forms a paste. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool while preparing puff pastry.

On a lightly floured suface, roll out a sheet of the thawed puff pastry. Cut away one- third of the puff pastry sheet and set aside. You should have a sheet of pastry in the shape of a rectangle. Place one of the steaks, centered, about 2 inches from the bottom of the puff pastry sheet. Cover the top and sides of the steak with 1/3 of the mushroom mixture. Pull the top of the pastry sheet down firmly so it covers the steak, and cut away any excess dough so it will take the shape of a circle. Press ends together to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry. Lay the 2 remaining 1/3 pieces of dough together, and press edges together to form another piece of pastry for the remaining steak.

Brush the tops of the “wellingtons” with the beaten egg. Bake in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy with roasted asparagus and a glass of red!

Mexican Meatball Soup (Albondigas Soup)

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That’s it! I’m done! No more turkey for a year! After a full week of turkey salad sandwiches and turkey alfredo, it’s time for something beefy! I love this soup! It’s great comfort food! I call it Mexican Meatball Soup, so if anyone asks what I’m cooking for dinner, they’ve got an idea of what’s in it. Look on the internet and you’ll find many versions of this recipe, but like my other dishes, this one is as simple as you can get!  I like to serve this with cheese quesadillas to scoop up the chunks of tomato!

For the meatballs:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp minced onion
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • salt
  • pepper

For the soup:

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp cilantro
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 64 oz beef broth
  • 16 oz medium Picante sauce
  • 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 3/4 cup white uncooked rice

To make the soup, heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook 10 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano, cilantro, salt and pepper, beef broth, tomatoes, and Picante sauce. Bring to just a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer while making meatballs.

To make the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients listed above in a large mixing bowl, and mix well. Shape into bite size meatballs, about a 1/2 inch in diameter. The easiest way to do this is by rolling them out into a log then cut that into even pieces, then roll up. Drop meatballs into simmering broth and stir. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in rice, then continue cooking for 25 more minutes, stirring occasionally, so rice doesn’t stick. Serve with quesadillas! Enjoy!

Beef, Lentil, And Noodle Stew

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I had some celery, carrots, and mushrooms in the fridge I needed to use up, and had some stew beef in the freezer, so I came up with this tasty concoction. I was going to serve it over egg noodles, then decided I didn’t feel like dirtying up any more pots to wash, so I threw the egg noodles in with the stew and it came out great! This is one instance where laziness paid off! 😉

  • 1 lb beef tenderloin or top sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 4 oz cremini (baby Portobello) mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 4 tbsp butter, divided
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 15 oz can lentils
  • 1 cup Pinot Noir or Zinfandel
  • 1 15 oz can beef broth
  • 6 oz egg noodles
  • salt
  • pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large sauce pan or stock pot over medium-high heat, and sear beef, stirring constantly, for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove beef from pan, and place in an oven safe bowl. Cover and keep warm in unheated oven.

Reduce heat to medium and melt remaining butter in the same pan. Add carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms, and cook about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, and cook until reduced by half. Stir in broth, thyme sprigs, rosemary, and oregano. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. ( I use grinders, so I used 3 turns of the salt, and 2 turns pepper.) Stir in lentils. Heat until mixture starts to bubble.

Return beef to the pot; cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs, and stir in egg noodles. Cook, covered 20 minutes more, until noodles are soft.

Enjoy!

Filet Burgundy Chili

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Beef tenderloin and Burgundy wine, with peppers, onions, and kidney beans! No, I’m not crazy! It’s the best chili you’ve ever eaten! But I must warn you, few other bowls of chili will ever come close after you’ve had this tasty sensation!

  • 1 lb beef tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces*
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 lg onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp cilantro
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp chipotle powder
  • 2 tsp cayenne
  • 2 cups Burgundy wine
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in tenderloin to sear on all sides, about 2 minutes, then add spices. Drain off any grease that may cook out of the meat, then add Burgundy wine, and let simmer 10 minutes, or until wine is reduced by half.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and kidney beans. When it starts to bubble, cover the stock pot and reduce heat to low. Let simmer, stirring every now and then, for an hour to let the flavors meld together. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

*You can also substitute ground chuck, for the filet, and it’s still delicious!

**Chili can be made up to two days in advance. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes!

Braised Beef Short Ribs

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I never cared for traditional “Pot Roast” , (my hubby loves it), but I’ve found I really like short ribs. This recipe combines pot roast ingredients, with a little something extra to suit my taste, so it keeps everyone in the house happy! It’s warming on a cold, rainy day, and smells wonderful as it cooks!

  • 2 lbs boneless beef short ribs
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 lg onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 15 oz can beef broth
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 cup reserved cooking liquid

Place celery, carrots, onions, and garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker.

Melt butter in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Sear short ribs on all sides, about 1 minute per side, and place over veggies in the crock pot. Add thyme, bay leaves, beef stock, and wine, and cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours has passed, remove veggies with a slotted spoon to a food processor or blender, add tomato paste, and pulse until smooth. Pour mixture into a small sauce pan, and heat over medium-low heat. Add cooking liquid, a tablespoon at a time to veggie mixture while stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until heated through. Serve short ribs over hot mashed potatoes with veggie sauce spooned on top. Enjoy!

Roast Beef Sandwiches with Pale Ale Gravy

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Easy and tasty “Man-Food”!

I use SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale works nicely too! I like to top it with onion rings, but French Fried Onions, or grilled onions would be delicious too!

 

  • 3 lb rump roast
  • 15oz can beef broth
  • 12oz bottle of Pale Ale
  • 1.25oz package onion soup mix
  • 1 French loaf or sub roll
  • 4 tbsp softened butter
  • 8 slices provolone cheese
  • Horseradish Sauce (recipe follows)
  • 2 cups reserved cooking liquid
  • 1 beef bouillon cube
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 3 tbsp corn starch

Place roast in crock pot, fat side up. Cover with onion soup mix, beef broth, and beer. Let cook for 6 to 7 hours on low.

Remove roast from the crock pot and set on cutting board. Pour 2 cups cooking liquid into small sauce pan, with bouillon cube and heat over medium until cube dissolves. Meanwhile, slice roast against the grain with a sharpened knife to get it as thin as possible. Cover with foil and set aside. Combine corn starch in cold water and add to cooking liquid. Stir mixture occasionally, until thickened. Add salt to taste.

Cut ends from French loaf and cut into 4 sections splitting down the center of each section, but not all the way through. Butter open face of each piece and broil until slightly browned. Spread a generous spoonful of Horseradish Sauce to both sides of toasted bread, then pile on the roast beef to your liking. Drizzle with the gravy, then add 2 slices of provolone to each sandwich, and place under the broiler until cheese begins to melt. Top with onion rings and an extra drizzle of gravy. Enjoy!

*Note: This recipe makes for a lot of beef sandwiches. You can refrigerate any unused beef and gravy and it will make great leftovers! Make sandwiches again, or use beef for an awesome Philly Cheesesteak pizza!

Horseradish Sauce

  • 3 tbsp prepared horseradish
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup mayonaise
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, and refrigerate until ready to use.