Beef, Mushroom and Farro Soup

We are so busy this time of year getting ready for Christmas. Meals tend to be hearty and easy. If they give us leftovers, all the better. Soup seems to fit the bill a lot.

This classic soup is fill of umami and will keep you satified on a cold winter night.

We used farro in this soup because we didn't have enough barley on hand, you can certainly substitute.

Beef, Mushroom and Farro Soup

1 T olive oil
1 lb stew beef
8 oz button mushrooms
2 yellow onions sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 c beef broth
2 c water
2 T soy sauce
1 t crushed, dried rosemary
1 c farro
salt and pepper

In a large heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the beef. Add the beef to the pot and sauté until cooked through. Add the mushrooms and onions. Sauté a minute or two until the onions are tender and the mushrooms have released their liquid. Add the garlic sauté another minute. Add the broth, water, soy sauce and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Add the farro. Bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat, cover leaving the cover open slightly and simmer for 20 minutes or until the farro is tender (it should still have a slight toothiness to it). If it seems too thick add another cup of water. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Serve with a crusty bread.

Makes 6 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Cream Cheese and Pepper Burger

Just a quickie to share last night's tasty burger toppings with you.

There were a couple sweet peppers ripe in the garden and half a package of cream cheese in the fridge, so I thought I'd try them on my burger. I sautéed the peppers until soft and creamy. Yum, this was a surprisingly good combination. I would do this again any day. It would be good with a little spicy pepper too.

I do have to admit though it's not quite as good as cream cheese and green olive on a burger...

What are your favorite, slightly strange burger toppings?

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Kofte Kebabs with Whole Wheat Buttermilk Flat Bread

This dinner was Matt's answer to what to do with 1/2 lb of leftover ground beef without making burgers again. It isn't completely tradition, but it is based on the Middle Eastern dish Kofte. Kofte is usually either ground lamb or beef seasoned with various herbs and spices. It is cooked as a meatball or grilled on a stick as we did.

We decided to serve them similarly to a gyro with tzatziki (yogurt/cucumber sauce), tomatoes, onions and lettuce on flat bread. Matt wanted to make a flat bread from scratch that he could cook on the grill. I thought he would just use our grilled pizza crust recipe, but instead he came up with his own version using whole wheat flour and buttermilk. They were really tasty, but came out thicker than we would have liked. (I ended up slicing them in half to use like a bun instead of wrapping the meat in them.) Matt says next time he'll roll them out thinner before putting them on the grill.

This was a great alternative to burgers. To me it seemed even better suited to hot weather with the cooling toppings. I think kofte is something that will end up in our summer grilling rotation.

Kofte Kebabs

1/2 lb ground beef
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1 garlic clove, grated
2 - 3 T grated onion
1/2 t kosher salt

Mix everything together. Shape into three flat sausages about 1/2-inch thick. Put skewer through the middle length-wise. Grill on high for 2 - 3 minutes per side.

Makes 3.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Flat Bread

7 oz AP flour
4 oz whole wheat flour
1 t yeast
1 t kosher salt
1 T white sugar
7 oz room temp buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients in a stand mixer. Stir to combine. Add buttermilk and mix until it forms a ball. Knead for about 5 minutes. Let rise for 2 hours until about double in size. Cut into pieces, roll until balls then roll into thin, flat discs (I would shoot for about 1/8-inch). Brush with olive oil and put on grill set at medium-high. Brush other side with oil and flip. Cook 2 - 3 minutes on each side them put on cooler part of grill to continue cooking and keep warm while meat is cooking, about 5 minutes.

We made 4, but they were quite thick so next time we'd probably get 6 out of the recipe.

Serve the kofte and bread with tzatiki, lettuce, onions and tomatoes.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu 3/12 - 3/17/12 and Corned Beef

Our kitchen is busy this week preparing for a big St. Patrick's dinner this coming Saturday. My mom is a Murphy who's family came to New York during the Potato Famine, so of course I need to celebrate my Irish roots!

Yesterday, Matt began the process of making corned beef from scratch. He is using the recipe from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Bryan Polcyn. For our 3 1/2 pound brisket he made a brine of 3 1/2 quarts water, 1 tablespoon pickling spice, 1 1/3 c kosher salt, 6 tablespoons sugar, 2 cloves garlic and 1 tablespoon pink salt. Pink salt is the only tricky ingredient to find and we ordered our online. He heated the brine until the salts and sugar dissolved, let it cool and then submerged the meat. Now, it'll sit in our fridge until we are ready to cook it Saturday. That day, he will be rinse the brisket and add it to fresh water where it will simmer for about 3 hours with another tablespoon of pickling spice. This is our first time trying it, so I hope it's good.

We'll be starting our St. Pat's dinner with gougeres made with cheese flavored with Irish stout and a tasting of Irish and Irish-style beers. The corned beef will be served with colcannon, a traditional potato and cabbage dish. Finally, we will have an Irish whiskey cake for dessert. I'll share more details later in the week.

One to Menu Planning Monday...

Potato, Bacon and Corn Chowder

Thyme and Sea Salt Turkey Burgers with green beans

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Breast with dal and rice

Brats with sauerkraut

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

The Meatloaf Sandwich

Last night Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf met its real purpose, the meatloaf sandwich.

A nice hearty wheat bread, a good warm slab of leftover meatloaf, some soft cream cheese and sweet green tomato jam. A comforting little plate if there ever was one. Seriously, the cream cheese and jam are just perfect combinations with the meat adding layers of texture and sweetness. If you don't have green tomato jam try it with apple butter.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf

Since Matt is doing most of the cooking right now, he is also coming up with most of the weekly menu. This week he said he wanted to make meatloaf (I think it's mainly because he wanted meatloaf sandwiches later in the week).

He said his goal with this meatloaf was to not only make it tasty, but also fill it with a bunch of vegetables. So he added carrots, kale, sun-dried tomatoes and onion to the meat mixture. Add some chipotle and cayenne and what we ended up was one heck of a flavorful, moist meatloaf. Maybe the best one I've ever had. It was hard not to go back for a second slice, but I then there wouldn't be any left for sandwiches, would there?

If you have a hard time getting folks in your family to eat dark greens like kale, try this meatloaf, it's a great way to sneak it in.

Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf
Make sure to use a mix of ground meats in this, it really adds to the flavor.

1 T dried parsley
1/2 t chipotle
1 T ground black pepper
2 t kosher salt
dash cayenne
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
10 sun-dried tomatoes, we used the dry ones, but the ones packed in oil would work too
4 oz kale, hard stems trimmed off and the rest blanched
1 yellow onion, peeled
1 c bread crumbs
3 large eggs
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
ketchup

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl mix the seasonings together. Put the garlic, carrots, tomatoes, kale and onion in a food processor. Process until finely minced. Add the vegetables to the spice mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs and eggs. Add the meat and use your hands to gently mix everything together.

We only wanted to cook half of the mixture and it was too small for our loaf pan, so we shaped it free form on a parchment covered baking sheet (We froze the other half of the mixture in a loaf shape to cook up another time.) You can use a loaf pan if you wish.

Bake for about 60 minutes or until thermometer inserted into the center registers 155 F. After 20 minutes brush the loaf with a thin layer of ketchup. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

The full recipes makes about 8 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu 2/13-2/18/12

It was a cold, cold weekend here in Minneapolis, like windchills of -13 cold, perfect weather for a big pot of Flemish Stew.

We used this recipe from Serious Eats. It so simple you really don't even need recipe. You just cube some beef, then brown it and some roughly chopped onions. Add a bottle of good Belgium sour beer, the sourer the better in my book (it's important to use the right beer). Thicken with flour and season with fresh parsley and thyme. Let simmer all day until the meat is so tender it falls apart. The recipe said it only took 3 hours, we cooked it for about 5 to get it as tender as we wanted (Next time I'll cook it in the crock pot rather than on the stove). I was also supposed remove the meat to skim off fat and thicken the sauce, but our sauce wasn't fatty and didn't need thickening. Finally, we served it the traditional way, over a bed of french fries. The crisp oven baked fries added a nice texture against the tender meat and soft onions.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Salmon Casserole - This never got made last week due to some more kitchen construction (ok, really I was too busy sewing doll clothes for Project Project Runway.)

Valentine's Day at Pizzeria Lola - Yeah, we were going to stay home but decided to go out for pizza instead.

Leftover Flemish Stew

Red Beans, Chorizo and Rice

Maybe some pasta, haven't really decided yet.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Korean-Style Crock Pot Short Ribs

We've had some short ribs in the freezer for awhile that I had mental tags for Korean short ribs. I know they are often gilled, but I wanted to do them in a chock pot. Why? Because cooking in the crock pot is so easy.

I'm sure these are not traditional in anyway, but I looked at lots of different recipes for the sauce and they are seemed to have very similar ingredients. It's a pretty simple mixture yet full of flavor. Cooking the ribs in a crock pot braises them until they are fall off the bone tender. Perfect with just a little jasmine rice.

Once thing I will say is short ribs are quite fatty and a lot of that fat cooks into the sauce. We didn't use any of the sauce left in the pot, so it didn't really matter to us. Though I think that sauce would be really tasty if it was let to set for a bit, the grease skimmed off the top and then reheated.

Korean-Style Crock Pot Short Ribs
(You may feel like you are buying a lot of meat per serving here, but short ribs have a lot of bone and fat in them)

1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c rice wine
1 T honey
1/2 t sesame oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 scallions, sliced
1 - 1.25 lbs Short RIbs, cut into separate ribs

Mix everything but the short ribs in a small crock pot*. Add the ribs, they should be covered about half way by the liquid. Cover and turn the crock pot to high. Let cook for about 3 hours, turning the ribs once. When the ribs are starting to fall off the bone, turn the crock pot to low and let cook another 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

2 servings.

We have a small crock pot that we got at Target for like $7. It is the perfect size to fit these three ribs and have the sauce come up about halfway. If you only have a large crock pot and are doing a small amount of ribs you may need to make more sauce. You could also do this in an oven-proof pan in the oven at a low temp.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Apples of my Eye

We are starting to see the first of the fall apples in the farmers markets here in MN. Apparently, local growers are expecting a bumper season with 50% more apples than usual! That is a lot of apples.
With that in mind we thought we'd share some of our favorite apple recipes from the last couple of years to get you ready to use these fall favorites to their fullest.
Stuffed Maple Burger with Apple Bacon Compote Baked Apples
Apple Waffles
Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Bacon
Applesauce Three Ways
Apple Galette
Matt's Caramel Apple Crisp
Easy as Pie Apple Turnovers
Cheddar Apple Bacon Tart
Apple Bread Pudding

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Taco Hotdish

Normally, when Matt and I make tacos it's the soft shell version with grilled meat but, sometimes I just crave the hard shell version filled with seasoned ground beef. The problem is those hard shell tacos come in packages of twelve, too many for the two of us so, we always have a lot of leftovers. I suggested we break them up and use the rest of the leftovers to make a chilaquiles inspired dish.

Ok, this is not much like real chilaquiles at all but, the idea of taking crispy tortillas and other leftovers to make another dish is the same. The end result was a really tasty meal that comes together in a flash and we would make again in a second. The flavor is of course a bit like tacos, also a little like a loaded nacho. I particularly liked the way broken shells at the top crisped up a bit to make a topping with the melted cheese.

Taco Hotdish
This dish is best if made at least the day before so the taco shells have time to soften and absorb some of the salsa. Put it together after a taco dinner and keep in the fridge to have later in the week.

5 hard corn taco shells, broken up
1/2 lb cooked ground beef with taco seasoning
1/2 onion, diced
1 8oz jar salsa
other taco toppings you may have leftover like diced tomatoes, we added 1/2 a diced red pepper
grated cheddar
sour cream
hot sauce

Mix the taco shells, ground beef, onion, salsa and any other addition you wish together in a 6" x 8" baking dish. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cover the top of the hotdish with grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and everything is heated through. Serve topped with sour cream & hot sauce as desired.

Makes 4 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Crockpot Beef and Beans over Spanish Rice

We made another big batch of our 24-Hour Crock Pot Beef last week which meant I was looking for ways to use all that shredded beef. My original plan was to use it in a Mexican inspired hotdish but, as I was formulating that plan I decided to just serve the meat over some Mexican rice. The result wasn't too far from eating a burrito without the tortilla.

When we moved here from San Francisco a few years ago, we thought there would be a lot of food we would miss. We were happily wrong & found Minneapolis to be full of wonderful restaurants & markets. There was one thing that we sorely missed though, the Mission-style burrito. Sure we can get a burrito here & we've gotten used to them but, they are just not the same. As I see it there are two big differences. First, in San Francisco they melt the cheese on the tortilla when they steam it (this might be my favorite thing). Second, they use Spanish rice which adds a big boost of flavor. So, I guess you could call this my tortilla-less version of a Mission-style burrito.

Whatever you call it this was a dish that was full of flavor & super easy to make especially if you've got the leftover beef. We reheated the beef with some pinto beans & a little of their cooking liquid. Then added some shredded cheddar & sour cream (ok, it's actually plain yogurt). Matt also added some hot sauce & salsa.

Spanish Rice

1 T olive oil
1 c long grain white rice
1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded & chopped
1/2 t Mexican oregano
1/4 t epazote
1/4 t ground chipotle
1 heaping T tomato paste
2 c chicken stock (or combination of chicken stock & water)

In a large stock pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice & toast for a minute, stirring to coat. Add the onion, garlic & pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Stir in the oregano, epazote, chipotle & tomato paste. Add the chicken stock & stir to blend everything. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & let simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from the heat & let sit 5 minutes. The stock should all be absorbed & the rice tender.

Makes 4 servings.

Top the rice with any or all of the following; beef, chicken, beans, grated cheddar, hot sauce, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Slow Cooked Beef Over Hash

This is a dinner worthy of your favorite diner. Beef that has been slow cooked all day in beer served over a simple potato hash. It's hearty & full of flavor.

Also it couldn't be simpler to make...

Slow Cooked Beef Hash

We started with a batch of our 24-Hour Crock Pot Beef. This time though Matt added a little barbecue rub, paprika & worcestershire sauce to the beer for seasoning. Once the beef is tender & falling to shreds cook up your hash.

2 small yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (you can leave the skin on)
2 T olive oil, divided
kosher salt
1/2 red pepper, seeded & chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 t season salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put the cubed potatoes & 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small roasting pan. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes, you want them to just start getting crispy on the outside. (You could just parboil your potatoes but we found roasting them gets them crispier & helps them retain their shape & texture better in the finished hash.)

In a skillet heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pepper & onions. Sauté until the onions are starting to get tender. Add the roasted potatoes & season salt. Reduce the heat a little & continue to cook until the onions are just starting to get a little brown.

Divide the hash between two plates & serve beef over the top.

2 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

24-Hour Crock Pot Beef Two Ways

Since we got 1/8th of a cow last year we still have some big roasts in our freezer that are best served by a long, slow cook. Matt's mom told us that one of their favorite way to use those roasts is to let them cook all day in beer in the crock pot. Then they had lots of moist, flavorful, tender beef to use in other recipes. Of course, we tried it right away.

We started with a 3 1/2 pound chuck roast with the bone still in it. Matt cut it into piece so it would fit in the crock pot. Then he added enough beer to just cover the meat, for us that was 1 1/2 bottles of Schell's Minnesota Wild Rice Farmhouse Ale. Then he sprinkled in 1 teaspoon each of oregano, garlic powder & onion powder. Turn the crock pot to low & just let it do it's thing for 20 - 24 hours. All the fat will have broken down & the beef will be incredibly tender. We separated the beef from the cooking liquid then let the liquid chill so we could easily remove the fat from it. You could of course eat the beef as it is at this point with a little of the sauce but we turned it into two other quick meals.

24-Hour Crock Pot Beef Sandwiches

For the first meal we turned the cooking juice from the beef into a sweet & tangy bbq style sauce. Mix a little sauce into the shredded meat & serve on a roll for a sandwich that will make you think of summer.

Sauce

2/3 c of cooking liquid
1/3 c ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c brown mustard
1 T malt vinegar
1/2 t chipotle powder

Whisk together & simmer for 20 minutes until thickened.

Makes enough for 4 - 5 sandwiches depending on how saucy you like them.

24-Hour Crock Pot Beef Chili

The remaining meat was used to make this hearty, smokey chili.

1 c dried pinto beans
3 1/2 c water
1/2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 c yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T Mexican oregano
2 t ancho chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t ground chipotle
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t epazote
1 - 3 jalapenos, seeded & sliced (use as many as you like)
1 1/2 pounds 24-Hour Crock Pot Beef
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
kosher salt

Simmer the beans in the water until tender, 2 - 3 hours (we do this in a small crock pot). Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid, & set aside.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion & sauté until translucent. Add the garlic, spices & jalapenos. Stir while cooking for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, reserved bean cooking liquid & beef. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & let simmer at least 30 minutes. Add the beans & salt to taste. Heat through. Serve with cheddar cheese & sour cream.

4 - 5 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Bison & Butternut Squash Chili

Usually, Matt is the chili maker at Chez Good Appetite. He never uses a recipe & is constantly changing up the meat & beans but, always comes up with a great result. This time though I decided to take a stab at chili myself & I have to say the results were darn tasty!

I'd made chili in the past with butternut squash it in but, was disappointed that the squash favor was overpowered by the other ingredients. This time I tried something different & roasted the squash separately, adding it to the chili at the end. Plus, I coated the squash cubes in a little maple syrup before roasting them to add some sweetness. This was totally the ticket! The squash retained its own squashy flavor which is perfect with chili seasonings. The biggest surprise to me was how much we liked the sweetness of the maple syrup & apple cider in the chili & how it played against the spiciness of the jalapenos & cayenne. Sweet & spicy chili is definitely something we'll be experimenting with again.

Bison & Butternut Squash Chili
(I used bison in this chili because we had a pound in the freezer but lean ground beef would be a perfect substitute.)

1 c dried black beans
1 1/2 lb butternut squash, seeded, peeled & cubed
2 T maple syrup
1 T vegetable oil
1 lb ground bison (or lean ground beef)
I medium onion, chopped, about a cup
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3 jalapenos, seeded & chopped
1 t kosher salt
1 t Mexican oregano
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t cayenne
1 14/5 oz can tomatoes
1/2 c apple cider

Simmer the dried beans in 3 1/2 c water in a covered saucepan until tender, about 2 hours. Set aside. Do not drain.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix the butternut squash & maple syrup together in a small roasting pan. Roast in the oven until tender, about 25 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heave pot over medium-high heat. Add the bison & cook through. Stir in the onion, garlic & jalapenos. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the salt, oregano, cumin & cayenne then cook while stirring for a minute. Add the beans including the cooking liquid, tomatoes including juice & apple cider. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer until thickened, about 1/2 hour.

Add the roasted butternut squash & serve with sour cream & hot sauce is desired.

Makes 5 - 6 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Sloppy Joes

I can't even tell you the last time I had a sloppy joe but Matt suggested them as a good use for the ground beef & buns we had leftover from camp this past weekend. I had forgotten how tasty they can be.

Growing up sloppy joes were always made with a packet of seasoning picked up in the soup aisle of the grocery store. As I've gotten older & started to care a little more about what I eat, I look at those seasoning packets & am shocked by the amount of salt in them. Matt couldn't believe I'd think of buying them anyway since he knew he could create just as good a seasoning mix with what we had in the spice drawer.

Of course, he was right & these were some of the tastiest sloppy joes I can remember having. The mix of the pepper & brown sugar gives them a sweet & spicy flavor that is just right.

Matt's Sloppy Joes

1/2 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t ancho powder (may just be labeled chili powder)
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 T brown sugar
3 T tomato paste
1 T spicy brown mustard
1/4 c water
salt

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion & cook until starting to soften. Add the beef & cook until cooked through. Stir in the pepper, ancho, paprika, garlic, cayenne & brown sugar until well blended. Stir in the tomato paste, mustard & water. Bring to a simmer. Cook well stirring from time to time until thickened, 5 - 10 minutes at the most. Taste & add salt as needed.

Enough filling for 4 - 5 sloppy joes

When was the last time you had a sloppy joe?

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Cottage Pie

I wasn't planning on posting this dish because the picture wasn't particularly good but when Susi over at Craftroom saw it on Flickr she asked me to post it A.S.A.P. I think she's always looking for taste-of-home dishes for her English husband.

When I was planning our weekly menu I thought I had ground lamb in the freezer & planned a shepherds pie. Then I realized the lamb was actually chozio which Matt was saving for chorizo & potato tacos. Luckily I have plenty of grass fed ground beef in the freezer so I just changed from shepherds to cottage. Mainly I was making this to use up some more of the parsnips in the fridge & we both really liked the flavor they added to the potato topping.

This recipe makes 2 individual cottage pies but you could easily double it & cook it in an 8" x 8" baking dish to serve 4.

Simple Cottage Pie

8 baby yukon potatoes, peeled & halved
2 medium parsnips, peeled & cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 T vegetable oil
1/2 lb ground beef
2 scallions or spring onions, sliced
4 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 T all-purpose flour
3/4 c chicken or beef broth
1/2 t dried rosemary
salt & pepper
1/4 - 1/2 c peas, fresh or frozen
10 pearl onions, fresh or frozen, sliced in half
1/2 T unsalted butter
1 T milk + more if needed

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put the potatoes & parsnips into a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil & cook until tender. When done, drain & return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef & cook until browned through. Add the scallions & mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms had released their liquid & most of it has cooked away. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle with the flour & stir while cooking for 1 minute. Add the broth & stir until thickened & bubbly. Stir in the rosemary. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Add the peas & onions & cook until just heated through.

Add the butter & milk to the cooked potatoes & parsnips. Mash until creamy, adding more milk if needed. Season with salt & pepper.

Divide the beef filling between two two-cup ramekins. Top with the mashed potatoes & parsnips spreading to cover all the beef filling. Bake for about 30 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

2 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Sliders on Hawaiian Bread Rolls

When we were making up the menu for this week Matt suggested we have burgers one night, he had seen some online that were on Hawaiian bread rolls & he wanted to try that. I decided to take the opportunity to try making my own Hawaiian bread & Matt tried a different method for cooking the burgers. We both thought the end result was one of the best burgers we've ever made!

I found a lot of recipes on line for Hawaiian bread so I combined what I learned from this & that to make my dough. This is a rich, sweet dough not unlike a brioche though not as quite as heavy. I left it to Matt to decide how to shape the bread & he went with pull apart rolls similar to the Hawaiian bread you get in the store. They turned out really fluffy & the perfect size for sliders. I'm not sure if they tasted exactly like Hawaiian bread but they were really good.


Hawaiian Bread Rolls

1/2 c warm water
1/2 c pineapple juice
1/4 c melted salted butter + more for brushing on the rolls before baking
1 T dry yeast
1/2 T kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 t vanilla extract
6 T sugar
3 c all-purpose flour

Put the water, pineapple juice & melted butter in a large container. Stir in the yeast. Add the salt, egg, vanilla & sugar, stir again. Add the flour 1 cup at a time. If it gets too hard to stir in with a spoon use your hand to incorporate it all. You should have a soft dough. Cover loosely & let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 - 3 hours.

At this point you can shape the rolls, rise them again & bake them but I put the covered container in the fridge & let it sit overnight ala Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

On baking day prepare two loaf pans by spraying them with non-stick spray. Shape the dough into sixteen 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 ounce balls (if the dough is a little stiff let it warm up a bit before shaping). Cover with a towel & let rise until doubled in size, 2 - 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the rolls with melted butter. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Makes 16 rolls.

Matt says he based his method for cooking these burgers on the steaming that White Castle does. He used a large skillet to create a lid over the burgers on the grill so that they cooked in their own steam. They came out so tender & juicy. I also loved the onions cooked with the burgers.

Matt's Sliders

1/2 pound of ground grass- fed beef
1 t steak seasoning
3 dashed worcestershire sauce
1 t salt
1/2 c chopped onion
non-stick spray
5 small slices of cheese, optional (we used monterey jack)

Mix the beef with the steak seasoning. worcestershire & salt. Form into 5 patties.

Heat a griddle over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the onions on the griddle. Place the patties on top of the onions. Use a skillet or other large pan to cover the burgers. Let cook for 3 minutes. Flip burgers over, add a cheese slice to the top of each burger if using & replace lid. Cook another 2 - 3 minutes for medium.

Serve on Hawaiian Bread Rolls that have been split in half with the toppings of your choice.

Makes 5 sliders.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Mini Italian Meatloaf

Sometimes the tastiest dish are born from using up what you have on hand, this is one of those dishes. I had half a pound each of ground beef & Italian sausage plus some roasted red peppers lingering in the fridge that needed to be used. We like to make our meatloaf with different ground meats so I thought why not use the Italian sausage & play on those flavors.

Boy, did these ever taste good! Matt wasn't so sure about the red peppers but they added great flavor & were't overpowering at all. I especially liked the glaze of ketchup & red wine on top with a little bit of grated Parmesan. The bacon wrapped around each meatloaf looked really great plus added a nice smokey/saltiness.

I was worried a pound of meat wouldn't be enough to fill one of our loaf pans so I made mini meatloaves in muffin tins. This actually ended up being a good way for us to control our portion size to about 3 oz of meat per serving. We each ate one for dinner & the remaining four will make nice sandwiches on some homemade oatmeal bread.

You can skip the bacon if you want. We actually made two without it but, found that the ones with bacon around them came out from the muffin tins much easier.

Mini Italian Meatloaf

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c roasted red pepper, chopped
1 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 egg
salt & pepper
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
6 slices bacon (you can do this with just 4 strips. Cut them to fit the tins & use the leftover pieces to got around the last two tins)
2 T ketchup
1 T red wine
grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Put the onion, garlic, red pepper, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and egg in a bowl. Beat lightly with a fork. Season with salt & pepper. Mix in the bread crumbs. Add the meat & use your hands to mix together being careful not to work the meat too much.

Grease or spray 6 muffin tins. Place a slice a bacon around the side of each muffin tin. Add the meatloaf mixture in the middle of the bacon filling the tins to the top.

Place the muffin tray on a baking tray to protect your oven from drips. Bake for 30 minutes.

Whisk the ketchup & wine together & brush on the top each meatloaf. Then sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let sit 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

6 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Sweet and Tangy Pot Roast

As some of you might know we got 1/8th of a cow for Christmas which means are freezer is full of beautiful roasts, perfect for cooking low & slow.

Matt wanted to flavor the beef with a little sweetness from the brown sugar & a little tanginess from the vinegar. He added the pearl onions & mushrooms mainly because we had them but we really loved their flavor, as well as the bacon, with the meat. Really the final product smelled & tasted a lot like boeuf bourguignon without a lot of the fuss.

Sweet & Tangy Pot Roast

4 strips good bacon, roughly chopped
3 c pearl onions, halved
2 c mushrooms, sliced
4 T brown sugar
3 lbs beef roast (we used an English Roast)
salt & pepper
1/4 t allspice
1 c dark beer
1 c chicken stock
1/4 c apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

In an oven proof dutch oven cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
Add the pearl onions & cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms & brown sugar & cook another 4 minutes. Remove from the pan & set aside.

Rub the meat all over with salt, pepper & the allspice. Reheat the dutch oven. Sear the roast about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan & set aside.

Add the beer, stock & vinegar to the still hot pan. Bring to a boil, scrapping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the beef to the pan. Top with the bacon, onions & mushrooms. Cover & move to the oven.

Cook for about 4 hours until the meat is very tender. Remove the meat & vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon to a serving dish & tent to keep warm. Bring the juices in the pan to a boil on the stovetop until reduced by half.

Serve the meat & vegetables with the reduced sauce on the side.

6 - 8 servings.

With just the two of us we had a lot of leftover meat but let me tell you it made an amazing chili later in the week.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

A Steaming Bowl of Pho

Matt is a big fan of Pho & after having a big bowl of it at Ngon two weeks ago he decided we should try making our own at home for lunches.

There are a ton of different recipes for pho broth out there using all different kinds of meat to flavor it. We decided to go with oxtail because that is what Ngon uses & because we noticed the grocery store had some. It made for quite a fatty broth but it was easy to remove the fat once the broth had chilled. I'm not sure how different the flavor was using oxtail as compared to say some meaty beef bones. It seemed to me most of the flavor came from the other things simmered in the broth, anise, fennel, ginger, etc... We have a lot of beef soup bones in the freezer so next time I'll skip the cost of the oxtail & try them.

Oxtail Broth for Pho

(adapted from Serious Eats)

1 1/2 t peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 1/2 lbs oxtail
4 quarts water
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
small knob of fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
1 cinnamon stick
seeds from 3 cardamon pods
1 star anise
2 whole cloves
1 t fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed with the skin on
1 t black peppercorns
fish sauce

In a large stock pot heat the oil over high heat. Add the onions & cook until the are turning brown. Remove the onions & set aside. Add the oxtail & water to the pot & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer & let cook for 15 minutes. Skim foam from the surface. Add the cooked onions & all other ingredients EXCEPT the fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer & partially cover. Let cook for 6 hours, skimming any foam from the surface. Strain the soup through a strainer covered with cheesecloth. (Try not to put the bones in the strainer as straining through them will give you a cloudy stock.) Refrigerate until the layer of fat on top is solid. Remove the fat before using.

Makes about 8 cups.

When you are ready to serve the Pho, reheat the amount if broth needed (about 1 1/2 cups per serving) & season it with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce per serving & some fresh ground pepper.

Then comes the fun part adding all the vegetables meat & noodles. You can really add what you like but traditionally it is served with a meat (we used thinly sliced flank steak cooked quickly in the boiling broth), cooked rice noodles, fresh chili peppers (we used a jalapeno), bean sprouts, onions or scallions, basil (which Matt says is really important), cilantro, fresh lime juice, hoisin sauce & sriracha. thinly sliced flank steak which cooked quickly in the boiling broth.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski