Yucatan Green Chile Saute ~ Instant Pot

Chile is often on the menu at our home and this Yucatan Green Chili Saute from Melissa Joulwan's book Well Fed Weekends, has become a favorite!  We love that this is a quick onepot meal which includes protein and vegetables.  Even better, it's delicious freshly made or as leftovers.  Of course in our home, no good recipe can be left as found so we tweaked this one to our taste by mostly amping up the heat.  We also made this in the Instant Pot instead of on the stovetop.  Both are easy but we're in love with our Instant Pot and use is whenever possible. Great thing about chili, it's easily tweaked to your individual taste.  Check out both Melissa's original recipe and our adaption and make one or both, you won't be disappointed.

Yucatan Green Chile Saute ~ Instant Pot (Adapted from Well Fed Weekends)

• 1/2 TBS. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/4 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
• 2/3 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 2 TBS. red wine vinegar
• 1/3 c. raisins
• 1 head cauliflower, shredded or riced
• 8 oz. roasted hatch chilies (We use fresh but can use canned.  Can also use diced green chilies)
• 1/4 c. dry roasted pumpkin seeds (shelled) when serving

Cumin - lime sauce  (have all ingredients at room temperature)

• 1 egg yolk 
• 3 TBS. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/3 cup avacado oil or light tasting olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 1-2 small fresh jalapenos, (seeds and ribs removed if you want less heat)

Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the olive oil, heat until warmed.  Add the onion and saute until golden.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add the ground beef, salt, cumin, paprkika, pepper and oregano and brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.  Once browned, add the tomato paste and red wine, mix well.  Add the raisins, cauliflower and chilies.  Mix well. Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, close valve and set high pressure for 10 minutes.  Use natural pressure release.

While the chili is cooking, prepare the cumin-lime sauce.  

Place all the ingredients in a flask, and using an immersion blender, blend until thick and creamy.  Or, place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth and thick.

Serve the chili with a drizzle of the cumin-lime sauce and sprinke on some pumpkin seeds for a little crunch.

Enjoy~~

Sweet & Sour Un-Stuffed Cabbage Soup

We adore stuffed cabbage but making it can be awfully time consuming. Enter Un-Stuffed Cabbage Soup, tastes just as delicious and takes just a fraction of the work and time to make.  We make this for a quick hearty meal in the pressure cooker which cuts the time even more, but it’s just as easily made in a pot on the stovetop.
Sweet & Sour Un-Stuffed Cabbage Soup 

• olive oil
• 1/2 lb chuck steak, 1/2-inch dice, seasoned with salt & pepper
• 1 lg onion, diced
• 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 2 medjool dates, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• juice of one lemon
• 1 tsp. sour salt
• 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4 c. chicken or beef stock
• 1 small head green cabbage, roughly chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

(I make this in a pressure cooker but you can use a soup pot.)
Heat the olive oil and then sear the chuck steak cubes on all sides until browned. Remove the steak from the pot and set aside.  To the same pot add the onions and sauté until they begin to caramelize.  Add the garlic and ground beef and cook until the beef is browned.  Return the steak to the pot and add all the remaining ingredients.  Cook until the cabbage is tender. (I use a pressure cooker, 15 minutes at high pressure and then I let it cool to reduce the pressure instead of just releasing the valve)  Salt and pepper to to taste.  This is good the first day but gets better after it sits a day or two.
Enjoy!

Crack Slaw

So a friend of ours (hi Heather!! Big wave!) posted a picture and recipe for a dish called Crack Slaw. It looked like a simple and delicious dish so we decided to give it a try.  Heather said that it’s one of those dishes that you adjust the amounts to make it your own and that’s just what we did.  Here is our delicious version of Crack Slaw.  Crack Slaw

• 1 lb. ground beef 
• 2 tsp. Red Boat Fish Sauce
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 TBS. toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 scallions (green onions,)  white and green parts sliced in rings
• 1 TBS. minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, more or less to your desired heat
• 1 lb coleslaw mix with carrots
• 2 TBS. coconut aminos
• 1 tsp. kombucha vinegar, or white vinegar

In a large skillet brown the ground beef and season with the fish sauce and ground pepper.  Remove from pan and set aside.  In the same pan, heat the sesame oil and sauté the garlic, green onions, ginger & red pepper flakes until fragrant.  Add the coleslaw mix and cook until desired tenderness. (I like it so that it still had a bit of crunch.)  Stir in the coconut aminos and the vinegar and add back in the reserved beef and any accumulated juices.  Serve hot or cold, great either way!.

Enjoy!

Beef Keema

This month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Ilona’s blog Ilonaskitchen.  Ilona’s blog is chockfull of wonderfully delicious sounding recipes but when Indian food lovers like us happened upon not one, not two, but three keema recipes, well we knew what would be making an appearance in our home this month.  Out of the three recipes that Ilona had posted, we decided on this version as she made it once without the addition of coconut milk and then revisited the recipe making it a second time with the coconut milk, so we figured if she loved it the first time and went back to add in an ingredient as delicious as coconut milk, well it just had to be really, really good.  And good it was, totally delicious in fact and the creaminess of the coconut milk with the spiciness of the meat…pure perfection!

Of course there were a few changes we made to the original recipe.  We really love intense flavors so we cut the amount of meat back but kept the original amount of spice.  Also, we haven’t been eating white potatoes or peas so we swapped out the white potato with sweet potato and just nixed the peas.  We enjoyed the Beef Keema with Plantain Wraps, which kept our meal gluten and grain free but totally flavorful and satisfying.  Enjoy this version or Ilona’s version, either way you won’t be disappointed.

Beef Keema (adapted from here)

• 1 tablespoon Ghee
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 TBS. minced fresh ginger
• 2 TBS. Madras curry powder
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• One 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat the ghee. Add the ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Cook, breaking the meat apart into small pieces, until there is no pink left.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger & curry powder. Stir and cook until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the sweet potato, making sure to coat it with all the flavors in the pan. Add the broth, coconut milk and canned tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 15-20 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, crush about half of the sweet potatoes into the broth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro, accompanied by plantain wraps, naan or chapati.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup

 “Peas and Carrots, Carrots and Peas.  Book come out, please, please, please!”  That phrase of Princess Pea’s from Super Why has been haunting me like the March of the Toreadors, It’s a Small World and the music from Peter & the Wolf.  Don’t you just hate when a song gets stuck in your head and drives you crazy?  So you ask why is that phrase haunting me?  Well this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the two specified ingredients of, you guessed it, peas & carrots, carrots & peas, let me figure this out, please, please, please! 

If you don’t have a child or have never seen Super Why, what happens is that Whyatt, the main character gets a call on his computer in which he discovers that one of the other characters has a "super big problem". After investigating the problem Whyatt calls on all the "Super Readers" to come to the Book Club.  There the four characters, Whyatt, Pig, Red Riding Hood, and Princess Pea gather.  Whyatt plugs in his Super Duper Computer and uploads data about the problem and they all discuss it.  Once the problem is discussed, Whyatt says, "When we have a question, we look ... in a book!" Pig always asks, "Which book should we look in?" and in response, Princess Pea casts a magic spell to summon the appropriate book: “Peas and Carrots, Carrots and Peas.  Book come out, please, please, please!”  The book then magically descends from the shelves.  Whyatt, invites the audience to read along, summarizes the problem faced by the book's characters and drawing a parallel to the problem the Super Readers are trying to solve. The Super Readers follow the storyline to solve the problem applying their literacy skills to change the story when needed to overcome any obstacles.  Throughout the story they are rewarded with red glittery "Super Letters" which are uploaded into the Super Duper Computer, eventually forming the words that make up the solution to the "super big problem."  Yes I know, for those of you who have never experienced the show you now feel like you have a “super big problem” and have missed out…or maybe I have a “super big problem” as I know oh-too much about this show.  I’m just glad that Maisie’s outgrown the show…even if it is still haunting me there’s hope that the haunting will end. 

So now that you’ve read this far, let me tell you that I could have used Whyatt, the Super Readers and a magical book as I was at a complete loss as to what to make using peas & carrots.  That was until I had my DUH… moment.  I seriously for an entire month had been wondering what on earth to make using peas and carrots and then I just wasn’t feeling well, our weather was cold and stormy and I wanted to make some comforting soup, my Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup.  I was writing out my shopping list, beef, split peas, barley, string beans, yellow squash, parsnips, carrots, lima beans, mushrooms… and light dawned on Marblehead… peas & carrots, carrots & peas, I had found my recipe, please, please, please!

My Mom doesn’t remember if it was her Mom or my Dad’s Mom who originally made this soup but either way it’s been made my entire life and has always been a favorite of mine.  Of course the recipe below can be cut down but just like my Mom does, I make the recipe as written which makes a huge, and I mean HUGE pot of soup.  I then freeze individual sized portions so that anytime I crave this delicious, comforting soup, it’s there in the freezer, ready to be eaten after just a few minutes of defrosting and heating in the microwave.  

Peas & carrots, carrots & peas, try & enjoy this soup, please, please, please!!

Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup

• 6 lbs. beef (flanken, beef short ribs, chuck steak)
• 2 – 3 lbs. beef marrow bones (optional)
• 1 lb. dried split green peas
• 1/3 lb. barley
• 6 oz. dried baby lima beans
• 1 1/2 lbs. fresh string beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 lbs. fresh baby carrots, cut into coins
• 3 lbs. fresh yellow summer squash, cut into half rounds
• 3 small fresh parsnips, peeled & cut into coins
• 1 lb. fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
• Better than Bouillon beef soup base
• sea salt to taste

In a very large stock pot add the meat and marrow bones and cover with 3x the depth of water.  Add the peas, barley & lima beans to a cheesecloth or put into a colander and suspend into the water.  Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cook at a simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the peas, barley & lima beans are soft.  Skim the soup as needed.  Once everything is soft, empty the contents of the cheesecloth/colander into the beef stock and add the string beans, carrots, summer squash, parsnips, mushrooms and soup base to taste.  Simmer until the vegetables are cooked and soup has thickened to desired consistency.  Add salt to taste. 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

February 2013  Hearts & Flours:  Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013  Bananas & Nutmeg:  Baked Bananas 
December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

**CLOSED** **GIVEAWAY** Certified Steak & Seafood ~ $50 Gift Certificate **CLOSED**

Congrats to Trice from High Heels & Good Meals.  I hope that your choice from Certified Steak & Seafood provides for some wonderful meals.

Recently I blogged about some wonderful Prime Filet Mignon and Chilean Sea Bass which I received from Certified Steak & Seafood.  With the gorgeous filet I made a fabulous Steak au Poivre which delighted us beyond words and with the fish I made a simple yet delicious Sesame Ginger Sea Bass which Maisie just couldn’t get enough of. 

Both the beef and the fish arrived at my door individually vacuum sealed, frozen and packed in a cooler with dry ice so it was easy for me to defrost or just pop into the freezer.  For me, finding and purchasing USDA prime beef, like the filets I received is difficult but with Certified Steak & Seafood it’s easy to order online.  What’s also really nice is that they allow you the ability to choose up to 12 weeks out, the arrival date of your order.  So order for that special holiday or gift and your order will arrive the day you choose.

After enjoying the wonderful steaks and fish I couldn’t wait to have more and what better way than at a discount?  So, I entered the "Spread the word to Win a $50 Gift Card for Certified Steak & Seafood" contest through The Foodie Blogroll, hoping to win a $50 Gift Card to Certified Steak & Seafood!  Well guess what?  I WON!!  Even better, you can win too as I received a second $50 Gift Card from Certified Steak & Seafood to give away to one of my wonderful readers. 

At the end of the giveaway I will provide the one lucky winner with the gift certificate code.  Just follow the directions below for all the ways to enter.  For a little luck of the Irish, entries will be accepted up until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, March 17, 2013 and the winner will be chosen by random draw.  I will contact the winner via email and they will have 48 hours to contact me with their email address.  If there is no contact, after the 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.  Certified Steak & Seafood only ships to U.S. and Canada residents.

How to enter:

Required entry:

• Leave a comment on this post letting me know which is your favorite, beef or fish and your favorite preparation.

Additional entries:

You can earn up to four additional entries:  Each item you do counts as one additional entry so please leave a separate comment for each, letting me know that you are already a member or follower or now have done each item.

• Become a member and follow Cook Lisa Cook.
• Become a follower of Cook Lisa Cook on Twitter.
• Follow me on Pinterest.
• Visit Certified Steak & Seafood and come back and tell me how you would spend your $50 gift certificate.

Good luck!

Steak au Poivre

Years ago…well I should say decades ago as it was probably 20+ years ago, I remember enjoying one of the most wonderful steaks I’ve ever eaten.  It was steak au poivre, prepared tableside at a very upscale, now defunct, restaurant in Aruba called Chez Mathilde.  A number of times through the years I’ve made steak au poivre and though I could get the flavors where I wanted, the quality of the filet mignon was never quite as buttery and tender as the one I remembered.  So when I was asked by Certified Steak & Seafood* to sample and review their Prime Angus Filet Mignon, I knew immediately what recipe I wanted to make. 

The Certified Steak & Seafood Filet Mignon steaks arrived at my door individually vacuum sealed, frozen and packed in a styrofoam cooler with dry ice.  It was easy to just pop the steaks in the freezer to be used at a later date…but I couldn’t wait.  Instead of placing the steaks in the freezer I put them in the fridge and allowed them to defrost overnight.  Less than 24 hours after the steaks arrived I was cooking and we were enjoying them.  Finally!!  I found steaks as tender and buttery as I remember those from years ago at Chez Mathilde.  Not only were these Certified Steak & Seafood filets tender but the flavor was gorgeous, even without the amazing sauce that I prepared.  The Certified Steak & Seafood Prime Filet Mignon steaks were just wonderful and we’re looking forward to enjoying more in the near future along with some Chilean Sea Bass*.  Certified Steak & Seafood also sent samples of Chilean Sea Bass which I did pop into the freezer and am looking forward to trying very soon but with our busy schedule it will have to wait until after the holidays so please check back for that recipe and review.

For the home cook, finding and purchasing USDA prime beef, like these filets is often difficult but with Certified Steak & Seafood it’s easy to order online and what’s really nice is that they allow you the ability to choose up to 12 weeks out, the arrival date of your order.  Think about it, order now and have it delivered for New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion.  Plus if you order now you can use coupon FBR125D on the Certified Steak & Seafood website to get $25 off your order.

What Certified Steak & Seafood says about their Buttery Prime Angus Filet Mignon

:

"If there was ever a steak that you will believe can “melt in your mouth” the Certified Steak and Seafood Prime angus Filet Mignon is it. With a delectable almost sweet beef flavor, and a strong buttery undertone that only Prime angus offers, it has to be tasted to be believed.

Each Prime angus filet is slow aged,  custom cut and trimmed for consistency in color and quality. It is a flavor you will remember long after your meal is over. Great accompanied by grilled root vegetables and horseradish mashed potatoes.”

  Visit the Certified Steak & Seafood website! Use coupon FBR125D to get $25 off your order.

Steak au Poivre (very slightly adapted from here)

• 2  filet mignon steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each and no more than 1 1/2 inches thick
• Kosher salt 
• 1 TBS. whole black peppercorns 
• 1 TBS. butter 
• 1 tsp. olive oil 
• 1/3 cup Cognac
• 1 cup heavy cream

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes prior to cooking. Make sure that the steaks are dry and sprinkle all sides with salt.

Coarsely crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, the bottom of a cast iron skillet, or using a mallet and pie pan. Spread the peppercorns evenly onto a plate. Press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan.  Once placed, do not move them other than to turn them one time.  For medium-rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with aluminum foil and set aside. Pour off any excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Off of the heat, add the Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or utility lighter. Gently shake pan until the flames die. Return the pan to medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt.  Add any of the accumulated juices from the steak resting plate back to the pan and stir to mix in.  Spoon some of the sauce onto the serving plate, top with the steak and drizzle a little more sauce over the top.  Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

More about Certified Steak & Seafood:  “Our commitment to our customers is simple: Offer the highest quality products at the best price and back it with a 100% guarantee. We source directly with no 'middle man' making our supply chain the shortest in the industry. This allows us to maintain the highest quality standards all the way to your plate. On top of this, we sample all products at the moment of final packaging and have a world-renowned laboratory test for various types of adulteration or contamination. This ensures that the food you purchase from us is pure and safe.

Certified Steak and Seafood Company was formed by the three Frisch boys, Mark, Adam, and Steven; all of whom thought that everyone should be able to buy the highest quality steaks and seafood direct. The brothers experience comes from a three generation family owned wholesale company that is one of the largest seafood importers in America.

They have vast experience in sourcing and selling high quality seafood and meat products to the commercial trade — and bring you the same grade of products fine restaurants, resorts, hotels, and high-end retail stores demand – and at a direct price that gives you tremendous value for every purchase.”

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion. I was provided with a box of products to sample.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Certified Steak & Seafood products.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Back in August  for my Secret Recipe Club assignment I was assigned Barbara’s blog, Barbara Bakes and I for my post I decided to make her Chicken Satay Noodle Salad but a number of her other recipes caught my eye including her Braised Beef Short Ribs.  I couldn’t get the rib recipe out of my mind but as our temps were in the high 90’s & 100’s I just couldn’t bring myself to run the oven for 2+ hours so I saved the recipe and tried to put it out of my mind.  As soon as the temps took a little dip though, my thoughts returned to her ribs and I just had to make them.

Even though the recipe takes two days to make, it’s not a lot of hands on time.  The  first day the ribs are browned and braised and then chilled overnight to not only allow the accumulated fat to congeal on the top so that it can easily be removed but also allowing the ribs to soak up all the wonderful flavors.  Then on the second day the ribs are cooked in the braising liquid on the stovetop as the liquid is reduced to a wonderful glaze. 

Barbara said that these ribs were fall off the bone delicious and we all agree but I would add the word “rich” to the description as well.  I didn’t make any ingredient changes to Barbara’s recipe but I did adjust my amounts slightly.  So were these ribs worth a two day cooking process…heck yes!!  I will be making these again and I’m thinking that next time I am going to make one addition to the recipe, I’ll add some fresh mushrooms because they would soak up the flavor of the sauce and be absolutely wonderful with the the beef.

Braised Beef Short Ribs (adapted from here)

• 5 lbs. beef short ribs, bone-in
• Salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 750-ml bottle good dry red wine (I used a merlot)
• 6 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 350°F. Season ribs to taste with the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed ovenproof pan over high heat. Add ribs and brown on all sides. Work in batches if you need to so that the ribs don’t get crowded (this will help with browning).

Transfer ribs to a plate. Pour off excess fat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and sauté, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan, set aside. Then add the wine to the pan, deglazing the pan, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by three-quarters until thick and slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes.

Return the ribs to the pan, add the beef stock and enough water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid or foil and place in the oven. Braise, cooking in the oven until the meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. During the last 1/2 hour of cooking add back in the vegetables. Allow the ribs to cool in the liquid, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day remove the excess fat that has solidified at the top from the overnight chilling. Place the pan with the ribs and cooking liquid over medium heat, uncovered. Cook until the liquid has reduced by three-quarters, about 1 hour. Continue to cook, spooning the sauce over the ribs, until the sauce is thick and ribs are glazed. Take care not to burn the glaze; move the ribs around in the pan to keep them from burning.

Serve over saffron rice (Maisie’s request), mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.

Enjoy!

Steak with Bourbon & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

Maisie adores nice, rare, perfectly grilled steak, especially if it has been marinated in a delicious, slightly sweet sauce just like this Bourbon & Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce.  I marinated the steak for a few hours in some of the sauce and then grilled the steak, brushing a little bit more on as it cooked.  This sauce was absolutely delicious and would also be fabu on some ribs so that will be my next go with it.  I served the steak with a little salad, drizzled with the Fig Balsamic Dressing from this recipe, and my Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Sour Cream.  A totally delicious, rich and filling meal. 

Steak with Bourbon & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce (adapted from here)

• 1 cup ketchup 
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 3 tablespoons Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 
• 3 tablespoons mild (light) molasses 
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
• 11/2 teaspoons liquid smoke 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes   
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Bring all the ingredients to boil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer until sauce is reduced to 2 cups, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover & chill. Use at room temperature.

I marinated the meat for a few hours in some of the sauce and then brought the meat to room temperature before grilling.  As the meat grilled I brushed on additional sauce.  Allow the cooked meat to sit for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Baked Meatballs

Maisie adores meatballs and last week she asked for some and as they’re so simple to make I whipped up a batch.  Because of Maisie’s allergies I don’t use eggs or bread crumbs when making the meatballs.  To substitute for the egg I use chia seeds and for the bread I use potato flakes.  To add some extra calories I also incorporate ground walnuts into the mixture and they add a really nice texture to the finished meatball.  These meatballs have great flavor and texture and I love that Maisie adores them and will easily eat six to eight of them at one go.  Maisie enjoys eating the meatballs dipped either in ketchup or bbq sauce but they’re also delicious over pasta with a sauce or as part of a meatball sub sandwich. 

 Everything goes in one bowl and is mixed together,

 I portion out the meat using a large cookie scoop then roll the scoops into balls before placing them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Twenty minutes in the oven and Maisie’s meatballs are ready to serve.

Baked Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 2 TBS chia seeds
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup potato flakes
• 1 cup ground walnuts
• 1 TBS Italian seasoning 
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl add the hot water and chia seeds and mix well.  Allow the chia seeds to hydrate for five minutes.  Add all the other ingredients and using your hands mix well.  Using a large cookie scoop portion out the meat.  Roll the portioned out meat into balls and place the meatballs on a the prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.  Serve with sauce or as Maisie likes them, with a side of ketchup or bbq sauce.

Enjoy!

Jamaican Jerk Meat Pies

Almost four months ago I joined The Secret Recipe Club and because of that I have been having so much fun discovering new blogs and recipes.  Because of that group I’ve enjoyed making some great new recipes, Home Style Chicken Curry, Holy Guacamole and Cilantro Lime Chicken.  I’ve really enjoyed participating with other food bloggers in posting and sharing our finds, adaptations and new-to-us recipes all on the same day and at the same time.  I thought a once a month cooking and posting commitment would be a lot of fun and probably just the right amount of work and commitment to keep me motivated in posting to my previously neglected cooking blog.  Never did I imagine that it would really light a spark and get me posting more…and a lot more.  In the past four months I have posted a total of 53 recipes which isn’t much less than what I posted during the previous five years combined, which was a total of only 59 recipes.  Looks like 2011 is going to be a good and delicious year here in the Cook Lisa Cook house. 

Since I’ve been having so much fun with my Secret Recipe Club postings I decided to join another cooking group.  If you’ve read much of this blog or my Moments with Maisie blog, you know that we love to travel and we enjoy foods from all over the world.  So when I saw that German Mama of From Arepas to Zwetschgen was starting a new cooking group called Cook Around the Globe, I thought what a perfect fit for me and how fun it would be to join again with other food bloggers and explore recipes from an assigned region of the world.  I had fun cooking along with the theme this month and I’m looking forward to see where I’ll be visiting next with new food flavors and recipes.  Check out From Arepas to Zwetschgen on September 1st to see all the other bloggers who are participating as well as their recipes as we Cook Around the Globe.    

For this, the inaugural month of Cook Around the Globe the theme is Bermuda & the Caribbean "North" (Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.)  As it worked out, I have had a recipe idea swirling around in my mind for many, many months, to combine a traditional Jamaican meat pie with my favorite Jerk Chicken marinade and make a Jamaican Jerk Meat Pie.  What had stopped me though from attempting this was really two things.  First, I’m not always great at making pastry dough and honestly I just couldn’t motivate myself to take on the challenge and second, I rarely fry things in the house.  When light finally dawned on Marblehead here and I realized that I could use ready-to-cook tortillas, well that took away the biggest hurdle.  Then, because my idea fit so perfectly with the theme this month, well I decided that this was my opportunity to give my recipe a try so I decided to fry.

The process of making the pies was quite simple.  First, the Jerk Sauce all comes together in a blender, easy peasy.  For the filling I browned my meat, added the veggies and Jerk Sauce and cooked it for a few minutes and the filling was done.  Then the dough was easy, open the package.  Forming the pies wasn’t difficult but I have included pictures of the process.  Then it was just a quick fry to cook the dough as the filling was already completely cooked. 

The ready-to-cook flour tortilla wrappers worked out perfectly, making a nice thin, crunchy crust.  The pies were best right out of the fry pan but they were still pretty tasty the following day when I heated them up in the oven so to “crisp up” the dough.  Eammon and I really enjoyed the flavor of the Jerk seasoning and the pies had just a little bit of spicy kick, not overly spicy or spicy “hot”.  Because we really enjoy spicy “hot”, I think next time I’ll add a second Scotch Bonnet to the mix.  These Jerk pies were also a nice change in flavor from the traditional Jamaican meat pies that we usually enjoy.  I’ll be making these again and I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try too and enjoy it as much as we did.

Working one (half) tortilla at a time, paint half of the straight edge with the water/flour “glue.”  Don’t be stingy as you want the dough to stick together and the “glue” will cook when the pies are fried so it won’t be noticed.

 Create a cone by wrapping the edge with the “glue” over the other half of the straight edge and squeeze along the “glue” line to seal.

Place approx. 1/4 cup of the cooked meat mixture into the cone.

Paint the flour/water “glue” along half of the inside open edge.

Squeeze the open edge closed to seal tightly.

The sealed up pie ready to be fried.

The pies fried up very quickly as I was only trying to cook the dough because the filling was already cooked.  Turn pies to cook both sides and when golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined pan to drain.

Delicious!

Jamaican Jerk Meat Pies

1 lb. ground chuck
1 Scotch Bonnet (habanero) pepper, seeded
8 scallions, trimmed, whites & greens
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup white vinegar 
1 TBS soy sauce 
1 tsp dried thyme 
2 TBS powdered allspice 
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
2 TBS Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
1 cup frozen veggie mix, I used peas, carrots, corn and green beans
8 (8-inch) ready-to-cook flour tortillas, cut in half

a bit of flour and water mixed together to form a paste to "glue" the dough together
Oil for frying, your choice: corn, vegetable, canola

In a large skillet brown the meat breaking it apart as it cooks into a fine mince. 

While the meat is cooking add the Scotch Bonnet, scallions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, thyme, allspice, cinnamon and brown sugar to a blender and process until smooth.

Once the meat is mostly browned, add the veggies and all of the Jerk sauce from the blender.  Continue cooking the meat until it is fully cooked and most of the Jerk sauce has been absorbed.

Heat about 1/2-inch of oil in a large fry pan.

Working with one half of a tortilla at a time, paint the water/flour “glue” along half of the straight edge and then fold the “glue” edge over the other half of the straight edge to form a cone.  Press well to seal.  Add about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture to the cone.  Paint the “glue” along half of the still open inside edge and then seal up the pie. 

Fry the pies on both sides until golden.  Remove to a paper towel lined pan and allow the pies to drain.  Serve hot or at room temperature. 

Enjoy!