Caribbean Beef Stew

Caribbean Beef Stew

This is a sweet stew made with beef.

recipe adapted from Chris over at Caribbean Pot

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs beef – cubed into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2 tablespoon cilantro

1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 1/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1/2 cup mushrooms

2 cups peas

2 sliced carrots

Start by cutting the beef into 1 inch cubes, add lemon or lime or vinegar. With the cubed pieces of beef in a bowl, start to season. Add all the ingredients mentioned above, except the oil, water and sugar. We’ll be using those later on in the dish. Allow the seasoned meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. For best results, leave to marinate about 2 hrs in the fridge.

In a heavy pot on high heat pour in the oil and allow to get hot, then place the sugar and move it around so it starts to melt, change color and bubble. Remember to use a long handle spoon to prevent getting burn and have the seasoned meat within reach. This step requires good timing. When you see the sugar fully melted and turns to a rich brown color, start putting in the pieces of meat. Remember to stir everything around, so it’s fully coated.

Leave on high heat for about 3 minutes, then turn down the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Allow to cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the pieces of beef gets evenly browned. You’ll notice that dish will release natural juices. Now remove the lid and turn the heat back to high med-high. We want to burn-off all the liquid and give the meat the lasting rich brown colour.

In the same bowl we seasoned the beef, add the water and swoosh it around a bit so every bit of remaining seasoning is mixed in with the water. When all the liquid (see pic above) is burnt away from the pot, add the water from the bowl.  Add the veggies.

Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. With the pot covered, allow to cook for about 1 hour or until the beef is really tender. If after the 1 hour of cooking there’s still a lot of water left in the pot, do turn up the heat and allow to burn off. You’re looking for a nice thick gravy.

I served mine over mashed potatoes, but you can also pair it well with any side you usually serve meats with – rice or salads.

Lasagna

This is a basic, back of the box lasagna that can be modified in many ways of your choosing.

Though I usually cook this with meat, today I didn't include it and didn't miss it either.

A good recipe to either make-ahead or double and freeze.  Always goes fast! :)

Ingredients:

10-12 lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (and or cheddar or a mixture of cheeses of your liking)
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes
italian seasonings to taste (basil, oregano, parsley)

optional:
1 pound sausage and/or ground beef or turkey, cooked and drained
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 can or fresh chopped mushrooms
1/2 of a red and/or green pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 350. 
In large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese and eggs (also spinach if using).  Mix well. 

In saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil, saute onions and garlic.  Add tomatoes and seasonings to taste.  I usually add about a half cup of the pasta water.  Add meat if using.

In a greased 15x9 inch baking dish (or two smaller casserole dishes), spread 1 cup sauce.  Layer lasagna noodles over sauce.  Top with a layer of cheese mixture then a layer of sauce.  Repeat.  Once the dish is filled, sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil.  Bake 40 minutes.  Uncover, bake an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  10-12 servings.

Baked Ziti (or Penne)

Baked Ziti (or Penne) – (fast version using a jar of sauce)

Now here's a classic midweek meal, or a hot dish to bring to a potluck. Baked ziti is a lot like American lasagna, but easier to make; it has practically the same ingredients but you don't have to fuss with lots of layers or broken noodles. This recipe is a pretty basic version, but everyone who makes baked ziti has their own unique tricks and twists to it. Some vary the cheeses, some the meat, some make meatless versions, and some people leave out the tomato sauce for a truly cheese-tastic casserole.

This version uses bulk Italian sausage, as well as a key herb. In summer, that would be basil. In winter, rosemary. You could also easily use savory, sage, thyme or parsley. Ziti is a pretty common pasta shape in most areas, but you can substitute penne pasta if you can't find it. You want a substantial short pasta shape with places to hold the sauce and meat. You can make this ahead, and either refrigerate or freeze before you do the final baking.

This is the classic back of the box recipe.  I usually double the recipe and it still disappears!  Using pasta with ridges holds the sauce best.  This casserole is always better the next day when the sauce has had a chance to rest into the pasta. J

Ingredients:

* 1 box of pasta (I use ziti but if you can't find that, use penne)

* 1 pound ground beef or turkey or sausage (optional)

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 small yellow onion, chopped

* 1 jar of marinara or other red sauce

* 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

* 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

* 1 teaspoon basil and/or oregano

* 1 teaspoon chili powder

* salt/pepper to taste

* 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Cook pasta according to package.

3.  Heat oil in a large skillet. Over medium, saute onion and garlic until soft.  Add meat (if using) and cook until brown then drain. 

4.  Add marinara and spices and simmer for 10 minutes.

6.  Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and add half of it to a 9x13 baking dish (or two smaller ones).  Then spread the cheeses over the pasta.

7.  Add the remaining pasta then top with remaining cheese.

8.  Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until hot and bubbly and cheese is golden brown.

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Baked Penne with Sausage & Creamy Ricotta – (In Depth homemade sauce)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 pound hot or sweet Italian fennel sausage, casings removed (or substitute ground turkey or ground beef)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound penne
3 cups ricotta 
1/2-1 pound freshly grated mozzarella and/or various grated cheeses
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (Parmesan)This Baked Penne with Sausage & Creamy Ricotta is a hearty pasta dish studded with chunks of meat and delicious filling with pockets of creamy ricotta cheese, all blended with penne in a homemade tomato sauce.  In fact, you can use any short pasta for this dish including farfalle, macaroni, ziti, shells, etc.  The best part of the dish is the ricotta. It really elevates the dish above the usual baked pasta casserole. The recipe makes a full 9x13 pan but you can also make 2 smaller baking dishes of this recipe; one to eat and one to freeze for later. To freeze, prepare the recipe and see the print below:

Baked Penne with Sausage & Creamy Ricotta
recipe obtained from Food & Wine Magazine

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the sausage or ground meat and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 8 minutes. Drain oil. Add the tomato puree, water, sugar, bay leaf, basil and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 30 minutes then discard the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, add the sausage and tomato sauce to and toss to coat the pasta.  Spoon the pasta into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish and dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top. Gently fold some of the ricotta into the pasta; don't overmix—you should have pockets of ricotta. Scatter the mozzarella on top and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cover with foil and bake the pasta in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

*Make Ahead/Freezer Meal: Prepare the recipe above but spoon the pasta into a freezer- and oven-safe container. Cover and freeze. When ready to serve, defrost and bake the pasta in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 30-45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole obtained from artistforpeace on redbubble.com

THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT BABY….This is one of my easy, delicious, go to dishes. It's great for a family night in but it's also a great dish that you can take to a friend. Just have everything in the pan ready to go, and finish cooking it there!

Directions:

1.  Pre-bake or boil chicken breasts, when tender, shred or cube/dice and set aside.
2.  In a saucepan, mix together cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and tomatoes.  Add onions/peppers and seasonings, cook on medium-high until veggies are semi-softened, approx 8 minutes.
3.  Cut tortillas in half.  Spray or grease baking dish (one 9x13 pan or two smaller dishes).  To begin, place tortillas in bottom of pan, overlapping edges.
4.  Layer: tortillas, chicken, 1/2 of liquids, and then 1/2 of the cheese
5.  Repeat.
6.  Bake uncovered @350 degrees for about 1 hour

Tips:

~ Serve with avocado slices, sour cream and jalapenos ala cart for the ’’hotties’’
~ Serve with lemonaid, mojitos, margaritas?
~ This dish is always better the next evening…so save some (hide it!) J Enjoy!

The King Ranch, located in south Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the world’s largest ranches (85% as large as Rhode Island).  It is the largest ranch in the United States.  The 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) ranch, founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with portions extending into Brooks, Jim Wells, Nueces, and Willacy counties. The ranch does not consist of one single contiguous plot of land, but rather four large sections called divisions. Only two of the four divisions border each other, and that border is relatively short. The ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.(wiki)

* 2 cans of cream of chicken soup

* 2 cups chicken broth (1 can)

* 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

* 10 (approx) corn tortillias

* 3-4 large chicken breasts

* 1 large onion ~ chopped

* 1 med. green/red pepper ~ diced small

* Seasonings to taste (salt/pepper, bay leaf, garlic, basil, oregano, chili powder)

* 1 lg. pkg. shredded Mexican cheese (sometimes I use two packages of various cheeses)

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients: ·        2-3 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, chopped into bite size pieces ·        1 large yellow onion, peeled & sliced ·        1-2 large carrots, peeled & sliced ·        2 celery stalks, chopped ·        4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped ·        1-2 zucchini, sliced ·        1-2 yellow crookneck squash, sliced ·        1 cup frozen corn ·        1 can kidney beans, drained (optional) ·        1 can stewed tomatoes ·        bay leaf/salt/pepper/chili powder to taste

Preparation 

1.   Place chicken, onion, celery, salt and pepper in a 10 quart stock pot.  Fill pot with water until ingredients are fully covered and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 1/2 hour or until chicken is tender.

2.   Add the rest of ingredients to pot and increase temperature to medium heat.  Be sure to add additional water if ingredients are not fully covered (you can also add a can of chicken stock if you prefer not to use your own seasonings).  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.

Note:  After cooling, this soup freezes well. 

Superbowl Sunday

For superbowl Sunday I made several things for my honey to snack on while yelling at the players on television.  It was a sad day for us Patriots fans, but at least our bellies were full!  And these little football trays were begging to be used! ;)

I've listed each dish individually here on my blog.  Click on the dish name to go directly to the recipe or just scroll down the blog.  I made:

Deviled Eggs

Potato Salad

Spinach Dip with Pita and French Bread

Eggrolls

Baked Subs

Pulled Beef Sandwiches



See how cute!

Pulled Beef Sandwiches

Number of hours cooking - 4-6 hours. Number of ingredients needed - 6 common ingredients. Number of pots/pans to cook in and clean - 1 slow cooker. Having an amazingly delicious dish on any day with little effort ... priceless!

Simply take a beef chuck roast, some garlic, dried rosemary, bay leaves, soy sauce and water and place it in a crockpot. Let it cook on medium for 4-6 hours or even longer. In fact, the longer, the better! The result is a super flavorful, extremely moist and juicy beef roast that falls apart. I shredded the beef (which was easy as it was falling apart) and placed it in between a toasted hamburger bun, then topped it with slices of provolone cheese. The au jus that develops is just as amazing and makes for a great thing to dip your sandwich into. It was one of the best sandwiches I've had in awhile and I'll definitely plan on making this again soon. This can also be made as a freezer meal!

Place roast in slow cooker. Season with garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves. Pour in soy sauce and water. Cook on medium setting for 4 to 6 hours.  

* 4 pounds beef chuck roast

* 1 tablespoon minced garlic

* 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

* 3 bay leaves

* 1 cup soy sauce

* 6 cups water

To serve, place in hamburger buns or split french bread and top with your preferred cheese if desired. Feel free to dip your sandwich in the au jus left in the slow cooker too!

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Place all the ingredients except the water into a gallon sized freezer storage bag; seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost completely. Place contents into your slow cooker and add 6 cups of water. Cook on medium setting for 4 to 6 hours.