80: Will's Beef Stew

I don’t know why, but I had a serious craving for beef stew. Maybe I just wanted to do more slow cooking in December. It wasn’t cold, but I was determined to warm the house with delicious smells.

This stew is the ultimate winter season stew. I don’t use any flour or potatoes in the stew, so the sauce stays on the lighter side. I think the exclusion of flour and potatoes lets the natural flavors stand out. The addition of parsnips and fennel create a unique flavor base that is not typically found in traditional beef stew. The parsnips add a subtle sweetness, while the fennel adds that irresistible star anise flavor. I oven roasted sweet potato and green beans to go with this, but you could serve it with rice, or add potatoes to the stew for a more hearty profile.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 pound stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

-1 cup onion, diced

-1 cup celery, diced

-1 cup parsnips, peeled and cubed

-1 cup fennel, diced

-1 cup carrots, diced

-1 cup dry red wine

-2 1/2 cups beef stock

-generous portion of chopped rosemary, thyme, and sage

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced thin

-good handful of green beans

-olive oil

-salt + pepper

The Stew: Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a Dutch oven. When it begins to smoke slightly, about 5 minutes, add the beef and brown very well. Add salt and pepper as you brown the meat. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon once the meat is browned.

Lower heat to medium, and add the onions, carrots, celery, fennel, and garlic with a good bit of salt and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the wine to deglaze bottom, and simmer mixture for about 5 minutes. Now add the beef, the beef stock, and herbs. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 60 minutes. Add the parsnips, and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.

Veggies: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange sweet potato and green beans on a dish, and toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast them in oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!

74: Filet Mignon / "Cranberry Molasses" / Brussels Sprouts / Sweet Potato "Crustless Pie"

I had no intention of being creative with this dinner, but I am happy with some of the elements turned out tonight. The “cranberry molasses” doesn’t include cranberry at all, but I did use a hearty dry red wine with good acidity and tannins to balance semi-sweet marsala wine. It sure tasted like a cranberry sauce with that sweet and tart flavor. The “crustless pie” part of the sweet potato comes from accidentally using too much maple syrup and cinnamon. The puree comes out a little sweeter than I originally wanted to make it. Plus, there was no crust for what would’ve been a nice base for a sweet potato pie. I threw in the brussels sprouts to balance the sweet in the dish with something nutty and earthy. Add the main attraction of this dinner, filet mignon, and any steak lover will love this dinner. It’s a bit hands on, but I was able to get it done in an hour.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 filet mignons

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 shallot, diced

1 garlic clove, diced

10 brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Healthy pinch of ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 semi-sweet marsala wine

1/4 cup water

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

My new method of explaining directions is to break down each element of the dish to let you be creative with the timing. Tonight I will recite the steps I took as I went along to hopefully get you done with this dinner in an hour as I was able to do.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees before doing anything. Now start peeling your sweet potato, and chop the sweet potato. Fill a pot with water, salt and sweet potato and bring to a boil. Now you can get started on the rest of the prep. The oven should be close, if not done, preheating by this point. Be ready because this is where it gets really hands on.

After sweet potato are fork ready, place sweet potato, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add a little water if needed to this puree. Return to pot to keep warm.

Heat a dry cast iron plate over high heat for 3 minutes. Start 2 smaller pans on medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil – 1 pan for brussels sprouts, 1 pan for sauce. Sear steaks for 3 minutes per side of the steaks to lock in the juices. While steaks are searing, add brussels sprouts, pinch of shallots and garlic with salt and pepper to one of the pans. Roast these on low. Also while steaks are searing, sauté remaining shallots and garlic in the other pan, stirring often as to not cause them to burn or stick.

Add steaks to oven and cook for 8 minutes for medium rare, 10 minutes for medium, and well… shame on you if you’re cooking good meat past medium. Just kidding. Add wine to pan with shallots and garlic and reduce by half over high heat, about 4-5 minutes. Now add the marsala wine and reduce by half, about another 4 minutes. Remove steaks from oven and transfer to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of water to the sauce and continue to reduce. Keep an eye on the sauce, though, because you don’t want it to burn. You do want it to be reduced down pretty much all the way. Reduce heat if needed. Plate steaks and pour whatever juices accumulated from the steaks resting into the sauce and stir. Spoon sauce over steaks, serve vegetables however you wish.

Enjoy!!

62: Blackened Mahi Mahi / Roasted Pineapple & Mango Salsa

It was one of our typical Washington, DC hot and humid summer days that had our window AC units working overtime to keep the apartment cool. I wanted to make something that would be seasonal and not require too much stove action. I had some mahi filets that needed using, and I instantly thought of blackening them with a fruit salsa. The dish is at once spicy thanks to the spice rub and tangy sweet and savory thanks to salsa mix and the sautéing of the pineapples. We drank Graham Beck Chenin Blanc to wash it all down.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 mahi mahi filets

1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup diced mango

1/4 cup minced green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced firm ripe tomato, seeded and pulp removed

1-2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt and ground pepper

Paprika

Old Bay seasoning

Olive oil

Fish—Prepare your mahi mahi by creating a blackened rub. Mix together 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 2 tablespoons of old bay seasoning, and a 1/2 teaspoon of paprika in a measuring cup. Spread the seasoning on a plate, and toss the filets into the spice rub until well covered. Heat a cast iron plate with a thin layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Add filets and turn up heat to high to ensure proper blackening. Cook for 3 minutes per side. It’s normal for the spices to smoke a little bit on the pan, so be sure to use that stove fan if you have it.

Salsa – Sauté pineapple in just a splash of olive oil with a little brown sugar for about 3 minutes. Remove pineapple with a slotted spoon, and mix all the fruit, veggies, and cilantro together in a bowl really well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to meld flavors. Remove about 10 minutes prior to serving fish.

Plate and enjoy!

61: Veal Scallopini / Mushroom Marsala / Kale & Red Bell Pepper Salad

Veal, yes, veal in all its succulent and tender glory is draped in a savory mushroom marsala sauce, finished with earthy kale and sweet red bell pepper. I was surprised to see veal cutlets at the Safeway because they’ve never been known to carry such things in the past. Recipe ideas immediately began swirling through my head, and I just had to buy some of the cutlets. Here is what I ended up making that night. It’s quick and delicious – what more could you ask more?

Ingredients and Directions:

4-6 veal cutlets (about 3 oz each)

Handful of sliced baby bellas

1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup semi-sweet Marsala
1/4 cup dry white wine (can substitute chicken broth or water)
Leaves of 1 fresh rosemary sprig, chopped

2 handfuls of kale, shredded

1/2 a red pepper, thinly julienned

1/4 stick butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup flour

Minced parsley for garnish

Veal-- Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper, and dredge the cutlets through flour. Heat half of the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add the cutlets when butter finishes foaming, and cook the cutlets until golden brown – no more than 2 minutes per side. Transfer veal to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.

Sauce-- Add the rest of the butter and another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Saute shallot and smashed garlic cloves until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. Now add the mushrooms with salt and pepper, and saute them until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the marsala wine and reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and rosemary to deglaze the pan, and reduce by half once more, about 4 minutes. Add veal cutlets back to this pan, and toss them in the sauce for 1 minute.

Salad-- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add kale and bell pepper with salt and pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes, tossing the kale enough to wilt it down without having all the oil sopped up at once.

Plate, garnish, and enjoy!

55: Grilled Roasemary & Oregano Laced Chicken / Ginger Caramelized Sweet Potato Cakes / Garlic Broccoli

Here is another dinner I was able to cook by simply taking stock of my refrigerator and pantry. I love meals like this because I don’t have to go out and buy anything, and I try to grill as much as possible when it’s nice enough to do so. Dinner was a little hands on because of the timing with starting the grill and cooking the sweet potatoes, but it should be relatively easy to replicate on your own. Plus, I got to use herbs from my garden. The interplay of texture and flavors works really well together in this dinner.

We drank a tempranillo with this meal because it pairs well with the herbs and bitter/sweet contrast of the broccoli and sweet potatoes. It’s also not too big a wine that it would overpower anything on the plate.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 chicken breasts

Rosemary and oregano, finely chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into spheres

Ginger

Sugar

6-8 broccoli florets, sliced in half

Olive Oil

1 large clove of garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

For the chicken: Very lightly coat the chicken in olive oil. Now dredge the chicken breasts through the herbs on one side only. Add salt and pepper. Firmly press herbs and seasoning into chicken breasts. If using a charcoal grill like me, I recommend starting your grill after you have prepared the chicken breasts. Grill chicken to desired doneness. I like to undercook chicken just a tad to keep it moist. I think the breasts took about 10 minutes on the grill.

For the sweet potatoes: Boil in salted water for about 10 minutes, drain. You want them firm but not mushy, since you’ll be finishing them in a pan. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sauté sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes on each side. The trick to caramelization is to dust a healthy amount of sugar and ground ginger for each side of the sweet potatoes. Don’t forget salt and pepper. If they’re not turning black, or charred, turn up the heat and/or add more sugar. They should be crispy on the outside but soft on the inside.

For broccoli: Pretty standard preparation. Heat some olive oil and sauté broccoli with garlic, salt, and pepper for 3-5 minutes. Arrange everything on a plate.

Enjoy!

36: Elk "Steak" / Relish of Leeks, Wild Mushrooms & Zucchini / Sweet Potato Fries

My plan was to make elk burgers with an onion and roasted garlic mayonnaise, but I didn’t have enough garlic, onion, or buns. Instead I made “steaks” from ground elk with a relish of leeks, wild mushrooms, and zucchini, topped with aged white cheddar, made complete with sweet potato fries – all ingredients I already had in my refrigerator.

Elk is low in fat, calories, and cholesterol, while being high in protein and richer in flavor than beef. The texture is also heartier than beef. I’m happy to see different meats I cook are so popular on this blog. A quick peek at the Popular Posts section on the right side of this blog reveals that the veal chops and goat recipe are very popular. In fact, both recipes have been on the top since I posted them – that’s out of over 30 meals I’ve posted on here.

These elk “steaks” were admittedly pretty big once they cooked. I should’ve made three patties, but I went with two because we were pretty hungry. I was thinking they would shrink down a little when cooked, but they actually plumped up. The savory “steak” is a nice contrast with the heavenly sweetness of sweet potato – one of my favorite vegetables, along with kale.

By the way, I get all my “exotic” meats through my farm club, Arganica Farm Club. Check your local farmer’s market as well. Try these elk meatballs braised in red wine sauce as well.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb ground elk, room temperature (or actual elk steaks if you can find them)

1 leek, diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced for fries

1/2 cup wild mushrooms, diced (I used creminis and shiitakes)

1/4 cup zucchini, diced

2 slices aged white cheddar, room temperature

1 tbs each of basil, mint, and parsley

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine elk and herbs with about a tablespoon each of salt and pepper, and use your hands to mix together well. Form patties as big or as small as you like. Arrange sweet potatoes in an oven safe dish with a light coat of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking process.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add leeks to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add oil to a cast iron plate over medium high heat while the leeks are cooking. Add mushrooms and zucchini to leeks, reduce heat to low, season, and sauté for the duration you cook the elk, stirring occasionally and adjusting seasoning as you like. Add elk to the cast iron plate, and cook to desired doneness. I cooked the elk for about 7-8 minutes on each side, plus 2 minutes in the oven to melt the cheese on top, giving it a nice medium profile. Fries should be done at the same time you are ready to transfer elk to melt the cheese. Remove fries to cool while melting cheese in the oven. Add vegetable relish to your steak when cheese is melted to your liking.

Enjoy!

14: Puree of Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Soup

Soup, soup, and more soup! I still need to find my silky cauliflower soup recipe. In the meantime, enjoy this recipe. I still had leftover sweet potato puree as well as some leftover pumpkin puree from a pumpkin cheesecake Amber made Thanksgiving weekend when we hosted some friends for a mighty delicious bolognese dinner.

This is quick, less than 30 minutes if you have the puree already, and it will amaze anyone that you serve this to. I garnished it with mascarpone cheese, a sweet Italian dessert cheese.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 tbs flour

-1 tbs butter

-1.5 cups vegetable broth

-1 tbs brown sugar

-1.5 cups total sweet potato and pumpkin puree

-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-1/4teaspoon ground nutmeg

 -1 cup milk

 -1salt to taste

In a large saucepot, cook the flour and butter over medium-low. Stir constantly to achieve a light caramel color. Add the broth and brown sugar, bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer. Stir in the sweet potatoes and spices, bring to a simmer again, and cook for five more minutes more. In a blender, puree the soup and return to saucepot. Add the milk, reheat soup, and season with salt as necessary. Add a dollop of mascarpone cheese to the top.

Enjoy!

10: Goat Cheese & Rosemary Stuffed Chicken Breasts / Sweet Potatoe Puree / Roasted Balsamic Veggies

This may seem like a complicated recipe, but it is actually pretty quick and simple if you have leftover sweet potato puree. Since me and Amber went to a friend’s parents for Thanksgiving, we didn’t have the usual couple pounds of leftover turkey. This was our post-Thanksgiving meal. It’s delightful and light, the perfect remedy to overeating on Thanksgiving. I think the plating is a little sloppy looking here, but the lovely flavor profile more than made up for it. Roots vegetables are in season, so I added broccoli and cauliflower to this dish.

Ingredients and Directions:

-2 large chicken breasts

-1.5 cups sweet potato puree

-1.5 cups chopped broccoli and cauliflower

-Goat cheese (leave out at room temp 30-40 mins before cooking)

-1/3 cup chicken broth (or ½ cup white wine)

-2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary

-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

-1 garlic clove, minced

-3-4 tablespoons olive oil

-salt and pepper

-1 tablespoon butter

-toothpicks

Cut 3 inch pockets on the side of the chicken breasts in the thickest portion. Spread goat cheese and rosemary in the pockets of the breasts – use as much as you like! Use toothpicks to secure the openings. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

 Heat the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat in skillet large enough to hold chicken. Add the chicken, turn up to high heat, and sauté each side 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, add broth, cover, and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Heat olive oil on medium heat in skillet large enough for broccoli and cauliflower. Add sweet potato puree and ¼ cup water to small pan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan with oil after 2 minutes and sauté for 1-2 minutes more. Add broccoli and cauliflower, salt and pepper to taste. Splash vegetables with balsamic vin after 4 minutes. Stir puree and water while sautéing vegetables. Everything should be done about the same time. Reduce heat on puree and vegetables to low if done before chicken. Serve immediately, and add a spoonful or two of sauce from chicken over chicken breasts once on a plate.

Enjoy!

9: Scrambled Eggs / Sweet Potato Puree

With all this leftover sweet potato puree (and an empty fridge), I decided to make scrambled eggs with the sweet potato puree. I added a little maple syrup and a dash of sugar to the puree right before serving. This breakfast recipe is simple, yet mightily delicious!

Ingredients and Directions:

-4 eggs whipped with a fork

-1.5 cups sweet potato puree

-1/2 cup sliced onions

-2 minced garlic cloves

-minced parsley to taste (thyme or basil also works well)

-pinch of sugar (optional)

-splash of maple syrup (optional)

-butter (optional)
-olive oil

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan. Add puree to a small pan with ¼ cup water on medium heat – the idea here is to warm and moisten but not cook. Add garlic and onions to a large pan and sauté for about five minutes. Stir potatoes to absorb water while sautéing garlic and onions. Add eggs to large pan and scramble to desired doneness (I recommend keeping the eggs a touch moist.). Be sure to keep stirring the potato puree at the same time. Eggs and potatoes should be done around the same time - turn heat on potatoes down to low if they’re warmed before your eggs are done. Garnish eggs with parsley, and add maple syrup and sugar to the puree.

Serve and enjoy!

8: Sweet Potato Puree / A Truly Versatile Dish

Ahhh, the Fall season brings beautiful foliage, cooler temperatures, and Thanksgiving flavors. My girlfriend and I went to a friend’s parents for Thanksgiving, and she made a sweet potato pie with graham cracker crust. She also made way more sweet potato puree than needed for the pie (this recipe reflects enough to make as a side dish for 2-3 people). That “mistake” only meant I could make sweet potato-inspired dishes, which you will see in the next couple of posts. Sweet potato puree is incredibly easy to make!

Tips: This puree is made just a hint sweeter with maple syrup, but you can really play around with the flavor profile. For example, you can sub in lime juice and cayenne pepper or orange juice and ginger for the lemon juice and maple syrup. You can use the puree for a number of recipes such as a ravioli filling, or add eggs to make a pie filling.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cubed

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-Sugar to taste

-Maple syrup to taste

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-1 tablespoon salt

-1/4 stick of butter

Cover cubed sweet potatoes in water and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling until easily pierced with a fork, 10-15 minutes once brought to a boil. Drain and add potatoes to a large mixing bowl, if using a hand blender. You can also do this in a blender or food processor. Begin pureeing sweet potatoes while adding in all the other ingredients in the list. Puree to desired smoothness.

Serve and enjoy!

7: Root Vegetable Gratin / An Amazing Side Dish

Gratin is very much like casserole, so the possibilities are endless when it comes to making a gratin. Most of us are familiar with potato gratin, and I add a twist by using root vegetables. This gratin makes a perfect accompaniment with pork or chicken (I served it with steak, but I wasn’t happy with the pairing.).  I forgot to take a picture of this amazing dish, so I have included a stock photo of what the gratin looks like. This dish came out amazing, enriched with a semi-soft cheese of gruyere and cream.  This really shows off my Midwestern roots!

Tip:  Using a mandoline will make slicing the vegetables easy. Otherwise, better use a sharp chef’s knife, and watch your fingers!

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 tablespoon butter

-2 minced garlic cloves minced

-1 cup heavy cream

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

-Half pound parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

-Half pound sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

-Half pound celery root, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

-1 cup shredded gruyere cheese  

-1.5 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

-1.5 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg and heat just until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Arrange a layer of parsnips, slightly overlapping, in the baking dish. Add a layer of sweet potatoes on top, and then a layer of celery root. Pour half of the cream mixture over the celery root, and sprinkle half of the cheese, thyme, and parsley on top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for one hour. Remove the foil and lightly press the gratin down with a spatula to release air. Continue baking until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown, about 15 to 30 minutes more. Let the gratin stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!