Red Curry Beef

One of the best curry dishes I’ve tasted outside of an authentic meal.  Don’t be afraid of the pungent aromas of the fish sauce.  It has a very strong unique smell, but tastes like heaven when it has time to incorporate with the dish and mellow out, and a necessary ingredient for the dish.

2 Pd. Cubed beef
1 lg. Onion, minced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
15 oz. Coconut Milk
2 C. Baby Spinach, rough chopped
1 C. Beef Broth
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. Red Curry Paste
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Fresh Basil leaves, chopped

In a crockpot, combine broth, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, curry and lime. In a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Cook beef in batches until browned. Place in slow cooker. Saute onions and garlic in skillet until translucent and tender adding more oil if necessary. Place in the crockpot. Stir to evenly coat the beef with the liquid mixture. Cook on low for about 8 hours or until the beef is tender. Add spinach. Cook about another hour until spinach is wilted. Serve with jasmine rice. Sprinkle with basil if desired.

Meatball Tortellini Soup

When the temperature drops, there’s nothing like curling up on the couch with a bowl of hot, comforting soup.  This one fits the bill.  As an extra bonus, this soup is pretty healthy and great as a leftover meal the next day.  Add extra heat with the red pepper flakes.  If you are not a fan of ‘heat’ in your foods, than leave that ingredient out altogether. 

Meatball:
½ Pd. Hamburger
¼ C. Parmesan, grated
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Parsley, minced
1 Egg, beaten

Soup:
¼ C. Parsley, minced
1 tsp. Celery Seed
2 Carrots, diced
1 Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
4 C. Spinach, chopped
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
6 C. Beef Broth
16 oz. Cheese Tortellini
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Vegetable Oil

Combine all ingredients for meatballs. Season with salt and black pepper. Form into balls. Heat oil in stock pot. Fry meatballs in batches until cooked through. Set aside. Add more oil if necessary to the pot. Add carrots, onions, garlic. Saute until softened. Add spinach. Cook about 5 minutes until wilted. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Add meatballs, parsley and tortellini. Simmer until tortellini float to the top and meatballs are heated through. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meatball and Bean Stew

A hearty soup that is high in protein and in flavor.  Keeps well in the fridge, so you can make a big batch on Sunday night and then enjoy during the week.  Serve with crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious broth.

 

Meatballs:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 small Yellow Onion, minced
1 ½ tsp. Paprika
1 Pd. Ground Chuck
1 ½ tsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp. Parsley, minced
1 Egg, beaten

Stew:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
5 C. Beef Stock
16 oz. White Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
1 C. frozen Spinach, chopped

Heat oil in large soup pot for meatballs. Saute onions. Let cool and mix all ingredients in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into 1 oz. balls. In the same pot, add meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Heat oil for stew. Add onions and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add stock and bring to low simmer, loosening any browned bits from the bottom. Add meatballs, beans and spinach. Cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.



Irish Beef and Stout Stew

Nice hearty cold weather stew.  If you’re not a fan of stout beer, don’t be turned off by the recipe.  I personally don’t like the taste of the beer straight from the bottle, but do love the taste of this stew when it’s been simmered for hours.  Serve with your favorite bread.



4 pds. Beef Chuck Roast, 1” cubed

¼ C. Flour

12 oz. Tomato Paste

12 oz. Irish Stout Stew

20 oz. Baby Peas

2 pds. Potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 med. Onions, diced

4 C. Beef Broth

8 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350.  Toss beef with flour. Set aside.  In large Dutch oven, heat broth over medium heat.  Stir in tomato paste, until dissolved.  Add remaining ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to boil.  Cover with lid and transfer to oven.  Cook, covered until tender 2- ½ to 3 hours.  Adjust seasonings to taste. 

Kale and Ham Gumbo

Very comforting cold weather recipe.  Use as many different greens as you want for this, eg. spinach, mustard greens, etc.

 

2 Tbsp. Oil
1 - ½ C. Ham, diced
1 onion, diced
3 Pds. Kale, chopped, ribs removed
45 Oz. Chicken broth
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf
½ tsp. Thyme, dried
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper

In large stockpot, heat oil. Add ham and onion. Cook until onion is softened. Add garlic. Cooked 5 – 10 minutes more. Add greens. Cook until wilted. Add broth, 5 C. water, bay leaf. Thyme, salt and cayenne. Bring to boil, then simmer 2 – 3 hours until kale is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over cooked rice.

Chicken and Carrot Stew

If you prefer not to have the stew version of this meal, you can follow the recipe to the point of deglazing the pan with wine and then return the chicken to the pan with a lid on and fully cook the chicken. 

2C. Carrots, sliced ½ “ rounds
1 Lg. Onion, diced
1 ½ Pd. Chicken, cubed
4 Tbsp. Flour
1 tsp. Thyme
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 C. White Wine
2 C. Chicken Broth
½ C. Heavy Cream
¼ C. Fresh Parsley, minced
1 ½ C. Bowtie pasta

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken and shake well to coat. Heat 1 Tbsp oil a in large skillet over med-low heat. Cook onions, stirring frequently until softened. Remove from skillet. Increase heat to med-high. Add chicken in a single layer, cook until browned. Flip chicken and brown on the other side. Chicken will not be cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet. Add wine to deglaze the bottom of the skillet, bringing to a boil and scrapping the browned bits from the bottom. Lower the heat and simmer until reduced by a third. Add the chicken broth and carrots. Return the onions and chicken to the skillet. Cover with a lid and cook on low until the carrots are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the mustard and cream until mixed. Add pasta, making sure it is submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook on low until pasta is cooked ., stirring occasionally until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, keeping the skillet covered for 5 – 10 minutes.

Below is a picture of just cooking the chicken in wine.

Beef Stew with Beer over Barley

One pot meal that's easy to throw together.  You can add carrots, parsnips, potatoes if you want a more traditional stew in the last 20 minutes of cooking.  We had this over barley which we seldom eat, but is also excellant over brown rice.

3 lb. Beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ “cubed

¼ C. Flour

4 Tbsp. Butter

6 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. Cider vinegar

1 tsp. Thyme

1 Bay leaf

3 Yellow onions, thinly sliced

24 oz. Belgian ale

1 C. Beef stock

2 tsp. Brown sugar

2 tsp.  Parsley

¾ tsp. Tarragon

1 tsp. Bacon drippings

Season beef with salt and pepper.  Toss with flour in bowl to coat.  Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in large Dutch oven.  Brown beef in batches.  Remove and set aside.  Add remaining butter and bacon drippings.  Sauté onions and garlic until caramelized.  Add 12 oz. of beer.  Simmer until reduced by half.  Add beef, beer, stock, sugar, vinegar and herbs.  Bring to boil then simmer, covered about 1 ½ hours until tender.  Serve over barley or brown rice with crusty bread.    

Chicken Stew over Rice

This is a very flavorful stew.  Bold flavors of lime, cumin and turmeric really come through.  The sugar provides a nice touch of sweetness.  If you want a spicy version, add a jalapeno or crushed red pepper flakes along with the bell pepper.  Excellent over rice or noodles.

 

2 lb. Chicken breast, sliced 1 inch

¼ C. lime juice

1 tsp. Black pepper

1 bell pepper, chopped

4 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Onion, chopped

2 C. chicken stock

3 Tbsp. Worcestershire

2 tsp. Sugar

2 tsp. Dry mustard powder

1 tsp. Turmeric

½ tsp.  Cumin

2 Tbsp. Canola Oil

15 oz. Diced tomatoes

Combine chicken, lime, Worcestershire, sugar, mustard, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, garlic, bell pepper and onion.  Marinate for at least one hour.  Remove chicken from marinade.  Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook until browned.  Remove from the skillet.  Add the marinade to the skillet along with the tomatoes.  Cook until onions and peppers are softened.  Add stock and chicken to skillet.  Bring to a boil then simmer covered for 20 – 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice or noodles.