cabbage rolls (oma's)

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2 heads Savoy cabbage

1 pound ground sausage (i use Bob Evans sausage roll)

1 medium onion, chopped small

1 pound uncooked long grain rice (I use Carolina)

2 jars Gundelsheim sauerkraut (or any good sauerkraut)

1 or 2 packages Hillshire Farms Lit'l smokies

saved water from cooking the cabbage

Cut the core out of the cabbage but leave it whole. Place it, with the empty core area facing up, in a large pot of boiling water and simmer until you can pull the leaves off easily.

Meanwhile, thoroughly  mix together the sausage roll, uncooked rice and onion.

Drain the head of cabbage. Pull off large leaves and cut out the large vein.  Place a few leaves of cabbage in the bottom of a large pot, then scatter some sauerkraut on top of them. Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each leaf (depending on the size of your leaf) and arrange cabbage rolls on top of the sauerkraut. Throw in the lit'l smokies, tucking some between the cabbage rolls, then add some more sauerkraut. Repeat layers...cabbage rolls, sauerkraut and smokies. Carefully pour in the reserved water from the cabbage until everything is almost covered. Bring to a boil, then cook at a slow simmer for several hours. The longer you cook them, the better they are.

[I like to reheat these in a pan with melted butter, I know, but still they are delicious.]

[These also freeze very well.]

 

enjoy! 

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chicken and broccoli

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2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound broccoli, cut into stalks or 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

 brown rice for serving over

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the chicken breasts in a large glass baking dish, skin side up, and brush with the olive oil. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide. (You should have about 4 cups of chicken.)

Steam the broccoli over boiling water until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Place the chicken in a 2-quart casserole dish. Spread the broccoli over the chicken. Set aside.
To make the white sauce: Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water. When the butter is completely melted and bubbling, add the flour, whisking until well blended. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan, scald the milk (heat until just beginning to bubble on the sides of the pan). Add the milk to the butter-and-flour mixture gradually, while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheeses, salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat and pour the sauce evenly over the top of the chicken and broccoli. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

 enjoy!

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stuffed bell peppers

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6 bell peppers

1 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or chuck

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.

 

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enjoy!

BBQ pulled chicken sliders

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(a comfort of cooking recipe)

Marinade:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound (about 2 portions) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Cooking spray

Sauce:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup ketchup (I use organic)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the sandwiches:
4 sandwich rolls or 8 mini slider buns (or halved dinner rolls), toasted lightly (if desired).
Dill pickle chips

Combine the oil and spices for the marinade in a large bowl. Add chicken to the bowl and rub spice mixture evenly over chicken. Marinade for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator (I put it in a zip lock bag then lay it in a baking dish so that it does not leak). When ready, heat grill to medium-high heat. Cover and grill chicken for 15 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 180°, turning occasionally. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken on a cutting board and shred with 2 forks or your fingers.

To prepare sauce, heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar and all spices; cook 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup and vinegar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in shredded chicken. Cook 2 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Place desired amount of chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls and a few tablespoons of sauce. Top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half.

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Enjoy!

Grilled Spice-rubbed Flank Steak

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2 large garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger, minced 
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
1-1/2 lb flank steak, trimmed

Mix first 8 ingredients in a small bowl to form paste. Pat steak dry, then rub paste all over and place in a sealed plastic bag. Marinate steak, covered and chilled, at least 7 to 8 hours, [I marinated it for 24 hours] turning the bag over once or twice.

Prepare grill for cooking.

Bring steak to room temperature [do not leave out longer than 1/2 hour]. When fire is hot, grill steak on lightly oiled grill rack 5 minutes on first side, then turn and grill for 3 minutes on second side for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. You can cover it with foil or not, but it needs this time for the juices to resettle back into the steak, making the meat nice and juicy.

Holding knife at a 45-degree angle, cut steak across the grain into thin slices. Serve.

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enjoy!

Corned Beef with Cabbage

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Epicurious/February 2008

 by Darina Allen Irish Traditional Cooking

4 lb corned brisket of beef

3 large carrots, cut into large chunks

6 to 8 small onions

1 teaspoon dry English mustard

large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together

1 head cabbage

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the brisket into a saucepan with the carrots, onions, mustard and the herbs. Cover with cold water* and bring gently to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut into quarters and add to the pot. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours or until the meat and veggies are soft and tender.

Serve the corned beef in slices surrounded by the vegetables and cooking liquid. Serve with lots of floury potatoes and freshly made mustard. 

* I added two bottles of Guinness to the cold water.

Notes: I also braised the cabbage (with carrots and onions) in the oven.

I served it with mustard, but did not make my own.

I do not know what floury potatoes are so I just served boiled.

I made some awesome Irish soda bread to serve with it.

The cabbage, potatoes, and bread were delicious...the hubs said the corned beef nearly brought him to his knees, mission accomplished!

 

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beef pot pie

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2 pounds London broil, cut into bite-size chunks

3 cans golden mushroom soup

3 cans French onion soup

1/2 cup sweet vermouth or sweet red wine (if desired)

6-8 red skin potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

5-6 carrots cleaned and cut into chunks

bag of frozen baby sweet peas

pastry for 2 pie crusts (recipe follows)

Heat a Dutch oven and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the beef cubes in batches, do not crowd the pan. When all the beef has been  browned, add it back to the pan along with all six cans of the soup and the vermouth (if using). 

Put a lid on the pan and pop it into a 350*F preheated oven. Cook for 2 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for an additional hour or until the potatoes are fork tender. Dump in the frozen peas and continue to cook for about 10 to 14 minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven (do not take off the lid) and let it sit on the stove top (no heat) while you make the pie crust.

Ina Garten's perfect pie crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening (Crisco)

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. 

Spoon about half of the beef and veggie mixture into the pie crust. Top with the second crust, trim, ctuck and crimp the edges. Cut four or five slits in the crust to vent.  Bake in a preheated 425*F oven for about 40 to 43 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling starts bubbling out of the vents.

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Beef tips and veggies 

Serve remaining beef and veggies as another meal over homemade gnocchi or spatzel.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

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3 1/2 pounds London Broil

1 cup flour

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups onions, diced

3 to 4 ribs celery, diced

3 cups cleaned, sliced, petite button mushrooms

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1/2 to 3/4 cup wine

6 to 8 cups beef broth

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

3 fresh bay leaves

6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

6 carrots peeled and cut in large chunks

 bag of frozen baby peas

Cut the London Broil into about 1 inch pieces. Put about 1 cup flour in a resealable plastic bag and season it with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Coat the beef pieces evenly with the flour (you may want to do this with half the beef at a time). After coating the beef  put it in a sieve to shake off any excess flour. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven. When it is hot, but not yet smoking, brown the beef cubes in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, and removing beef after it is browned.

After all the beef has been browned, pour about 1/2 to 3/4 cups wine into the pan to deglaze it (I used Pinot Noir). Pour the glaze over the reserved beef & clean out the pan. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in the Dutch oven, when hot add the diced onions and celery, cook until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, do not brown. Add the meat to the veggies in the pot. Pour in about 5 cups beef broth, the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves. Stir everything together to combine.

 

Put the lid on the Dutch oven and pop it into a preheated 225* oven.  Bake for about 3 or 4 hours. Remove from the oven and add peeled and quartered potatoes and big chunks of peeled carrots, (at this point I added some more beef broth). Bring to a gentle boil on top of the stove and cook, covered until potatoes are tender. Depending on what size you cut the potatoes, it should take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours cooking on low so that the bottom of the pot does not scorch. About 10 minutes before it is done, add a bag of frozen baby peas.

If the stew gets too thick, add some more beef broth.

 

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enjoy!