Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

After making the Mushroom Stroganoff I wanted to make the real thing. Especially considering that I haven’t had beef stroganoff in at least ten years. Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either when I started thinking about it. I actually don’t remember the last time I had it. And after I made the mushroom stroganoff, I started searching for recipes. But as you know, I have a hard time following a recipe. So, I decided to combine a few and the ones I liked were the Paula Dean version and a Cooking Light version.  Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:
1 lb of beef (I used the already-cut-up beef that you can find at your local grocery store)
3 TB of flour (this depends on your beef; you could use more or less)
24 oz. of mushrooms, sliced thinly (less mushrooms if you like less)
1 cup of low-fat sour cream
1 large onion, diced
Spices to taste (salt, black pepper, paprika, chipotle pepper)

Steps:
Cook noodles according to package directions.
1. In a zip bag, season and flour the meat. Shake it to make sure the flour, salt, and pepper cover the meat.
2. In a large skillet, saute the onions and then the meat.
3. Add the mushrooms once the meat is done.
4. Once the mushrooms reduce, add sour cream and cook over low heat till you have a nice sauce and no lumps and the meat is cooked through.
Add seasonings as you go along to deepen the depth of flavor.

Serve over noodles.

Onions and meat

Mushrooms added

With Sour Cream

Mushroom “Stroganoff”

YUM

I was reading a few yummy recipes, some for beef stroganoff and some for a mushroom and pasta dish, and the wires must have gotten crossed and this creation emerged.  I had a rather large packet of mushrooms from Costco and I’ve been trying not to waste them (again).  So I figured I’d saute them and server with ribbon pasta and some sort of sauce, but that’s not exactly what happened.  Here is what I did:

Ingredients:
24oz packet of mushrooms (thinly sliced)
1 cup of low-fat sour cream
Roasted asparagus (optional; I just had some in the fridge so decided to use it)
1 large onion (diced)
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, sweet paprika, smoked spanish paprika (all to taste)
Noodles (I used half a pound of whole wheat ones)

Steps:
Cook noodles according to package directions
1. Saute onion.
2. Add mushrooms and saute them too. If you see it sticking, add some stock or pasta water.
3. Add sour cream. Season.
4. Add asparagus, if using.

Mushrooms and onions

With Sourcream

With Noodles

Pasta Sauce – Vegetables Galore

Chunky Pasta Sauce

I haven’t made anything pasta related in a while and figured it was time to get back to that.  So today I decided to make pasta sauce.  Additionally, I had a lot of vegetables in my fridge that I haven’t used up yet, so I figured it’s a perfect opportunity to use them.  This worked out really well since I like a really chunky tomato sauce.  And if you have kids, this is a great way to get them to eat vegetables.  This recipe can also be vegetarian quite easily – just leave the meat out.  With this recipe, use what ever veggies you like, in any quantity you like.  Here is what I did.

We're cooking now!

Pasta Sauce Ingredients

Adding the meat

Ingredients: 1 lb of ground turkey
1 very large carrot (cut into half moons)
2 red bell peppers (diced)
1 large white onion (minced)
1 zucchini (cut into half moons)
1 summer squash (cut into half moons)
3.5 oz of mushrooms (that was the size of the package I had. Use more or less)
3-4 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
2 cans of tomatoes (I used 1 can of Red Gold roasted garlic and onion and 1 can of Red Gold basil, garlic, and oregano)
Roasted tomatoes (optional; I had some on hand so I used them)
Tomato paste (I used about 3 oz, half of a 6oz can of Red Gold tomato paste)
2-3 tb of olive oil
Olives (optional, but I had some so I used them; chopped, about 2 handfuls)
Garlic powder
Paprika Salt, Pepper (freshly ground)
Flat leaf parsley (for garnish and for cooking, to taste)
6 bay leaves (3 for the sauce, 3 for the pasta)

See the parsley

All the ingredients cooking

Adding pasta to the sauce

Steps:
1. Saute the onion for a few minutes and then add the garlic.
2. Add the carrots. Let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the vegetables and salt & pepper. Let cook for a few minutes (I put the lid on and let the veggies steam a little).
4. If you are adding meat, do it at this stage. I pushed the veggies to the sides of the pan and added the meat into the middle so that it can brown. I also season the meat at this point. Cook the meat until it’s all browned and thoroughly cooked.
5. Add bay leaves and parsley. Mix everything together and taste seasoning. This is when I add more salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and anything else that strikes my fancy.
6. Add the tomato products (canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and roasted tomatoes if you have them).
7. Put the lid on and let cook over medium-low for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Add the pasta to the sauce (which has been cooking in a separate pot, according to the directions on the box.) I serve it with a little bit of cheese grated on top. I used a very mild goat’s cheese.

I know you can't resist this!

Beef Stew

When it’s as cold as it is now, I always want something hearty, like a chili or a stew.  Since I made chili on Friday, today was the day to make the stew.

I was looking for an easy and quick stew recipe, but seems like those don’t exist.  But I like a lot of Ina Garten’s recipes, and wanted to try her stew. Here’s the recipe to the original: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parkers-beef-stew-recipe/index.html

It turns out I can’t really follow directions.  That, and my dutch oven isn’t as big as hers, so I had to make alterations to the original recipe in terms of quantities and herbs (I really dislike rosemary – to me, it makes everything taste like mold).

So here is my version, inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe:

Ingredients:
2 lb of beef
2 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 pound white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
tomatoes (I used 1 14 oz. can, but if you have fresh ones, that’ll be great too)
Red wine (I used a half bottle of what I had already opened)

Steps:
Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight. A few hours would be fine too, or even a few days, but not more than 2.

The next day, or in a few days (yes, I was too tired on Friday to cook this in addition to the chili I already had going) preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Cut up all the veggies, drain the meat in a colander but save the liquid. Dredge the beef in flour and brown the meat.
In the dutch oven, saute the onions and carrots. Then add mushrooms and potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes or so until the onions are softened.

Add the browned meat to the veggies. Add the stock and canned tomatoes (I used these ’cause I don’t have any sun-dried ones).

Reduce the wine and sieve it into the dutch oven.

Bring everything to a boil. Once everything is boiling, put the lid on and place into the oven for about 2 hours, or until everything is fork-tender.
Note: I added my own spices: coriander, paprika, bay leaves, and several spice blends (Balti, Chili con Carne, and Southwest) from Penzey’s spices.

Marinated/Pickled Mushrooms

Marinated Mushrooms

I absolutely love pickled things; I think I can live on pickles alone. So I am always looking for good and easy recipes for pickling things. This time, I wanted to experiment with pickling mushrooms. I wanted a recipe that was very easy and very quick and with a very short list of ingredients and steps.
So here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:
2 6.5 OZ package of mushrooms (I used button mushrooms)
1 jar of Zesty Italian Dressing

Steps:
1. Wash the mushrooms (they don’t absorb water and don’t get soggy, don’t worry).
2. Place the mushrooms into a pot full of cold water and bring to a boil.
3. Let boil for a few minutes and drain.
4. Place mushrooms into a clean jar and pour the entire jar of Italian Dressing on top of the mushrooms.
5. Close tightly and let stand for a few days. Make sure all the mushrooms are equally covered, so mix up the contents ever now and again.

I had great tasting mushrooms in a few days.

Mushroom pepper rigatoni

Viola!

Today I felt inspired to create something different, something I haven’t done before.  Yes, believe it or not, I’ve never made a white sauce of any kind.  Ever!  I know, it’s ridiculous.  Also, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home after work, and got some great things I wanted to use right away.  I’m notorious for wasting food and I’m trying to work on that, so I figured I’d buy it and cook it today.

This seems like a lot of ingredients and steps, but you can scale it to what you have in your fridge and what you want to do.  And the hardest/longest step was chopping the onion.  The rest was just stirring.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 LB of ground turkey
1 medium onion (diced)
1 bell pepper (diced)
16 oz. mushrooms
1 head of broccoli
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I used smoked Gouda with cracked pepper, but any melty cheese would work)
3 cloves of garlic (grated and/or finely minced)
2 TB of olive oil
1/2 LB of rigatoni (or any pasta with ridges)
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1/2 cup of half&half (or soy creamer or non-dairy coffee creamer if you prefer to keep this kosher)
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parsley and basil to taste
hot chili flakes to taste (optional)

Steps:

1. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, until golden brown and add ground turkey in a large skillet with high sides.
2. Brown the turkey until it’s completely done, seasoning it as you go along.
3. When the turkey is no longer pink, add bell pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms.
4. Add chicken stock and cook what’s in the pan.
5. Make a rue (a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour all mixed together and added to the pan).
6. Add the half&half.
7. In a separate pan, cook the pasta. When the pasta is al dente, transfer it to the other pan.
8. Add the cheese.
Garnish with the greens and you’re done!

Mushrooms are added

Broccoli , mushrooms, and peppers

Leftovers into the pan

I always have too many leftovers and I never know what to do with them.  Today I decided to toss all of them into a pot.  Generally, that’s my typical cooking style (through stuff into a pot and see what happens) unless I’m making a specific dish.  Today I had bits of uncooked pasta, half a large eggplant, and a few other raw ingredients.  Feel free to try this with anything you like.  Here is what I had.

Ingredients:

1/2 of a large eggplant (peeled and diced)
3/4 of a large red onion (diced)
1 14.5 oz. can of tomatoes (whatever you have on hand)
a packet of mushrooms (mine were already sliced)
cheese (whatever you like, to taste)
salt, pepper, parsley, garlic
a handful of spaghetti
liquid (you can use some wine, or stock or water. I used about a cup of chicken stock)

Steps:
1. In a large skillet saute onions, garlic and eggplant together. When the eggplant shrinks a little and the onions are really soft, add the mushrooms.
2. Add stock and cook for a few minutes before adding the can of tomatoes.
3. Season.
4. Add the cooked pasta (cook it in a different pot), parsley, and cheese.