Beef Cinnamon Noodles

Beef Cinnamon Noodles is something I've made for many years now. I found this recipe in Cooking Light in 2001 and loved it. I make this dish when I feel like I need something comforting. It is rich and flavorful and healthy at the same time. I serve mine with rice noodles, but you can use your favorite side dish to accompany it ( I thought that the thin noodles weren't as good as the wide but I did not have any other variety on hand) The meat is simmered in a soy sauce-based mixture for a long time until tender. Seasoned with ginger, garlic, and cinnamon for extra flavor. I know that cinnamon and beef combination is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind but it is FABULOUS! Give it a try and let me know what you thought.... I think you'll be impressed, with how little effort yields such a great result!

Beef Cinnamon Noodles



* 5 cups water
* 1 1/2 cups rice wine or sake
* 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
* 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 6 garlic cloves, crushed
* 2 cinnamon sticks
* 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
* 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
* 4 cups hot cooked wide lo mein noodles or vermicelli (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of the beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and beef. Return beef to pan; add water mixture, onions, garlic, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard ginger slices and cinnamon. Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until wilted. Serve over noodles.

Moussaka

I'm officially a blogging slacker! I can't believe that I didn't post anything for a week, it's not like I wasn't cooking! Well, enough procrastinating... As I mentioned in previous post, I love fall. I am so excited to be able to cook more soups and casseroles. One of my favorites is Greek Moussaka. Moussaka is a casserole of eggplant and ground lamb with onion and tomatoes bound with white sauce and beaten eggs. I've made some changes to the classic recipe, first I left out the white sauce and second I did not use lamb. Leaving out the white sauce made it much lighter and since we are not lamb eaters I've used ground beef. The base recipe is by Tyler Florence.



* 3 large eggplants
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 lemon, sliced in thin circles
* 1 handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped
* 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 2 pounds ground lamb (I used ground beef)
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
* 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides- you will need to do this in batches, adding more oil, as necessary. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter.

Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato paste and hand-crushed tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom with no gaps. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the feta and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of bread crumbs. Bake the moussaka for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Steak with mushrooms & pesto roasted potatoes...

Let me start by saying that I would be a vegetarian if it wouldn't be for great juicy steak.. I LOVE a well cooked, flavorful piece of beef. We do not eat a lot of beef in general but every now and again we indulge! I try to change things around every time I cook steak, from different marinades to side dishes. This being said if you'll ask my husband, mushrooms are always a must, so I always try to incorporate it in some way. There is something in the beef-mushroom combination that he LOVES. I served steak with rice, couscous, bread, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, baked potatoes etc. My favorite are roasted potatoes, but they can be a little boring, so I try different variations of roasted potatoes. Here is the menu: marinated rib eye steak with pesto roasted potatoes and roasted red wine mushrooms.

Steak:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2002 issue.

* 2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
* 1/3 cup coarse salt
* 1/4 cup chili powder
* 1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 9 garlic cloves, pressed
* boneless rib-eye steaks
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil

There is enough spice mixture for 8 16 oz steaks, you can cut the recipe in half if you are making fewer steaks.

Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Using fork, mash in garlic. Using 3 tablespoons spice mixture for each steak, rub spices onto both sides of steaks. Whisk corn oil into remaining spice mixture; set oil rub aside. Place steaks in two 13x9x2-inch glass dishes. Cover; chill steaks and oil rub at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush steaks with some of oil rub. Grill steaks to desired doneness, brushing occasionally with oil rub, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare; let stand 5 minutes.



Pesto-roasted potatoes:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, June of 2002 issue.

* 8 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
* 2 large shallots
* 4 garlic cloves


* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 2 lbs of your favorite potatoes
* 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Blend 4 tablespoons olive oil, basil, shallots, and garlic in processor until smooth. Season basil sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss all potatoes with 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast potatoes until almost tender, about 35 minutes. Pour basil sauce over potatoes and toss to coat. Continue roasting potatoes until golden brown and tender when pierced with skewer, about 20 minutes longer.

Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Add cheese and toss to coat.

Roasted mushrooms:

# 3 lb fresh porcini mushrooms
# 6 garlic cloves, minced
# 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
# 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
# 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
# 1 teaspoon salt
# Handful of chopped parsley

Halve or quarter larger mushrooms, keeping smaller ones whole, and transfer all to a baking pan. Toss all mushrooms with, garlic, thyme, wine, 3 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Roast mushroom mixture, covered with foil, in upper third of oven are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes total. Season mushrooms to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley and serve.

Corned Beef Hash

Corn beef hash is a one of my husband's favorites, yet I rarely make it at home. I came across the recipe in Food Network Magazine from Crooked Creek Saloon & Eatery, Fraser, CO as I was searching for some breakfast inspiration yesterday. The dish was very easy to make and used ingredients that most of us have on hand. Anytime I don't have to make an emergency supermarket run to make something, works for me :) I served it with fried egg on top.



* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 8 ounces cooked corned beef, diced ( you can use canned corned beef)
* 1 white onion, finely chopped
* 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
* 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 4 large eggs
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 4 slices cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the corned beef and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it releases some fat and browns slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and potatoes and cook, undisturbed, until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the hash as it browns evenly, about 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs sunny-side up or over easy; season with salt and pepper.

Place the cheese slices on top of the hash, reduce the heat and let sit until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. To serve, top each portion of hash with a fried egg.

Jack Daniels Beef Brisket

I've had beef brisket a while ago at the BBQ and was inspired to make my own version. I've made this dish on Sunday and refrigerated it. When it was cold I used an electric knife to slice it. I ended up with much neater looking dish...You have an option here to serve it with pan drippings, or use your favorite BBQ sauce. If you are a BBQ fan, you will like this dish a lot!



1 (4 to 6 pound) beef brisket
1 medium onion, finely chopped
¼ cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
Black pepper, to taste

Heat the oven to 300°F. Put brisket fat-side up in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the onion. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a large measuring cup. Pour over the brisket. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake about 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 190°F and meat is tender. Let the meat rest at least 10 minutes before carving across the grain into thin slices with a sharp knife. Serve with pan drippings.
Even better, cook the brisket a day before serving. Remove the cooked brisket from the drippings. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate the drippings and skim off the hardened fat the next day. Before serving, slice the brisket while it's cold for a much neater cut. Combine the meat with the pan drippings in a baking dish. Cover and reheat at 325°F for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly warm. Makes 10 servings.

Southwest-Style Salisbury Steaks

Continuing with the spirit of making something new everyday while my in laws are visiting...On today's menu, we have Southwest-Style Salisbury Steaks which I served with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and cucumber-dill salad. The cucumber salad is a twist on popular Polish dish called mizeria.




Salisbury Steaks

* 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck beef
* 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies
* 2 tablespoons minced green onions
* 1 tablespoon tequila
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt


Using hands, gently mix first 8 ingredients in large bowl just until blended. Form into four 3/4-inch-thick oval patties.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill patties until cooked to desired doneness.

Mushroom Gravy

1 lb of baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cups milk
2 cup of beef broth

Melt the butter in the same skillet, and add the mushrooms. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over, and mix in until blended. Stir in the milk and beef broth. Cook and stir over medium heat until smooth and starting to thicken. Return the patties to the gravy and cook over low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cucumber Salad-Mizeria

2 English Cucumbers
1 cup of greek yougurt
1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium bowl mix greek yogurt, dill and season with salt and pepper, add cucumber slices and mix well.

Beef stir-fry

I've been on an asian kick lately trying variety of different recipes. My hubby love stir fries and beef so that is what brings us to this one. This recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, October 1990 issue. The only changes I've made were to substitute the flank steak (one of my favorite cuts of beef) for siriloin and I've added variety of different veggies to it. Here is the recipe:

For the beef

* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 pound of flank steak cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices


For the sauce

* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry or Scotch
* 1/4 cup chicken or beef broth or water
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil


* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* a 4-inch fresh red chili, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves) or 1/2 tablespoon dried hot red pepper flakes
* 1 pound broccoli, cut into flowerets and the stems peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick
* 2 bell peppers different colors

Prepare the beef:

In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, the sugar, and the salt, add the beef, and let it marinate for 20 minutes.


Make the sauce while the beef is marinating:

In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and stir in the Sherry, the broth, the sugar, and the sesame oil.

Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and heat it until it just begins to smoke. Stir-fry the beef in the oil in batches for 1 minute, or until it is no longer pink, and transfer it as it is cooked with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the wok, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and in the oil stir-fry the gingerroot, the garlic, and the chili for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is fragrant. Add the broccoli and stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup water and steam the broccoli, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until it is crisp-tender. Add bell peppers and stir fry couple of minutes. Stir the sauce, add it to the wok with the beef and any juices that have accumulated on the plate, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the beef is heated through. Transfer the mixture to a heated platter and serve it with the rice.

Tuesday...

Beef with tofu and spicy mobo sauce
Steamed bok choy & steamed rice.





* Marinade for Ground Beef:
* 1 1/2 Tbsp tapioca starch (can substitute cornstarch)
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* Other:
* 1/4 pound ground beef
* 1 pound regular tofu (medium firmness)
* 1 leek or 3 green onions
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp Chinese salted black beans (fermented black beans, also called Chinese black beans), or to taste
* 1 Tbsp chili bean paste, or to taste
* 3 Tbsp stock (chicken broth)
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch
* 2 Tbsp water
* 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
* Freshly ground Szechuan pepper
* 2 - 3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:
Mix marinade ingredients. Marinate beef for about 20 minutes.
Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch (1 cm) square cubes.
Chop leek or green onions into short lengths.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated pork. Stir-fry beef until the color darkens. Add salt and stir. Add the salted black beans. Mash the beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in well with the meat. Add the chili paste, then the stock, bean curd, and leek or green onions.
Turn down the heat. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
While cooking, mix cornstarch, water, and soy sauce together. Add to wok and stir gently. Serve with freshly ground Szechuan pepper.

Steamed Bok choy with oyster sauce.

Clean bok choy and steam it, I used bottle oyster sauce to drizzle over the bok choy ( a little goes a long way as it is very salty)

Serve with steamed white or brown rice.