Sunday, March 27, 2022

Flemish BEEF CARBONNADE

What really gives this meal its distinctive character is the addition of brown sugar and a dash of cider vinegar, a sweet-sour combination that plays beautifully against the caramelized onions and rich beer.




The classic Belgian/Flemish beer-and-beef Carbonnade is sure to be a hit in your household - especially since you can easily adapt it to your kitchen, and to many dietary restrictions. Once you've finished the initial skillet-based flavor-building steps, it can be finished with an electric pressure cooker (e.g. Instant Pot), slow cooker, or on the stovetop.  It's easily made dairy-free, and with a bit of effort, it can be made gluten-free as well.


We start off with a cooking technique that will come in very handy for all your sauce and gravy making!

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs chuck steak (or any cuts of beef suited to slow cooking)

4 onions (finely sliced)

1 TBS butter

1 TBS vinegar

1 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS flour (toasted)

1 tsp Better Than Bullion – beef flavor

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

13.5 fl oz Belgian dark ale ()

tbsp of oil for frying meat

Salt and pepper to season

Some extra water as needed to top up


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How (and Why) to Toast Flour

Toasting flour before you use it cooks out the raw taste so that it lends a nutty, more complex flavor. Use toasted flour to thicken soups or make roux for sauces.

The longer you cook flour, the darker it gets in color and the deeper it becomes in flavor.

Directions:

Line a baking pan with foil. This will come in handy.

Measure out a cup of flour and spread in an even layer. You can toast your flour at any temperature in the 300°F to 400°F range, so just heat the oven to whatever temperature you need it to be at for your recipe.


Once you’ve preheated, just pop the pan into the oven and allow the flour to toast, stirring once halfway through.

At 350°F, flour will take about 10 minutes total. Stir after 5 minutes. As with anything that’s prone to easily burn, keep a close eye on things; the flour should be nutty smelling and reach a slightly deeper/more golden shade of its original color. Then, allow your flour to cool as you proceed with preparing the other elements of your recipe or storing what you don't need right away.

Storage is easy by picking up the foil and shaping into a funnel. Then pour into a seal able jar for use in sauces and gravies.


Flemish Beef Carbonnade Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 °F.

Cut the beef into thin steaks by cutting in half sideways and season them with salt. Thinly slice the onions.

Bring a Dutch oven with a tablespoon of oil to high heat, then sear the meat to a brown color on each side. Do this in stages to avoid overcrowding the pot. When done transfer to a dish and sprinkle the toasted flour over the meat and cover with foil. Turn the heat down.

Add a nudge of butter to the pot and cook the sliced onion (make sure the heat is not too high) for at least 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. The onions need to be almost caramelized. Add a tsp of “Better Than Bullion” Beef flavor and 1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning to the onions as they cook. Once cooked, set them aside in a bowl.

Now layer the ingredients in the pot.

Start with a layer of meat followed by a layer of onions.

Repeat the process with the rest of the meat and onions.

Pour the vinegar over the meat, followed by the brown sugar, and finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Pour the beer into the pot followed by the meat juices remaining in the dish on which the meat was reserved after browning.

Finish off by adding water if needed. The liquid should just about cover the ingredients.


Place the lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Cook for 3 hours until the meat falls apart.

While that cooks: Prepare the dumplings by adding to a pan of cold water and heat to a boil for 6 mins.

Here we serve some sweet-sour green beans and a pineapple casserole.

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Pineapple Casserole

A sweet, savory, Southern casserole recipe with pineapple, buttery Ritz crackers and sharp cheddar cheese traditionally served with baked ham.

Ingredients

1 20-oz can pineapple chunks or tidbits in juice 

¼ cup reserved pineapple juice

¼ cup flour

½ cup sugar 

1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

¼ cup melted butter 

1½ cups butter cracker crumbles, divided

Instructions

Lightly spray a shallow 1-quart baking dish with oil or rub with butter. A small pie plate works great!

Drain pineapple, reserving ¼ cup juice. If there isn’t quite enough juice, just add OJ or water.

Combine reserved juice and flour in a bowl then mix until smooth. Add sugar, drained pineapple and cheese then stir until combined.

Gently stir in half of the cracker crumbles then spoon mixture into baking dish.

Stir remaining cracker crumbles with melted butter then spread evenly over pineapple mixture.

Bake alone side of the beef for 30 - 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and crackers are starting to brown.

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Sweet and Sour German Green Beans with Bacon and Onions

German green beans feature crisp-tender green beans warmed in a sweet and sour sauce with bacon, onions, cider vinegar and brown sugar. It makes a delicious healthy low carb side.

Ingredients

1 pound frozen green beans, or caned 

4 slices bacon, diced 

¼ cup onion, finely chopped 

2 TBS apple cider vinegar 

2 TBS water 

1 TBS brown sugar 

¼ tsp salt 

1 tsp whole grain mustard

Instructions

Chop the onions, and dice the bacon.


Zap the green beans in a microwave according to package. Or if using from the can, drain well.


In a large frying pan, cook the bacon pieces for 4 minutes until almost crispy. Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften.


Add the cider vinegar, water and brown sugar to the bacon and onions and stir. Let simmer to reduce slightly. Then measure the whole grain mustard into the pan.


Lastly, add the green beans and stir to coat. Cover and let heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


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When the meat is cooked, serve each portion sitting on a nest of dumplings and have some onions spread on top.

*Instead of dark ale you can use beef broth, chicken broth, mushroom stock, apple juice, apple cider, root beer, or coke.

If you decide to use soda or juice in place of the beer called for in your recipe, expect your dish to be a bit sweeter than it would if the beer was used. This is easy enough to remedy with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. Just taste your recipe and adjust it a splash at a time until you're happy with the results.

Using a broth as a beer substitute will add a wonderful depth of flavor to your recipe, but it could also add some sodium. Use a sodium-free broth or consider omitting the salt called for in your recipe until you've had a chance to taste the dish. You might find that the broth has added all the salt you need.


For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFxMaeaBjGg Wooden Heart


So happy to serve this for my Master Indy.

socialslave


To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

..I cook!


Please buy slave's cookbook:


The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon


                                  



 

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Posh Baked Chicken

 This easy chicken dinner tastes so rich! A real "poulet chic"  as the French might say.

Chicken thighs bake for a total of 1 hour and come out with the most delicious cream sauce. Served over wide noodles and a side of green vegetable, this will become you go to fancy meal.

Ingredients

¼ c butter flavored Crisco

1/4 c chicken broth

1 can of non fat evaporated milk (12 ounces)

1/2 c flour

4 chicken thighs

1 ½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

½ cup red seedless grapes

Instructions

Let Chicken come to room temperature.

Add a bit of evaporated milk into a shallow bowl.

In another bowl, add flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well blended.

With the point of a knife jab the skin of each thigh a couple of times to allow the fat to escape.

Dip and coat each chicken piece with milk.

Transfer the chicken into the bowl with the flour mixture, then toss until well coated. Shake off any excess. Let sit on wax paper while oven preheats. Dust with a bit of paprika if you wish. 


Prepare the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.


Add butter into a 13×9-inch baking pan, then place it inside the oven and allow the butter to melt. Only about 4 mins, watch to not burn. Carefully remove the pan from the oven.

Lay the chicken pieces over the melted butter in the prepared baking dish skin side down.

Put it back inside the oven, then bake the chicken for about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, add the rest of the can of milk, water, and 1 can of soup. Stir until well blended. Stir in the grapes.

At the end of first 30 mins, flip the chicken pieces, then pour the mixture around each piece.

Bake for another 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces turn golden brown.

Remove from the oven allow the chicken to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to incorporate all the flavors.


During that second 30 mins is a great time to roast a green vegetable along side. Just spread on a foil lined sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

They will be ready together.

For this meal I fixed some wide noodles using the cold water method and it worked so well.


Cold Water Method Pasta

Start cooking pasta in cold water for quicker cook times and extra-starchy pasta water that's perfect for finishing sauces. Many TV chiefs will tell you to never cook pasta in anything less than a gallon of boiling water. Chief Alton Brown tells us that you really don't need all that.


In fact, starting your pasta in cold water has lots of benefits:

it takes less energy to heat,

it takes less time since the noodles come to a boil with the water, and

you end up with concentrated starchy cooking water that gives a silky, creamy finish to pasta sauces.

Just be sure to remove your pasta with a spider strainer rather than draining it into the sink. Try it. You might prefer the texture of dry pasta started in cold water.

For our example:

  1. 8 cups total cold water (2 quarts)

  2. 1 (16-ounce) box dry pasta, any you like: farfalle, rigatoni, penne, etc.

  3. 1 tablespoon kosher salt

You will need a spider strainer:

 

 Directions:

Fill a 4 quart pot* halfway with cold water, add the salt and pasta.

Set over medium-high heat. Cover.

When water boils, decrease heat to maintain a simmer.

Remove the lid, stir and cook for 4 minutes 30 seconds or until al dente.


Remove pasta with spider. Reserve the pasta water for thickening any sauce naturally.

*a 4 quart pot is about 5 inches deep and 8 inches across, you don't need that big old stock pot that weighs a ton and takes forever to boil.

Proud to serve this any night of the week. The touch of grapes adds such class!

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCZdMU53Ugo Lovers Concerto


socialslave


To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

..I cook!


Please buy slave's cookbook:


The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon













Friday, March 4, 2022

Tenderfoot's Tenderloin

 It’s easier than you think to make an elegant dinner of pork tenderloin. Marinading is essential. This makes a meal that is impressive enough to serve to guests AND easy enough to make on a busy weeknight with a little preparation.

Pork marinading in maple syrup, garlic, Dijon mustard and a bit of sesame oil is all it takes to develop the best flavor out of the meat. Try with a side of a baked sweet potato and roasted Brussels sprouts. Yes I know, but this is the better way to cook these little heads so that the natural sulfur can escape and you are left with the natural sugars and great flavor! When done the right way you will be asking for seconds!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 1 tsp sesame oil

  • ½ tsp Better than Bullion Roasted garlic

  • pepper to taste

  • 1 cup maple syrup

  • 1½ lbs pork tenderloin


Directions

Combine mustard, sesame oil, garlic bullion, pepper, and maple syrup.

Mixed everything up right in a bag with the meat.

One trick: measure out the oil first, then the mustard, it will just slide out of the measuring spoon from the oil residue!

Chill in the refrigerator at least eight hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking pan with foil and spray. Remove pork from marinade, and Let marinate drip off and set pork in a foil lined pan covered in foil. Save marinade.


Bake, covered in foil @ 375 for 45 min. USE your timer to make this easier. You will be cooking for about an hour and a half.

See Preparations for potatoes and Brussels sprouts while meat cooks.


After 20 mins: This is the time to put in the sweet potatoes on their own foil lined tray.


Sweet potatoes:

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray.


Wash your potato skins really well both for dirt and for bacteria. Dry with a paper towel. Cut off the little tips and poke holes into the potatoes. This helps with even cooking.


Use a pastry brush to apply a little olive oil evenly onto the potato.

Wrap the potatoes individually in aluminum foil. Wrap the foil a little bit on the loose side. Wrapping them allows them to cook evenly inside and out.


Place on a sheet of aluminum foil in case of leakage from the baking potatoes. It will catch the drips which will help to keep your oven clean. This also serves as a pan for the Brussels sprouts and adds any possible tastes from the natural potatoes.

At the 45 minute mark for the pork: Uncover and let roast for an additional 20 mins.

 

Instructions for sprouts

Soak the fresh sprouts in cold water with ½ cup of vinegar for at least 15 mins to clean any dirt off. Drain and rinse.


Slice off the nubby ends and remove any discolored or damaged leaves. Cut each sprout in half from the flat base through the top and douse with olive oil and a bit of salt. Stir in bowl to coat.

By now the potatoes have been baking for 40 minutes, and the uncovered meat is done. Check the meat with thermometer for 145° F

Carefully slide the tray out and arrange the Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet, cut side down. Do not crowd. Remove the pan with meat and let rest while you return veggie tray back to oven for an additional 25 mins.


Transfer remaining marinade to a small saucepan and add any liquid from the baking pan. Mix 2 TBS corn starch with 2 TBS water until well blended. Mix into the saucepan and cook on the stove over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. This should be a nice thick sauce.


By now the sprouts should be tender and deeply golden on the edges, Roast until you question if you have burned them.


Garnish if you wish..

Check the potatoes by piercing with a knife. If it goes through easily then it is done. When you remove them from the oven don't try to open it right away as it will be very hot. When serving, cut each right through the foil into half.

It is easier that way to add any butter, cinnamon, sour cream, or brown sugar of your choosing.


Slice the pork and arrange on a platter and drizzle with sauce. Serve the wrapped potatoes individually and the Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl.

What an elegant meal with an easy clean-up and if you followed the time line no sweat on your part.


For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ais2uSUwIuY Ghost Riders in the Sky

So honored to be serving this for my Master Indy


socialslave


To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

..I cook!


Please buy slave's cookbook:


The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Chicken Gone to Heaven

 Fell in love with this recipe for the fantastic taste and it worked great even after I had made a blunder and forgot an important step in preparing it. Try it, play with it and make it your own!

Gruyere encrusted chicken breasts cooked on a bed of escalloped potatoes and roasted green beans! Even fixed a side salad of deviled egg macaroni.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (about 3)

  • ¾ cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt

  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • ½ cup grated Gruyere cheese For a stronger taste try Asiago!

  • ½ tsp seasoned salt + ½ tsp pepper

  • 1 tsp Better Than Bullion, roasted garlic flavor

  • 1 box (4.7 oz) scalloped potatoes

  • 2 cups (boiling water + half-and-half as directed)


Directions:

Place the chicken in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Let sit covered on counter top for 30 minutes. If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, I used a can of evaporated milk and 3 TBS vinegar! Works every time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and spray lightly.

Add the mayonnaise (or yogurt) to a open faced bowl and mix in the Better Than Bullion. Spoon in the blend of Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses and stir well.

Prepare the escalloped potatoes as directed on box and mix in the sprayed pan.

Coat each piece of chicken with the Cheese mixture and push into the potatoes. Dollop any remaining cheese mix on top and bake for 50 -55 minutes or until cooked through and temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees.

While that braises is a good time to roast the green beans along side for 25 mins. Just mix the frozen beans with a couple of TBS olive oil until coated. Spread out on foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle salt over the beans.

If you wish for a touch of color on the chicken dish, switch the oven to broiler and let the top get some browning in places. Watch this carefully so it doesn't burn.

Serve the chicken on a platter, with a side of potatoes and green beans. A fantastic dinner with only 2 pans to clean.


For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bflkeWVTNk0 Here You Come Again Dolly


socialslave


To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

..I cook!


Please buy slave's cookbook:


The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon