Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts

Roasted Bone Marrow with Parsley Caper Salad

March 18, 2012 beef , bone marrow 0 Comments

My first introduction to roasted bone marrow was at Ella restaurant. Chef Kelly McCown was the first chef to introduce it to Sacramento as a gourmet dish. Sure, humans have been eating marrow for millennia, but this was becoming a trend in high end restaurants. 

I fell in love with McCown's dish, which turns out to be pretty traditional, of roasted marrow bones served with a parsley caper salad. The great thing about his version at Ella was that the beef leg bones were cut down lengthwise exposing the marrow versus in sections as you see in the pictures. The lengthwise cut exposed the marrow so that they would place it under the broiler to cook quickly and it also meant it was easy for the diner to eat. 

Unfortunately, when you buy marrow bones from a butcher, they are usually cut in the sections unless you have called and special ordered. In my case, I got this package of marrow bones from Lucky Dog Ranch, selling at the W/X Farmers Market on Sundays. The package you see was $5 and was a good deal except for the fact that two bone cuts were actually ends of the bones where there was no marrow - they were solid bone.

To prepare marrow bones, you need to soak them. Take the marrow bones and cover them with water and mix in about 2 tablespoons of salt. I used kosher salt. Refrigerate and let them soak for about 12 hours, changing the salt water a couple of times during that time. The salt water soak helps to draw out any remaining blood in the marrow.




Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Caper Salad

beef marrow bones cut in sections or lengthwise
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped 
2 tablespoons shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
2 tablespoons drained capers 
Coarse sea salt 
Freshly ground black pepper 
thick slices of French baguette, toasted
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Cover a pan in tin foil for easy cleanup. Place the bones so they sit upright in the pan. Roast the bones until the marrow is soft and starting to melt, about 15–20 minutes, depending on thickness of the marrow bones. 

Meanwhile, toss parsley, shallots, oil, lemon juice, and capers in a medium bowl to coat. 

Place marrow bones on plate and garnish with the parsley salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toastettes.


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Crockpot Wednesday: Chilly Day Chili

March 02, 2011 beef , crockpot 0 Comments
Chilly Day Chili
Rating: 5/5

Recently I was contacted by the folks at Beefitswhatsfordinner.com. They wanted me to try one of their beef recipes for February which, apparently, was I ♥ Beef Month. Sorry. Didn’t quite make it. I made the recipe in February, but it’s posting in March.

When we had the crazy, cold, stormy weather last week my thoughts turned to stormy weather comfort food – stews and chilis. I checked out their website to find that they have a lot of excellent stuff on it. There are, of course, plenty of recipes that can be sorted by ingredients or even by cuts of beef. There is a nutritional section discussing what benefits there are from beef protein, a section explaining beef grading and labeling to help you when you are shopping, and cooking lessons to discuss different techniques of marinating, preparing, and cooking.

I searched through the recipes and found what I was looking for – a chili that was simple that I could do in the slow cooker. It was even aptly named – Chilly Day Chili. With only nine ingredients that you just throw in the slow cooker and walk away from, what could be easier?

The recipe calls for the beef to be cut into ½ inch pieces. Instead I went to La Superior supermarket on Stockton Boulevard. Ethnic supermarkets can often be cheaper than regular ones. They also often have more variety of cuts and types of meat. As luck would have it, La Superior had chopped beef on sale and it didn’t look bad either. I expected to see a lot of fat and gristle as they chopped up the worst bits of leftover beef carcass. Actually, there were few signs of fat and gristle and I was rather impressed by the look of it. This would be perfect for the chili.

For such a simple chili it is definitely hearty and flavorful. When I first threw the ingredients in the pot I was a little worried since it looked heavy on beans and light on tomatoes.  But the finished product came out great and I really enjoyed it. I like that the chopped beef gives it more meatiness and chew than ground beef.

Chilly Day Chili

2-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck or round, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) black beans, rinsed, drained
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) chili-style tomato sauce with diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup prepared thick-and-chunky salsa
 
Toppings: Shredded Cheddar cheese, diced red onion, diced green onion, diced avocado and dairy sour cream
Combine all ingredients except salsa and toppings in 4-1/2 to 5-1/2-quart slow cooker; mix well. Cover and cook on HIGH 5-1/2 to 6 hours, or on LOW 8 to 9 hours, or until beef is tender. (No stirring is necessary during cooking.)

Just before serving, stir in salsa; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Serve with toppings, as desired.


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Thai Beef Jerky

January 17, 2011 beef , jerky 2 Comments
Thai beef jerky

Making beef jerky when you don't have a smoker or a dehydrator can be problematic.

My first experience with kitchen-made beef jerky came in college when one of my very good friends made it in her oven. She had an electric oven that she set at a very low temperature. The beef dried out in the oven overnight and we all celebrated her victory by chomping it all down in one sitting.

My dad made great beef jerky, but he used a food dehydrator. Loved the stuff except for the aftereffect his particular recipe had. Let's just say you didn't want to be the room with a person who had recently eaten it.

So jerky had been on my to-do list for some time. I just had to deal with a gas oven and hope for the best. I searched around for a marinade that would interest me.  I wanted spicy but tangy without being barbecue-y or teriyaki. I came across a Thai inspired recipe and decided to give it a try. 


I took the beef and froze it. Then the day before I wanted to make the jerky, I took it out and let it thaw in the frig overnight. It was frozen so solid that in the frig it still stayed mostly frozen. It made it easy to for me to slice. I then marinated it for 24 hours, flipping and redistributing the marinade every few hours.

The next night I laid out the slices on wire racks and put them in a foil lined oven since they would drip. I set it to 200 degrees at first but after an hour I could tell it was too hot. My gas oven was coming on too often to heat up and I knew that wasn't good for a slow dry. I turned it down to 170, the lowest my oven would regulate.

My first batch was in for about four hours and was dry and leathery. I had to go to bed and wasn't about to do another batch overnight. The next morning I tried again at 170 but after an hour and a half I could see it had already dried it out considerably. I had to go to work and decided to turn off the heat and let the dwindling heat do the rest. That turned out to be a great solution. When I got home I found moist jerky that held the marinade flavor well. Perfect.

I recommend this marinade but definitely suggest a more traditional way of drying out your meat - with a smoker or dehydrator.


Thai Beef Jerky Marinade

  • 8 lb Beef or possibly flank steak
  • 1 c. Beef stock
  • 4 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 4 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 4 tsp Sugar
  • 1/2 c. chopped mint
  • 1/2 c chopped cilantro 
  • 1/2 c. Thinly sliced shallots
  • 4 x Scallions, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4" lengths
  • 2 jalapeno peppers or hot chilis, seeded & finely minced (depends on heat preference)
  • 4 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Cayenne pepper 
  • 4 tsp Liquid smoke
  • 1/2 c. Soy sauce
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Washabinaros Chili

February 23, 2008 beef , recipe 0 Comments

I've always taken the easy route of using chili mixes. This recipe has intrigued me for some time because of the variety of ingredients - coffee, beer, wasabi, etc. The longest part of this recipe was running around getting the ingredients. I don't drink coffee, so I bought a cup at the corner store. I don't drink alcohol and the stores were not letting me buy a single bottle of dark beer. I ended up using Celebration Ale that someone had left at my house. I had to go to two stores to get the three kinds of peppers. I was also leery of the amount of chilis in it. I put in 1.5 Anaheim, the Habanero, and half of the Serrano and tasted it. It seemed pretty spicy, so I left out the other halves. At the end though, I probably could have/should have left them in. After simmering all day in the crockpot, the flavors had really blended together and mellowed out. I don't have palate able to really pull apart flavors, so I cannot say that I tasted one thing or another, like some people have in the allrecipes.com reviews. I did use 2 cans of pintos and 1 of kidney because I prefer the pintos. I also drained the beans because I wanted a thicker consistency and didn't want to add more liquid. All in all it was a nice chili - well flavored, nice consistency, great ratio of beans/meat. Is it great enough for me to make this much effort vs. the chili mixes? Don't think so.

from allrecipes.com
Washabinaros Chili
Submitted by: Aaron Christophersen
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 95 members Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 3 Hours Ready In: 3 Hours 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil,
divided
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer
1 cup strong brewed coffee
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wasabi paste
3 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
2 Anaheim chile peppers, chopped
1 serrano pepper, chopped
1 habanero pepper, sliced

1. Place 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and place the pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onions, garlic, beef and sausage until meats are browned. Pour in the tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, cayenne, coriander, salt and wasabi. Stir in one can of beans, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining oil. Cook Anaheim, serrano and habanero peppers in oil until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir into the pot and simmer 2 hours.
3. Stir in remaining 2 cans of beans and cook 45 minutes more.
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