Beef Roast Over Vegetables

When I saw Michael Symon make this on The Chew a few weeks ago, I knew this would have to be my Seder dinner.  Low effort, as cheap or expensive as I felt like making it, and impressive in presentation.  Plus, after last year's potato bar, I kind of owed everyone some meat.

Also as a result of the potato bar, I didn't use potatoes as one of my root vegetables.  I pulled some carrots, and radishes that had gone so long they were bolting.  Parsnips, onions, turnips, and fennel from the market rounded out the selection.  I think I spent more on veggies than the roast, which was on sale for $4 a pound.

I was really nervous about staking my dinner party reputation on a chuck roast.  When someone says Chuck, I think of stew, fondue, or chili.  Maybe beef vegetable soup.  I don't think of having people over for a ritual meal.  My nice set of flatware doesn't even have steak knives.

It did come out a bit tougher than a more expensive cut of meat, but nothing that the not-so-pretty steak knives couldn't handle.  Most important, it was done as much as I wanted it, which was slightly more than medium-rare on the ends and true medium-rare in the middle.  Only the two end slices were medium.

3 lb chuck roast
2 small onions, quartered
1 lb small Yukon potatoes, halved
4 thin carrots, peeled
2 parsnips, peeled and cut in half
2 C water
kosher salt, pepper, paprika
olive oil
fresh herbs such as thyme and rosemary, bundled

1.  The night before, generously season meat with salt, pepper, and paprika on all sides.  Leave in fridge, uncovered, for at least 12 hours to dry-marinate (rub).

2.  Remove roast from fridge and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450º.  Line a roasting pan with foil.  (I barely had to wash it after.)

3.  Distribute prepared vegetables in roasting pan.  Nestle herb bundles among the veggies.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Place roast on top of vegetables.  Drizzle meat with more oil.  Add water to the bottom of the pan.  Don't wash the spices off the meat.

4.  Bake at 450º for 30 minutes, then turn down oven to 275º.  I also rotated the pan.  That's the photo at the top of the post.  You can see that this is when the dark crust forms.  Continue to roast at 275º in 30-minute increments.  Check temperature starting at the next 30-minute (1 hr total) mark and baste meat with pan juices every time you check it.  When thickest part of roast reaches 125º, you have achieved rare to medium-rare in the middle and close to medium on the ends.  For me, that was at the 1-1/2 hour total time mark with a 2-1/2 lb roast.  It was also too early, so I turned my oven down to 140º for a half hour before pulling it out.  If you like a more done roast, go to 135º.  Be careful, it happens quickly.

5.  Remove the roast from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, about 10 minutes per pound.  Also how long it takes us to do the first part of the Seder.  Remove roast from pan and slice across the grain.  Place on serving platter with vegetables and spoon pan juices over it.  I also had a gravy boat on the side with more juice.  What I don't have is a picture, because we were hungry and I forgot.  I took a picture of what was left.

Serves 8

Difficulty rating  :)

Braised Lamb with Blackberry Sauce

By the time I remembered to get a lamb shank for the Seder plate, lamb bones were few and far between at the market.  There was plenty of ground and boneless lamb, lamb for stew, and a couple of sad, fatty chops.  There was also one package of neck cuts that was 30% off.  Close enough.

Really, the only good way to cook lamb neck slices is slow braised, which is how I was going to do the hypothetical lamb shanks anyway.  There isn't a whole lot of effort involved, but you do have to start dinner early.

I'm using blackberry jam for the sauce.  You've already spent enough time braising the lamb.  Here's a time-saver at the end.  Actually, I used blackberry rhubarb jam because I still have two jars of it from last year's canning.  If you can't find blackberry jam, you can buy fresh or frozen blackberries and cook them down with sugar and a little water in about fifteen minutes.  Again, I was trying to save you some effort.

2 lbs bone-in lamb shanks or neck slices
1 Tb olive oil
1 onion, chopped
*1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
kosher salt and pepper to taste
*1/2 C blackberry jam
*1 Tb Marsala (optional)

1.  Drizzle oil into a large soup pot and warm over medium heat.  Sauté onion until translucent.  Add lamb and garlic.  Cook until lamb is browned on all sides.

2.  Add water to cover.  Add rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover.  Cook for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is falling off the bones.  Check every hour or so to make sure it isn't boiling and there's enough water.  If the meat is only sticking up a little, you can just turn it and don't have to add water.

3.  For the sauce, warm jam in a small saucepan.  Add Marsala and a tablespoon of the broth, more if you want a thinner sauce.  Stir until uniform.

4.  Remove meat from saucepan.  You've just made a lamb bone broth, so I suggest straining it and saving the quart or so of liquid.  Once refrigerated overnight, you can remove the fat (which I also saved) and have a rich stock.  I made a batch of harira with it that was amazing.

5.  Traditionally, one lamb shank is a serving, but that can be a lot of meat.  Depending on how big they are, you may choose to take the meat off the bones and serve it in pieces.  I had to do that with the neck slices, and it simply looked like pulled lamb with a few larger pieces.  Serve with sauce.

Difficulty rating  π

Mashed Turnips with Sauerkraut

The idea of mashed turnips reminds me of Little House on the Prairie.  I want to say they were a big deal in one of the books.  Anyway, I had some cream in the fridge and decided to make some.  Then there was some leftover sauerkraut from corned beef sandwiches, and I figured I'd put that in, too.  Turnip is already a little tangy.  This would just up that a notch.

For those who are hesitant to try something that kind of looks like a purple and white potato, but isn't, I can put your fears to rest.  Turnips are simply another kind of root vegetable.  They don't make it onto American tables as often as they used to.  As a result, they tend to be more expensive than potatoes.  Not by much, just enough to make everyone think they're unusual.  The more that food trends go towards ingredients which have fallen out of favor in the past 100 years, the lower those prices get.  There have been times that carrots have been pricier, because fewer people were eating them and farmers didn't grow as many to avoid a glut.  It's all economics and what the government is willing to subsidy.

1 lb turnips, peeled and chopped into 1" to 2" pieces
1 Tb butter
*2 Tb cream
salt and pepper
*1/2 C drained sauerkraut

1.  Place chopped turnips in lightly salted water in a saucepan and bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until a fork easily pierces, about 20 minutes.  Drain well.

2.  Mash cooked turnips, or beat with a beater or stand mixer, until broken up.  Add butter and cream and mix thoroughly.  Stir in sauerkraut, then taste.  Add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot.  If desired, top with more sauerkraut.

Difficulty rating  π

Passover Sorting

I spent what's probably the last two rainy days of the year doing the bulk of my Passover cleaning.  Except for the floor, the kitchen is done.  I'll scrub that the day before.  Everything is dusted, moved, laundered, and polished.  It's a huge feeling of accomplishment, and I wasn't doing anything else those days anyway.

The pantry does take a little while.  Everything comes out, shelf liners get washed, and everything goes back in, carefully sorted by what's chometz or not.

This year, I really appreciated the work I did painting the pantry.  The shelves only required a quick wipe down, and nothing needed to be scrubbed except the floor.

I didn't do too badly working off the chometz.  In the photo, the KLP is on the right and the chometz is on the left.  I had already put flour, cornmeal, and packaged baked goods in the chest freezer.  Without all that canola oil in the back, the left side is definitely smaller.  I was hoping the wasabi powder would be ok, but mustard is the second ingredient.

Sure, it's a little tempting to have foods on the top shelf that I can't eat for a week.  (Peanut butter...)  That's why households with children lock it up or "sell" it.  I trust myself to use willpower.  If it's not on the OK shelf, I don't touch it.  It's only a week.

Garden Tostada

Ok, this isn't a real tostada because I didn't use tortillas, but it felt like more than simply a salad because of the potatoes.

I'm not a huge potato fan.  I'm actually kind of resentful of how many you end up eating during Passover, even though I did a potato bar for Seder last year.  This is different because I did oven-roasted wedges with a generous dousing of seasoned salt.  I think I'm really just not a fan of boiled potatoes.

This started as a way to use the last of the pinto beans in the pantry, and also some of the arugula in the garden.  I'm probably going to pull the plants after Seder.  Just get me through the salad.  I'm also going to sacrifice an entire head of romaine, but I planted a few of them too close together, so it really needs to go anyway.  Basically, I made three salads like the one in the picture and it didn't make a dent in the lettuce patch.

*1 can pinto beans or 2/3 C dry, soaked, and boiled for 2 hours
1 lb russet potatoes
olive oil
*1 tsp seasoning salt or taco seasoning
*4 C salad greens
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
*1/2 C diced onion
*1/4 C cilantro leaves
2 avocados
sour cream for garnish
shredded cheddar for garnish

1.  Cook and cool pintos or drain, rinse, and chill the ones from a can.

2.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Cut potatoes into bite-sized wedges.  Toss in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until coated and spread out on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle generously with seasoned salt (I used Lawry's).  Roast until golden and easily pierced by a fork, about 40 minutes.  Set aside while you assemble the salad.  It's really neat if they're warm in an otherwise cold dish.

3.  Plate a cup of greens on each plate.  If you want some kind of dressing, add the juice of a lime to the greens before you start the toppings.  Sprinkle with cilantro.  Start layering with the potato chunks, so they don't weigh down everything else.  Add on tomato, onion, and pintos.  Slice avocados and arrange half of one on each salad.  Top with sour cream and cheddar.  Serve while the potatoes are still warm.

Difficulty rating  :)

Chinese-Style Chicken Noodle Soup

I really am feeding myself.  I just haven't had time to post, between work and cleaning for Passover.  Making progress on the latter.  Then I looked at all the dishes saved on my camera and realized I have to post them before I forget the recipes.

Here's the other can of soup I needed to mess with.  I could have titled this post "how to spend $10 on a $2 can of soup", but it's a lot more nutritious this way.

I turned this into two generous servings, three if you're doing lunch, and could taste the salt a lot more than with the other can.  I skipped the soy sauce because of it.  What this ends up tasting like is a cross between egg drop and won ton soup, only the noodle and chicken have separated.

1/2 onion, diced
*2 cloves garlic
1 Tb oil
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 baby bok choy, sliced crosswise
1 C water or chicken stock
*can of soup (2 serving size)
1/2 tsp ginger
2 eggs

1.  Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Cook onion and garlic until softened, about 4 minutes.

2.  Add water, mushrooms, carrot, and bok choy.  Bring to a simmer and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

3.  Add ginger and can of soup and bring everything to a boil.  Beat eggs with a couple of tablespoons of cold water.

4.  Stir the soup to get it moving, then drizzle in the beaten egg slowly so it cooks in strings.  I poured it in too fast and the soup wasn't boiling hot enough, so I got curds.  Same taste, but not as pretty.

5.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Maybe add some pepper if it's too bland for you, soy sauce if there isn't enough salt.  Serve hot.

Serves 2-3

Difficulty rating  π

Chicken Loaf with Coconut-Cilantro Sauce

I was too lazy to do meatballs.  This started because I was tempted to make the red lentil meatballs again, but figured I'd do something slightly different because I have a blog to maintain.

I've pretty much accepted that I won't finish off the bulgur and other non-KLP foods by the end of the month, but I'm still trying to reduce their presence.  Most of them are good for you, so it isn't like I'm just making tons of cookies.  The date-filled hamantaschen don't count because they were for a bake sale.  All of the volunteers there were so impressed by how I was at selling.  Then someone remembered I do this for a living.

Isn't this unicorn cake adorable?  I wish I was halfway decent at cake decorating.  That was a prize in the cake walk.  Oh, right, we were talking about meatloaf...  The spices were pretty much the same as the Turkish recipe, but I added mushrooms for more filler and moisture.  That makes it a little French-inspired, maybe North African.  The sauce is all over the place, but it worked well because I seem to have over-spiced the loaf for my taste.  For everyone else, it's probably about right.

For the Loaf
1/4 C dry red lentils
*1/4 C medium bulgur
3/4 lb ground chicken
1/2 C diced onion
1/4 lb finely chopped mushrooms
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric

1.  In a small saucepan, combine lentils and 1/2 C water.  Bring to a low boil over medium heat, then lower heat to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in bulgur, cook for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.  Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, and up to an hour.

2.  While the lentils are cooking, combine chicken, onion, mushrooms, and spices in a bowl.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour, for the spices to meld.

3.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Knead together lentil mixture and chicken mixture.  Spread in a loaf pan and bake until a thermometer reaches 160º, about 45 minutes.  Allow loaf to rest for 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the Sauce
1 can coconut milk
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp olive oil

1.  In a medium skillet, heat the spices with the oil until fragrant.  Add the coconut milk and cilantro and bring to a light boil, stirring frequently.

2.  Slice loaf and serve drizzled with generous amounts of sauce.  I ended up with almost a cup left over.  You could use it as salad dressing.  I thinned it out a little, added more cilantro and some pintos, and had it as soup.

Difficulty rating  :)

Date-Orange Filling

Because I was still on vacation, I was able to volunteer for this year's Purim carnival at the temple.  I generally work Sunday mornings and can't even drop off cookies.  This year, I was also able to help run the sweets booth.

The next thing to decide was what kind of Hamantaschen to make.  Personally, I like prune.  Most kids like apricot.  Then I remembered that I've had a filling recipe bookmarked from Bon Appetit for at least a year.  Not only is it dates, which almost never come in a pre-made can of filling, but it has no added sugar.  The cookies still have a lot of sugar, but this is better than using a jam.  You also get nutrients and fiber.  Not exactly a healthy cookie, just less bad for you.

The consistency of this filling is for hamantaschen or other cookies, but you could also use it on cakes, tarts, or even in savory/sweet appetizers.  Dollops can be whisked into white wine vinegar and olive oil to make a salad dressing.  Straight up, it's a less-sweet jam.  You could beat it into pancake batter instead of part of the oil or use in a cinnamon roll in place of butter.  Stir it into plain yogurt and top with granola.  Don't limit yourself.

1 C dates, pitted and cut in quarters
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tb unsalted butter

1.  In a medium saucepan, bring dates, zest, cinnamon, salt, and 1-1/2 C water to a boil over medium heat.

2.  Continue to cook at a low boil, stirring and mashing the fruit until a jam-like consistency is achieved.  The filling will get a little thicker as it cools, but you should reduce it to something spreadable rather than soupy.

3.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.  Allow to cool before using, so it can set its final texture.

Makes about 1-1/2 C, almost enough for a full batch of hamantaschen

Difficulty rating  π

Doctored-Up Chicken Noodle Soup

Melody Smurf caught a cold the last day of our vacation, so we picked up some canned soup for her.  Then she felt well enough to go out and never ate it.  Add that to the stack of leftovers I ended up having to eat through.  Seriously, in only three days, I had enough to keep me going for another three.

As far as stuff to be stuck with, chicken noodle is pretty basic.  Most people keep it in their pantries at all times.  I just stopped buying canned soup years ago because of the salt.  When I turned this one around to read the label, the calories, fat, and other nutrition was reasonable.  It was the salt content that brought me to a screeching halt.  A can was two servings, but only 190 calories.  If you were to eat the whole can, that was 74% of your daily recommended salt intake.  Ouch.  I needed to find a way to stretch this can out over three or four servings.

There are plenty of websites out there with recommendations.  I chose this combination because it was stuff I had on hand.  (Or overgrowing in the garden.)  I just kept throwing stuff in if it looked like it wouldn't make it another week in the fridge.  The tofu was actually a really good idea, with the firm texture resembling a matzoh ball.  The tomato was kind of weird, but worked as a garnish, so it only cooked slightly in the heat of the broth.

Again, this is everything I threw in.  It was all about diluting the salt.  Put in whatever you want.

If you make your own stock, the dishes will pile up

*1/2 C dry chickpeas (or 1 can)
*1 2-serving can Chicken noodle soup
2 C unsalted vegetable or chicken stock
*1 carrot
*1/2 bunch green onion, chopped
*2 Tb medium bulgur
*1/2 package firm tofu
*1 Roma tomato, diced
*1/2 lb fresh arugula

1.  If making garbanzo from dry, soak for at least 12 hours.  Rinse, refill saucepan, and simmer for 2 hours.  Or just open a can and rinse very well to reduce salt.

2.  At the end of the cooking, peel and slice carrot.  Add to the pot and simmer for the last 10 minutes.  Drain everything.

3.  In a large soup pot, combine canned soup, stock, cooked chickpeas and carrots, cut green onion, bulgur, and arugula.  Bring to a simmer.  Once heated, add spoonfuls of the tofu, like dumplings.  Serve hot, garnished with tomato pieces.

Serves 3-4

Difficulty rating  :)

Vacation Food Photos

I did have some cell service on land, just no time to post anything.  We were going nonstop from breakfast to midnight most days.  We got back on Sunday, and I'm still tired.

The real world did intrude when we returned.  Linus the cat died the day before the cruise ended.  He was 16 and had been obese for years.  It was just hard to hear at the end of a busy week.  Also, because he was my parents' cat, which created a little added loss.  The rest of the pets were fine, except Princess had severe abandonment issues for several days and kept yelling if she was in a room alone.  I hardly ever go on vacation, so she just has to deal.

I did weigh myself when we got back, and had only put on two pounds.  Then we ate out a lot the next few days and I put on another.  I've gone on an excellent and highly effective diet called "only eat if you're hungry", which routinely drops as much as half a pound per day for a week.  After that, the appetite tends to kick in and I have to make proper choices again.  Drinking only water helps a lot, too.  It washes away the accumulated salt and retained water.

Holland America did a lovely job on the food again.  Dining room portions were right-sized again, and you can see above the small plate selection at one of the lunches.

When we arrived, there was a buffet open, and tiny bites at a reception.  I took a picture of one bite made on a spoon.  I've heard of it done before, but haven't done it myself because of the silverware involved.  In this case, they used Asian soup spoons to serve a salmon mousse topped with sour cream and garnished with lettuce.  I could do something with plastic cutlery if it looked nice enough.  If I ever do a tasting party.

At the end of the week, one of the diners at our table got a similar salmon mousse that was plated with garnishes.  Aha, what we got at the send-off was the leftover mousse from the night before, repurposed.  I tend to find it amusing that desserts near the end of a cruise trend towards the fruit on board that has over-ripened: bananas, pears, and similar fruits that can't be stored very long.

Next year, we're going to the Caribbean.  The menu will probably be heavier in Jerk and other local styles, instead of leaning towards Mexican.  They did have a lot of South Asian, Indian, and other regional offerings.  One breakfast, I tasted the Scandinavian fish offerings.  It was annoying to have to pass up things I wanted because of hot peppers, but that led me to other choices I might not have made otherwise which were excellent.