Foodie Friday -- Beef Stroganoff

I had every intention of trying a Martha Stewart beef stroganoff recipe, but a few things stood in my way. One it was a crockpot meal, which would have forced me to chop onions, mushrooms and meat at 5:30 in the morning prior to work.

Yuck. No thank you. Coffee and I have a special bonding moment at 5:30 in the morning. I'd hate to disrupt that particular ritual.

And two, it had Dijon mustard in it, which my family dislikes. I did think of sneaking it in this recipe, but forgot. Oops.

A few days earlier, I had purchased a 5-lb chuck roast from Costco, which I cut up into both cubes and strips while defatting it. I ended up with about 2-lbs of strips and 2-lbs of 3-inch strips (about 1/4-inch thick and 3/4-inch wide), which I tossed in the freezer. I'll use the cubed meat for chili or some sort of stew next week.

It's 4 PM and time to start cooking dinner...Improvise time!

Beef Stroganoff

 

2 lbs beef, sliced into strips (roughly 3-in long x 1/2-in wide x 1/4-in deep)

2 small onions, or one large onion, diced (or sliced, if you prefer. I think I will slice it next time)

1-lb mushrooms, cubed (sliced, if you prefer)

2 cups beef broth*

oil

salt

pepper

garlic powder

flour

8 oz. lite sour cream

 

1-lb egg noodles

 

1) Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in large Dutch oven pan on medium-high. Add onion and mushrooms, cook until tender about 6-8 minutes. Season lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove from pan, leaving juices, and add meat. Brown meat, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a couple Tablespoons of flour. Stir until flour is cooked, about 1 minute.

 

2) Return onions and mushrooms to pan. Add beef broth. Stir.

 

3) Lightly cover (angle lid instead of placing it tightly on), and turn heat down to keep beef at a strong simmer. Cook for 1-2 hours or until broth thickens to a gravy. ** Adjust seasoning at this time, but you probably won't need to add anything. Just saying.

 

4) Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

 

5) Stir sour cream into beef mixture.

 

6) Place noodles on plate and spoon beef stroganoff over noodles.

 

Enjoy!

 

Tips and Tricks

• * I never have beef broth, or chicken broth for that matter, in the house . . . ever. But what I always have is Better Than Bouillon, chicken and beef. For this recipe, I used about 1 Tablespoon of beef Better than Bouillon, along with 2 cups of water.  
• ** I cooked my stroganoff about 1 1/2 hours. It just worked out that way. If you use a more marbled cut of beef, it will become less tough the longer it is braised as the fat will break down. My inspiration for this recipe was guided by Paula Deen who cooks her meal for only 45 minutes. Slower = more tender.  
• If you want to cook the beef first, then the onions and mushrooms. Go for it! It doesn't really matter. 



FOODIE FRIDAY-- Chicken Noodle Soup

Last week, I picked up a rotisserie chicken. Most of them are pretty inexpensive, costing around five-six dollars. This is an awesome way to save time on those busy school nights.  Pop the chicken into the microwave, make a salad and a veg, and there’s dinner.

This time, I stripped the meat from the bones, placing the bones in a pan with water, a couple sprigs of rosemary, a small bunch of thyme, a bay leaf, about 2 tsp. peppercorns, one quartered onion, one coarsely chopped carrot and two coarsely chopped stalks of celery.  I cooked this down for about 30 minutes. I added a little salt AFTER it cooked down. Many times the rub on the chicken contains salt, and I didn’t want to over salt the broth. I strained out the solid stuff and adjusted the flavor with herbs and a little salt. Then the broth went into a container and into the fridge. The next day, I spooned off the fat and used the broth in this soup.

Sorry, most of this I didn’t measure. Just adjust according to your family’s tastes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Olive oil
Chopped chicken @ 2 cups
Chicken broth @ 8-10 cups
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
1 pkg. Reames frozen noodles, 16 oz.
Salt and pepper if desired

Add 1-2 Tbls. oil to hot pan. Saute celery, carrots and onion until slightly softened. Add chicken. Add broth and heat until boiling. Check seasonings, adjust as needed. Lower heat to a simmer. Add frozen noodles and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

This is just the comfort food for those cold nights.

Later, Peeps!

 

FOODIE FRIDAY--Pasticcio (Greek Lasagne)

First things first, I joined Weight Watchers this last weekend. Does this mean I’ll only post ‘healthy’ food recipes?

Heck, no!  The key is moderation while eating a lot of veg. If you have a big breakfast odds are good you’ll only have enough points left for a light lunch and dinner.

I’ve been on the program before. I’ve lost weight before. But I seem to keep losing my way when it’s time to forge out on my own in maintenance land. This time, I won’t allow myself to get stuck.  Though I’m not paid employee of Weight Watches, I am a total fan. I really like this new program—It’s balanced. You eat real food, not purchased stuff—and their E-tools online program is AMAZING! It helps that their points system allows more food and most fruits and vegetables are free!  Oh, you still have to fight the cravings, find ways to distract yourself from trolling the pantry and fridge, and exercise, yes, the dreaded exercise word! I enjoy walking. I always have, so I’m walking for 35 minutes during my kidlet’s swim camp this last week and this coming week, then I’ll have to switch it up.

Today’s pick of the week is . . .

Pasticcio (Greek Lasagna)

Tori Carrington kindly gave me her family’s recipe. I found the noodles at our local Greek festival with the help of a Greek grandmother, who was a funny cliché of herself. I couldn’t find the cheese, but Parmesan is suggested as an alternative.

Beef mixture:

1 Tbls olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 whole cloves
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

Noodles:

1 lb. Pasticcio noodles (long tubular noodles)
1 Tbls. salt
1 cup grated Kefalotiri cheese (or Parmesan)

Béchamel Sauce:

½ cup butter, (1 stick)
¾ cup flour
4 cups hot milk
Salt
Pepper
Dash of nutmeg (optional)
1 cup grated Kefalotiri cheese (or Parmesan)
4 egg yolks

Grated Kefalotiri or Parmesan cheese

Beef mixture: Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the ground beef, onion and garlic until slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook over medium heat for approximately twenty minutes.

Noodles: Cook the pasticcio in salted boiling water until soft but firm. Drain and return to pan.

Béchamel Sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan; add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the milk all at once, and stir until the sauce is smooth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and egg yolks.

Sprinkle a 9 X 13 Pyrex pan with grated Kefalotiri or Parmesan and put in half of the pasticcio. Sprinkle with Kefalotiri or Parmesan and cover with half the beef mixture. Repeat with the rest of the pasticcio, beef mixture and Kefalotiri. Spoon béchamel over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Cook in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let settle for 20 minutes, cut into squares and serve.

Kali Orixi!