1 lb 90% lean ground beef

Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup

In a dutch oven, cook the ground beef.  Drain on paper towels to remove grease.  In the dutch oven, sautee onion and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add the beef back to the dutch oven, along with the broth, 2 cups of water, bullion cubes, and all the veggies (not the beans).    Bring to a simmer.  Add a palmful of dried parsley, 1/2 tsp basil, 2 bay leaves.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer on low, covered, for an hour.  Add the can of beans (do not drain) and cook on low for 1 more hour.  Serve or freeze!

3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp sugar
Salt
1 to 1.25 lbs blade or chuck steaks, trimmed to small pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or mild cheddar
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup canned japapenos, chopped fine
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, white or yellow

1. Combine garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl. Pat the meat dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat oil in a dutch oven (or I used just a deep saucepan) over med high heat. Cook meat until browned on both sides. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add chopped onions to the pot and cook over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic mixture and cook till fragrent, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and water, bring to a boil. Return meat and juices to the pot, cover, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer till meat is tender and can br broken apart with a wooden spoon or fork, about 1 ½ hours.

2. Adjust oven rack t the middle position and heat oven to 350. Strain the beef mixture over a medium bowl, breaking meat into small pieces, reserve the sauce. Transfer meat to a bowl and mix with the cilantro, jalapenos, and 1 cup of cheese.

3. Spread ¾ cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Microwave tortillas 6 at a time until soft, 1 minute. Spread 1/3 cup beef mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll the tortillas tightly, and set in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and beef, you may have to fit a few down the sides of the pan. Pour the remaining sauce over enchiladas and spread to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining cheese over, wrap with foil, and baked until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking till cheese browns slightly, 5 minutes. Serve with yellow rice, refried beans, and sour cream!

It was actually quite good! When i think of salisbury steak i think of dried out ground beef patties in a slick greasy gravy, but this recipe turned out thick, spice-filled, and medium-rare ground sirloin in a flavorful broth reduction with plenty of onions. Served on top of cheese toasts and soaking in a shallow bowl of onion soup, it was tasty and filling. While I certainly woudln’t serve this to the Queen of England, it was a quick, simple meal and definitely a more well-presented and flavorful version of a tv dinner classic. I used a cup more onions than the recipe called for, and since I had dried thyme instead of fresh, only the tiniest pinch of thyme. It can be overwhelming and I had really screwed some things up by over-thyming them in the past. (photo not mine, from Cuisine magazine online)

Combine and form 4 patties:

1 to 1.25 lbs ground sirloin
1/8 cup fresh or dried parsley
2 scallions, minced
1/4 tsp NaCl
1 tsp cracked black pepper

Dredge each patty in flour and sautee all together in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3 min on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add into frying pan:

4 onions, sliced thinly
1 tsp sugar

Cook for 5 minutes, until onions are soft.

Add in: 1 tsbp tomato paste, 1 tsp minced garlic. Stir over heat 1 minute.
Add in: 2 cups beef broth, 1/4 cup dry red wine, pinch of kosher salt, pinch of fresh or dried thyme. Simmer.

Add the beef patties back into the sauce, continue to simmer till sauce is reduced by one third or so. Serve steaks in shallow bowls on cheese toasts (toasted bread topped with parmesan and then broiled quickly) with onion soup ladled over.

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1 (1/2-ounce) package dried porcini mushrooms*
6 1-inch-thick filet mignon steaks

*Available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

Preparation
Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl for herb butter. Season butter to taste with salt and pepper. Process dried porcini mushrooms in spice grinder to fine powder. Transfer powder to plate. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Press steaks into porcini powder to coat both sides well.

Melt 2 tablespoons herb butter in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates. Spoon rounded tablespoon of herb butter atop each steak and serve.

This recipe is loosely based on one found in Cook’s Country. This truly is a 30 minute meal, one my husband always loves. This freezes and reheats well.

1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, diced – or one 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cups elbows
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 29 oz can of tomato sauce
pinch of dried oregano
shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the beef in a nonstick skillet. Drain and pat dry the grease. Sautee the onion and garlic over medium heat in olive oil, until the onion is soft. Add the diced tomatos, tomato sauce, broth, and pasta. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, cook until pasta is tender. Add back in the reserved beef, mix together. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Serve hot with cheddar cheese.

A regular beef stew is one of the easiest dishes in the world to make. I am a master cutter, chopper, and prepper, so it’s one of my favorite things to do. I love to have neat piles of veggies and the stew lasts for days!

1 top or bottom round roast (or chuck will do in a pinch), approx 4 lbs. Fat trimmed and meat cut in 1 inch cubes
vegetable oil and flour for searing
1 bunch of celery, cut in 1/2 inch discs
8-10 redskin potatoes, washed, peeled, cut
10 large carrots, cut in 1/2 inch discs
3 onions, diced
2 cups red wine
salt, pepper, seasonings of choice, beef bullion

Cut the meat and toss in batches to coat with flour. Heat a deep skillet with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat. In small batches, sear the beef cubes in the oil and then drain on paper towels – ideally searing all six sides, but it’s not mandatory. At this point the beef can be refrigerated overnight, or you can start the stew immediately.

After all the veggies are cut, assemble your stew in the slow cooker. Add a small amount of water and a beef bullion cube to the very bottom, and some pepper. Put the meat in next. Pour a small amount of red wine over the beef and season (I use coarse salt, cracked pepper, dried parsley, and garlic). Add 1/2 of the chopped onions on top of the meat. Add the chopped potatoes next, and pour more wine and seasoning. Add the carrots, celery, and onions last, and pour red wine again over the whole shebang. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, stirring occasionally towards the 7th hour or so.

If the stew is done but not quite thick enough for your tastes, continue to cook on low and remove the top from the slow cooker to allow liquid to evaporate. Stew, naturally, is great reheated. These quantities fit snugly in my 7 quart slow cooker. For a smaller cooker, quantities may need to be adjusted.