The Apartment Kitchen » beef

New Mexican Pot Roast

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:57:28 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for sweet potato recipes, because they are one of Matt and I’s favorite foods. This “pot roast” sounded delicious, and made for a great Saturday night dinner. I will definitely be trying it again, but with the hominy the original recipe recommends. Also, I think the sauce would be even more delicious with pork – a variation I plan on trying soon!

New Mexican Pot Roast

Served 4.

Adapted from epicurious.com

Leftover Potential: Reheats well – the flavors intensify a bit as it sits, much like a stew.

2 1/2 lbs beef chuck, tied into a roast

olive oil, as needed

salt and pepper, as needed

1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce

1 (twelve oz) bottle lager

chicken broth, as needed

1 large onion, chopped

2 poblano peppers, seeded, chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cubed

1. Rub the beef with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast the beef in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

2. Add the enchilada sauce and beer to the pan. Add enough broth to cover the meat 3/4 of the way. Cook the meat for 2 hours, until nearly tender.

3. Add the onion, peppers, and sweet potatoes, and continue to cook for 30 minutes more, or until the vegetables are very tender. If desired, you can reduce the liquid to a thicker sauce before serving.

Hungarian Meatballs

theapartmentkitchen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:44:33 +0000

There’s another great week of recipes and voting going on at Food52. My mouth was watering as I read the recipe up for “Best Recipe with Paprika”. These Hungarian meatballs are delicious – an incredible combo of beef, pork, and pancetta in a delicious paprika-spiced sauce. I’d post the recipe here, but I copied it to a T, and it was delicious. So head over to Food52 and check out this recipe HERE. Bon appetit!

Corned Beef with Potatoes and Braised Brussels Sprouts

theapartmentkitchen — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:49:12 +0000

Tonight, Matt made dinner. Not to say that he isn’t usually involved…but tonight he did the whole thing from start to finish. It was amazing…simple but so full of flavor. It simmered all day while we lounged and relaxed. We ate in a pouring rain storm. Leftovers are in the fridge and we’re feeling warm and comforted on this chilly, rainy night.

Corned Beef with Potatoes and Braised Brussels Sprouts

Served 2 with LOTS of leftovers.

Leftover Potential: Everything keeps nice and reheats well. Make sure you keep plenty of the broth.

4 lbs brisket

salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed

3 (12 oz) cans beef broth

3 cups water

3 Tbsp corned beef or pickling spice (mine was a blend of mustard seeds, coriander, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, dill, ginger, juniper, and cayenne)

4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled

2 1/2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed

1. Season the brisket with salt and pepper (be sure to consider the salt in the broth you’ll be using).

2. In a large pot, heat the broth, water, and corned beef spice over medium heat. Add the seasoned brisket, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the meat is mostly tender (about an hour for each pound of meat).

3. 40 minutes before the meat is finished (3/4 of the way into the cooking process), add the potatoes to the pot. With 20 minutes left, add the brussels sprouts. When all ingredients are tender, serve.

Glazed Beef Spare Ribs with Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers

theapartmentkitchen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:48:59 +0000

So after eating massive quantities of pork due to my impulse purchase of a 6# shoulder, we figured we’d keep it light for the next few days. That is, until we saw an incredible rack of beef spare ribs at the market on a wicked special. Naturally, we couldn’t resist. Yes, I was aware as I walked out of the store that I probably didn’t need to eat more meat for dinner. Did I care? No.

While Matt was at work, I rubbed the ribs down with some spices. Then before I put them in the oven, I glazed them with a glaze of vinegar, tomatoes, sriracha, and more spices. After they were rubbed and glazed, I put the ribs in the oven for about 2 hours at a low temperature. You could also grill them (yum) or leave them in the oven for up to four hours, which will leave the meat melt-in-your mouth and falling off of the bone.

Glazed Ribs with Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers

Served 2.

Leftover Potential: If you’re a real carnivore, you can enjoy the leftover ribs like Matt did – cold the next day. You could also shred the meat and use it in tacos, sandwiches, or on a salad.

Ribs

1 rack beef spare ribs

salt, as needed

about 1/4 cup of spice rub (I used paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper, and mustard powder)

1 cup tomato puree

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp mustard

2 cloves garlic

1/2 sweet onion

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 – 1 tsp sriracha (optional)

1. Season the ribs generally with salt. Rub the ribs with the spice rub, making sure they are evenly coated.

2. In a blender or food processor, process the glaze ingredients until they make a smooth mixture. Place the glaze into a large pot on the stove and cook over medium heat until reduced by about 1/2 (or to a thick, but still brushable mixture).

3. Glaze the ribs with the reduced glaze, and roast in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, flipping half way through, or until the ribs are tender and cooked through. The glaze will have reduced further into a sticky and incredibly flavorful crust.

Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers

1 cucumber, halved, thinly sliced (you can seed the cucumbers, if desired)

3-4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Korean red pepper powder (1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes could be substituted)

1. Place the cucumbers in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients – mixing to combine and dissolve the sugar and salt.

2. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers. The longer the mixture sits, the more flavorful it will be, but it’s good after about 15 minutes as well.

Chili Coated Beef with Barley Cake and Tomato Sauce

theapartmentkitchen — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:45:00 +0000

I like the challenge of making good food for not a lot of money. I especially enjoy trying to make a seemingly fancy, well-composed dish on a budget. I got the basic idea for this dish from another blog and adapted it slightly.

This dish is great because it uses barley – a delicious and incredibly cheap whole grain that can make the perfect starch component to a meal. The author also gave me an interesting idea – running the barley through a food processor to give it a finer texture. That gives it a fluffy lightness that is not usually associated with barley.

Chili Coated Beef with Barley Cake and Tomato Sauce

Served 2.

Leftover Potential: The cakes will loose a little of their crispness in reheating. I made three cakes then sauteed the rest of the barley and ate it like that as leftovers. Made 2 meals after the initial dinner.

Barley Cake

1 1/2 cup barley

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2 cups chicken stock

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 Tbsp oil

1. In a food processor***, process the barley until it reaches a finer texture. Each piece of the barley should be approximately 1/2 the size it was before – compareable in size and shape to couscous.

2. Remove the barley from the processor, reserving about 1/4 of the mixture. Place the barley in a large heat-safe bowl. Add the garlic and onion, and toss to combine completely.

3. In a small pot, heat the chicken stock to a rolling boil. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the stock over the barley. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the barley is soft, about 10-15 minutes.

4. The barley should absorb all of the liquid, but if it is soft and there is still stock in the bowl, drain it out. Season as needed with salt and pepper.

5. Let cool slightly, and add the egg and bread crumbs. Mix to combine. Add more bread crumbs as necessary to allow the barley to stick together as a cake.

6. Form the barley into the desired number of cakes. Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the cakes until they are brown on each side.

Tomato Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp basil

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1. In a small pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

2. Add the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

3. Add the herbs, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside, but keep warm.

Chili Coated Beef

1 1/2 pounds steak (top round is a good cut), cubed

salt, as needed

pepper, as needed

reserved barley

1-2 dried chilis

2 Tbsp olive oil

1. Season the steak with salt and pepper as needed.

2. Place the reserved processed barley back in the food processor with the dried chili(s) and process until very fine, like a coarse flour.

3. Toss the cubed steak in the barley, making sure it’s well coated.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the steak and cook until browned on all sides and heated through in the center (about 3-4 minutes will give medium rare pieces). Turn the pieces as necessary throughout cooking.

5. Spoon some tomato sauce onto a plate. Top with the barley cake, some vegetables, and the cooked steak. Eat immediately!

***The apartment kitchen doesn’t have a food processor, I used a blender. Either will work!

No More Boring Leftovers Continued: Asian Meatballs with Udon and Beef Broth

theapartmentkitchen — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Soup is a quick and easy thing to prepare at the last minute. Unfortunately, the idea equated with soup is generally a huge vat with tons and tons of leftovers. With this soup, I’ve tried to create just the right amount, using my pre-made ground meat mixture .

I used store bought beef broth for my base, because it’s flavorful and simple. I generally buy organic is possible, the increase in quality is well worth the small increase in price when it’s the entire base of a dish. Then I supplemented the meatballs with scallions, mushrooms, and udon noodles for some added texture and flavors to my soup.

The result was quick: 20 minutes max from start to finish, and an incredibly comforting, warm, and homey feeling dish. Perfect for a cold night.

Asian Meatballs with Udon and Beef Broth

Served 2.
Leftover Potential: Take out just the right amount of meat so there are no leftovers!

Meatballs:
1 cup ground meat mixture
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or panko)
1 tbsp oil, for cooking

1. Combine meat mixture with the egg until well combined.
2. Add the bread crumbs/panko and mix thoroughly.
3. Using your hands, divide the meat into small balls (slightly larger than bite size).
4. In a medium pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place the meatballs around the pan, allowing them to sear until browned, approx. 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn the meatballs over, repeating the cooking on the other side. Cover the pan and let steam until finished, another 2 minutes. You can test the meatballs by cutting into them. Set aside.

Soup:
1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 can beef broth
2 oz noodles (wide noodles or lo mein work best)
6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
other vegetables, as desired, thinly sliced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

2 scallions, cut into 1/8″ strips
meatballs, cooked

1. In a small pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic, about 1 minute.
2. Add the beef broth, and bring to a gentle boil. Add the noodles and allow to cook until tender.
3. When the noodles are nearly finished, add the mushrooms and other vegetables and allow to cook until tender.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and finish with scallions and finished meatballs. Allow meatballs to heat through if they’ve had time to cool.
5. Serve in warm bowls with spoons and chopsticks.