Tag: Meat (Page 2 of 2)

Our Favorite Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage Meal

I took the plunge and prepared my first corned beef and cabbage meal for Saint Patrick’s Day.

It turned out well and made us realize that corned beef is not just for the holiday. Corned beef is for anytime.

Since Jake and I have been together, we’ve visited restaurants on St. Patrick’s Day to order corned beef and cabbage meals. The thought of cooking my own corned beef intimidated me until I saw how easy it is to prepare in a crock pot.

A reader, Stu, recommended covering it with water, sprinkling over the seasoning packet, and adding baby red potatoes and carrots.

photo (7)
Cook on low for six hours, add cabbage wedges, and cook on high for another  hour, serving with butter for the veggies.

I also gained some inspiration from Martha Stewart and tossed in some onion and dried thyme. This method worked perfectly.

IMG_1612

Point vs. Flat Cut?
If you have never bought corned beef, you’ll notice your grocery may sell point or flat cuts with a significant price difference. I was only able to find one brand, but I’m sure you can find more in larger cities. We bought our point cut for $7, as opposed to $16.

Afterwards, I learned the point is fattier than the flat and less uniform in shape. But if you are slow cooking it, who cares about its shape? It may be fattier, but at least it won’t dry out. You can always remove the excess fat after it’s done cooking.

We feasted on corned beef for several more meals. As for the last little bit of meat, I shredded it and placed it on top of a frozen cheese pizza. This should be a thing. Corned beef on everything, please.

Soda Bread
We dunked hearty slices of Ina Garten’s Irish soda bread into the corned beef’s broth.

soda bread collage.jpg

I made a few small changes by adding less sugar, substituting lemon zest for orange, and raisins for currants. This also turned out well, though it tends to become more crumbly and dry each day its left over. My only complaint is that the raisins on the surface of the bread got burnt so I picked them off.

Did you make a corned beef meal? What are your favorite cooking methods?

Grandmother Jane’s Rice Pilaf and Mustard-Chipotle Meatballs

We’re on the final stretch of Grandmother Jane’s retro church cookbook recipes.

Last week, I prepared one of her easiest recipes, rice pilaf, and paired it with some meatballs I prepared by the seat of my pants. I’m trying to brace myself for those crab casseroles, fruit cake (as in the infamous Christmas fruit cake bricks), and chicken marengo.

I’ve made meatballs so many times. I don’t measure ingredients and add whatever strikes my fancy, but I’ll do my best to share my tried and true meatball tips. These meatballs simmered in a gravy seasoned with chipotle peppers and grainy mustard which may sound like a strange flavor combination, but worked well together.

Rice Pilaf.jpg

We liked Jane’s rice pilaf, most especially the addition of the sauteed mushrooms. I took a number of liberties with her original recipe, though:

  • I used less than a 1/2 stick of butter.
  • I used basmati rice instead of Uncle Ben’s.
  • I added beef broth instead of “2 cans of Campbell’s beef bouillon.”
  • I cooked the pilaf in a saucepan instead of pouring it into a casserole dish and baking for an hour. I followed the method I typically use for rice and quinoa: Saute rice briefly in oil until it smells toasty, add twice as much water, stir, bring to a boil, cover, and steam on low.

Chipotle Meatballs.jpg

Meatloaf/Meat Ball Tips
Keep leaner ground meat, like turkey, moist by adding sautéed vegetables. I especially like finely chopped onion, celery and mushrooms. To reduce the need for breadcrumbs, add an egg yolk instead of a whole egg. You can also soak fresh breadcrumbs in a little bit of milk or cream to add moisture to lean meat. Always cook a little bit of the mixture before forming the meatballs to test the seasoning levels.

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
Mushrooms, a handful, finely chopped
2/3 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Worcestershire, a few dashes
Dijon, a couple squirts
Soy sauce, to taste
Salt
1 egg
Bread crumbs
Pepper

Gravy
1/4 cup butter, olive oil, or combination
1/4 cup flour
Beef broth
Half and half or cream, a couple glugs
Minced garlic
Grainy mustard
Soy Sauce
Chipotle Peppers, 2-3
Pepper
Sugar, a pinch
Fresh parsley, chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 375℉.
  2. Sweat the mushrooms and onion in a little oil until translucent. Add garlic and briefly cook until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with the cooled vegetables, egg, a couple dashes of Worcestershire, a squirt of Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, a splash of milk and enough bread crumbs to bind. Take a pinch of the meat and cook so you can test the mixture for proper seasoning.
  4. Form into balls and bake on a sheet pan until golden brown, flipping part-way.
  5. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. Begin by making a roux.
  6. Melt half a stick of butter in a large saucepan. Add about 1/4 cup flour, stirring constantly. Stop adding flour when the roux resembles the texture of wet sand. Since this a brown gravy, the roux can brown a little. Cook long enough to remove the raw flour flavor but do not burn.
  7. Add the stock and whisk. The gravy will thicken as it cooks. I gradually added about two cups. If it’s too thick, add more stock. If it’s too thin, you’ll have to reduce the sauce or made more roux and whisk it into the gravy.
  8. Flavor the gravy with mustard (I used grainy), garlic, soy sauce, chipotle peppers, salt, pepper, a little sugar, fresh parsley, and some half and half for creaminess. Get wild and crazy. You won’t go wrong if you keep tasting it as you go.
  9. Add the meatballs and juices from the baking pan and simmer.
Newer posts »

© 2024 Jeni Eats

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑

Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
INSTAGRAM