SHEPHERD’S PIE

SHEPHERD’S PIE

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat in a large pan until hot: to fry:	2 tbsp olive oil 500g ground lean beef or minced lean lamb
Stir in:	½ cup onion, finely grated 1 cup carrot, grated 2 cloves garlic, finely grated 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp thyme ½ tsp rosemary
Pour in and reduce until almost completely evaporated:	1 cup red wine
Add	1¼ cup beef or chicken stock
Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce is thickened.
Meanwhile: cook in boiling salted water until tender:	5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Drain potatoes and return briefly to low heat to dry out. Ideally pass through a potato ricer; otherwise, mash potatoes.
Beat in: followed by:	2 egg yolks 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
Transfer the meat and sauce to a large oven proof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the meat, starting from the outside and working to the middle. Use a fork to spread and fluff up. Grate extra parmesan over and season. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
FoodNotes: 1.      No red wine? Add beef bouillon to tomato soup 50:50 ratio. Add peas to the dish after adding the liquids.
2.      Side Dish:   In a saucepan, bring water to a boil with:	500 g medium sized carrots, peeled, sliced in                                           medallions or sticks rosemary thyme garlic clove
Boil carrots for three minutes or so to soften, drain, pat dry. Sauté with salt and pepper, just until tender.
Toward end of cooking, add:	butter to glaze

 

MEATLOAF

MEATLOAF

 

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix the following ingredients all together:                 with	1 cup milk 3 slices bread, torn in very small pieces ¼ tsp sage ½ tsp dry mustard ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 egg, beaten (may use egg white only) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1½ lbs [675 g] lean ground beef
Pat the mixture into a loaf.
In a prep bowl, combine following ingredients for glaze:	¼ cup tomato ketchup 3 tbsp brown sugar
	1 tsp dry mustard ¼ tsp nutmeg	OR 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Spread glaze over meat mixture. Place in oven and bake 50 minutes or more until meat reaches temperature of 165°F or meat is thoroughly cooked with no pink remaining. Remove from oven and allow to stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve.
FoodNotes: 1.       Invest in a meatloaf pan - one loaf pan inside the other; the inside one colander-like to allow liquid fats to run off, OR use the broiler pan and pat the meatloaf into shape on the drain sheet over the oan 2.       Individual meat loaves - shape beef mixture into 6 small loaves; place in 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake 45 minutes. 3.       In a bigger hurry? Pat the mixture into muffin tin and bake approximately 30 minutes. [Best if you have a non-stick muffin tin!] 4.       Substitutions: ▪       ½ cup oatmeal or ½ cup dry bread crumbs, ½  cup cornflake crumbs for torn bread ▪       Tomato soup, sauce or ketchup for milk – usually an amount equal to the bread or cornflake crumbs ▪       Combinations or complete substitutions of ground beef, pork, turkey, or sausage meat. 5.       Additions: ▪       1 small green pepper, chopped ▪       1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded ▪       1 cup mushrooms, chopped 6.       Alternate topping: ▪       Last 3 to 5 minutes of bake time, arrange 1 tomato, thinly sliced down the center of the meat loaf, top with square slices of cheese cut on diagonal. Bake until cheese is melted.

MINCED VEGETABLE MEATLOAF

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place in food processor and pulse until finely minced:	1 large white onion 2 stalks celery 1 medium carrot
In a large skillet, heat	2 tsp canola oil
Sauté vegetables until tender; allow to cool.
In a large bowl, combine:	3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1½ cups bread crumbs 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup ketchup ¾ tsp black pepper ¾ tsp thyme ¾ tsp salt 1375 g (0.625 Kg) ground beef
Mix in the vegetables. Pack the mixture into a loaf pan. Place the loaf pan into a larger pan that has been filled with 2.5 cm of water. Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Remove foil and continue baking an additional 30 minutes, until top is browned and internal temperature reaches 300°F.

 

MEXICAN SKILLET

MEXICAN SKILLET

 

In a large skillet, brown	1 lb [450g] lean ground beef ½ cup onion, chopped
Drain excess fat from pan.
Stir in:	14 oz [398 mL] can tomatoes, whole or diced 2 tsp instant beef bouillon,               or 2 beef bouillon cubes crushed 1 tbsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the bouillon and break up the tomatoes.
Stir in:	1½ cups cooked long grain rice
Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about five minutes.
Top with:	1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded lettuce
Serve immediately - either place the skillet on a trivet to serve from table, OR dish individual servings into pasta or rimmed soup bowls and top each bowl with cheese and lettuce. Serve with garlic bread or tortilla.
FoodNotes: 1.      Additions or substitutions: celery, green pepper, jalopeno pepper, cilantro leaves, parsley bacon bits; pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans black pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, lime juice

 

JOHN PAZAHANICK’S BEEF TERIYAKI

JOHN PAZAHANICK’S BEEF TERIYAKI

 

In a prep bowl, combine:	1 can beef consommé, undiluted 1 cup dry red wine 1/3 cup soy sauce 1 clove garlic, minced 3 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp honey
In a shallow baking dish, place:	2 lb [900 g] sirloin steak (without bone) bunch of green onions, chopped
Pour marinade over meat and marinate 8 hours or overnight. Drain meat, reserving marinade. Grill steak on barbeque, brushing with marinade. Cook to personal preference. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes. Slice meat diagonally across the grain in 1 inch strips to serve.
FoodNote: John liked to serve this with a spinach salad and rice with toasted pine nuts, garlic, parsley, thyme, cayenne & Tabasco sauce, and green onion.

HOW TO COOK STEAK

HOW TO COOK STEAK

 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CUT:

▪      For FLAVOUR, marinate an inexpensive cut and don’t overcook it.

▪      For TEXTURE, buy an expensive cut, don’t marinate it and don’t overcook it.

▪      Buy steak one inch, preferably one and a half inches thick; otherwise it cooks too quickly.

▪      At least, don’t buy an uneven cut, check that it is the same thickness.

▪      Buy a well-marbled steak - vibrant red to dark pink, creamy white fat with thin streaks of fat running through the meat. Gray or brown is bad, and steak that is dark ruby red or purple has probably been previously frozen or poorly stored.

▪      Don’t buy frozen steak - the juices drip out before you can cook it.

 

tough guys (chuck or round cuts)	good guys	tender guys (loin and rib cuts)
▪       chuck ▪       flank ▪       rump/round/sirloin	▪       Club ▪       all strip loin ▪       no filet/tenderloin ▪       T-bone ▪      strip loin large ▪      filet/tenderloin small	▪       Porterhouse [too huge!] ▪      strip loin small ▪      filet/tenderloin large ▪       Filet Mignon         (best of tenderloin) ▪       Chateaubriand           (tenderloin) ▪       New York Strip    (strip loin) ▪       Delmonico or rib-eye          (prime rib)

Less fat generally equals less FLAVOUR; tenderloin is lean and tender but not as flavorful as rib or strip loin.

 

▪      Best Bet: buy from a butcher rather than a supermarket, or at least consult the butcher in the supermarket to purchase the best he has available that day for your menu.

 

BARBEQUING:

▪      Let the steak reach room temperature before grilling (about 30 minutes or so); brush the steak with olive oil, rub with salt and pepper (if desired, some people argue that steak should not be seasoned until it is cooked)

▪      Trim the excess fat - leave only ¼ inch; cut through the fat strips at 1½ inch intervals

▪      Preheat one side of the barbeque (very hot) for searing and the other for cooking

▪      Real Fire? Stack more bricks/coals on one side than the other.

▪      Grill one minute each side to sear steak and seal juices

▪      Turn the meat and rotate 45 degrees, grill for half the remaining cook time

▪      Turn once for finish time: don’t prod, flip, pierce the meat - this drains the juices (and the flavor) and toughens the meat.

▪      Let steaks ‘rest’ two to three minutes before serving - this allows the juices to flow out from the center and finish cooking

 

 

SEAR ROASTING:

▪      On the stove top over high heat, sear the steak on one side in a hot oiled pan to create a nice brown crust that locks the juices in.

▪      Flip the steak, transfer pan to preheated 425°F oven to finish cooking. Depending on thickness of steak cook approximately: 5 min for rare,
7 min for medium and 9 minutes for medium-well per side.

▪      Let the meat ‘rest’ three to five minutes before serving.

 

PAN SEARING:

▪      Preheat pan over medium high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil

▪      Place steaks in pan to sear them; move them around a little with tongs so they don’t stick to pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes per side.

▪      When steaks are done to your liking, remover from pan and cover loosely with foil, let them rest five to ten minutes before serving

▪      Add juices that have accumulated from resting steaks to any sauce you are preparing

 

SLOW ROASTING:

▪      Let the steaks sit at room temperature for thirty minutes

▪      Cut steak into skillet-sized pieces; dry with paper towel.

▪      Preheat oven to 300°F; preheat skillet - very hot - add olive oil and sear steaks one minute per side - remove steaks from pan to a platter.

▪      Cool the pan and the steaks about 10 minutes (keep the juices).

▪      Season the steaks generously both sides, return to pan and place in oven for 10 to 12 minutes

▪      Remove steaks to warm plate and cover with foil; let rest 3 minutes.

▪      Set the pan over high heat. Use steak juices, red wine, broth, water, etc to deglaze the pan and make a pan sauce. Add mushrooms OR caramelized onions. Add seasonings such as garlic and rosemary, and S&P.

HAMBURGER-VEGETABLE-PASTA SKILLET SUPPER

HAMBURGER-VEGETABLE-PASTA SKILLET SUPPER

 

In a Dutch oven or large skillet, cook over med-high heat, stirring to break up, until browned:	1 lb [45o g] lean ground beef
Drain off excess fat. Add:	1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped 1 sweet green pepper, coarsely chopped 1 large celery stalk, thinly sliced 4 carrots, thinly sliced
Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened
Add, breaking up tomatoes with fork, and bring mixture to simmer:	28 oz [796 ml] can tomatoes 1 cup beef stock 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp oregano ½ tsp cinnamon
Stir in and cook covered 10 to 12 min. a la dente:	1½ cups penne or other short pasta
Add and cook covered 3 to 5 min. or just until tender:	2 cups cabbage, coarsely shredded
Season with:	S&P to taste
Serve immediately with pumpernickel or rye bread.
FoodNote: This is an iron and fiber rich meal.

 

HAMBURGER AND MACARONI

HAMBURGER AND MACARONI

 

In a large stock pot of boiling, salted water, cook a la dente (approx. 5 to 7 min.)	1 cup macaroni pasta
In a large skillet, brown: Add, continue cooking until vegetables are transparent:	1½ lb [675 g] lean ground beef   one small onion, chopped one stalk celery, chopped
Stir in:	19 oz [540 ml] can of tomatoes 5 oz [142 ml] can tomato paste 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp curry ¼ tsp chili powder ½ tsp each S&P
Bring to boiling point, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and heat to a simmer. May transfer to a casserole dish to keep warm in oven until serving time. Serve with garlic bread and Caesar salad.
FoodNotes: You may reduce the ground beef to 450 g and increase the pasta by ½ cup, according to your taste or ingredients available.