South African Lamb and Tomato Stew

This recipe is courtesy of my friend Dries, who makes some fantastic meat and stew dishes. This uses spices I've never tried in a stew, and it is AMAZING.

South African Lamb and Tomato Stew

2 3/4 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1" cubes (beef can be substituted if desired)

3 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon dried coriander seeds
10 black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons dried fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chutney
¾ cup dry white wine

2 russet potatoes, cubed (peeled if desired - I never do)

Take the coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and thyme and crush into small bits (I used an electric coffee grinder for this purpose).  Mix with the ginger and cardamon and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F.  Heat the oil in a large oven-safe pot.  Brown the meat and then remove from pan and set aside.  Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Add the meat again and stir through. Add the herb/spice mixture and garlic and stir through.  Add the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place lid on the pot and cook covered for 3-3½ hours.  Add potatoes after pot has been in the oven for two hours.  Check on the dish approximately every 45 minutes to ensure that it still contains enough moisture (If it looks a bit dry, add some water).  At the end of the 3-3½ hours; add the chutney and white wine and cook uncovered for a further ½ hour.

Chile Colorado & Mexican Rice

Chile Colorado

1 1/2 pounds stew beef (but I use top sirloin) cubed in 1/2" pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, minced fine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 28-ounce can enchilada sauce (at whatever spice level you like)
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
2 tablespoons flour

In a dutch oven, heat oil.  Add meat, onions, and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and meat browned all over.  Add flour and cook until absorbed.  Add cumin and chili powder.  Add broth, simmer until thickened into a gravy.  Add enchilada sauce.  Cover and simmer over low heat until meat is tender - 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Serve with Mexican rice.


Mexican Rice

1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) tomato paste
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup of freshly chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons cumin

In a medium pan, add rice and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir.  Cover the pot, lower the heat to low and simmer for 17-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and keep pan covered for 5 more minutes.

While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook the onions for 10 minutes, until translucent and starting to brown.  Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in tomato paste and cumin and cook for another minute or two.  Mix in hot, cooked rice, lime juice, and cilantro.  Mix until well combined.

Superior Pot Roast

I can never come up with snappy recipe names, so I just calls 'em like I sees 'em.  What works well about this recipe is a two-step cooking process that makes the meat fall-apart tender and a savoury, rich gravy.  On this occasion I made the recipe for half, since the chuck roast I got at Swingle's was only about two pounds, but no matter - it still worked perfectly.

Superior Pot Roast

2 tablespoons butter
1 4-pound rump or chuck roast
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
3 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, chopped
about 25 whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
2+ cups beef stock or broth
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325F.  In a large oven-safe pot with a lid or a Dutch oven, melt the butter and sear all sides of the roast until browned, 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer roast to a plate.

Add the onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot.  Saute over high heat until onion starts to brown.  Return meat to the pot and add 2 cups beef stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cover the pot and put it in the oven to bake for about 4 hours, until the meat can be easily torn apart.  Baste with juices every half hour or so.  Next, remove meat from the pot and strain the stock into a bowl, squeezing out as much of the juice as you can.  Put the meat back in the pot and shred it into pieces using two forks.  Pour the strained stock over it, adding a little more beef broth if it doesn't seem like you have  enough.  Add carrots and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cover the pot and bake in the oven again for another 40-50 minutes.

Serve with mashed or roast potatoes, or crusty bread.

Burgundy Is the Colour of My True Love's Dinner

This stuff is so good you'll want to eat it for every meal until it's gone.  And you will.  I served it over noodles, but on mashed or roasted potatoes would also be delicious - or even by itself with crusty sourdough to dip into it would be a winner.  Rich, beefy, and savoury... nom... I think I need seconds now.

Beef Burgundy

8 ounces bacon
4 pounds beef chuck stew meat, fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes
Fresh ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons thyme
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 cups Pinot Noir or other red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca

Cook bacon in a large pan (I use a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until crisp.  Using tongs, transfer bacon to a paper towel.  Pour half of bacon fat into a small bowl, and leave the rest in the pan.

 Someone always becomes very attentive when there's bacon involved

Dry beef chunks thoroughly with paper towels.  Season with pepper.  Heat pan containing bacon fat over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Cook beef until deep brown on all sides.  Transfer browned beef to slow cooker insert. 

Add reserved bacon fat to empty pan and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add onion and carrots and cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste and stir until it begins to brown, about 45 seconds.  Transfer mixture to slow cooker insert.

Return now-empty pan to high heat and add 1 1/2 cups wine, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.  Simmer, scraping up brown bits, until pan is clean, about 1 minute.  Transfer mixture to slow cooker insert.

Stir bay leaves and tapioca, and crumble bacon into slow cooker insert.  Set slow cooker on low, cover, and cook until meat is fork-tender, about 9 hours.

When ready to serve, discard bay leaves.  Bring remaining 1 cup wine to a boil in a pan over high heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir into slow cooker.  Serve.

Buttermilk Ranch Pork Chops

Buttermilk Ranch Pork Chops

Four ½-inch-thick boneless pork chops
1 cup buttermilk
1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing mix
2 garlic cloves
2 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
6-8 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh-ground black pepper

Sprinkle a small amount of water into a large resealable plastic bag.  Place a pork chop in the bag and close, leaving ½-inch open.  Pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet until the chop is about ¼-inch thick; remove and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining chops.

Pour buttermilk into the resealable plastic bag.  Press garlic into buttermilk.  Place the pounded chops in the bag and marinate at room temperature, turning several times, for 30 minutes.

Put the bread crumbs, ranch dressing mix, and pepper in another large resealable plastic bag and shake to mix.   Remove the chops from the marinade one at a time, put the chop in the bag, and press crumbs onto chop until fully coated.  Remove chop from the bag and set aside; repeat with remaining chops.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot; add half the chops.  Sauté them, turning once for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden and just cooked through.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining chops, adding more oil if necessary.

Bolognese of the Gods

Seriously Good Bolognese Sauce

Makes 4-6 servings 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup) 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 8 ounces lean ground beef 8 ounces ground veal* 6 strips bacon, finely chopped 3/4 cup red wine 3 cups (approximately) beef stock 2 cans tomato paste 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Any herbs you fancy - oregano, marjoram, or thyme A few pinches of red pepper flakes Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper 1 cup milk If you don't have a food processor to chop the veg, use a cheese grater - it'll be hard going with the stringiness of celery, but it will get it to the fineness needed better than straight chopping.  Just watch those fingers and knuckles - there are enough types of meat in this recipe already! Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add bacon, cook until browned.  Add onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté until soft, 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add beef and veal.  Sauté, breaking up meat chunks with the back of a spoon as finely as possible, until browned - about 15 minutes. Add wine; boil 1 minute, stirring often and scraping up browned bits. Add 2 1/2 cups stock and tomato paste, Worcestershire, herbs, and red pepper; stir to blend. Reduce heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Warm milk gently in microwave; gradually add to sauce. Cover pot with lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.  Add more stock by 1/4-cupfuls to thin if needed.

This is one of those sauces that is better if made ahead of time and slowly reheated after having a chance to commingle.  Plus it freezes well - allow to thaw, or reheat at very low power in the microwave. Serve over piles of your favourite pasta and top with drifts of freshly grated Parmesan.  And do make sure and drink the rest of that bottle of wine with it. *You can use all beef if you prefer.