blog.19f.org

there are times when we pick up a recipe book and educate ourselves. this is not one of those times. family recipes are to be cherished and shared with those close enough to be in our lives. this was lovingly given to me from my mother-in-law and remains one of my staples. it’ll fall off the bone and into your mouth. i’m a patient guy, but this lady raised three girls & still puts up with her son-in-laws crap. how great is that!

canola -or- olive oil
2.5lb - chuck roast
3 cups - beef stock
1 envelope - onion soup mix -or- french onion
potatoes & carrots (halved/quartered to the same rough size)
starch

MEDIUM HEAT - dutch oven
350°F OVEN

add oil to dutch oven
sear each side of roast (10 min per side)

add stock (to cover roast)
add soup mix
cover in oven (1.5 hours)

check liquid
cover in oven (30 minutes)

add potatoes & carrots
cover in oven (1 hour)

add starch to thicken drippings/stock into gravey

this can be used on anything from mashed potatoes to southern biscuits. make it blond or brown depending on your length of cooking/browning and type of broth you use. as with anything be sure to taste the final results before serving over desired dish.

1.5 Tbsp - butter
1.5 Tbsp - flour
1.5 cups - stock (warmed)

MEDIUM-LOW - skillet

melt butter (foam)
whisk in flour

LOW - skillet

whisk to darken (3 minutes)

whisk in 1 cup stock (slowly)
reduce until desired thickness is achieved

season to taste
[keep warm over simmering water & stir]

one thing we all have in common is our own particular take on what meat loaf should be. the two main categories are texture and sauce preferences. this recipe is a fairly wet mixture that turns into quite a dense loaf. i’ve never been one for a sugary basked sauce. i’d much prefer a nice brown gravy to serve with mashed potatoes.

350°F OVEN

A:
1lb - ground beef
1oz envelope - onion soup mix
5oz can - evaporated milk
1 Tbsp - liquid steak seasoning -or- Worcestershire sauce

mix “A” well
pack into loaf pan
bake 1 hour until cooked through (add 30 minutes for dark glassware)

top with preferred garnish (cheese, scallions, fried onions, pimentos)

—–Meat-Loaf-Sandwich—–
my all-time favorite leftover is easily prepared and a delight to consume.
3 slices - meat loaf (heated)
2 slices - bread
mayonaise

build: bread, mayonnaise, meat loaf, mayonnaise, bread
toast sandwich if desired

everyone knows the delights of creating something so satisfying that you count it as a staple. these mini burgers fall into this classification.

1lb - ground chuck (80/20)
8 buns
mayonnaise
A:
1/2 tsp - onion powder
1/2 tsp - garlic powder
1/2 tsp - black pepper
1/2 tsp - kosher salt

250°F OVEN
350°F GRIDDLE

line sheet pan with parchment
place chuck in center
cover with plastic wrap
roll out evenly to meet all edges (very thin)

season with “A”
fold in half
cut into 8 squares

wrap buns in foil
heat in oven (5-10 minutes)

cook patties on griddle 2-3 minutes per side

use mayonnaise on lower bun to prevent a greasy bun.

after searing a delicious piece of meat we have several techniques for turning those brown bits of goodness that remain on the pan into a sauce to complement said primal. first the recipe then the technique.

pan with brown bits (not burnt from meat searing)
3/4 cup - beef stock
A:
3 Tbsp - cognac
3/4 cup - heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste

MEDIUM-HIGH pan

add stock & whisk (remove all the bits from bottom of pan)
reduce 3-4 minutes (whisking constantly)
add “A”

HIGH HEAT

whisk 5-7 minutes continually (sauce thickens)
you want the sauce to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and not drip off
taste (season with salt & pepper as needed)
spoon sauce onto your meat (pouring may have some brown ugliness end up on your meat instead of safely in the bottom of your pan)

—–process—–
deglazing - pouring beef stock into a hot pan and whisking (any flavorful liquid can be used)
cooking off liquid to thicken
adding fat (cream/butter) to thicken
adding flavorful ingredients
cooking off liquid to thicken

the primal urge to cook meat is something most of us can’t turn away. when you learn how delicious a cow can be and then desire to understand the parts of this animal you’ll see why different muscles perform differently in the pan. the basics of steaks lye here.

6-8 oz - Strip Steak (excess fat trimmed)
kosher salt
black pepper
2 Tbsp - clarified butter (unsalted will work as well)

200°F OVEN
MEDIUM HEAT - heavy skillet (think cast iron)

sprinkle steaks with salt & pepper (both sides)
heat butter in skillet
add steak DO NOT TOUCH for 3 minutes (until brown & crusty)
flip steak DO NOT TOUCH for 3 minutes (until brown & crusty)
rest steak - elevated on plate in oven to keep warm

now you can create a pan sauce if you like
rest that bad boy or your plate will be swimming in juice, which makes for a soggy steak and sides.

in college i needed a weekly fix from the breakfast trailer. i’m certain it wasn’t a single meal trailer, but they didn’t seem to use the griddle for any other services. parked at an off center central campus location these guys really knew how to do breakfast. one of my favorites was their grilled morning meal. offered here is my version, trust me it’s AWESOME!

1/2 Tbsp - butter
several - red onion slices (thin)
1/2 - roma tomato (diced + liquid)
1 - egg (beaten)
kosher salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
cheddar cheese (big shreds)
1 english muffin (halved & toasted)

MEDIUM-LOW - nonstick pan

melt butter (to foam)
add onion (until soft & translucent)
add tomato
add egg (spread all over pan)
salt & pepper to taste

fold in half (when golden)
add cheese

fold into square
flip to melt cheese and seal
serve on english muffin

my absolute favorite cheese/fondue type sauce was named for a joke. the welsh were so poor and uneducated that they called this dish rabbit. it’s easy to see why this is as appealing as a comfort food can get… it has beer! no dish should go unnoticed with such a delightful ingredient, and who could resist not finishing off the bottle. waste not want not.

2 Tbsp - butter
2 Tbsp - flour

A:
1 tsp - dijon mustard
1 tsp - worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp - kosher salt
1/2 tsp - black pepper

1/2 cup - porter beer
3/4 cup - heavy cream
6 oz (1.5 cups) - cheddar (shredded)
5 drops - hot sauce

LOW HEAT - sauce pan

melt butter
whisk in flour 2-3 min (do not brown flour)
whisk in “A”
whisk in beer
whisk in cream (until smooth)
stir in cheese (a bit at a time - until melted)
stir in hot sauce

serve hot over toast

recently i’ve started reviewing Bytejacker a newly acquired Revision3 show. now i’m no gamer (he says in pajamas around 11am), but i do enjoy the occasional bout of recluse activity with the newest Zelda epic. this weeks Free Indi-RapidFire includes a link to the igf video game competition. the student selections are available and have a nice feel. in particular we (the small person and i) enjoyed Continuity. a puzzle/platformer with sliding tiles you must navigate through to grab key(s) and unlock the door to the next level. there are some real mind benders here. game play is simple and intuitive. this isn’t a marathon gaming experience but it will kill a few hours. even my seven year old enjoyed this puzzler.

I have been hoping for a better wordpress app for some time. well it’s finally here. no longer will I be obligated to sit at home to bang out rants and reviews…

who am I kidding, this updating from anywhere is super neat!