Slow Cooked Short Ribs

We have a small, local organic market here in our small town and I just love it.  One (of the many!) cool things they offer are bimonthly produce boxes and monthly meat boxes.  I love these boxes not only for the fresh, organic ingredients, but also because they force me to try new things.

Short ribs were new to me.  So new that I had no clue where to start!  After a little research, I decided that short ribs, red wine, thyme and a crock pot seemed like the way to go!

I know there are some crock pot haters out there, but I was told these turned out amazing!  The meat was tender and the sauce was nice and hearty.

Slow Cooked Short Ribs

 

Ingredients:

2lbs beef short ribs (about 4 large)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp tomato paste

Directions:
 

1.  Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.  Coat the short ribs on all sides in the flour and place in the hot oil.  Brown short ribs on all sides, about 1 minute per side and place in the crock pot.  Lower skillet heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil.

  

 

 

 

2.  Add onions, mushrooms and thyme to the pan.  Sauté until beginning to soften and brown; 5-8 minutes.  Slowly add the red wine and beef stock.  Scrape any bits off of the bottom of the pan and bring stock and wine to a simmer; stir in the tomato paste.  Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until it has reduced and thickened.

 

 

3.  Pour the sauce over the short ribs and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve and enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

Jason requested this for dinner weeks ago.  Every week it would be written on our Weekly Menu, but for one reason or another, it would get pushed into the next week.  Finally, I got around to making it and it was a hit!

Shepherd's Pie

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

1 1/2 lbs Russett potatoes, peeled and chopped small

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup milk

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Black pepper

Pie:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large (about 1 cup) carrots, peeled and diced small

1 small onion, diced small

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

1 cup corn kernels

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp tomato paste

3/4 cup low sodium broth 

1/4 red wine (no wine? Just use more broth)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cool water.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and return to the hot pot.  Warm the milk and butter in the microwave until butter is soft and the milk is just slightly warm.  Carefully whisk in the yolk (make sure your milk isn't too hot or the yolk will cook).  Mash the milk mixture into the potatoes.  Mix in the cheese and pepper.  Set aside.

2.  While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and preheat the oven to 400.  Once oil is near shimmering, add the carrots and onions.  Sauté until they begin to soften, 5-10 minutes.  Add beef and garlic and cook until beef is no longer pink.  Drain beef mixture.

3.  Return the beef to the pan and add the green beans, corn, marjoram, thyme, bay leaf and flour.  Stir until everything is combined and the flour has been absorbed.  Add the tomato paste, broth and wine.  Let the filling simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.

4.  Remove bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into an 8x11 baking dish. Top with prepared mashed potatoes, ensuring the potatoes reach the edges.

5.  Place baking dish on a cookie sheet and bake until potatoes begin to brown, approximately 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!!

Crock Pot Jambalaya

When we went on our family vacation last March, my future sister-in-law made a Jambalaya for everyone.  Jason really liked it so I got her recipe and then (of course) made some changes to make it my own.  You can make this as spicy or as mild as you'd like.
 

Jambalaya

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts (about 2 large)

6-8 oz andouille sausage

1 bell pepper

1 onion

4 celery stalks

28 oz diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, diced
Hot sauce (optional)

1/2 lb shrimp

Rice, for serving

Directions:
1.  Chop the chicken, sausage, bell pepper, celery and onion into large, bite size pieces and place into a crock pot.  Add in everything else except the shrimp and rice.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. 

2.  Twenty minutes before serving, stir in the shrimp.  Cook uncovered until shrimp is warmed through.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Beef and Noodles

I'm always amazed at how many types of noodles I find in my pantry when I clean it out (last time I had seventeen different kinds!).  When I decided to clean it out once again late last week, I found a brand new bag of whole wheat egg noodles.  My first thought was to use them in soup, but it's still a little too warm for soup.  It's been so long since I've made Beef and Noodles for Jason I decided on that instead!  He loves this recipe!

Beef and Noodles

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs stew meat, cut in chunks

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup red wine

1 tbsp marjoram

2 cups low sodium beef broth

1 lb whole wheat egg noodles, cooked and drained

Directions:

1.  Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or a heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Evenly coat the meat with the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper.  Once the oil is hot and near its smoking point add in the meat.  Cook the meat for 10-12 minutes, just until brown.  Work in batches if your pan is too crowded.

2.  Remove the meat and add the mushrooms, onion and garlic to the pan.  Sauté the onions and garlic just until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

3.  Remove the mushrooms, onions and garlic and add the wine to the pot.  Cook the wine for about 5 minutes, scraping all of the bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add the beef, mushrooms, onions and garlic back to the pot and sprinkle with the marjoram.  Add in two cups of the beef broth and bring to a simmer.

4.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender.  During the last 30 minutes, cook your egg noodles and drain.  Serve beef and gravy over noodles.  Enjoy!