Category: BEEF

There is nothing quite so decadent and flavorful as the perfectly braised beef short rib.  Add some candles and you can have a romantic dinner in. As with everything during this quarantine time, I worked with what I had on hand. I substituted sake for white wine and it tasted great!  I was also out of beef broth, but quickly made some from a jar of Better Than Beef Bouillon I keep on hand just for reasons like this.

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS — like your grandma’s pot Roast, only better
serves 4-6 depending on rib size

8 whole beef short ribs
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup wonder flour
3 slices bacon, diced (OPTIONAL)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 medium onion, Diced
3 LARGE carrots, Diced
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery rib, THINLY sliced
3/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 +/- cups beef broth
3-4 sprigs thyme

• • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • GENEROUSLY salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour, shake off excess. Set aside.
  • In a large dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered.
  • With a slotted spoon remove the bacon pieces and set aside.
  • Add the avocado oil to the bacon grease, and increase heat to high.
  • Quickly brown the ribs on ALL sides, including the ends, DO NOT OVER SEAR. You just want a good coloring and crisp edge.  Remove ribs and set aside.
  • Turn heat down to medium.
  • Add onions, carrots, celery and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add remaining dredging flour and stir until blended.
  • Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the bits of flavor.
  • Bring to a quick boil and cook 2 minutes.
  • Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, liquid aminos and GENEROUSLY season to taste with FRESHLY ground sea salt and black pepper.  When you’re happy with the seasoning, add the ribs into the broth so they are mostly covered by the broth.
  • Add bacon pieces and thyme sprigs to the top.
  • Put on the lid and place into the oven, cooking for 2 hours, undisturbed.
  • Reduce heat to 325° and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs will be fork-tender and should be falling from the bone.
  • Remove pan from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes, lid on, before serving.
  • Just before serving, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (see note)
  • Serve with mashed potatoes and carrots.
  • Ladle a bit of the gravy over the top.

NOTE: I use stale bread pieces to soak up the grease from the top just before serving.

TOMATO BEEF STROGANOFF
1 1/4 pounds sirloin tips, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 teaspoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced thin **
2 teaspoons hot water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
Fresh sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 large shallot, diced fine
2 tablespoons Wondra flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream (SEE NOTES)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

• Poke each piece of meat with a fork
• In a mixing bowl toss meat pieces with Bragg’s liquid aminos, cover and marinate 1 hour.
• While meat is marinating prep mushrooms.
• In a large skillet melt butter over medium high heat.
• Add mushrooms and sauce until soft and caramelizeng.
• Drain mushrooms and set aside.
• Whisk together the water and mustard powder with the sugar, and some pepper just until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
• Pat meat dry with paper toweling.
• Season with fresh ground pepper.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
• Add beef pieces and sear on ALL sides, reducing heat as necessary to prevent burning. Transfer eat to plate.
• Add Add onions and saute until caramelized and browning.
• Add in the tomato sauce and flour, stirring to blend.
• Stir in beef broth, mustard paste and wine until well blended and bring to a SLOW simmer, cooking until slightly reduced and starting to thicken.
• Fold meat pieces and mushrooms into the sauce and cook a couple minutes more until heated through.
• Remove from heat and fold in sour cream.
• Serve immediately over buttered noodles.
• Sprinkle with parsley.

*NOTE*:

• I prefer thin sliced mushrooms, but some prefer larger mushrooms in which case you should use 1 pound and quarter them.  Hubby hates mushrooms and I often omit them all together and it’s still a really tasty dish!
• Y0u can substitute a whipped cream cheese for a thicker version.

Gran’s Meatloaf is a super moist, scrumptious and full of flavor recipe that’s great for any weeknight because it can be prepared ahead of time and baked the next day! It’s a super simple recipe that has been handed down through the generations and comes out perfect each and every time!  The leftovers make WONDERFUL sandwiches for lunch the rest of the week.

GRAN’S MEATLOAF
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
3/4 cup WHOLE milk
1 LARGE egg
3 slices white or sourdough bread, torn up into small pieces
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (or substitute ½ tablespoon onion powder)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or substitute ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder)
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped cilantro (or substitute ½ teaspoon ground coriander)
½ cup Jalapeno ketchup**

• Heat oven to 350°.
• Combine all ingredients except the ketchup in a large bowl JUST until well blended.  Do NOT overwork.
• Spread mixture into an un-greased loaf pan or shape into a loaf on a sheet pan.
• Spread ketchup on top of meatloaf.
• Cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 160.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This recipe used to read a tablespoon of hot sauce plus regular ketchup, but now that Jalapeño ketchup is so regularly available I use it exclusively.