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Beef Bourguignon

* 1 tablespoon good olive oil
* 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
* 2 yellow onions, sliced
* 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
* 1/2 cup Cognac
* 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
* 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 pound small-ish whole onions
* 1 pound fresh mushrooms thickly sliced

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.

sprinkle beef cubeswith salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

You can also leave off the cognac and throw all of it into a crock pot and cook on low for about 10-12 hours.

Pasta with fresh tomatoes.

This is very simple, and one of my favorite ways to use fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes.

Cook your favorite pasta. While it is cooking, cut up some fresh tomatoes, lightly drizzle some olive oil over them, then sprinkle a little oregano over them.

When the pasta is done, put it over the tomatoes. The heat from the pasta will just barely cook the tomatoes.

Mix and eat.

Very simple and easy, if you have good tomatoes. Very healthy if you use whole grain pasta, and go easy on the olive oil.

Pasta Michaele

Prep time:15 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes


Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ¾ cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
• 4 anchovy filets, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup chopped kalamata oives
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 lb. Spaghetti, cooked
• ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• juice of one large lemon
• Fresh Thyme for garnish



1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat. Add nuts and toast, until lightly browned. Transfer to bowl.

2. Heat remaining oil in same skillet over medium high heat. Add onioin and cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in parsley, anchovy, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; cook until anchovies are almost dissolved. Add olives, capers and pine nuts; cook 1 minute.

3. Toss hot pasta in large bowl with Parmesan. Add olive mixture and lemon juice; toss. Makes 4 servings.

1C Yellow corn meal
1C White corn meal
1C Flour
1tsp salt
Stir all dry ingregients together.
2 eggs well beaten
1/4 C Vegatable oil
Add eggs and oil..... stir
Buttermilk to make a slurry, about 1 C or a little less.

Coat the bottom of a 10" cast iron iron skillet with vegatable oil and place in the oven until it all gets to 450 degrees. Pour slurry into hot skillet and put back into the oven. Turn oven down to 375 degrees. Bake until the top is just beginning to turn brown. Take it out of the oven, give it a shake and flip it over in a plate.

Serve butttered with black eyed peas, turnip greens and sweet iced tea. It's great to be a Southern boy!

This morning's breakfast prompted this post. A slice of last night's corn bread, sliced in two, buttered and toasted. Covered with honey and syrup and eaten instead of pancakes. Revalation! You don't even have to have peas and greens to be happy.

It's in the oven right now.

Pork Shoulder

Place a decent sized pork shoulder in a roasting pan (or Dutch oven). Season with kosher salt, pepper, adobo, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper (amounts up to you. I just eyeball it). Drizzle some olive oil on top. Pour a beer over it. Cover. Place in 250 degree oven for several hours until it falls apart. Eat.

lamp_abi wrote:I love making Nicoise. You just boil the potatoes, cut them in quarters; then blanch green string beans; toss in some olives, tomatoes and tuna. Toss those in a bowl with Balsamic vinaigrette then put on top some quartered boiled eggs.

"some olives" ... a lot could go wrong there. I don't know how widely available they are, but if there aren't any Niçoise olives to be found, there might be Greek Kalamata - bigger and with a much sharper taste, but vaguely similar. Limited to the black or sometimes green olives commonly found in cans on the aisles of US supermarkets, I think I would just omit the olives.

These two seasoning mixes will change your lives! Meats will become unimaginably good. If MSG doesn't mess you up, then the first one is the WAY TO GO.


KFC mix
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Accent (MSG)

GFC mix
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sage
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper

"Spanish" Rice:

1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small diced onion
1 cup rice (white/brown/wild)
1 pound of ground meat (burger/turkey/chicken/elk...)
1 cup water
cayenne pepper, crushed red peppers, ground pepper, salt (you'll need some)

Brown meat and onions, add the other stuff, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for an hour.

Great with refried beans. Travels well, and is one of those "better the day after" dishes.

Just got a new favorite holiday treat from all these odd Norwegian folks up here. It is like liquid gold

Rommegrot:
2 sticks butter and 1 cup flour..heat in a large heavy pot and stir.
1/2 gal. whole milk (heated in microwave for about 10 minutes...stirring every couple minutes)
add t...he heated milk to the butter and flour mixture, along with 1 pint of cream. stir this until it comes to a boil. stir in 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. salt . serve with cinnamon sugar....and whaallaaah..yummo!

I've now had this twice at a gig I take the school band to at the local bank for their annual Yulefest.

Just got a new favorite holiday treat from all these odd Norwegian folks up here. It is like liquid gold

Rommegrot:
2 sticks butter and 1 cup flour..heat in a large heavy pot and stir.
1/2 gal. whole milk (heated in microwave for about 10 minutes...stirring every couple minutes)
add t...he heated milk to the butter and flour mixture, along with 1 pint of cream. stir this until it comes to a boil. stir in 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. salt . serve with cinnamon sugar....and whaallaaah..yummo!

I've now had this twice at a gig I take the school band to at the local bank for their annual Yulefest.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Not even after a whole bottle of Cuervo.

Pot of Pinto Beans cooked all day on low with a large piece of fat back in it. When about done cook pan of corn bread on stove top in iron skillet------don't forget to greaze the pan good before cooking corn bread.

Brown Mule wrote:Pot of Pinto Beans cooked all day on low with a large piece of fat back in it. When about done cook pan of corn bread on stove top in iron skillet------don't forget to greaze the pan good before cooking corn bread.

One of my favorite simple meals.

Mmm, hummus.

1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tahini (or to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil (or to taste)
juice from half a lemon (or to taste)
salt to taste

Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid. Put garlic, tahini, and oil in a food processor and run. Add the chickpeas and lemon juice and process until smooth. Add reserved liquid or olive oil until you like the consistency. Add salt to taste. If you like you can flavor it with anything from roasted red peppers to jalapenos to curry powder or whatever else might tickle your fancy. Traditionally served with pita bread, but baby carrots also do really well. Can also be used in lieu of mayonnaise on sandwiches. Try a hummus, home-grown tomato, onion, and lettuce sandwich. Yum.

Take a live lobster. Steam. Serve with butter.

Take two pieces of whole wheat bread, spread both pieces with peanut butter, and then lavishly spread with Concord grape jelly. Eat this sandwich with a large glass of Milk!

Mom's Spaghetti sauce recipe, (the 1-1-1-1-1-1-1)

Ingredients:
I lb hamburger (we prefer ground sirloin),
1 whole onion chopped fine,
1 (2 if you prefer) clove garlic (chopped or minced),
1 large can of tomatoes,
1 can tomato paste,
1 can tomato sauce,
1 jar of Prego,

Directions:
Brown hamburger in large pot then drain or pull off fat. Add chopped onions and garlic. Cook till soft (till onions are translucent). Add rest of ingredients and set burner to cook on low for 2 hours.

Choose your pasta of choice and follow instructions on box.

Beat 3-4 eggs with a tablespoonful of habanero pepper sauce. Pour this mixture into the large frying pan in which you just fried 4-6 pieces of center cut bacon or 2-3 Italian hot sausages - cooked in a little Szechuan hot oil. Make this into an omelet with 1/4 cup of sliced jalapenos, your choice of cheese slices - I usually use Swiss, but cheddar or provolone is OK - and the bacon or sausage. Add ketchup or hot taco sauce to taste when its been folded and is on the plate. If you are really ambitious you can also fry up some onions and/or green peppers and and put them in the omelet as well. I usually sprinkle the omelet with chile powder before folding it. This makes a nice vigorous breakfast or an evening meal which goes well with beer.

N.B. For those worried about fats you can substitute egg whites or egg beaters for the eggs, and turkey bacon or sliced ham etc. for the meats. The spices are the heart of this dish.