beef bourguignon

Beef or Boeuf?

After watching Julie & Julia while spending a weekend away in the Catskills last weekend, I was inspired to take my new Le Creuset dutch oven for a spin and make an attempt at Julia Child's Beef ("boeuf" if you're fancy and/or French) Bourguignon. I was going to actually go out about buy her cookbook, but it was too wordy and daunting, so the recipe below is compiled from different variations I found online (most of which were very confusing). Keep in mind this thing takes around 5 hours start-to-finish, though you're only active for about an hour of that time. Great for a lazy, rainy day. Here's what you'll need:

pasta w/ meat sauce

This is an old staple that everyone probably already knows how to make, but I'm sharing because you never know. It's also awesome because this recipe will feed you (as a single person) for literally a week, and it's great reheated. You can play around with the individual ingredients, but here's a basic recipe for you:

• 1 lb. ground beef (I go with the 80/20)
• 2 large cans of San Marzano diced tomatoes
• 2 tiny cans of tomato paste
• 2 cups of arugula
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

traditional meatloaf

Bon Chappétit actually started out as a recipe bank of sorts. It was a way for me to begin documenting and storing recipes that either my mother had passed down to me, or new ones that I'd tried and wanted to tell her about. It was a much more organized method than the random emails and newspaper clippings, Word documents (she gave me a Word doc recipe book when I'd gone to college) and the other various means we've used over the years.

That's really at the core of what this is all about - sharing recipes with those you love. Whether it be your parents, grandparents, friends back home (some of who may have blogs of their own), friends from wherever you may be now, or perfect strangers. Sometimes even more so than photographs, a meal can evoke all kinds of memories and emotions.

You may be wondering what this all has to do with meatloaf? Well, meatloaf has always been one of my favorites. I've always loved my mom's - even if it was one of the simpler dishes she made. It was hers, and it always reminded me of home no matter where I had it. Recently, I found my great grandmother's recipe buried in an email from my great aunt. I decided to give it a whirl, and even though I never had the pleasure of having the meal directly with my great grandmother, I still had nostalgic feelings while preparing and enjoying the meal. It was a true pleasure to make, and I got several meals out of it (including a breakfast, which I'll post soon). So without any additional rambling, here's what you'll need:

For the loaf:

• 2 lbs. of meat (I used 1 lb. of ground beef, and an additional lb. of beef/pork/veal combo)
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1/4 finely chopped green pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cracker crumbs (I crumbled up Ritz)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 slices bacon

pot roast / leftover sandwiches

Sometimes the best meals in life are the simplest. Pot roast is definitely one of the dishes that proves this true to me. It can sound intimidating, as you can certainly get your Julia Child on with a pot roast. Or, you can put in minimal effort for maximum culinary pleasure. Here's my in-sane-ly simple pot roast recipe:

• 1 giant pot roast
• 1 onion
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 4 potatoes, sliced
• Deli rolls
• Provolone

filet mignon w/ pepper cream sauce

When I studied in Rome in college, I indulged in amazing Italian food morning, noon and night. However, every once in awhile I'd get a craving for a really awesome steak. There was a small place in Trastevere that served an amazing filet with this creamy peppercorn sauce. I've tried a bunch of recipes that sounded the same, but nothing's been quite as good - until now! This was super easy to do. Here's what you'll need:

• Coarsely crushed black peppercorns
• 2 (6 ounce) beef tenderloin filets, 1 1/2 inches thick
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Place the peppercorns into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the beef tenderloin filets with salt on both sides, and coat both sides with crushed peppercorns.

Melt the butter with the olive oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet until the foam disappears from the butter. Gently place the steaks in the pan, and cook until they start to become firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to platter, and cover tightly with foil.

Pour the beef broth into the skillet, and use a whisk to stir the broth and scrape up any dissolved brown flavor bits from the skillet. Whisk in the cream, and simmer the sauce until it's reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Place the steaks back in the skillet, turn to coat with sauce, and serve with the remaining sauce.

I made these with roasted red potatoes, and the extra sauce was even amazing on those.

Bon chappétit!

beef, shiitake & snow pea stir-fry

If you follow the blog regularly, you know that there's nothing that pleases me more than a delicious meal that takes less than no time to prepare. This evening I decided to go for an Asian stir-fry dish that I haven't tried before. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 lb. top sirloin steak, cut into 2"x1/4" thick slices
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thickly sliced
• 8 ounces snow peas
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, divided
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce

Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the sesame oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the ginger and mushrooms and stir-fry until the mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the beef to the skillet and stir-fry until the beef browns but is still a little pink in center, about a minute or so. Toss in the snow peas, green onions and cilantro and stir-fry another minute. Stir in the hoisin and chili-garlic sauce and sauté until peas are crisp-tender, another 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Bon chappétit!

arugula & guacamole burgers

In keeping with my desire to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen lately, for fear of heat stroke, I went with a good ol' burger last night. Albeit, with a smidge of a twist. Dan and I first made these last summer, and they've become a regular in my culinary arsenal. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 burgers (I bought pre-made sirloin burger patties - lazy, I know)
• 2 buns (crazy)
• 1 large beefsteak tomato
• 2 slices Monterey pepper jack cheese
• A handful of arugula
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon or so of salsa (medium)

Since I don't have a grill, as you may or may not have heard, I simply cook the burgers in a nonstick skillet on the stove top. While that's going on, slice up the tomato (you really only need a couple slices for the burgers - I just eat the rest of it while I'm cooking). You'll also want to slice up your avocado and mash it in a small bowl. Mix the salsa with the avocado to your tasting (I do about one heaping tablespoonful per avocado). The rest is just assembly.

After the burgers are done and I've let the cheese melt for a minute, I simply stack on arugula, tomato and guacamole on top. It's super simple and a really delicious twist on the traditional burger.

Bon chappétit!

steak w/ tomato-caper relish

Sometimes I post old favorites that I know are delicious. Sometimes I find recipes that I haven't tried before, but know I'll love. And sometimes I find wild cards. The ones that don't work out tend to go down in burning flames, never to be mentioned on here. But every once in awhile, something strange catches my eye, I try it and it turns out to be amazing. Tonight was one of those times. I love a good steak, but I have to say this relish that goes on top was so, so good that I ate half of it just while it was marinading. Seriously. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tomato, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped, pimiento-stuffed olives
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 fresh lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 rib-eye steaks (each about 1 pound)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and garlic on a cutting board. Using the flat side of knife blade, smash garlic and salt together until paste forms (this might sound weird, but it works). Transfer the garlic paste to a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives, cilantro, 2 tablespoons olive oil, capers, lime juice and dried oregano and toss to blend well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature while you prep and cook the steaks. This can be done up to an hour in advance.

Sprinkle steaks on both sides with cumin, pepper and salt. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy, large, non-stick skillet over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Or if you're lucky enough to have a grill, but all means, grill away. Either way, add the steaks to the heated source of your choice. Sear/grill the steaks until browned and cooked to medium-rare, about 6 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes or so.

Thinly slice steaks crosswise. Overlap slices on plates and place the relish on top. Feel free to be generous with the relish portion sizes - as I said about, it's freaking delicious.

Bon chappétit!

italian meatballs w/simple tomato sauce

Last night I decided to betray my mom (sorry!) and try a new meatball recipe. I'm used to the basic, old school kind that's really just ground beef, breadcrumb and egg. Well, let me tell y'all, this new version really sent me for a loop. They were so succulent and tasty, I don't think I'll ever turn back. And I really don't feel that sorry Mom - once you try these you'll see what I mean :) Here's what you'll need:

For the meatballs

• 1 lb meat (I used the a ground beef/pork/veal combo in my local market)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/4 cup of cheese (I used a pecorino romano I had, but you could use parmesan as well)
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce

• 1 large can peeled tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 8-10 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive 
• Salt and pepper

Begin by getting the sauce going. In a medium pot, sauté the garlic and onion in oil. Once they begin to open up and brown, pour the liquid from the tomatoes into the pot, and the tomatoes from the can into a bowl. Mash them up nicely, and then add to the pot, along with the basil, salt and pepper to taste.  Let this simmer on low heat in the background while preparing the meatballs.

For the meatballs, basically just combine everything in a large bowl.  Roll into desired size (mine pictured are about the size of golfballs).  I then baked mine on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes on 450 degrees.  You can also brown them in a skillet with a little oil if you'd prefer.  They also get a little crispier this way, which can be nice. However, I was feeling lazy and didn't want to have another pan to clean (I lined the cookie sheet with tin foil to avoid cleaning - genius!)

After they've been cooked by whichever method, add them to the sauce and let them simmer and blend while you cook your pasta. Once the pasta is done, toss it all together and you're done.  This made 16 meatballs, which could easily feed 4 people.  You may want to double the sauce if you're serving that many and want it really saucy. I kept it on the lighter side - although I ate half of this all by myself in one sitting...

Bon chappétit!

homemade lasagna

This has to be one of my all-time favorite meals. Lasagna is one of those dishes that's very specific to each person who makes it. I've tried a lot of different kinds, but like any good son, my heart belongs to my mom's recipe. It definitely takes a bit of time, but it's so, so worth it. Here's what you'll need:

For the Sauce:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• ½ lb. spiced bulk Italian sausage
• 1 med. Onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Pinch dried basil & oregano

For the Filling:

• 15 ½ oz. ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
• ½ cup of Parmesan or Romano
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 6 oz. jar pesto

Building the lasagna:

• 1 # box Barilla no-cook lasagna noodles
• Grated mozzarella

For sauce: Over medium heat, cook the ground meat & sausage, then drain. Add the onion & garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is lightly browned. Put the meat mixture in a sauce pan, then add the crushed tomatoes and paste. Fill paste can with water; add to the sauce along with the spices. Simmer covered on low for 1 hr.

Side note: Last time Dan and I made this, we accidentally quadrupled the meat (seriously - the proof is in the photo). Like all my dishes, one mistake doesn't ruin the whole thing. We just added an extra can of crushed tomatoes, then split it up into two dishes with two layers each (instead of three).

For the filling, combine the ricotta, eggs, mozzarella, parmesan, pepper & pesto. You're now ready to build the lasagna.

Begin by using a thin layer of sauce to moisten the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Then build the lasagna: noodles, sauce & cheese; repeat.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the cover, top with mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes more, or until cheese is melted.

You can also prepare this the night before, refrigerate overnight and then bake the next day. This is also one of those amazing dishes that gets better reheated days later. I don't know why...my mom's just good like that :)

stuffed peppers

This past weekend Dan and I made an old classic from my childhood - stuffed green peppers. I forgot how much I enjoyed these. They're deceivingly filling (I could only eat one!) The recipe below makes 6, and could easily feed a whole family. Here's what you'll need:

• 6 medium Green peppers
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 cup each chopped celery & onion
• 2 cups hot cooked rice (brown or white)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Jarlsberg cheese
• 1 (16 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon basil, crushed
• 1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce (I use a bigger can, maybe 28 oz.?)

Remove the tops & seeds from peppers.  Then parboil for 5 minutes & drain (be careful you don’t tear the peppers.)

In a deep skillet, brown the beef in oil and stir to break into bits (and be sure to drain the grease.)  Add in the celery and onion and cook until tender.  Blend in rice when it's finished, add 1 cup of the cheese, the diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil.  Spoon this mixture into the peppers - try not to tip them.

Place cut side up in baking dish.  Spoon the tomato sauce around and over peppers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered. 

Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted. And that's it. They make for a pretty great all-in-one meal, and they're great the next day as well.

As a side note to all you vegetarians out there, if you take out the ground beef, this could be another option for you.

Bon chappétit!