Urban Suburban Mommy

Tag Archives: beef

Broccoli Stir-Fry with a Tamarind Twist

Posted on by Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Happy Spring… Enter all vegetables NOW!!!!  What better way to bring them together than in a stir fry!  Instead of going with the usual teriyaki version, we are going to use tamarind.  It’s a fruit grown in tropical areas and is commonly known to be from Asia.  The pulp from a tamarind once ripened has a paste-like texture and has a sweet/sour taste – giving a stir fry and new and refreshing flavor.

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Sauce:

  • 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
  • 4 tsp Honey
  • 1 Tsp Sriracha
  • 1/4 Tamarind Paste
  • 1/4 Cup Water

Mix together and set aside.

Meat:

  • 500g sirloin or flank steak cut across the grain in thin strips. (you can also use chicken if preferred)
  • 2 tsp of corn starch
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 4 cloves of garlic inced

Whisk the yolk, garlic and corn starch together.  Toss with the steak strips (this will give the steak a silky texture when cooked)

Veggies:

  • 4 cups broccoli
  • 1 red pepper – matchstick
  • 1 onion sliced thinly
  • 1 cup mushrooms (optional)
  • 3 cups bean sprouts (optional)

Other:

  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 200g rice noodles Cooked per directions

WHAT YOU DO:

  1. Heat 0il on med-high.
  2. Add beef, cook until seared (3-4 min).  Then remove from pan
  3. Add onion and red pepper.  Cook for 3 min.  Add broccoli (and other veggies)
  4. Add sauce, pinch of salt and pepper (Place Lid on for 3 min)
  5. Add noodles and meat back in.  Stir and serve.

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The kabob

Posted on by Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Kind of exotic, so easy and the boys always fight over the leftovers in my house. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect thing to make?

I love making kabobs. I usually use pork, but sometimes chicken and sometimes beef. Lamb would be good too.

Kabobs are great because of the versatility. You can make them in the oven or on the grill. You can prep them a day ahead, or do them up right when you’re going to cook them. You can use whatever type of meat you have on hand, and use up whatever veggies you’ve got in the fridge that are coming to their end.

skewers

What you need:

– 1 nice sized pork tenderloin OR 3 chicken breasts OR a small sirloin tip roast, cut into irregular hunks, about an 1 to 1.5 inches
– 1/3 cup olive oil
– 2 garlic cloves, diced or crushed
– 1 red onion (white, yellow or Spanish will also do) chunked
– 2-3 peppers, chunked (red or green – or a mix)
– splash of lemon juice
– salt & pepper to taste
– 1 1/2 tbsp oregano (fresh or dried)

Optional veggies: zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, yam

What you do:

Use 6 to 8 metal skewers or bamboo skewers. If you’re using bamboo, make sure to soak them for 30 minutes so they don’t char.

Cube the meat andcut the veggies so that they’re bite sized but not too narrow – all the chunks of meat and veggies have to be able to be skewered.

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Toss well. You can refrigerate and let the meat marinate or you can skewer them up and get grilling. I like to alternate meat and different veggies on a skewer.

Get the grill heated to medium or heat oven to 350° and place skewers on a roasting rack. In either grill or oven, cook on each of the four sides for 4 to 6 minutes – it will cook faster on the grill, slower in the oven. You want to make sure meat is cooked through and veggies are softened and start to caramelize but don’t burn.

Serve with roasted potatoes or this rice. Tzatziki is also a great side to serve with these, it’s the perfect dip!

The leftovers – make sure you have leftovers! Put it all together in a container and the flavours just meld so beautifully. It’s a whole other amazing dish the next day.

 

Fondue Chinoise

Posted on by Posted in Delicious Dishes .

You may think you know fondue, but if you haven’t tried Fondue Chinoise, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Fondue Chinoise is two meals in one. First, you create a broth in the pot. Then you take a piece of cheese, and wrap the cheese a piece of thinly shaved slice of meat. You submerge it in the broth and let it cook. Give it three or four minutes, then take it out of the broth, let it cool for a minute, and then pop the cheesy filled piece of meat in your mouth and go “mmmmmmmm!!!”

photo: Kae Yen Wong

photo: Kae Yen Wong

AND THEN, when you’re done dinner, you throw the leftover meat into the broth. Let it simmer and save it for the next day. It’s the most decadent, best beefy onion soup you’ll ever have. Toss in some cheese topped toast and you’ve got French Onion Soup.

What you need:

Broth
– 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 2 big bay leaves
– salt & pepper to taste
– 1 cup heavy red wine (or half cup win,e half cup brandy)
– one beef bouillon
– 6 cups water
– 2 large onions – halved and then sliced into long narrow strips, sauteed until deeply caramelized

Meat & Cheese
– 1 pound of cheese, cut to half-inch cubes: Jarlsberg, Swiss or Havarti are best
– 1/3 pound of meet, thinly sliced, per person – usually found in the meat or freezer section

What you do:

Put all contents of the broth into the fondue pot and get it simmering for an hour or two. You may need to top the pot off with water if you let it simmer long. You want to make sure that the onions are very caramelized as this will make the flavour really come out. You’ll get the best results by sauteeing the onions slowly, on medium-low heat in vegetable oil.

The fun of fondue (or “fun”due as my brother likes to say) is that everyone cooks and eats at their own pace. The fondue pot is placed in the middle of the table with a burner beneath on medium to keep the broth simmering. You wrap a piece of meat around the cheese and secure it on the fork (you can pre-roll them or have guests wrap up their own). Then put the fork into the pot for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the cheese has melted. Serve with some crust bread. And wine, this goes great with deep, rich red wine. You can also serve with a garlic aioli dip. It’s great for a dinner party or a family meal – or even an intimate dinner for two!

It’s hands-on and social. Depending on your family and friends, a little stealing may go on, but that’s only because it’s so delicious, and it’s hard to be patient waiting for those little morsels to cook up.

After cooking all that meat and cheese, the broth will be rich and flavourful. Dump the rest of the remaining meat into the broth and let it simmer. Serve the next day as soup, or you can add toasts with melted cheese and it makes the best French Onion Soup!

Thanks for the recipe AP. I’ve made it many, many times, it’s always a hit, and it always reminds me of you!

 

 

 

Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger

Posted on by Posted in Delicious Dishes .

 

Elisa Burger

Lately, it seems it’s not good enough to have a good ‘ole charbroil going on, it’s a world of burger boutiques where garlic aiolis battle it out with caprese relishes and cilantro-infused mayos. Where emu, elk, lamb and bison burgers big-up the oldschool beef burger. My family loves a good burger, we’re connoisseurs, really, and love checking out the big new burger joints. So when my brother started taunting my husband that he’d found the Best Burger Ever, this was nothing to be taken lightly. My brother insisted we didn’t know from burgers until we’d tried The Burger Barn.

This past weekend we made our way out to Port Dover – a beachfront community on the shore of Lake Erie in Norfolk County, about 2 hours west of Toronto. We like long drives and beaches, so combining this with the quest for the Best Burger Ever seemed like a no-brainer.

the burger barn

The Burger Barn, 3000 4th Line in Ohsweken has the Best Burger Ever

My brother was right. We found the Best Burger Ever. Located on 4th Line, just off of Highway 6 in Ohsweken, there is, in fact, a building that looks like a big barn, and it is, in fact, The Burger Barn, and they do, in fact, have the Best Burger Ever. We ordered a few variations – one with brie, mushrooms, bacon and caramelized onions; one with dusted jalapeños, barbecue sauce and Monterey Jack, one with cheese, and one with nuthin’ but the bun – our 8 year old is a purist. The onion rings and the fries are spectacular sides. The bun – that bun… It is standout! Definitely worth the drive.

While we can’t make regular trips to The Burger Barn, the fact is, I make a mean burger. I really do. I may not have all of the crazy toppings, but it holds its own among boutique burgers. We barbecue everything – and we barbecue all year long – and this one’s a staple. Feel free to get fancy with the toppings!

What you need:

-2-3 pounds lean ground beef (regular is more tasty, extra-lean is a bit dry)
– 2 tablespoons salt
– 2 to 3 tablespoons garlic powder
– 2 teaspoons paprika
– 1 egg
– cracked pepper to taste
– burger buns

What you do:

Pre-heat the barbecue. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients. Get in there with your hands and really mush that meat up. Take your mix out to the barbecue and form round patties, about a half-inch thick and about an inch wider than your buns. The actual size doesn’t matter, but it’s always nice to eat a burger that doesn’t get lost inside a big bun. Patties will shrink down a bit during cooking.

Start grilling. At the 4-minute mark give them a quarter turn. After 4 more minutes, flip and repeat. Those grill marks make you look pro, but the turn helps for even cooking. For bigger burgers you may want to go 10 minutes a side, for smaller burgers it will be 5 minutes a side. You don’t want to undercook ground beef, but you’ll have to tweak the recipe if you prefer your burgers medium or well-done.

Now for the toppings:

TexMex: Guacamole, salsa, cheese and jalapeños
French: Brie and dijon
Banquet: Bacon and cheddar
The Philly: A mix of sauteed mushrooms, onions and green peppers, smothered in cheese
The All-Canadian: Peameal bacon, cheddar and maple-glazed barbecue sauce
The Hellfire: Jalapeño havarti, tabasco mayo, hot peppers and peppercorn crusted bacon

Share your creations with us!

 

Latin Meat Stew (Biste)

Posted on by Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness, Urban Suburban Mommy .

Estofado De Carne - stewing in potWho doesn’t love a great stew?  Even better when it is super easy, quick and delicious to make.  My sister-in-law taught me how to make Latin meat stew (otherwise known as Biste in Spanish) and of course when I make it, I score big points with the hubs.

If you feel like getting adventurous with your cooking by visiting a different culture in the kitchen – give this recipe you a try!  I promise you’ll love it.

Estofado De Carne – plated

What you need:

  • 4 large ripe tomatoes (Hot House are a good option), sliced and diced
  • 1 large onion, sliced and diced
  • 1 green pepper, sliced
  • A splash of olive oil
  • Salt, pepper and oregano to taste
  • Sazon Goya (Goya Seasoning) – you can find in Latin America grocery stores or in the international section of some supermarkets (I have made it without – so no stress if you can’t find it)
  • 3-4 packages of thin fry steak (the beauty of this dish is you can substitute the beef for sliced chicken breast or thigh if you like). The fry steak should be cut into small strips

Estofado De Carne - stewing meatWhat you do:

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the onions and let them sweat for a couple of minutes. Turn up the heat to medium. Now add the tomatoes and green peppers. Stir them around with a wooden spoon.  Add the cover to the pot and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove the lid and stir periodically.  Reduce heat.  The tomatoes, onions and green peppers should cook down into liquid/sauce.  As this is happening, add your fry steak.  Mix around with a spoon so that the meat browns.  Add your salt, pepper, oregano and stir.  The add 2 packets of Sazon Goya and stir through.  The stew will turn a bright red.  Return the lid and let the stew simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve the stew over our Foolproof Rice.  It is so tasty.  Feel free to add a little hot sauce to take the dish to a whole other level.  Of course, set some stew aside without hot sauce added so the kids can enjoy too!