Stir Fried Asparagus with Sesame Seeds

Baked Penne with Meatballs

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp white sugar
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Steps
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
7 button mushrooms, diced finely
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 Italian style breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside. Once the meatballs are prepared. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place in the mushroom sauce.

Penne pasta, prepared per instructions
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tbsp fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta per instructions and drain. Pour the pasta into the sauce with the meatballs. Add the cheese - reserving a bit for the top and basil, then mix VERY gently. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

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Steak Fajitas

Ingredients
1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced with the grain, not against the grain as one would normally slice an onion. Slice first in half, and then slice off sections a half inch wide at widest point.
2 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into half-inch wide strips

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 fresh Jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped (be careful not to touch your eyes or anywhere near your eyes after handling a Jalapeño pepper!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

Steps
1. Mix all marinade ingredients. Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit at least an hour, the longer the better.

2. Heat to high heat a large cast iron pan or griddle. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. 3 minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak. If pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium high. We want the steak browned, not burned. Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.

3. Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.

4. Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If you slice the meat at a slanted angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. (I forgot to do this in the photo above!) Flank steak is flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.

5. Serve immediately with shredded cheese, salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and warm flour tortillas. (Hint for warming tortillas - put in microwave over a paper towel for 20 seconds on high heat.) Serves 4.

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Classic Meatloaf

Ingredients
1 cup of finely chopped onion
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 carrot, chopped fine
1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (can substitute onion)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck
3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten slightly
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and scallions in butter, over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occasionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 a cup of ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute.

3. In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup.

4. Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches. Preparation time: 20 minutes to prep, 1 hour to cook.

(Many meatloaf recipes call for ground veal or pork in addition to ground beef. You might want to experiment with a third each of beef, pork, and veal. If you don't have access to spicy ground pork or Italian sausage, add a pinch of fennel seeds and a half teaspoon of hot sauce to regular ground pork.)

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New England Boiled Dinner

Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket (or can also be made with plain beef brisket)
15 peppercorns
8 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
2 medium sized turnips, peeled and quartered
4 red new potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 large carrots, cut into thirds and the thickest pieces quartered lengthwise
1 small head cabbage, cut into fourths

Steps
Put the brisket in a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven and cover with an inch of water. If your corned beef brisket does not come already packed in seasoning, add peppercorns, cloves, and a bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a simmer and then cover, lower the heat until it is barely simmering. Keep at a low simmer for four hours or until the meat is tender (a fork goes through easily).

Remove the meat and set aside, keeping the meat warm. Add the vegetables to the pot. Check the broth for taste. If it is too salty, add a little more water to taste. Raise the temperature and bring the soup to a high simmer. Cook at a high simmer until done, about 15-30 minutes longer, depending on the size of the cut of your vegetables.

Slice the meat in thin slices. Serve in bowls, a few pieces of meat in each, add some of the vegetables and some broth.
Serves 6 to 8. Serve with horseradish or mustard.

Notes: The corned beef can be pretty salty, so you may want to rinse it first before cooking. We just use the corned beef as is and don't add any more seasoning or salt. If the broth ends up being too salty, you can serve just the meat and vegetables, without the broth, or add water to the broth to dilute it.

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Not-Just-Any-Chili-Chili

Ingredients
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large cans (1 lb. 12 oz) tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato puree
2 cans (15 ½ oz each) kidney beans, drained
3 T each Worcestershire and aromatic bitters
1 can (12 oz) beer or 1½ cups water
3 cloves garlic, minces or pressed
1 beef bouillon cube
1 t crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
1 T chili powder
1 t each ground coriander and ground cumin; thyme leaves and oregano leaves; and dry basil

Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour cream
Sliced green onions (including tops)
(Olives, bacon, avocado)

Steps
Crumble beef into a 5-6 quart kettle over medium heat; cook stirring to break up, until browned.

Add onion and cook until soft.

Stir in tomatoes (break up with a spoon) and their liquid, tomato puree, beans, Worcestershire, bitters, beer, garlic, bouillon cube, red pepper, bay, chili powder, coriander, cumin, thyme, oregano, basil.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chili is thick and flavors are well blended (about 2 hours).

Skim and discard fat and remove bay leaves.

RU

Sausage Breakfast Bake

Ingredients
1 lb of Italian pork sausage, (then cooked, drained, crumbled)
4 1/2 cups cubed day old bread
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 eggs slightly beaten
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional:
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup peeled, chopped tomatoes

Steps
1. Heat a skillet on medium high. Break up the sausage into chunks and cook, working in batches if need be, until browned all around. Make sure the chunks of sausage have some space around them or your meat will steam and not brown. Remove the cooked sausage from the pan and let sit on some paper towels on a plate to soak up the excess fat. Crumble into smaller pieces.

2. Place bread in a well buttered 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, onion powder and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage and optional ingredients over the top.

3. At this stage you can cover and chill overnight, if you want to prepare ahead. If not, let sit for 10 minutes before putting in the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about one hour. Tent with foil if top begins to brown too quickly. Serves 6-8.

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