Side of beef

Have you ever bought beef in bulk? I mean really in bulk, not a family pack of hamburger. This is my sister's upright freezer crammed full of 415 lbs of beef. Given the economy, this is the way to go if you have a family. Seriously. You can either buy a whole cow, a side or a quarter. This is a side. She bought it from a local farmer. It was fed grass and alfalfa on pasture and grained once a day with ground corn, oats, alfalfa pellets and wet molasses. It was not pumped full of hormones or antibiotics and is as close to organic grass-fed as you could hope for. The cow was not the ubiquitous Black Angus, but a Simmental.

I asked her to give me a cost break-down so you could see how economical it is:
1400 lbs live weight divided by 2 = 700lbs X $.80 per =$560.00. (Remember she only bought a side. This check goes to the farmer dude)
Hanging weight 415lbs $.45 per lbs processing =$223.00 -- extra for the chop meat and extra for patties. (Another check to the meat processor butcher dude.)
Total is $560.00 + $223.00= $783.00 divided by 415lbs = $1.89 per pound.

The meat processor flash freezes it, so all you do is pick it up and stuff it into your newly cleaned and defrosted freezer.

She got Filet Mignon, New York strip, steaks, roasts, ribs, bulk and pattied burger, etc. All for $1.89 a pound.

Next time you are at the grocery store check out the price of beef and think about her $1.89 a pound beef. I know I will.

¿Que hay de comer?

What's for supper?

This is one of my favorite recipes. It is excellent and easy. Try it!

Puntas de Filete

2 T canola oil
1 ½ lbs tender boneless beef diced in 1-inch cubes (I use London broil)
2 T butter
1 medium onion
3 fresh Serrano peppers, minced (these are the little green ones)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 32oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 whole small can of beef broth
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, warm the oil over high heat. Brown the meat in the oil, turning frequently for 4 or 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When the butter is melted, stir in the onion and sauté until soft. Add the serranos and garlic. Continue to sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaf and salt. Simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes. Then add the meat and heat through. Serve hot with rice. Serves 4.

This recipe is from the The Border Cookbook by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. It is a book of the authentic home cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. I diddled with the original recipe a smidge for ease.

Perfect End-of-Winter Fare

While most of my friends are adventurous eaters, thank God, I still have requests for “regular” food now and then. (Picture eye rolling and head shaking at requests for regular food). As a result of my outside the box cooking (it happens when you take classes at the CIA), I haven’t made braciole for years. (I don’t know that I have ever made it in this house.) I saw a package of the beef at the store weeks ago and it triggered a memory of dinners past with friends. When a spontaneous dinner party came together yesterday, I immediately thought of browned beef with a lovely turkey cheese stuffing wallowing in a thick brown wine sauce with creamy risotto with mozzarella and parm accompanied by asparagus with mushrooms. Perfect end-of-winter fare. And to bring a touch of spring, fresh strawberries with zabaglione.

I do not stuff my braciole and instead of pork filling I use ground turkey. Let me give you the Robertsonian method.

Buy the cut of meat called braciole at the local market. It is large very thin slices of beef. Prepare the stuffing with a package of ground turkey, a handful of Parmesan cheese-about 4 Tbs, another handful of chopped parsley, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, S&P and 2 eggs. Mix it together and then spread it on the slices of beef. Roll the slices up and tie them with kitchen string. Coat the bundles with flour and brown them in 2 Tbs of butter and 2 Tbs of olive oil—more or less depending on how many braciole you are making. When they are browned nicely, pour in ½ a bottle of white wine and scrape up any brown bits. Cook them for about an hour. Take out the bundles and thin or thicken the sauce as needed. Put the braciole on a platter then pour the sauce over them and put any extra in a gravy boat. Enjoy!

Comfort Food

A Throw-together Beef Barley Soup (with mushrooms, because I had them in the fridge.)

Chop up an onion (you can use half, I usually use the whole thing. I don’t like having all those forgotten onion halves living in baggies and cluttering up the fridge) brown it in canola oil. Meanwhile chop up 2 portobello mushroom caps and toss them in the pot too. Continue cooking on medium heat. You may need to add more oil. Check it. Stir occasionally.

Cut the beef into 1-2 inch chunks. (You can use whatever type of beef you want. I usually use London broil. I know, it’s wasteful, but I hate beef fat and all that nasty sinew.) Brown the beef.

Once everything is browned. Add 6 cups of water or beef broth. If you are using water (which I do all the time) add 1 beef bouillon cube for every cup of water. I put in 3 bay leaves, NO salt (you are getting it from the bouillon or broth) and about 1 cup of hearty dry red wine (I usually pour myself some at the same time.) While this is cooking, soak anywhere from 1/3 to ½ a bag of barley in 2 cups of water. (I like my soup thick, so I add a lot of barley.) You may want to skim off the ugly brown foam as the meat cooks.

After the soup cooks for about an hour (test the meat for tenderness) add the barley. Cook until the barley is done. This depends on how long you soaked the barley and the condition of the grain. It could be anywhere from ½ hour to an hour. The house should start to have a rich beefy smell. Carefully taste the soup. It is tastes lame; it could be the cut of meat, or the wine. Try adding black pepper and another glug of wine, it will perk up. If you think it needs salt, be careful, you can’t take it out.

I make this all the time. It is perfect for a snowy day.

Rainy Day Pot Roast

Sunshine on a rainy day.

It has been raining hard here for days. Yesterday it was a cold sleety rain. Brrrrrr.
I decided it was a pot roast kind of day, so I give you my rainy day pot roast recipe.

Rainy Day Pot Roast

1 3-4 lb roast (I usually use a top or bottom round)
Brown the roast in a dutch oven with a little hot olive oil and butter.
Take it out of the pot.

Add 1 large chopped onion, 2 scraped and chopped carrots, and 2 washed and chopped celery stalks. Stir them around until they have some color.

Add about ½ a bottle of red wine, maybe 2 cups. You can also use beef broth (canned is fine) or white wine. I think red gives it more depth. Scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pot. Put the roast back in.

Add 1 large can of whole tomatoes, squished and ½ can of beef broth. The liquid should come half way up the roast. I sprinkle in some herbs. Since I’m lazy, I use Herbs de Provence. I put in 2 good size pinches. You can put in whatever herbs you like. I adore thyme and tend to put it in everything.

Cover the pot, and put it in the oven at 350 for 3 hours. Turn the roast every 20 minutes or so.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes, a good Italian bread and some asparagus (on sale at the A&P). Enjoy.

The neighbors came over and we devoured most of the roast last night. It does make excellent sandwiches if there is any left over.