Steak, Edamame, and Cabbage Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

I don't know people with nut allergies survive sometimes. Not only do tons of products you'd never suspect have the potential to contain trace amounts, but nuts add flavor and nutrition to so many meals. Personally, I'm a sucker for anything with peanut butter or peanut sauce. For dessert, peanut butter and chocolate are an undeniably wonderful pair, but peanut butter and chilies make just as great a pair in savory applications.

I came across this while looking for ways to use up a formidable head of red cabbage but the truth is, just about any veggie would taste great stir-fried and drizzled with this peanut sauce. The sweet, savory, spicy sauce is the perfect contrast to the fresh and crunchy vegetables, rich enough to be filling, but not so much as to bury the steak and edamame. I love this with warm ingredients straight from the wok, but I can see this sauce in cold noodle dishes (or leftovers) or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or dumplings as well.

Steak, Edamame, and Cabbage Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce
adapted from Eating Well
serves 4

1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces pound flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 small head Savoy or red cabbage, thinly sliced
2-5 tablespoons water
2 medium carrots, grated
1 cup cooked edamame
1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts, (optional)
Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Rice or noodles, for serving (optional)

1. Whisk peanut butter, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl until smooth. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add steak and cook, stirring, until browned and barely pink in the middle, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Swirl in the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Add cabbage and 2 tablespoons water; cook, stirring, until beginning to wilt, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots and edamame (and more water if necessary to prevent sticking or burning) and cook, stirring, until just tender, about 3 minutes more. Return the steak and any accumulated juices to the pan, then pour in the peanut sauce and toss to combine. Serve topped with peanuts and hot sauce over noodles or rice, if desired.

Baltimore Pit Beef

I can't resist an opportunity for rituals, especially around food, and this year I've decided that my Packer snacks will be themed around the city/region of the opposing team. To play the 49ers, I made Mission-style burritos, chili for the Redskins, Cincinnati Chili for the Bengals, Coney Dogs for the Lions, and most recently, pit beef for the Ravens. Pit beef is a recipe for a crowd, but luckily I was hosting a house full of hungry men when I cooked up this recipe. Grilled meat is a pretty good bet to satisfy a crowd even in its simplest form, but this beefy goodness is made even more sublime with a simple, well-balanced spice rub and pungent horseradish-based tiger sauce. I'm an avid fan of strong flavors like horseradish, but even my father, with his much more mild-mannered taste buds, said that the tanginess of the tiger sauce hit just the right balance with the rich, smoky, salty beef. Raw onion, another polarizing ingredient, adds a nice sharp note that accents the rest of the flavors, though both the onion and sauce it can be easily omitted for those who find it to be a bit too much.

The temperatures are still mild enough here to permit firing up the grill for this recipe, which will definitely give you the best flavor. If you'd rather keep warm and cozy inside, the beef can be roasted in the oven and finished with a sear in a cast iron pan to create a delightful, crusty exterior. A crowd-pleasing recipe for any gathering of carnivores from coast to coast, I hope you won't wait until your team plays the Ravens to cook up this delicious recipe.

Baltimore Pit Beef
adapted from Steven Raichlan, via the New York Times
makes 8 sandwiches

For the rub:
2 tablespoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 3-pound piece top round
8 kaiser (or other) rolls
Horseradish sauce (see below)
1 sweet white onion, sliced thin
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced thin (optional)
Iceburg lettuce (optional).

1. Combine ingredients for the rub in a bowl, and mix. Sprinkle 3 to 4 tablespoons all over the beef, patting it in. Place in a baking dish, and cover with plastic wrap. You can cover the beef with the rub for a few hours, but for maximum flavor, leave it for 3 days in the refrigerator, turning once a day.

2. Prepare a hot grill. Grill beef 30 to 40 minutes, or until outside is crusty and dark brown and internal temperature is about 120 degrees (for rare). Turn beef often. Transfer to a cutting board; let it rest 5 minutes.

3. Slice beef thinly across grain. Pile beef high on a roll or bread slathered with horseradish sauce. Garnish with onions, tomatoes and sliced lettuce. Serve.

Yield: 8 sandwiches.

Horseradish Sauce

yields 1.5 cups
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup prepared white horseradish, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Combine ingredients in a bowl, and whisk to mix. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Classic Beef Chili for Two

Chili is one of the reasons to get excited about fall. On my list of culinary goals, making that first batch of chili lies shortly after getting my hands on as many pumpkin-based treats as possible. And if the season's motivation wasn't enough, this recipe fit perfectly into the theme I chose for this year's football snacks - matching the snack (and beer, when possible) to the city/region of the Packer's opponent. In week two, the Packers played the Washington Redskins, with DC being home to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. (Yes, I considered making chili to use in a half-smoke, put opted for a bowl of chili with some leftover Zucchini Corn Muffins instead.) Leftovers were also somewhat inauthentically repurposed Cincinnati Chili for the week 3 game, and the bit remaining in the freezer just may turn into Coney Dogs for the Lions game on October 6th (despite their origins, Coney Dogs have become a signature dish of Detroit).

I definitely won't argue that chili is a dish typically suited to big batches, but when you don't have a lot of people to feed and love to tweak and experiment like I do, a recipe for two is just perfect. It's often not straightforward to adapt a big batch recipe down to a modest meal, but when the source is America's Test Kitchen, there's no reason to worry that the scaled recipe is a pale comparison to the original. This recipe has the perfect level of spiciness, bold enough to excite the taste buds, but not so assertive that the smoky cumin, coriander, and garlic disappear. There's a nice balance between the meat, beans, and veggies - the chili is stick-to-your-ribs hearty without being a total gut-bomb, satisfying the heartiest of appetites without scaring away those who aren't total carnivores. Though ATK's specialty is precise and thorough perfection of recipes, I can already see myself trying some of my own versions - poblanos, black beans, and pork, perhaps? Green chilies, white beans, and chicken? Though perfection in its own right, like any good recipe, this one inspires further culinary creativity.

Classic Beef Chili
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two (2010)
serves 2

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 small white or yellow onion, minced
1/2 red or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlicpress
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (I love anco)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
8 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
3/4 cup cooked red kidney or pinto beans
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften and the spices are fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the beef and cook, breaking up the meet with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.

4. Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes longer. (If at any time the chili begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in 1/4 cup water). season with salt to taste and serve.

Grilled Tacos with Poblanos and Corn

This began as a tuna tacos, morphed into pork tacos, and has ended up as my choose-your-own-protein-adventure taco recipe of the summer. Although I've found it suits nearly any protein, for me this really started with the poblanos and corn.

It would be hard to pick the one thing I most anticipate arriving at the farmers' market, but it just might be sweet corn. I pick up a few ears every week that it's available to grill and slather in butter, and that preparation is so perfect that sometimes I forget to use it anything else. Poblanos are probably my favorite pepper, the perfect combination of flavor and heat for salsa, tacos, or nearly any other Mexican dish you throw at them. It was with these two ingredients that I cemented the idea of grilling tacos for dinner one Sunday night, the protein of choice (tuna steak), one of convenience rather than inspiration. My search for fish tacos led to the typical white fish recipes and my base recipe, courtesy of Eating Well. When I discovered that my hearty tuna steak was a delicious choice in lieu of lighter tilapia, I was prompted to try additional proteins, finding them just as successful. Each one complements and contrasts differently, but the simple dressing of bright lime, smoky cumin, and earthy oregano finds nearly universal success. You can easily further dress up these tacos with jalapeno slices, cilantro, and salsa if you like, but even in their simplest incarnation you won't be left wanting.

Grilled Tacos with Poblanos and Corn
adapted from Eating Well
serves 1 to 2

1 poblano pepper
1 small red onion, cut in half

1 ear corn on the cob, husk and silks removed
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt

4- to 6-ounce tuna steak or other protein of choice (tilapia, pork cutlets/tenderloin, steak, chicken breasts/thighs, firm tofu, portabello mushrooms etc.)
3 to 4 corn tortillas, for serving

Salsa, for serving

Sliced jalapeno, for serving (optional)
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. Prepre a gas grill over high heat. Meanwhile, brush cut sides of onion, poblano, and corn with oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Once grill is hot, reduce to heat to medium high and brush with oil. Add onion, poblano, and corn and grill, turning periodically, until surfaces are blistered and blackened, about 4 to 6 minutes per side for the onion and poblano, 2 minutes for the corn (four sides). Remove from heat and allow to rest until they can be easily handled. Remove blackened skin from poblano, if desired, slice pepper and onions, and place in a medium bowl. Remove 1/4 cup corn from corn cob, add to the bowl, and toss everything with lime juice and spices.

3. Season tuna steak or pork cutlets with salt and pepper. Generously oil the grill again and add tuna or pork.

For tuna: Allow to cook until fish releases easily from the grate, about 4 minutes. Flip fish and continue cooking to desired level of doneness, usually about another 4 minutes for the other side. Remove fish from grill, allow to rest for a few minutes, and flake into large pieces.

For pork cutlets: Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until internal mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Allow to rest for a few minutes, and thinly slice.

Add protein to vegetable mixture and toss to combine.

4. Wrap tortillas in paper towels and microwave until warm and pliable, about 30 seconds. Add vegetable mixture to tortillas, garnishing with salsa, jalapeno, and cilantro. Serve promptly.

Brie and Bacon Burger with Cherry Mayo

It's cherry season! The notable Door County cherries are finding their way to the farmers' market along with sweet and sour cherries from lots of other local farmers. It's hard to resist just eating them all plain, but I try to preserve some of each summer fruit as it comes so I can enjoy them long after the season has passed, most often as jam or preserves. Although I most frequently scoop them generously on toast, yogurt, and ice cream, subtle accents of fruit in savory dishes are a thing of beauty. The sweet-sour flavor of the cherry preserves are a wonderful complement to the savory, smoky bacon, creamy brie, and hearty beef piled high in this indulgent burger. Each bite is a complex collection of complementary flavors that traverses a host of textures, moving from creamy Brie to tender onions to charred burger, book-ended by toasty bread. A perfect choice for a summer cookout now, you'll still be a craving a journey back to this taste of summer in the depths of winter.

Brie and Bacon Burger with Cherry Mayo
makes 1 burger

2 ounces thick-cut bacon (1 to 2 slices, depending on size)
1/2 cup sliced white or yellow onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole grain burger bun or pretzel bun
Olive or canola oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cherry preserves
1 ounce sliced Brie
4- to 6-ounce grass-fed beef patty

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, turning occasionally, to desired level of crispiness. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving grease in the pan.

2. Reduce heat to medium low, add onions, and add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a grill over medium to medium high heat. Brush burger bun with oil or melted butter and grill until bun is golden and toasted, just a couple of minutes. While the bun is toasting, combine mayo and cherry preserves in a small bowl. After bun has cooled to room temperature, spread top half with cherry mayo.

4. When grill is ready, brush each side of burger with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once halfway through, to just shy of desired level of doneness (I like my burgers medium rare). Place onions and bacon on burger patty and top with Brie. Cook until burger is cooked to desired level and cheese is melted. Place burger on bottom half of bun, top with other half, and serve promptly.

Sesame Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry

After sharing Asparagus and Leek Soup earlier this week, I thought it would be seasonally prudent to share this recipe before its time too had passed. I've eaten beef and broccoli more times than I can count, but I think it's a shame how little asparagus shows up in Asian coking because it works well with so many of the staple flavors. This recipe is quick and simple, elevating a few no-brainer combinations (steak and asparagus, garlic and asparagus) with a few touches of Asian flair (teriyaki and sesame). The toasty sesame, sweet teriyaki, and pungent garlic are the perfect highlights to fresh asparagus and hearty steak, each subtle element in balance with all the others. While I find the asparagus and steak combination particularly delicious, chicken, shrimp, pork, or tofu could also be substituted, and broccoli or snap peas would work beautifully in place of the asparagus. A beautifully composed recipe as written, this easy recipe is also a great template for culinary experimentation, well-worth filing away for the next time you're at a loss for what to make for dinner or simply need to clean out the fridge.

Sesame Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry
adapted from Bon Appetit
serves 2

1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
8 ounces flank steak, thinly sliced across grain
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup sliced red onion
8 ounces slender asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons hoisin or teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving (optional)

1. Spread sesame seeds on large plate. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; coat with sesame seeds.

2. Heat canola oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; stir-fry 1 minute. Add asparagus; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add beef and garlic; stir-fry until brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1/3 cup water and hoisin sauce. Cook until sauce is bubbling and coats beef and vegetables, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with hot sauce, if desired.

Bacon and Kraut Burger

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending REAP's Burgers and Brew at Capital Brewery in Middleton. I've been to the event every year it has taken place, but every year I am still absolutely thrilled to dig into the ever-evolving menu of locally-sourced burgers and Wisconsin microbrews that appear. Some people might have had their fill after an afternoon full of those culinary delights, but it inspired me to try my hand at creating a new fancy burger of my own with what I had around the house. I'm definitely an old hand at burger creations, my efforts ranging from ultra-healthy veggie burgers to fish burgers to hedonist meat lovers' delights, with this burger falling more on the indulgent end of the spectrum. I really went all out with this one - local, grass-fed, organic ground beef, Lodi bacon, and Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese all coming together in in a savory delight almost beyond description. (My only regret was not having a pretzel bun to pile on this stuff with all this deliciousness.) It might all be a bit too much were it not for the sharp mustard and tart sauerkraut that cut through the fattiness and allow all the rich ingredients to shine independently. It probably goes without saying, but there's nothing better than a cold beer with this burger and I recommend a brown ale, such as Rebel Kent the First you can see waiting in the background here. Pair those with a warm and sunny day and a comfy chair in the backyard and you've got the recipe for a perfect summer afternoon.

Bacon and Kraut Burger
serves 1

2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces)
1 whole grain or pretzel bun
1 tablespoon coarse mustard
One 4- to 6-ounce grass-fed burger patty
1/4 cup drained sauerkraut (bagged or homemade, not canned)
1 ounce thinly sliced Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese (or sharp cheddar, Swiss, or Gruyere)

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, turning periodically, until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and reserve warm bacon grease.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill. When grill is ready, split bun, spread with a thin layer of warm bacon grease and toast until golden brown. Spread one half of the bun with the coarse mustard and set aside.

3. Add burger patty to grill, and cook, turning once, to just shy of desired level of doneness (I like my burgers medium-rare). A minute or two before the burger will achieved desired level of doneness, place sauerkraut, bacon, and cheese on top of burger patty and continue cook until burger is done and cheese is melted, another minute or two. Place burger on bottom half of bun

Mushroom Barley Soup with Mini Meatballs

I'm anxious to embrace spring, warm weather, and all it has to offer, but I will be sad when soup season comes to an end, so I'm sneaking in a few more winter weather recipes before I dive fully into the fresh ingredients of spring. I've had a bag of barley in the cabinet since I made a different mushroom barley soup a while back and I when I stumbled across this recipe when searching for ways to use it I was more than ready for another batch of mushroom barley soup. I just love how the savory, earthy, tender mushrooms complement the nutty and chewy barley-this soup is so deeply hearty without being heavy. This soup will have the most flavor with homemade beef stock and a variety of mushrooms, but will still be delicious with good canned stock and white mushrooms. If I make this again I'll make 32 meatballs instead of 16, and brown the meatballs in the pan with the mushrooms and shallots before adding them to the soup for extra flavor. Serve it alongside a crisp green salad and piece of freshly baked bread (like a delicious multigrain loaf from Batch Bakehouse) and you've got a well-rounded, highly satisfying lunch or dinner.


Mushroom Barley Soup with Mini Meatballs
from Food and Wine
serves 4

4 cups beef stock or low-sodium broth
1 cup water
1/2 cup pearled barley
1 large thyme sprig
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound mixed wild and cultivated mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (or 3/4-pound presliced mushrooms)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground sirloin
1 large egg
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sour cream, for serving (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, combine the stock, water, barley and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the barley is nearly tender, about 18 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms and shallot, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until tender and browned, about 8 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the sirloin, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Knead the mixture until blended, then roll it into sixteen 1-inch balls.

4. Add the meatballs and mushrooms to the soup and simmer over moderate heat until the meatballs are cooked through and the barley is tender, about 8 minutes. Discard the thyme. Stir the parsley into the soup and serve in bowls with sour cream.

Stir-Fried Sweet Potatoes and Beef with Vietnamese Flavors

Sweet potatoes are definitely not one of the first ingredients that come to my mind for a stir-fry, but after this dish, it might have to change. This recipe was immediately intriguing to me when I came across it in The Food Matters Cookbook, and it most certainly did not let me (or my husband) down. The sweet potatoes are caramelized and sweet, the beef rich and earthy, and the cilantro and lime fresh and light, punctuated by a bit of heat from the chiles. The key to the success of this dish is not overcooking the sweet potatoes, but also allowing them to cook undisturbed for a bit at the beginning so you get a little bit of delicious, crunchy caramelization. When the sweet potatoes and other veggies get added to the pan, err on the lighter side with salt because the fish sauce (or soy sauce if you don't have and/or like fish sauce), will add a lot of salt and you can always add more right before serving. Serve this delicious mixture over brown rice and enjoy!


Stir-Fried Sweet Potatoes and Beef with Vietnamese Flavors
from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
serves 4

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces beef chuck, flank, or sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and grated, about 4 cups
1 cup sliced scalloins
1 or 2 fresh hot chiles (like jalapeno or Thai), seeded and chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup nam pla (fish sauce)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, basil, or mint

1. Put a large skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the beef. Stir immediately, then stir every 20 seconds or so until the meat is no longer pink, just a minute or 2. Transfer the beef to a plate.

2. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. When it's hot, add the sweet potatoes, scallions, chiles if you're using them, and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the potatoes change color and begin to brown, then stir more frequently until they are tender but not at all mushy, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Return the beef to the pan along with the fish sauce and lime juice. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly and you've scraped up all the bit of meat and vegetable. Toss in the herb and serve.

Thai Beef Salad

Now that my winter CSA is over and I've used up nearly all of the produce that came from it, I've been eating salads like crazy. After a few months of eating primarily root vegetables, I'm really craving huge, fresh, crunchy salads. Luckily for me some greens are available at the winter farmer's market, but I have also had to resort to buying greens from other states at the grocery store to satisfy my salad appetite. And while I would happily crunch away on green salads, grilled chicken salads like this or this, or the irresistible combination of dried cranberries, pecans or walnuts, and blue cheese, I wanted to find a new salad to love and inspire me.

The original recipe called for the dressing to be thinned with water; I did not find this at all necessary, although you may, depending on how juicy your limes are. This dressing is a nice balance of tart limes, toasty sesame oil, and heat from the pepper, although the dominant flavor is most assuredly lime, which pairs famously with cilantro. While the savory beef is a great foil to the light, fresh vegetables and dressing, seafood, chicken, or even tofu would also be delicious. Biting into this salad while sitting in the warm afternoon sun was a welcome taste of summer in the cold depths of winter.

Thai Beef Salad
adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
serves 2

8 oz. skirt or flank steak
6 cups mixed salad greens, torn into bite size pieces
1 cup torn fresh mint, cilantro, or Thai basil, or a combination
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded if you like, and chopped
1 small fresh hot red chile (like Thai) or jalapeno, or to taste, minced (remove seeds to adjust heat)
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce) or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Prepare a grill or turn on the broiler; the heat should be medium high and the rack about 4 inches from the fire. Grill or broil the beef, turning one or twice, until medium-rare, 5 to 10 minutes total depending on the thickness; set it aside to cool slightly. (You can prepare the recipe up to this point and refrigerate for up to a day; bring the meat to room temperature before proceeding).

2. Toss the lettuce with the herbs, onion, and cucumber. Combine all of the remaining ingredients and toss half of this mixture with the greens. Remove the greens to a platter, reserving the remaining dressing.

3. Thinly slice the beef, reserving its juice; combine the juice with the remaining dressing. Lay the slices of beef over the salad, drizzle the dressing over all, and serve.

Beef, Mushroom, and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I decided I needed to make a stir-fry because one, I got some grass-fed stir-fry meat from Black Earth Meats on sale at the Willy Street Co-op a few weeks ago that has been sitting in my freezer, begging to be used and two, I bought a new rice maker and have wanted to try it out ever it since it was delivered to see if it lived up to the great review it got from America's Test Kitchen. When I think beef and stir-fry, I immediately think of broccoli too, with some other veggies (mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc.) thrown in the mix. For the record, the rice maker cooked my brown rice perfectly, with none of it sticking to the bowl insert. But on to the stir-fry! This is a great basic stir-fry with sauce recipe; feel free to substitute other vegetables and add more red pepper for heat. Chicken or shrimp could be substituted for the beef; this would also be a great vegetarian dish with tofu, marinated in the same manner as the beef (and breaded in cornmeal if you like your tofu crispy). The best thing about stir-fry is that you can pretty much throw in any proteins or vegetables you have in the fridge and it usually turns out pretty well. Grab some veggies, meats, and get cooking!

Beef, Mushroom, and Broccoli Stir-Fry
adapted from Bon Appetit, via Epicurious
serves 4 to 6

1 pound flank steak or stir-fry  meat
3 tablespoons water
7 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
8 teaspoons cornstarch

6 tablespoons plus 1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1/4 c. white wine
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets (stems discarded)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Brown rice, for serving

1. Cut steak with grain into 2-inch-wide pieces, then slice thinly across grain. Combine 3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in large bowl. Add steak and stir to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

2. Combine 6 tablespoons broth, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, wine, and next 3 ingredients in small bowl, stirring to dissolve cornstarch completely.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat. Add steak with marinade and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to wok. Add ginger and garlic stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and stir-fry 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 1/2 minutes or until just crisp tender. Transfer broccoli to bowl and return work to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to wok. Add mushrooms; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Return steak and broccoli to wok. Stir sauce, add to wok and stir until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer mixture to platter and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Barley Soup with Beef and Mushrooms

Fall is soup season. This weekend was unseasonably warm for fall, but I had plans to make this soup and was looking forward to it too much to take it off this week's menu. This soup really captured the flavors of the season because the onions, mushrooms, carrots, and celery were all from the farmer's market. I was actually inspired to make this soup because grass-fed stew meat from Black Earth Meats is on sale at the Willy Street Co-op this month and I wanted to find a way to use it. (In addition to striving to buy as much of food from local and organic sources as possible, I also am budget-conscious.) This soup is hearty, but not heavy, and made for an extremely satisfying meal alongside a nice side salad and slice of pumpkin wild rice bread from Cress Spring Bakery (also all from the farmer's market). The beer adds a lot of flavor to the soup with very little effort, but if you don't want to use beer, substitute additional stock or water. It was delicious for lunch the next day as well, with new flavors developing as the ingredients were allowed to sit together overnight.

Barley Soup with Beef and Mushrooms
adapted from Whole Foods
serves 4 to 6

1 pound beef brisket, London broil, stew meat, or chuck roast, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound small mushrooms, (creminis, button mushrooms, etc.), halved
4 cups beef broth
One 12-ounce bottle dark, full-flavored beer (porter, stout, etc.-I used Lake Louie Warped Speed Scotch Ale)
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
3 ribs celery, cut into bite-size pieces
Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

1. Trim fat from meat. Heat oil in a large pot and brown meat on all sides. Pour off excess fat. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté until onions are golden.

2. Add water or broth, barley, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add carrots and celery and simmer 30 minutes longer or until vegetables and meat are tender, adding more water if necessary. Remove the bay leaf. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve.

Beef and Guinness Stew

I love a hearty stew and Guinness so this recipe immediately appealed to me when I saw it in the March issue of Cooking Light (it seems a lot of recipes did). This is definitely a weekend dish because it takes a few hours for the stew to cook and requires quite a bit of prep work chopping vegetables. It was definitely worth the effort.

Beef and Guinness Stew
from Cooking Light, March 2010

2 T. canola oil, divided
1 T. butter, divided
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 lbs. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 t. salt, divided
5 c. chopped onion (about 3 onions)
1 T. tomato paste
4 c. fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness Draught
1 T. raisins
1 t. caraway seeds
1/2 t. black pepper
1.5 c. (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices carrot (about 8 oz.)
1.5 c. (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices parsnip (about 8 oz.)
1.5 c. (1/2-inch) cubed, peeled turnip (about 8 oz.)
2 T. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat 1 T. oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1.5 t. butter to pan. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 t. salt; dredge beef in flour. Add half of beef to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown beef on all sides. Remove beef from pan with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 T. oil and 1.5 t. butter, and beef.

2. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return meat to pan. Stir in remaining 1/2 t. salt, caraway seeds, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot, parsnip, and turnip. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Classic Swedish Meatballs

A less-than-healthy comfort food, Swedish meatballs bring up memories of church suppers and big family dinners. Although these take a while to prepare, they are simple, delicious, and definitely worth the effort.

Swedish Meatballs
from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

Ingredients
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs (1 slice)
1/2 c. finely chopped onion (1 medium)
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley (I used approx. 1 T. dried)
1/4 t. black pepper
1/8 t. ground allspice or nutmeg (I used nutmeg)
8 oz. ground beef or veal (I used beef)
8 oz. ground pork or lamb (I used pork)
1 T. butter or margarine
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 t. instant beef bouillon granules
1/8 t. black pepper
2 c. milk
3 c. hot cooked noodles (I used egg noodles)
Snipped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Step 1. In a large bowl combine the egg and 1/4 c. milk. Stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, 1/4 t. pepper, and allspice. Add the meats and mix well. Shape into 30 meatballs.
Step 2. In a large skillet cook half the meatballs at a time in hot butter over medium heat, for approx. 10 minutes until the meatballs reach 160 F, turning to brown evenly. Remove meatballs from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Reserve pan drippings, adding cooking oil if necessary to make 2 T.
Step 3. Stir flour, bouillon, and 1/8 t. pepper into drippings. Stir in 2 c. milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, then cook and stir for 1 minute more. Return meatballs to skillet and heat through. Serve over noodles. If desired, sprinkle with additional parsley.

The first time I made these I was surprised by how good they are, as was my husband. They remind me of going to Harvest Supper at church when I was a kid and scarfing down meatballs and mashed potatoes and gravy. The plain meatballs also make an excellent appetizer with the dipping sauce of your choice. Enjoy!