Winter is a great time for comfort food and these recipes really qualify for that.
Slow cooker beef tips and gravy
3 1/2 lbs. beef sirloin tip roast, fat trimmed and cut into cubes
2 pkgs. brown gravy mix
3-1/2 C water
1 can mushrooms, optional
2 C long-grain brown rice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 beef bouillon cube
1 small onion, finely chopped
Place cubed beef and chopped onion in bottom of slow cooker. Mix both packets of brown gravy mix with 1 cup of water, and pour over the beef tips. Add mushrooms and liquid from can, if using. Add bouillon cube and set slow cooker to high for 3-4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours).
Place brown rice, salt and remaining 2 1/2 cups of water in a wide, shallow pan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover pan and cook for 30 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, and place a serving on each plate. Ladle beef and gravy over rice for serving.
___
Beef bourguignon
3 lbs. stew beef, cubed
1 lb. bow-tie pasta
2-3 C beef stock
3 C red wine (cabernet)
5 carrots, chopped
4 slices bacon, cut into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
3 TBS all-purpose flour
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBS tomato paste
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. cloves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take cubed beef and pat it dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Cook bacon until crisp. Move to a bowl and save fat.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Then turn heat up to medium-high and, in batches, brown cubed beef, adding more olive oil if necessary. Once browned, transfer to bowl with bacon and set aside. Add onions and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened and tender. 6-8 minutes.
Return beef and bacon to vegetables and sprinkle in flour. Toss to coat everything and transfer Dutch oven to the oven for 4 minutes, uncovered.
Toss everything again and roast for another 4 minutes. Stir tomato paste into beef and veggies and cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour in liquids until meat is just submerged, then add garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and cloves, and let simmer.
Cover and place in oven for 3 hours. Check at 2 hours to see how much liquid is left, adding more stock if meat is no longer covered.
Note: sauce should be reduced and thickened, and meat should be falling apart.
Once meat is tender, transfer Dutch oven back to stove and keep on low heat until ready to serve. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to packaging directions, or until al dente.
Serve beef bourguignon hot, on top of pasta, pouring extra sauce over as desired.
––––
Beef stroganoff
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
1 TBS oil
1 14.5 oz. can fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1 8 oz. can mushroom pieces and stems, undrained
4 C egg noodles, uncooked
1 8 oz. container sour cream
Cook meat and onions in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 10 min. or until meat is evenly browned, stirring frequently. Add broth, mushrooms and noodles; stir. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 to 12 min. or until noodles are tender. Stir in sour cream; cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
––––
Thought – What’s the difference between a northern zoo and a southern zoo? The southern zoo has a description of the animal and a recipe!
If you would like to share a recipe with me, just send it to the J-T or email it to me.
(Melanie Behrens – melb@marysvillejt.com)