SUCCULENT ITALIAN BEEF SAMACHES

Ingredients:

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon onion salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style

salad dressing mix

1 (5 pound) rump roast

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Combine water with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basal, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil.

2.    Place roast in a slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat.

3.    Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf and shred with a fork.

4.    Serve on Italian rolls with grilled bell peppers and onions

On the first Monday of each month, Patriots from Mid-Missouri gather in Fulton for dinner and a meeting of discussion and fellowship. Last evening I was tasked with the supper preparation. I was fresh out of loaves and fishes with which to feed the multitude so I decided on two of my favorites, Sauerkraut Soup and Goulash Soup.

Both are hearty and delicious but most people  turn up their noses and make sounds of disgust when they hear the you're havin' Kraut soup. And can you blame them when their first experience with kraut was the awful brown mess with the weenies that they served in the school cafeterias. So . . . like the Liberal Left, if you are not having much luck with a program, just change the name, and we had German Potato Soup.

Deutsche Kartoffelsuppe

 German Potato Soup or Sauerkraut Soup

·       1/4 lb. good bacon

·       1 med. Yellow Onion, finely chopped

·       4 cups strong chicken juice

·       2 cups water or milk, your choice

·       4 Russet potatoes. peeled and diced

·        1 carrot, shredded

·       1/2 tsp. thyme

·       1/2 tsp. marjoram

·       1 - 16 oz. can sauerkraut

·       1/2 pint of cream to finish, or more to taset

·       salt and white pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1.   Cut bacon into small bits and fry a heavy pot until brown. Remove bits, they'll come back later.

2.   Dump the can of Kraut into a sieve and rinse with cold water, leave to drain.

3.   Add the Onions to the Bacon grease and sauté until translucent. Add a wad of butter if needed.

4.   Add the potatoes to the onions and cover with enough chicken stock to cover and cook until tender enough to mash.

5.   Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the chicken juice, milk, Bacon bits, thyme and marjoram and bring to a low boil.

6.   Add the rinsed Kraut and the shredded Carrots and continue to simmer until the carrots are tender

7.   Salt and White pepper to taste

8.   Finish with cream and garnish with chopped parsley.

An excellent accompaniment to this tasty soup is buttered Rye bread. A stein of cold German beer might please some too.

 

Hungarian Goulash Soup

This most famous of Hungarian dishes, correctly named gulyas soup, is not a stew. It is best made in advance and served reheated with fresh crusty bread, butter and chopped hot Hungarian yellow peppers as a fiery condiment.

·       5 cloves garlic, minced

·       large Spanish Onion, finely chopped

·       3 Tbsp. Bacon fat or Lard

·       2 -1/4  Sirloin, cut into 1'' or smaller cubes

·       1/4 cup flour

·       2 tsp salt

·       2 1/2 tsp Paprika

·       1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

·       1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

·       can of whole tomatoes, cut up

·       4 cups rich beef stock. (Note: Start with 6 cups and reduce down to 4 cups)

·       Csipetke (recipe follows)

Preparation:

1.   In a large pot over medium-low heat sauté the onions and garlic in the bacon fat until golden brown. Remove from pan with slotted spoon.

2.   Increase heat to medium.

3.   Dredge the meat in the flour and sear on all sides until slightly brown

4.   Return onions and garlic to pot, add salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook for a few minutes more.

5.   Add the bell pepper and beef stock, lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hour adding more beef stock if necessary.

6.   Add the Csipetke and cook an additional 5 minutes.  

Csipetke

Csipetke - pronounced chee-pet-heh - means "little pinches of dough" and they are exactly that.

·       6 Tbsp flour

·       1 egg

Combine  the flour and egg to make a thick and pasty dough. Roll it out into thin strips. Pinch off pea-sized pieces. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and drop in the dough pinches and cook until they rise to the top. Drain. Add to the goulash.

Or you could do like I did, considering time and all. Serve your Goulash with Spaetzle or buttered Egg noodles.

Texas Feast, continued

*Frijoles Borrachos or Austin Baked Beans

 

Frijoles Borrachos is Texican for Drunken Beans. The great thing about this dish is that it is guilt free. There is no fat in this pot of beans. No, it is not some Vegan nightmare receipt and contains no tofu.

 

• 1          Lb. Pinto beans
• 1          large onion, chopped
• 2          cloves garlic, chopped
• 1          can beer (optional, it will, however add flavor)
• 2          cans beef juice
• ½          cup Jalapeno slices, more or less to taste
• ½          Tsp. Mexican Oregano
• Salt and pepper and Tabasco to taste.

 

Wash and count the beans. Soak in branch water over night. Drain beans, place in a heavy Dutch oven or large pot and add onion, garlic, beef stock and beer. Cover pot and adjust to slow simmer. Add water as needed to slow cook until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste and cook for another 30 minutes. Add more fire, maybe?

 

Austin Baked Beans

 

Use the large can of Home style baked beans, yes, the kind you see at Wally World. It would be great to cook your own beans and go from scratch but we are cutting corners here. After all, the can beans are pretty good and when we are done with them they will be fantastic. Depending on the amount you are fixing, add the following:

• Molasses or brown sugar
• Chopped onion and Red bell pepper
• Pealed and chopped Granny S. Apple, any firm apple will do
• Chopped Jalapeno Pepper
• Trim burnt ends off of brisket and finely chop. If no brisket burnt ends are available, use fried bacon bits.

 

No amounts are given here, but you should get the idea. Play with your food and see what you come up with. Cook until the onions and pepper are tender.

 

Gallons of Sweet Ice Tea

 

Texas Toast

 

Rhubarb and Peach Cobbler with French Vanilla Ice Cream

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) sliced peaches, undrained
• 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup special-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• ½  cup chopped pecans or walnuts or both.
• ½ stick butter. Did you know that oleo was developed to fatten turkeys, Butter balls anyone? Did you know that margarine is just one molecule away from plastic? It’s true. Look it up.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt. Drain peaches, reserving syrup. Add syrup and rhubarb to saucepan; mix well. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add peaches and vanilla. Pour into an ungreased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish; set aside.

 

In another bowl combine flour, sugar and oats. Cut butter into 8 small pieces, and cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the chopped nuts. Sprinkle flour mixture on top and bake at 400F. for about 30 minutes. The toping should be golden brown. Serve with French Vanilla Ice Cream or Whip Cream.

 

Well now, that just ought to about do it, don’t you think? Too much work, you say? I guess you are probably right. You don’t want to get the reputation for being a top hand in the kitchen. Who needs all those folks clamoring for more of your tasty treats and calling you up at all hours with those pesky cooking questions.

* Pea Salad

·        1    package frozen baby peas

·        3    eggs, hard boiled

·        1    cup chicken juice

·        ½    each cup finely chopped onion, red bell pepper and celery

·        1    cup Mayonnaise, or as much as needed for your taste

·        2    Tbl. Dijon mustard

·        a few dashes of Tabasco

·        salt and pepper to taste

While the eggs are boiling, dump the frozen baby peas into a saucepan and add enough chicken juice to lightly cook. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan and slow simmer a few minutes. Peas should be fully cooked but still firm. When peas are cooked, drain any stock that has not been absorbed by the peas and set aside to cool. Add the chopped boiled eggs and veggies. Mix in the mayo, mustard and dash or two of Tabasco. Chill before serving.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Choose sweet potatoes that will be most easy to peal and slice. Long pointy ones tend to be the hardest. With a sharp paring knife, peal and then using a knife large enough, cut the sweets lengthwise. Now slice them into approximately ¼ in. slices. Place slices in a mixing bowl and douse liberally with EVVO. Sprinkle all over with ground Cumin and ground allspice. Use 2 parts cumin and 1 part allspice. Use your judgment here, a little bit is better than nada and both of the spices are rather strong, but we do want the sweets to be spicy, right? Toss to evenly coat and dump into a storage bag for later.

When you are ready to roast, pre-heat oven to 350F. and dump sweets onto a cookie sheet. Use two if they look too crowded. Roast, turning them every 15 minutes or so until they are starting to brown and are tender. This should take about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with plenty of brown sugar and toss. Serve hot.

*Frijoles Borrachos or Austin Baked Beans

Frijoles Borrachos is Texican for Drunken Beans. The great thing about this dish is that it is guilt free. There is no fat in this pot of beans. No, it is not some Vegan nightmare receipt and contains no tofu.

• 1          Lb. Pinto beans
• 1          large onion, chopped
• 2          cloves garlic, chopped
• 1          can beer (optional, it will, however add flavor)
• 2          cans beef juice
• ½          cup Jalapeno slices, more or less to taste
• ½          Tsp. Mexican Oregano
• Salt and pepper and Tabasco to taste.

Wash and count the beans. Soak in branch water over night. Drain beans, place in a heavy Dutch oven or large pot and add onion, garlic, beef stock and beer. Cover pot and adjust to slow simmer. Add water as needed to slow cook until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste and cook for another 30 minutes. Add more fire, maybe?

I wish I was in TEXAS Feast continued . . .

*Basic Barbecue Dry Rub
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup Kosher salt
• 4 Tbl. Cracked black pepper
• 4 Tbl. Hungarian Paprika
• 2 Tbl. Onion powder
• 2 Tbl. Garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. Cayenne powder

If you wish you can personalize this rub by adding your favorites; Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, etc.


*The Sauce, Texas Style.
• 1. Bottle of chili sauce
• 1. Can Tomatoes with chilies, (Rotel)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup Spanish onion, finely chopped
• ½ stick butter (okay, olive oil)
• 3 Tbl. Lemon juice
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 Tbl. Soy sauce
• 1 cup of the strained pan drippings
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. Chili flakes
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• tsp. Chiptole chili powder

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions until they begin to caramelize, add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until reduce to the desired consistency. The sauce will be chunky and should be served heated. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Will keep one week in the frig.


*Cornbread Salad

This is one fantastic salad. I discovered it at Up In Smoke, a great roadside barbecue joint just North of Hillsborough, TX. When I made this salad to take to a back yard cook out and placed it on the table with the rest of the carry-in dishes, someone asked, “What is that?”. I replied that it was dressing and I mistakenly thought the host was serving roast turkey, not hot dogs. As always, the salad was a big hit and there was nothing left to take home.

• 3 or 4 slices bacon, cut into ¼ in pieces
• 1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix
• ½ cup each; finely chopped red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and celery.
• Mayo, enough to moisten and bind the salad together.

Texture should crumbly and not too mushy. (Okay to use fake mayonnaise if you must) While the oven is heating, brown bacon bits in the pan you will use to bake the cornbread. When browned, drain, leaving a little bacon drippings in the pan. Mix cornbread batter and pour into the hot pan and bake according to the directions on the box. Pouring the batter into a hot pan will help a brown crust to form on the bottom. Remove from oven and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Using a couple of spoons, crumble the cornbread and allow to cool and dry out for several hours. We want the cornbread to be dry and finely crumbled when the salad is assembled.

(Note: This can be done days in advance. The dry cornbread can be sealed in a storage bag.) The evening before the feast, dump all the chopped veggies and bacon bits into the cornbread. Add enough Mayonnaise to bind the salad. Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for several hours. This salad is best after the flavors have had a chance to meld.


* Cucumber and Granny Smith Apple with Ginger Salad

• 1/2-pound cucumbers
• 1 medium onion, Vidalia if you can get it.
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 or 2 Fuji or Granny Smith apple
 • 1 ½ cups water
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. very thin matchsticks of peeled ginger, a piece the size of your thumb, grated.
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Add minced Habanero or Serrano for a little heat (optional)

Thinly slice cucumbers crosswise, no more than 1/8 inch thick and toss with salt. Let stand 30 minutes, then rinse well and squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. Halve apple half lengthwise and cut out core. Thinly slice crosswise, no more than 1/8 inch thick. Ditto on the onion. Toss apple and onion with cucumbers and remaining ingredients and marinate, chilled, turning occasionally, at least 1 day. Makes about a quart.

This receipt comes from Bro. Phil.

To be continued . . . .

 This is Happy Nostalgia

A "Wish I Was In Texas" Feast

The next time you need to feed the multitude and you are out of loaves and Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks you might want to give some thought to putting on a Texas Barbeque. I know, the only real way to have authentic Texas Que is to go to Texas but most of the multitude won’t know the difference and they will think it is so lip-smacking good that they will start to callin’ you “pardoner” and dropping hints about doing it again sometime real soon.

Menu:

Smoked Brisket with Texas style Sauce. *

Cornbread Salad *

Cucumber and Granny S. Apple with Ginger Salad *

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Frijoles Borrachos or Austin Baked Beans *

Gallons of Sweet Ice Tea

Texas Toast

Rhubarb and Peach Cobbler with French Vanilla Ice Cream *

* Can be prepared ahead of time.
If you have trouble with multi-tasking or advance planning, you might want to go back to the Fish Tacos, (receipt for Fish Tacos follows) but if you serve this fantastic meal to Non-Texicans they will always think fondly of you and will line up to morn at your passing.
Does all of that wonderful food sound like a lot of work? Well it is quite a bit of chopping and slicing and actually cooking but after all isn’t that what real cooks do? Here is the good news. Much of the preparation should be done the day before the big feed.


*Smoked Beef Brisket:

If you have a smoker, use it and smoke the brisket for 12 hours, don’t touch it, just tend the fire. Keep the temperature around 210F in the smoker. But, alas, lots of folks don’t have a pit or a smoker. The following method will get you close to the real deal with your existing equipment.

Most Texas Barbecue revolves around beef, more specifically, brisket. When you select your brisket, choose only “packer trimmed” briskets in the ten to twelve pound range. The smaller cuts don’t have enough fat to tenderize them, and the larger ones could have come off a tough old range bull that no amount of cooking will ever tenderize. Avoid closely trimmed or “value packed” brisket pieces. The fat that was cut off to make ‘em pretty is the very stuff that would have made them tender! The layer of fat will melt and baste the meat.

This needs to start at least a day or two ahead. Try to find a brisket that will give ample servings to each guest, about ½ lb. average ought to be a plenty. You’ll find that a ten-pound brisket will yield about 8 to 16 servings, depending on the individual brisket and the size of the appetites of the guests. Expect up to 40% shrinkage, a 10# brisket raw will become a 6# cooked. It is okay to trim off the fat but wait until it has finished and you are ready to serve it.

1. Liberally coat the meat with a good rub. Wrap in cling wrap and put in the frig for 8 hours or better, overnight.

2. Thinly slice a large yellow onion, enough to layer the bottom of a roasting pan. Add 1-cup water.

3. Place brisket, fat side down, in a roasting pan with a lid or use a disposable foil pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

4. Place in oven and roast at low heat, 200F. for 10 to 12 hours or overnight. Use a baster to remove fat from pan as it accumulates. Add water to pan as needed during cooking. Bake until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork. (Note: This step can be done the day before and then finished off on the grill the day of the feast.)

5. Fire up the grill to low heat. Place a couple of handfuls of soaked hickory or pecan chips in the coals. If using a gas grill, wrap chips in heavy foil and place directly over flame. Remember to poke holes in the top so the smoke can escape.

6. Place brisket on the grill, fat side down. Close the lid and smoke for 30 min. to 1 hour. Remember, we are just smoking the meat now so keep the fire low.

7. Allow to rest for 15 minutes and slice across the grain. Reserve one cup of the pan drippings for the sauce.

*Basic Barbecue Dry Rub

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup Kosher salt
• 4 Tbl. Cracked black pepper
• 4 Tbl. Hungarian Paprika
• 2 Tbl. Onion powder
• 2 Tbl. Garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. Cayenne powder


If you wish you can personalize this rub by adding your favorites; Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, etc.

*The Sauce, Texas Style.

• 1. Bottle of chili sauce
• 1. Can Tomatoes with chilies, (Rotel)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup Spanish onion, finely chopped
• ½ stick butter (okay, olive oil)
• 3 Tbl. Lemon juice
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 Tbl. Soy sauce
• 1 cup of the strained pan drippings
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. Chili flakes
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• tsp. Chiptole chili powder

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions until they begin to caramelize, add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until reduce to the desired consistency. The sauce will be chunky and should be served heated. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Will keep one week in the frig.

To be continued................ Tune in next time