Af ter Thanksgiv ing everyone in my family wants a hamburger after all that turkey, so we’ll be talking about beef recipes this week. Normally we have a rib roast at Christmas, but I remember one year Dad grilled us all ribeyes and I think I remember that Christmas dinner more than the rib roast. Plus, rib roasts have gotten rather expensive lately. I think I may bring that up to him and see if he would like to do a repeat this year.
This first recipe is kind of a pot roast sandwich.
Sweet Onion and Pepper Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus
3 to 3-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces 2 medium sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges 2 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips 1 cup beef broth 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup tomato paste 2 tbsp minced garlic 8 to 10 French bread rolls, split, warmed Place onions in 5-1/2 quart slow cooker; top with beef, then pepper slices. Combine beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce and garlic; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 6 to 7 hours or low 8 to 9 hours or until beef is fork-tender. (No stirring is necessary during cooking.) Skim fat from cooking liquid, if necessary.
Serve beef and vegetables in rolls with toppings. Such as Cheddar cheese, pepperoncini, pepper rings and olives, as desired. Serve au jus for dipping.
-kwc After a rather bland Thanksgiving dinner, Mexican food is always good. And what’s better than beef enchiladas? These are not authentic, but easy and delicious. The recipe says you can use corn or flour tortillas, but the corn ones are authentic. My Mexican sister-in-law gets mad when recipes call for flour tortillas in enchiladas.
Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas 1 pound ground beef 1/2 white onion, diced 2-1/2 tbsp taco seasoning 1/4 cup water 8 soft taco size tortillas, flour or corn 2 cups red enchilada sauce 16 oz. marbled cheddar cheese, shredded Preheat oven to 375. Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat until beef is crumbled and no longer pink. Drain any fat and return skillet to burner. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning and water. Stir until combined and the water absorbs into the ground beef. Remove from heat.
Spread about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13' casserole dish to evenly coat the bottom.
Add 1/3 cup of the ground beef mixture in a straight line to the center of each tortilla. Add about 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and roll up tightly. Lay seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat until the casserole dish is filled with the rolled enchiladas. If you have any remaining ground beef, sprinkle it over the top of the rolled enchiladas.
Spread the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas, making sure to coat each tortilla. Sprinkle the remaining cheese all over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center is bubbly. —kwc— And how about we go Vietnamese after the American turkey dinner? If you don’t have Maggi seasoning, just use Worcestershire sauce. You’re also not going to find peppery watercress lettuce in Rockdale, but sliced Romaine will do in a pinch.
Vietnamese Shaking Beef
1-1/2 pounds rib-eye steak 6 cloves garlic 2 tbsp brown sugar 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided 1 tbsp fish sauce 2 limes 1 tsp granulated sugar 1 tsp cornstarch ½ red onion 2 bunches watercress 2 Roma tomatoes 3 green onions 1 bell pepper, any color 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon Maggi seasoning Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes and place in a zip-top bag on a plate or in a dish.
Mince or paste the garlic. In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and the fish sauce. Pour into the bag with the beef and move around to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Thinly slice the red onion. In small bowl, combine the juice from 1 lime, granulated sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and pour the mixture over the red onion.
Cut the tomatoes into eighths. Quarter the second lime.
On a platter, arrange the watercress and tomato.
Cut the whites and light green parts of the green onions into 1-inch pieces. Cut the bell pepper into 1-inch pieces as well.
After the beef has marinated for 30 minutes to 1 hour, remove from the marinade, and throw out any excess marinade. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the beef and toss to coat.
Heat a large skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the green onion and bell pepper and sear for 2 minutes, shaking the pan. Remove from the pan and add to the bed of watercress and tomato.
Top the vegetables with the marinated red onion.
If needed, add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan so that it is evenly coated to cook the beef. Heat the oil until shimmering, add the beef and sear on sides, shaking the pan, until it is browned on all sides. This should take 3 to 5 minutes total (about 1 min per side). Note: If your skillet is not big enough to cook the beef in a single layer with some room around each piece, cook it in 2 batches. It's very important not to crowd the pan so that you get a great sear.
Season the beef with the Maggi and give it a final toss before removing it from the pan.
Remove the beef from the pan to the vegetable platter. Garnish with cilantro and lime slices, and serve with rice, if desired.
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