Cow

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef
¹⁄₃ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet, whatever that is… I used leftover Barbecue Sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into cubes
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground white pepper
¹⁄₈ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 egg yolk
¹⁄₄ cup heavy cream or half and half
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat.  Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent.  Add ground beef and cook, stirring, until cooked through and no longer pink.  Stir in flour, thyme, 2 cups water, “Kitchen Bouquet,” beef broth, and Worcestershire. 

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until sauce has thickened.  Remove pan from heat and remove beef to casserole dish with slotted spoon.   Transfer remaining sauce to small bowl and serve alongside finished pie.  Return meat to Dutch oven. 

3. Heat oven to 350*F. 

4. Place potatoes in large pot.  Cover with cold water by 1 inch and bring to boil over high heat.  Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain potatoes then return them to pot and mash.  Stir in butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg yolk, and cream.  Spread potatoes on top of beef mixture.  Top with cheese. 

5. Place in oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and the pie has heated through. 

Photo

Comments
This recipe is from Oprah.com.  A while back I was looking for ways, any ways at all, to make a dent my ground beef supply.  One of my friends suggested I try Cottage Pie so I did a bit of googling and found this recipe.  It was super tasty although I completely forget the step of removing the beef with a slotted spoon and removing the sauce from the Dutch oven, so the end result was super wet.  It was still delicious and we devoured it all.

Ingredients
For the filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
¹⁄₂ medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
4-5 fresh sage leaves
1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, liquid included

For the sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 ¹⁄₂ cups beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin

For the assembly
12 corn tortillas
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. To make filling: Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and 1 clove minced garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Break up chunks of meat as they cook.  Add flour, chili powder, cumin, salt, and half the sage.  Stir to combine.  Add stewed tomatoes and stir again.  Reduce heat to low and keep warm. 

2. To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in flour until garlic is coated.  Add beef broth and continue stirring until smooth.  Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and remaining sage.  Turn heat to high and cook until boiling, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens a little.  Remove from heat. 

3. Heat oven to 350*F. 

4. Pour 1 ¹⁄₂ cup of sauce into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and spread evenly with spoon. 

5. Place tortillas on microwave-safe plate and cover with damp paper towel.  Microwave for 30 seconds or until pliable.  Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of beef mixture into the center of each tortilla, sprinkle with some shredded cheese, and roll tightly.  Place in baking dish, seam side down.  Repeat for remaining enchiladas. 

6. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and cover with foil.  Bake 30 minutes.  Uncover, top with remaining shredded cheese, and bake another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Koko Cooks.  The picture I took is horrible because enchiladas always fall apart on me – sorry.  Art absolutely loved these and, the best part, is that I now know how easy it is to make homemade enchilada sauce!  These were really scrumptious but a single recipe didn’t yield any leftovers for the three of us.  Next time, this must be doubled.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 anchovy fillets, finely minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and then cut into thin slices
2 cups baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2 cups chicken or beef broth
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces bacon
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ¹⁄₂ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (about 1 packet)
¹⁄₂ cup water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300*F. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

3. Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.

4. Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and bacon. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 ¹⁄₂ hours.

5. Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and bacon. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

6. Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.

7. Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2010.  Lance and I had been talking about beef stew for some reason and I realized I’d never made it before due to Art’s dislike of the texture of pot roast.  I decided I should make it when he was out of town and opted for the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.  They’re pretty great at having great versions of classic recipes. 

Lance and I really enjoyed this.  I made biscuits to serve with it since that’s how we always had beef stew in high school.

Ingredients
³⁄₄ pound flank steak, sliced into thin strips
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Oil, for frying, I prefer peanut
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili paste with garlic - I used this stuff
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons cornstarch
¹⁄₂ teaspoon sugar
¹⁄₄ teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon sherry
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
Rice, for serving

Instructions
1. Combine beef, egg white, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in medium bowl.  Mix well and set aside. 

2. Combine soy sauce, chili paste, 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons cornstarch, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic in small bowl. 

3. Heat oil for frying in Dutch oven over medium or medium-high heat.  Working in batches, fry beef strips until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate. 

4. Heat wok or skillet over high heat.  Add sauce mixture to wok and cook until it becomes thickened and bubbly.  Add in beef and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.  Remove beef and sauce to large bowl and set aside. 

5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok or skillet still over high heat.  Add broccoli, sherry, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until desired crispness has been reached, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Serve broccoli with beef mixture over rice. 

Comments
This recipe is from Blogchef and I found it to use with the flank steak Art pulled out of the freezer for the week’s meals.  I, um, sort of screwed up the sauce since I missed a key word in the original recipe.  Oops!  Even with a messed up sauce, this recipe was yummy and a delicious meal.  It’ll be even better next time when I don’t screw it up.  It is a bit spicy, but not so much so that I couldn’t deal with it!

Ingredients
1 can Pillsbury Grand biscuits
1 pound ground beef
4 tablespoons taco seasoning or 1 taco seasoning packet
Desired toppings such as lettuce, fresh salsa, sour cream, etc.

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Separate biscuits and place each biscuit into cup of regular muffin tin.  Press dough into tin and spread to tops of muffin cups.  Place tin in oven and bake until golden brown, 13 to 17 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat and brown beef.  Once meat is cooked through, add taco seasoning and ¹⁄₄ cup water.  Simmer until liquid is absorbed. 

3. Once biscuits are done, remove from oven.  Press center of biscuits down with back of spoon if necessary then fill cups with seasoned meat.  Top as desired. 

Comments
This recipe is from Serendipity Mommy.  These are basically tacos in biscuit form instead of tacos and they were pretty tasty.  We enjoyed eating them and it was an easy meal to bring together.

Ingredients
2 pound beef tenderloin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions
1. Let the tenderloin sit at room temperature, covered, for 1 hour before roasting.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425*F degrees. Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof over medium-high heat until smoking. Brown the tenderloin on all sides, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the tenderloin until the center registers 125*F degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping it over halfway through the roasting time.

4. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and transfer to a carving board. Cover with foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing into thin slices. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2007.  I love roasting beef tenderloin and this turned out very well.  The meat was tender and juicy all the way through.  I used half of the tenderloin from our recent Zekiah Cow and we were all blown away by the quality of the meat.  I can’t believe I held out this long to do something with the cut! 

Shown here with Simple Horseradish Sauce and Mushroom Puffs.

Ingredients
For the meat
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon cumin, ground
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, finely minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¹⁄₂ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

For serving
Pita bread
Tomatoes, diced
Cucumber, sliced in quarter rounds
Frozen corn kernels, thawed, or fresh
Lettuce, chopped or shredded
Kebab Sauces

Instructions
1. Mix all meat ingredients together, except for olive oil, in large bowl and knead for 5 minutes.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook meat, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through.  (It should develop crisp spots on the bottom.) 

2. Serve meat in pita bread, or on top of pita bread, and topped with tomatoes, cucumber, corn, lettuce, and kebab sauces. 

Comments
This recipe is from food.com.  When Lance and I were in Norway, he introduced me to kebabs.  I imagine that these are the equivalent of Americanized Chinese food in the US and not traditional at all.  I loved them and I’ve been thinking about figuring out how to duplicate them ever since. 

I hunted around a bit and found some promising (recipes.  In Lance’s opinion, this recipe nailed the meat component of the kebabs.  The meat was very tasty and extremely flavorful.  We all enjoyed these!  The sauces for the first attempt were off, but I have better (recipes to try for next time. 

The recipe can be made with all ground beef, or lamb, or your desired mixture of meats.

(This photo was taken with my first attempt at the sauces, the sauces linked above are much thinner in consistency so won’t look like this picture.)

Ingredients
For the chimichurri
²⁄₃ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, peeled

For the steak
1 (about 1 pound) flank steak
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
1. To prepare chimichurri, combine first 8 ingredients in immersion blender cup and blend until smooth.

2. To prepare steak, rub steak with cumin, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and pepper.

3. Prepare grill.  (I assume you know how to prepare your own grill, since I don’t!)

4. Grill steak about 4 minutes per side, or until meat reaches desired doneness.  Remove from heat, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cooking Light 2008.  I really love these annual compilations and need to get into the habit of using them more often, especially since all of the recipes are online which makes for easy adding to my recipe software!  This recipe was lovely and the rub itself was super simple.  The chimichurri looks pretty awful, but it was delicious with a bit of horseradish punch.

Ingredients
For the spice rub
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons paprika
³⁄₄ teaspoon ground fennel
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the glaze
¹⁄₂ cup Dijon mustard
¹⁄₂ cup red wine vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon reserved spice rub
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper
_
For the short ribs_
5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions
1. Combine all spice rub ingredients in bowl.  Reserve 1 teaspoon of rub for use in mustard glaze. 

2. Whisk together all glaze ingredients in separate bowl. 

3. Heat oven to 300*F.  Sprinkle ribs with spice rub, pressing into all sides of ribs.  Arrange ribs, bone side down, in 13 by 9-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle vinegar evenly over ribs.  Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until thickest ribs register 165 to 170*F, 1 ¹⁄₂ to 2 hours. 

4. Prepare grill for grilling.  I assume you know how to prepare your own grill since I don’t.  Aim for a grill temperature between 275 and 300*F. 

5. Place short ribs, bone side down, on grill.  Brush with ¹⁄₄ cup glaze.  Close grill and cook until ribs register 195*F, 1 ³⁄₄ to 2 ¹⁄₄ hours, rotating and brushing ribs with ¹⁄₄ cup glaze every 30 minutes.  Transfer ribs to large platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated 2012, so the annual isn’t published yet.  I decided it was time to use the short ribs from our cow and turned to Cook’s Illustrated to help me out.  I made them before in the slow cooker and they were super amazing but these, oh my gosh, these were amazing.  We all devoured them.  I highly recommend this recipe even though it’s fairly time consuming.  Thankfully the time is largely unattended. 

Shown here with Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
³⁄₄ cup milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sandwich rolls

Instructions
1. Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Add ground beef, steak seasoning, and Worcestershire.  Cook, stirring, until beef is browned and cooked through.  Drain beef. 

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Whisk in flour.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until roux is light brown.  Slowly whisk in milk and bring to boil.  Continue whisking while sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour sauce over ground beef (or vice versa) and stir until well combined. 

3. Serve meat in rolls. 

No photo

Comments
This recipe is from What’s Cookin, Chicago? I can’t remember if I doubled it, but I think I must have because we had a ton of leftovers that Lance applied himself to with gusto.  These were tasty sandwiches and the meat was nicely flavorful.  Sadly, I forgot to take a picture, but I served these with salads with homemade dressing.