Weekend Cook: Beef Soup with Noodles

Beef Soup with Noodles

Easy as pie.  3 quarts stock (I used chicken/duck/pork),  1 lb. Veal Stew Meat, 1 lb. Beef Stew Meat, 1 Minced Head of Garlic.  Bring to  the boil, then place in a 250f oven (no cover) for 3 hours.

(Yes, I know there is a potato in the photo - there were only two left in the refrigerator, so in they went.)

Once meat is tender, remove and place a handful of rice noodles in the broth, pushing them down.  Put the cover on and wait for 15- 20 minutes.  The noodles absorb the excess liquid.

Gluten-free Beef Noodle Soup

The noodles always come out amazingly flavorful when cooked this way, instead of boiling them separately.   So simple and easy to make!

Weekend Cook: Beef and Veal Meatballs

Beef and Veal Meatballs

 Yup, another meatball recipe!

Chicken egg on the left, turkey egg on the right.

 Whiz together 1/4 cup Pine Nuts, 2 Heads (yes, heads) of Garlic, 1/4 Cup Parmesan, 1 Large Onion.  Add to one pound Ground Beef, one pound Ground Veal, two Eggs, 1 TB Herbs de Provence, 3 TB Breadcrumbs, 2 tsp. Black Pepper, 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt.  Mix by hand and microwave a test piece to adjust seasoning.

Preheat oven to 425f. Using an ice-cream scoop, form into 24 meatballs on an oiled cookie sheet.

Baked Meatballs

 Bake for only 12-15 minutes, just to set the shape.

Meatballs in Bove's Vodka Sauce

Finish in a simmering sauce with the cover on for 8 - 10 minutes.  Turn off burner and leave covered for 20 minutes to finish cooking.   This is a firmer meatball that can be stuffed with cheese if desired.  The instructions for that variation are found here.

Beef and Veal Kabobs

Beef and Veal Kabobs

Also, squash from Rockville Market Farm, plus beets and our blue cheese.

I marinated the cubes of sirloin overnight in Drew's marinade, and the beef in Gormley's Jalapeno sauce.

Kabobs on the Weber

These cooked about six minutes per side over medium heat with the cover down.

Weekend Cook: Veal Sirloin

Veal Sirloin

 This actually could have been a Monday cook, it went so fast.  Instead of opting for a sear, then bake for this tender steak, I lowered the heat to medium and moved it around the grill - becoming a "flipper".

I marinated it in Sambal Oelek for a few hours prior to cooking - and it imparted a very pleasant spicy chili flavor.  After the resting stage, it was perfectly rare.

This is my portion of mostly vegetables - the grilled summer squash and zucchini were perfect with just a little EVOO, salt and pepper.

Monday Menu: Grilled Veal Flank

Veal Flank

 Veal flank is a small cut that serves one or two, and it cooks in a flash.

Because it cooks so quickly, I like to coat it in something that will leave tasty grill marks.  This was painted with Drew's Romano Caesar salad dressing, but a mixture of soy sauce and maple syrup works well, too.  It takes about 3 minutes over high heat for a medium result - you basically cook it until it lets go of the grill (on both sides), then rest under foil and a towel on the counter before slicing.

What I like about this cut is that even at well-done, veal flank remains tender.

Veal Tagine

Veal Tagine

This came together simply: our veal stew meat, six colored carrots, 1/2 an onion - and a secret sauce.

Veggies in the bottom, meat coated in Stonehouse (the secret) on top.

I was cleaning out the pantry when I found this gluten and soy-free sauce - never used it before.

Baked at 250f for five hours. I found it a bit sweet and in need of more chilies. Okay for a weekend meal with temperatures in the single digits.

Weekend Cook: Veal Cordon Bleu

Veal Cordon Bleu

Here's something that I haven't made in years.  Cordon Bleu can be done with chicken, pork or turkey cutlets - but I had some lovely veal on hand - so here's a wheatless way to do it up.

One pound of veal = 4 cutlets/servings.  I cubed 2 oz. of Havarti (I am out of Brother Laurent) and 2 oz. of Boucher Blue cheese.  The combination allows for the beefy flavors of the blue cheese to meld with the gooey texture of a washed curd cheese.

Combine that with 3/4 cup of the farm's smoked ham - but any sliced hammy meat will do.

Divide the filling into four and add a bit of pepper, roll up, tucking in the sides.

Dust with sweet rice flour (about 2 TB), then into an egg wash (one beaten x-large egg will suffice).

Roll in wheatless panko (about 6 TB)- my new favorite crunchy topping.  Let set in the refrigerator for at 1/2 an hour for the egg to absorb the coatings. Give it a sprinkle of salt and some more pepper before baking in a 350f oven for 22 - 24 minutes (on an oiled baking sheet).

The rest phase in the refrigerator is key to making sure it all sticks together when plating instead of falling apart.

Serve with your favorite easy red sauce.   Dan wondered why I don't make this more often.  The answer is because we rarely have leftover ham.

Cordon Bleu has everything: smokey, savory, crunchy, creamy - and it's a do-ahead dish that cooks quickly, which makes it a solid option for entertaining.

Weekend Cook: Veal Shoulder

Easy, delicious, and affordable; veal shoulder with cranberry beans.

1 1/2 pounds of veal shoulder ($6/lb.), plus...

... a cup of cranberry beans soaked in water and 1 tsp of baking soda overnight.  The beans were drained, rinsed, and added to the pot along with a cup of roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic (they were still partially frozen, I've been putting them by).  Another onion and about a cup and a half of beef stock was added to the pot.

In to a 300f oven for one hour, heat reduced to 250f for two more hours.  The dish is done when the meat falls apart.  I let it cool for a 1/2 hour, then

I removed two cups of the stewed vegetables and pureed them with an immersion blender - then added them back to the pot to thicken the dish. I adjusted the salt, it needed about a teaspoon.

A little light to be called "hearty" but it was high in flavor.  Perfect for chilly days.

Monday Menu: Barbecued Rib Sandwich

That's smoked, pulled meat (veal) with marinated, grilled portabellas and oven-roasted tomatoes.

I cut the mushrooms horizontally and marinated them in commercial dressing for over an hour on the counter.

Could have made my own, but why not use what is to hand?

I set the grill to "high" and it took almost an hour to cook these the way I wanted.  Turning, turning, waiting for them to exude all their excess moisture and concentrate their flavor.

You can almost see the umami.

Finally, they were flat, a little shrunken, and nicely browned.

In the meantime, a bunch of tomatoes were coated in sunflower oil, salt, and placed in a 400f oven for about an hour.

Ready for a sandwich. The excess was frozen for sauces, later.

Great flavor and texture combination. Sweet BBQ sauce on the meat, mustard on the buns.  Sweet/sour, more sour with the marinated mushroom and more sweet with the roasted tomato.

Layers of perfection! It was a bit of a time commitment to make, but for someone who doesn't have sandwiches that often  - well - I had put a lot of thought into how it was going to go down, and was completely satisfied with the result.

Weekend Cook: Veal Ribs on The Big Green Egg

The results?  Three pounds of meat, about the same as a small pork shoulder.

The last time we went to the processors with veal, we came home with these rib racks.  Didn't order them, but that's normal, no order comes back 100% right.  They've been popular and we have sold out.

I split the ribs, coated them in mustard and Dizzy Pig, and into the Big Green Egg at 250f for six hours or so.

I was some pleased that they fit.

At six hours, I covered them in foil and placed them in the oven for about six more hours.  There's a trick to keeping them moist - I placed them meat side down on the tray.

So good! Kept them covered on the counter with a heavy towel for another hour or so while they cooled. Pulled and refrigerated for other dishes, like the sandwich post tomorrow.

Monday Menu: Veal Skirt

Veal skirt is very quick on the grill - almost too quick - but, no worries, even at well done it is tender.

The package was marked "flank" but these look like two skirts to me.  I sprinkled them with EVOO and Dizzy Pig.

This rub is spicy hot, and I've never used it on chicken (as suggested by the label).  It's great on salmon, though.

On to a preheated grill set on "high".  There are carrots in one foil pack and peas in another.

The skirt was done in about 6 minutes.  I turned the veggie side to "low," put the cover down and let them be for an additional 3 minutes.

Needed a speck of salt.  I'm always leery of over-salting when using spice mixes.  There were no leftovers.