Hot Greek Meatballs & Cool Tzatziki

February 2, 2010 | Posted by Lorraine as Beef- It's What's For Dinner, Go Greek Recipe at 12:54 pm | Comments »

: Beef from Crestock Creative Images

I’m a huge fan of Tzatziki, a yogurt-cucumber-garlic sauce that somehow manages to taste creamy and rich and light all at the same time. A Tzatziki sauce can make or break a gyros sandwich, and when paired with a couple of skewers of homemade meatballs, is one of my favorite dishes ever.

Making the Tzatziki

I like to make the Tzatziki before the meatballs, giving it time to chill a bit in the fridge. You’ll need:

2 cups plain yogurt (the full fat stuff, and preferably Greek)
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, crushed finely
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 whole cucumbers, peeled, seeded and grated (large)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well. Separately, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt over the grated cucumber, and let it drain for around 20 minutes. You want to get rid of as much excess water as you can, so you don’t end up with watery Tzatziki. Add grated cucumber to yogurt mixture, add pepper, and combine. Cover and chill in the fridge at least an hour. Drizzle with olive oil right before serving.

Making Greek Meatballs

2 slices bread (white, whole wheat… whatever floats your boat)
1 cup milk
2 lbs. lean ground beef (or you can do 1 lb. lean and 1 lb. regular if you want more fat)
1 onion, minced fine
4 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
2 teaspoons white or red wine vinegar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
all-purpose flour, to roll the meatballs in
extra virgin olive oil, for frying

Dunk bread slices in milk to absorb the liquid. Mash well.

In a large bowl, combine mashed milky bread with beef, onion, garlic, mint, vinegar, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Do not overmix, you want to be as gentle as possible or you’ll end up with tough and dry meatballs.

Gently form into small (1 1/2-inch) meatballs, roll lightly in flour, and fry in hot olive oil.

You can spear these on skewers, or simply piled on a pretty plate, with a bowl of chilled Tzatziki on the side. Delicious!

Hot Bowls of Love

May 19, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Beef- It's What's For Dinner, Quick Meal Ideas, Recipe at 10:33 am | (2) Comments »

There are days you just don’t feel like cooking. Days when all you want to do is curl up on the couch and watch old episodes of Star Trek on DVD. On days like these, one is grateful to have a husband who not only can cook, but can cook really, really well. And when one of the things he cooks is deliciously spicy chili con carne… well, life is not just good, it’s awesome.

chili-bowl

The Husband’s Spicy Chili Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, undrained
1 (16 oz) can white beans, undrained
1 (16 oz) can tomato puree
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons spanish paprika
2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped

First, brown the beef lightly in some olive oil, making sure to stir so it crumbles. Drain about half the fat of this away, but not all of it. Yummy, yummy fat.

Add bell pepper, onion, celery, kidney beans, white beans, tomato puree, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, mustard, oregano, paprika and tomatoes.

Simmer for 25 minutes. Do not overcook… you want the celery to stay a bit crisp.

Sometimes, when he’s feeling particularly spicy, he throws in some dried red chilis (those small, hot ones). It’s all a question of whether you like it hot- or whether you can handle it.

I like to sprinkle mine with a healthy serving of grated Monterey Jack cheese…. mmm.

Quick Dish: Paprika Cream Chicken

December 20, 2008 | Posted by Lorena as Beef- It's What's For Dinner, Fast Meal Ideas, Pasta Please, Quick Meal Ideas, Recipe, Yummy Can't Say No Chicken Recipes at 1:35 am | Comments »

Here is another one of my concoctions. I actually got the idea from one of those recipe cards you get from the supermarket. They were promoting the use of McCormick spices and I thought I’d try them. I have never been one to follow a recipe to the letter, though, so I am sure that my version of this dish turned out differently. Anyhow, this dish is easy and quick to make, you will probably find yourself making it often.

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts, sliced
1 small onion
4 tomatoes
½ cup light cream
Paprika
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil

Preparation:
Wash the chicken well and then drain. Season with salt, pepper, and some paprika. It really is up to you how much of the seasoning you want to use – I just threw everything in there. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat some olive oil in a thick pan and then fry the chicken strips for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the chopped onion in the same pan until translucent. Add the diced tomatoes. Cook this for about 5 minutes, stirring all the while. You can also add more paprika at this point.

Put the chicken back into the pan and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through. This took about 10 minutes. Make sure you stir every once in a while. You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if you want.

Add the light cream slowly and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add salt and more pepper and paprika to taste. For garnish, you can throw in some parsley.

This dish can be served over cooked noodles or rice – I chose the former.

Roast Beef Tenderloin

December 13, 2008 | Posted by Lorena as Beef- It's What's For Dinner, Holiday Fun at 1:05 am | Comments »

View of a butcher proudly holding a cut of meat for the camera

Roast beef is one of my favorite dishes – you can never go wrong with roast beef! As Christmas fast approaches, I have been putting together the array of dishes that I will be bringing with me to the family celebration on Christmas Eve and I think that the star of the night will be roast beef – with a different twist. Roast beef is often made in the traditional oven but this time, I think I shall make it in my trusty old turbo oven.

It does most everything that a conventional oven does but faster.

Here’s my recipe if you want to try it for yourself. I made it once and it turned out perfectly!

What you need:

1 beef tenderloin (about 7 pounds untrimmed)
Garlic cloves (4 is good, use more or less depending on your taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

What you have to do:

1. Make small incisions all over the meat and insert peeled garlic.
2. Rub salt, pepper, and olive oil over the meat.
3. While doing steps 1 and 2, turn the turbo on and set it to 250 degrees C – that’s about 480 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Roast the meat for about 50 minutes, checking at around 30 or 35 minutes.
5. Let the roast sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.

The temperature setting is for a very well done roast. If you prefer a less done roast, set the temperature lower to about 150 C or 300 F.

Sloppy Joes

August 15, 2008 | Posted by Lorena as Beef- It's What's For Dinner, Recipe at 9:16 am | Comments »

sloppy joes

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

What’s next

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

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