Pork Chops In Tomato & Mushroom Sauce

Satarash

SHRIMP AND CHINESE PEA PODS  - 

1 1/2 c packed watercress leaves
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 green onion slices
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c mayo
1 1/2 lb. cleaned medium shrimp, cooked till barely pink
1/2 lb chinese pea pods, blanched

Place all ingredients except shrimp and pea pods in food processor or
blender.
Process until well blended. Chill.
Wrap shrimp with pea pod and secure with a toothpick (or a thin strip of
leek or red pepper tied in a knot).
Serve with watercress sauce.

Makes approximately 3 dozen appetizers.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR water OR a mixture of both 

2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 lb of string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup of raw white rice
1 raw egg
1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves and/or parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Dried oregano, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. Bring to boil and simmer. Add carrots and string beans.

Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint land parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Add raw egg. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs. Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with chopped fresh cilantro.

Serves 6-8.

Beef Bourguignon

6 oz of blanched bacon
2 to 3 Tbsp cooking oil
4 lbs trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups sliced onions
1 cup sliced carrots
1 bottle of red wine (such as a zinfandel or Chianti)
2 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 medium herb bouquet (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, and 3 large cloves of smashed garlic together in cheesecloth)
Beurre manié for the sauce: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a pasted with 2 Tbsp butter
For the garnish: 24 small brown-braised white onions and 3 cups sautéed quartered mushrooms (sautéed in butter and oil, start with at least 4 cups of raw quartered mushrooms, about 1 lb and a half)

1 Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.

2 In a large frying pan, sauté the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat in browning. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and oil, season with salt and pepper, and turn them into a heavy casserole pan. Add the bacon to the casserole pan as well.

3 Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat. Deglaze the pan with wine, pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 325°F oven, until the meat is tender. Check at about 40 minutes.

4 Remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then degrease and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout.

Serves 6 to 8.

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 3 hours.

3 to 4 lbs of a brisket cut of beef
3/4 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup of water

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Mix barbeque sauce, soy sauce, and water. Spread generously over meat. Wrap the roast in aluminum foil and place on baking pan. Bake 1 hour per 1 lb of meat.

OR

Place sauce and meat in oven roasting bag. Put a teaspoon of flour in the bag. Poke a couple small holes in the bag. Cooking time may be faster with this method (or you can reduce the temperature to 325º).

Serves 8.

3 1/2 lbs top blade steaks, 1 inch thick, trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into 1-inch pieces. (Can use any chuck roast if blade steaks are not available.)
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs yellow onions (about 3 medium sized), halved and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp)
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup low-sodum beef broth
1 1/2 cups (12 oz bottle) dark ale or stout beer
4 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Adjust oven rack to lower middle postion; preheat oven to 300°F. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper. On the stove top, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; add 1/3 of the beef to the pot. Cook without moving the pieces until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes; using tongs, turn each piece and continue cooking until second side is well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer browned beef to a separate bowl. Repeat with second third of the beef and an additional 2 teaspoons of oil. (If the drippings in the bottom of the pot are very dark, add half a cup of the chicken or beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits; pour liquid into the bowl with the browned beef and continue.) Repeat again with 2 more teaspoons of oil and the remaining beef. Remove beef from the dutch oven.

2 Add 1 Tbsp oil to dutch oven; reduce heat to medium low. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and tomato paste; cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until onions have released some moisture, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in broths, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme, bay, vinegar, browned beef with any of the accumulated juices, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a full simmer, stirring occasionally; cover partially, then place pot in oven. Cook until fork inserted into beef meets little resistance, about 2 hours.

3 Discard thyme and bay. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Can serve plain or over egg noodles, rice, or potatoes.

Serves 6.

Preparation time: 1 hour.

1 1/2 cup of plain flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb of good-quality sausage (pork, turkey)
salt and pepper

1 Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Sift flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour. Whisk the eggs and the milk into the center of the well in the flour, gradually to smooth out lumps. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

2 Brown the sausages in a little olive oil and cook through, about 10 minutes

3 Put sausages in a roasting pan, pour the batter over the sausages and place in oven. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the batter is risen and golden. Serve at once.

Serves 4-6