Summer Dining Continued: Mrs. Young's Shishkabob

Keeping with the same theme of "sometimes simpler is better," this weekend we enjoyed one of our favorite summer dinners: shishkabob. This feast requires a commitment to prep work, but the ingredients are simple and most of the effort is needed the day before your barbeque, freeing up your day-of-event for cooking other dishes, or cleaning, or relaxing.

The Young's have been family friends for ages and Linda traditionally served this dish every Independence Day. She developed the marinade while living in Greece and was kind enough to share the recipe with me several years back. It's another instance where it seems like there should be more involved, because the result is guaranteed to please. The beef kabobs are served with grilled veggies, pita bread and tzatziki sauce. We also usually cook up a bowl of rice pilaf as a side dish.

Since we were entertaining family from out of state that we haven't seen in nearly two years, I wanted to really make this afternoon's meal special. So, I decided to try some shrimp in the same marinade, in addition to the traditional beef. I started marinating the shrimp about three hours before grilling (rather than the 24 hours that I give the beef). The result was outstanding. I will definitely include shrimp again in the future as I am undecided as to which I like better -- the beef or shrimp.

Marinade (for 2 lbs. of beef, cubed)
1 T. minced onion (I find that grating the onion provides great onion flavor throughout the marinade without a bunch of little chunks of onion)
2 T. olive oil

Splash red wine vinegar (see note below)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon (see note below)
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Note: through the years I’ve strayed from the original and added a splash of red wine vinegar and juice of half a lemon. Both of these allow for a shorter marinade time, if needed, and add good flavor. 

For best results, marinade beef for 24 hours. And, if using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them 30 minutes before use.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 cucumber (chopped and seeded)
1/2 onion, minced (again, I grated the onion and only needed 1/4 onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. sour cream or plain, greek yogurt

Combine ingredients and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to marry. I sometimes add a little fresh parsley since I have it on hand for the marinade.

Welcoming Spring -- Time to Fire up that Grill

Now that we are enjoying a little more sunlight in the evenings, my thoughts turn to grilling. Yes, I have been known to grill chicken or a steak during the cold winter months. But, as we approach the first day of Spring, Mother Nature starts whispering in my ear, "Get out there and grill, girl!"

Everyone has their old standbys. Mine include chicken breasts marinaded in Italian dressing or a yummy sesame teriyaki sauce; burgers and dogs; shishkabob; corn on the cob; and London broil. Traditionally, I take the easy route with London broil and marinade the meat in Italian dressing. I always have a bottle on hand and it tastes good, but doesn't really knock your socks off.

This week, I did a little research on London broil. My goals were simple: use ingredients I have on hand and create a memorable feast for our inaugural Spring grilling. One of the first recipes I stumbled upon was by Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network site. It received great reviews and used items found in my pantry (a big bonus).

Ok, so I didn't have all of the ingredients, but found enough to create a delicious marinade using his recipe as a starting point. I call my version "Pantry Raid Marinade" and am pretty sure it would work well with some ingredients missing or replaced. Maybe next time I'll try adding some fresh citrus, chili pepper and ginger in replace of the mustard and cajun seasonings.

Note: Some people might find the vinegar taste to be a little overpowering. I like vinegar and felt it was balanced by the other ingredients, but my husband is not a fan of vinegar so next time I'll try just 2 Tbs. of wine vinegar.

Pantry Raid Marinade
1/4 c. (or 2 Tbs., depending on taste) white wine vinegar (or red wine, or balsalmic)
1/4 c. red wine
2 T. olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. worcestershire sauce
2 T. brown spicy mustard
2 tsp. cajun seasoning
1 tsp. each fresh ground salt and pepper
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced

Whisk ingredients together. Marinade meat for several hours, or over night. Preheat grill or broiler. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Grill or broil meat about 6 to 8 minutes per side (depending on desired rareness). Let stand at least 5 minutes before cutting thin slices (against the grain).

If desired, place reserved marinade into sauce pan and reduce to create a sauce. (Before doing this, I browned some pearl onions I had hanging around in a little butter and olive oil. Then I added the marinade liquid and simmered for about 15 minutes.)

A Challenge: "Julia's Boeuf Bourguinon"

During the holidays, I often find myself longing to spend some quality time in the kitchen.With all the hustle and bustle, it is nice to slow down a little and prepare a special something for my family to enjoy. This year, in addition to the usual cookies and Christmas morning brunch, I experimented with a new appetizer, improved upon my French Onion Soup and took on the challenge of "Julia's Boeuf Bourguinon."

Surprisingly, up until last week I had never seen the movie Julie & Julia, nor read the book or the blog. I remember hearing about the blog several years back (before my blog reading days) and thinking, "Wow, she's crazy!" The movie was quite charming, the cast was excellent and the food looked good enough to eat off the screen. As the credits rolled, my husband and I looked at each other with the same hungry look...we had to try that Boeuf Bourguinon. 

The next morning I pulled out my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and started studying. It turns out, to make "Julia's Boeuf Bourguinon," you must also master two additional French cooking techniques: mushrooms sauteed in butter and brown-braised onions. Both processes call for a healthy (or, unhealthy?) amount of butter and result in pure yumminess (not a word, I realize, but if you ever tried it, you'd agree.)

Now, this is not a recipe you just whip up on a whim. Start to finish, I spent 5-plus hours in the kitchen that Sunday afternoon. Most of that time I was actively cooking. The meat takes 3 or 4 hours to cook in the oven. Having completed the dish once, I probably could complete the prep-work a little faster -- allowing for some time away from the stove.

As this dish gains much of it's flavor from the red wine used in preparation, I decided to go to the experts at Moore Brothers and let their knowledgeable staff steer me in the right direction. What a good decision! I bought two bottles from the same vineyard, one to cook with and the other a little higher quality for drinking. I wish I had thought to write down the name of the vineyard, but Moore Brothers keeps track of what you buy, so I should be able to figure it out and post back with that information.

The other ingredients were fairly easy to come by. My local grocery does not carry Rump Pot Roast, Julia's first choice, so I went with her second choice: Chuck Pot Roast. In addition, I needed: carrot, onion, beef stock, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, bacon, and the previously mentioned mushrooms and pearl onions. The recipe calls for a 6-oz chunk of bacon, which I could not find, so I improvised by making lardons out of regular, sliced bacon. The main difference was that I did not have a bacon rind to throw in with the cooking meat. 

So, was it worth it? For me, yes. I had a great afternoon in the kitchen with limited distractions from the kids. (Thank you Mark!) And the end result was delicious. The gravy was amazing and the meat was falling-apart tender. Am I going to make "Julia's Boeuf Bourguinon," again? Not any time soon. Next time I have a free afternoon for cooking, I think I'll try a new recipe. Part of the fun for me is experimenting with different cooking techniques and flavors. Of course, as I write this, all I can think about is that luscious gravy and how sad I am that there are no more leftovers...

Mom's Pot Roast

As long as I can remember, I've always loved my mom's pot roast. For some reason, mine never tastes quite as good. But, I try. And when it's cold and rainy, as it is today, my thoughts turn to a hearty meal of pot roast with a good french bread to dunk in the gravy.

Now, my mom always cooked her roast with a few simple additions: carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, water and onion soup mix. First she browned the meat, then added everything else and let it cook long at a low temperature in the electric fry pan. Before serving, she made a gravy using the cooking liquid and some Wondra gravy flour. Delicious.

In recent years, I have become a fan of omitting the potatoes and serving the roast and veggies over mashed potatoes. Sometimes I add half a bottle of beer to the cooking liquid or maybe a touch of red wine. Today I added a bay leaf, since I have some on hand, but it is fine without.

Mom's Pot Roast
2-3 lb. chuck roast
1 Tbs. olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 or 3 onions, peeled and quartered
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2" lengths (or approx. 25 baby carrots)
2 celery stalks, cut into 2" lengths (I often leave this out because Mark doesn't like celery)
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks (again, you can omit these and serve with mashed potatoes)
2 c. water
1 package dry onion soup mix
flour and water to thicken gravy

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in electric fry pan (or oven proof pot with lid) and brown meat on both sides. Add onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cook for a few minutes to give the veggies a little color. Add water and soup mix. Reduce heat to 275 - 325 degrees. The temperature you pick will determine how soon dinner will be ready. If you have the time, start early and cook at 275 degrees for at least an hour and a half. When ready, remove the meat to rest and reserve the veggies in a separate bowl. Turn up the heat and reduce the cooking liquid for 5 or 10 minutes. Thicken with flour to make a gravy. Cut up the meat and return with the vegetables to the gravy to serve. Or, you can serve the meat and veggies on a platter and keep the gravy on the side.

It's raining (with a chance of meatballs)

Though I haven't yet seen the movie, I couldn't resist the reference. Tonight we're enjoying the first of two back-to-back nor'easters. The rain is falling on the windows and the temperature is dropping. A good night for a nice warm dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.

As written in an earlier post, my sauce "recipe" (I use quotes as I almost never actually look at a recipe, rather just throw ingredients in the pot) is borrowed from my sister-in-law Erin, who borrowed it from her mother-in-law Janet. Well, it's the same story for my meatballs. The same day I followed Erin around her kitchen watching her make sauce and guessing at the quantities of ingredients she was including, I also watched her whip up a batch of delicious meatballs. Thank you Erin and Janet for sharing your wonderful dishes!

My variation of Janet's meatballs has varied a bit (possibly quite a bit) from the original. This is due in part to me misplacing my notes from watching Erin cook that day so many years ago. Up until this year, I would follow my instructions written on Hello Kitty! notepaper when it came to making meatballs. I don't make them all that often and liked the reminder so I could get the proportions correct. Well, I've lost my notes. So, I'm left with my memory. Yes, I could have just picked up the phone and asked Erin, "how many eggs do you use?" But, I thought I'd made them often enough to swing it. Below is the recipe I came up with tonight.

Note: the red pepper flake makes for a spicy meatball. Adjust the amount you use (if any) based on how much heat you like. To test the spices in your meatballs before cooking the whole batch, make up a small patty of your mixture and cook it up in a fry pan. Then you can adjust your seasonings as necessary.

Ready to go into the oven...








Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage
2 slices bread, soaked in water and squeezed in your hand to get most of the water out
2 eggs
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 c. bread crumbs (plain -- if you want to use seasoned crumbs, adjust the following herbs as needed)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. thyme

Mix all of the ingredients together in a big bowl by hand. You are going to get dirty (take off any rings before you begin), but it's the only way to go. Roll 1 inch balls in your palms and put on a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with a 1 inch rim. Put the meatballs right up next to each other, no space in between. Cook at 375 deg. for about 35 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve with sauce on sandwiches or with pasta.