Beef, It's What's for Dinner

Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to go back to sensible eating.  Notice, I didn’t say dieting.  It’s so tempting to go on a stringent diet for the New Year, but it always seems to end in disappointment.  If you have to start a weight-loss program, why not try the on-off diet plan?  One week of any diet, one week of maintenance.  You can switch diets to find one that “fits” you; you can muster enthusiasm to begin again, knowing ,after a week, you can eat foods you love in moderation, and perhaps best of all, your metabolism has a chance to adapt and level off between losses.

Today’s feature food is beef—good old red meat beef!  Thank goodness the red meat guilt is subsiding and being replaced with lean cuts starring in high protein-low carb diets (for your first week of dieting?)  These three entrees with side suggestions that follow are all sure to fill your requirements for simplicity, flavor and even weight control.  

The following recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit, January 1991

Top Sirloin with Horseradish –Cream Sauce

Serve this entrée with herbed green beans and parsley-new potatoes.

2 servings

2 shallots, peeled and minced                                  1 Tbsp. Butter

2 ½ “ thick top sirloin steak (6 oz. each, trimmed)   1 Tbsp. Canola oil

Salt                                                                        1/3 cup whipping cream

¾ tsp. freshly ground pepper                                  1-1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish        

                                                                             1-1/2 Dijon mustard

Pat steaks dry.  Season with salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.  Melt butter and oil in heavy 10-12 inch skillet over high heat.  When haze forms over pan, add steaks and cook to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for rare.  Transfer steaks to platter and over with foil to keep warm.  Add shallots to same skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook about two minutes, stirring frequently.  Add cream, horseradish, mustard and juice from steak platter and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper to skillet.  Bring to boil and cook until thickened, about two minutes.  Arrange steaks on plates.  Spoon sauce over.  Garnish with chives and coarsely ground peppercorns and serve.

BRAZILIAN POT ROAST

Adapted from Cooking With Love by Florence Hirschfield

Serves 6

4 lbs. Lean beef; round or rump                                         ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt                                                                               ½ bay leaf

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice                                                            ½ tsp. sugar

3 slices bacon                                                                       1 cup canned tomatoes, drained OR

2/3 cup chopped onion                                                       3 small fresh tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup chopped parsley                                                      1 cup orange juice

4 whole cloves

Pat meat dry.  Season with salt and lemon juice.  Sauté bacon until crisp in Dutch oven; remove bacon.  Add meat to drippings and brown.  Combine garlic, onion, parsley, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, sugar and tomatoes; add to beef.  Crumble bacon over meat.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer ten minutes.   Add orange juice and simmer covered about 3 hours or until fork tender. 

This recipe adapts well to slow cookers:

Sauté bacon and add meat to drippings, as above, until brown.  Put beef in slow cooker; crumble bacon over.  Add all remaining ingredients to cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 

Perhaps a side of mashed potatoes and a sauté of zucchini and red peppers would complement this beef dish adapted from Bon Appetit January 1991.

CHIPOTLE FLANK STEAK

Serves 4

½ small onion, quartered                                                    1 Tbsp. Fresh lime juice

1 large garlic clove                                                               1 Tbsp. Dark brown sugar 

½ cup chili sauce                                                                 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin                                       

2 large canned pickled Chipotle Chiles                             1 large flank steak (1-1/2 lbs.) trimmed

2 Tbsp. Peanut oil                                                                Salt and pepper

                                                                                                Fresh cilantro

Mince onion and garlic.  Add chili sauce, Chipotle chiles, 1 Tbsp. Oil, lime juice, sugar, cumin and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Blend until smooth (food processor works well for this).  Pour into a 9”x13” baking dish. 

Pat beef dry.  Place in marinade; spoon marinade over, covering both sides completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours. 

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. Oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper.  Add beef and marinade to skillet.  Cook beef to rare, turning several times, about 6 minutes.  Transfer to cutting board.  Thinly slice across grain.  Arrange beef slices on platter.  Garnish with cilantro.  Serve, passing warm marinade as sauce. 

ASK LYNETTE

My job as innkeeper at The Candlelight Inn keeps me busy, especially in Summer and Fall, but whenever I can sneak a few hours, I play with my cookbook collection.  With hardcover and paperback books, I have over 3 thousand volumes.  Many are antiques or rare volumes.  As much as I love to read and enjoy these books, pamphlets and periodicals, I really love to research food questions or recipes.  So, if any readers want to ask a food related question,  Email to :  lgudrais@charter.net