April 30: Piroshki's

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
7-9 Tablespoons very cold water

Combine flour, salt and shortening with pastry blender until crumbly. Add water 1 Tbs. at a time until dough is moistened and pliable. Form into a ball and let rest.

1 onion finely diced
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups ground pork or beef
1 large cooked and peeled potato, diced
1/4 sour cream
1 Tbs. dill
1 tsp paprika

Saute onion, garlic, and meat until meat is thoroughly cooked, about ten minutes. Stir in cabbage and cook until wilted, ten minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. To assemble, divide dough into 12 parts. Roll each portion into a six inch circle. Put 1/4 - 1/2 cup filling into center. Pull dough over and seal with fork tines. Pierce with 3 vent holes and brush with and egg yoke. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Makes 12.

Conversation starter: What is your most frustrating habit you'd like to break?

March 15: THE MONDAY MENU: "Here's the beef!"

Back in 1984 an 81 year old woman named Clara Peller starred in a commercial for the fast food restaurant Wendy's and asked a simple question: "Where's the beef?"

The other day I asked myself that same question. Where is the beef? While Clara was inquiring about ground beef, my taste buds craved roast beef - cooked rare, sliced thin, and dripping with Au jus. But finding really good roast beef without paying the proverbial arm and leg can be as rare as the beef itself. Of course, you could always go cheap and buy it from a fast food restaurant, but the buyer should beware.

If you buy a roast beef sandwich from a fast food restaurant the meat on your sandwich will not be just meat. Fast food restaurants buy "roasts" that are often comprised of different cuts of beef that have been bathed in a chemical flavoring agent then slathered with an edible glue. These parts are then pressed into a mold at extremely high pressure so that after the meat is cooked it can be easily sliced.

The more tasty and healthier alternative is to go to a deli or some other non-fast food restaurant that cooks their own roast beef. But you better be ready to lighten the load in your wallet because overstuffed roast beef sandwiches with 6 -8 ounces of roast beef can sell for up to $8-$15 each! I don't know about you, but I refuse to pay that kind of money for a sandwich when I know that I can make it myself at home for only $2.50 per sandwich.

Yes, you can feed a family of four roast beef sandwiches for only $10. So the next time some asks you, "Where's the beef?, be sure to tell them that it's not in a restaurant; it's at home

Conversation starter: Clara Peller's line "Where's the beef?" sparked a nationwide phenomenon in the United States. To see the commercial click here. What lines from movies or commercials have made their way into your list of cliches? What lines do your friends use?

Herb Crusted Roast Beef with Au Jus

1 Eye round roast (3-4 lbs)
1 bunch fresh Thyme (leaves only)
2 sprigs Rosemary (leaves only)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 cloves garlic (depending on tatste)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/3 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet (preferred).
Once skillet is hot sear the roast on all sides until evenly caramelized.
Place a wire rack into a shallow roasting pan. Remove roast and set it on the rack.
Using a food processor (or blender) combine remaining ingredients.
Evenly coat roast with herb paste on all sides.

Cook roast for two hours or until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F. Do not overcook or much of the roast's flavor and tenderness will be compromised.

Once cooked, remove roast from oven and place it on a platter. Cover with foil forming a tent. Allow meat to rest for fifteen minutes before slicing.The internal temperature of the meat will rise to 140 degrees F which is the perfect temperature for rare roast beef.

Au Jus

1 cup red wine
3 cups beef stock
Pan drippings from roast beef
1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme

Place the roasting pan and its dripping on your stove top (will cover two burners)
Using medium high heat begin caramelizing the pan dripping. Because an Eye Round roast has little to no fat, there may be very few drippings.
Add wine and using a wooden spoon loosen drippings from the bottom of the pan. Reduce mixture and add beef stock. Simmer over medium heat until mixture is reduce by half.
Add Thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: There are a couple of different ways to serve this roast beef. My preferred way is to eat it cold on a sandwich, but this requires some patience. Allow the roast to cool to room temperature, then wrap it uncut in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, unwrap it and slice it thin (1/4 inch or less). Build your sandwich according to taste. I personally like my roast beef sandwiches with: 1 tablespoon garlic mayonnaise ( four cloves of garlic roasted in butter until soft, mashed, cooled, then mixed with one cup mayonnaise) on a toasted onion roll, a teaspoon of prepared horseradish, Swiss cheese on 6 -8 ounces roast beef, lettuce tomato and a thinly sliced red onion.

Also, you can reheat the roast beef by dipping it in hot Au Jus for two or three minutes,.then serving it on a sub roll as a French dip, or as an open face sandwich. The roast can also be sliced thick (1/2 inch) and served as part of entree with garlic mashed potatoes and a vegetable. However you slice it, it will be delicious.

March 8: THE MONDAY MENU Authentic Mexican Stew

Today I am sharing a recipe for Mexican stew, because I want you to understand (if you do not already) one of the basic principles of cooking. I want you to taste what it means to build flavors into a dish and how to extract those flavors to their fullest through slow cooking.

One of the best examples of building and extracting flavor from a dish through slow cooking can be seen in the creation of authentic Mexican cuisine. Notice I said "authentic". When most American's think of Mexican food they think of their local restaurant where they can get a bottomless basket of tortilla chips that they can dip into an unlimited supply of salsa while waiting on a poorly seasoned beef or chicken taco or a deep fried burrito. But this is not not authentic Mexican food.

Authentic Mexican cooking is an art form. A single dish can sometimes take hours to prepare. But the food is worth the wait as all the rich and wonderful flavor of each ingredient is extracted by cooking the food "low and slow". Try this simple, easy to prepare stew and you will see what I mean.

Conversation starter: Which country has the best spicy food? Why is spicy food from there better than other countries? Do these countries share a common history that you know of that may have influenced the culture of other cuisines?

Authentic Mexican Stew

Ingredients

3 lbs skinless chicken thighs (bone in) or

2 lbs beef roast cut into large pieces or

2 lbs pork roast cut into large pieces

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large sweet Spanish onion -rough chopped

2 large carrots - rough chopped

2 cups whole kernel corn

6 cloves garlic

2 jalapenos (depending on taste)

1 large dried Ancho chili

4 cups whole stewed tomatoes

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons dried cumin

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

4 cups chicken broth or water

1 cup cilantro

1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions:

Reconstitute Ancho chili by placing it in water or vegetable oil for twenty minutes. Remove and puree' in a blender or food processor and set aside.

In a large stew pot add vegetable oil and chicken (or other meat), salt and pepper and sautee over medium high heat until meat is browned.

Add onions, reduce heat to medium, and cook an additional seven minutes stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Add remaining ingredients except the corn, lime and cilantro and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer dish for up to four hours or until liquid has reduced by one fourth, stirring occasionally.

At this point check to see if additional salt is needed. Remove jalapenos, and any bones and gristle that may have separated from the meat. Add corn and simmer an additional thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve: Ladle over white or Spanish-styled rice to eat as a stew (or add less broth and wrap in a warm corn tortilla), top with cilantro and drizzle with lime juice.

Serves 4-6

Variations: Garlic can first be roasted and then cooked with the chicken and onions to add another level of flavor to the meat. Add two stalks celery for added depth of flavor. Cook rice in 2 cups of broth from the stew.

January 15: Marinated Love!

Marinated Flank Steak over open flame

I find the simplest things taste the best. This easy marinade works well for all red meat, particularly steaks and kabobs.

1-2 pound flank steak

1 Tbs. Montreal steak seasoning*

5 Tbs. Soy sauce

¼ cup red wine

Place flank steak and marinade in zippered plastic bag. Marinate all day. Heat grill to medium high. Cook 5-8 minutes per side until middle is pink, not red. Slice vertically at a 45-degree angle very thinly. An electric knife slices a flank very nicely. Serve with roasted potatoes and a tossed green salad.

*You can find Montreal steak seasoning at most grocery stores in the spice aisle. This spice is the best thing you can find to season a steak.

Kebab note: If you would like to make kabobs, be sure to marinate the cubed red meat separately from the veggies. I like to marinate zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers and red onions in any store bought Italian dressing. Alternate meat and vegetables on a metal or soaked wooden skewer and place on the grill immediately. These take very little time to cook, so have your turning tongs and your serving platter handy.

Tri tip love: Our favorite cut of steak is tri-tip. Beef tri-tip is a boneless cut of meat from the bottom sirloin. It also is called "triangular" roast because of its shape. Most grocery stores on the west coast have it. If you can’t find it, ask your butcher to cut it for you. This well marbled and very flavorful beef cut has been one of the beef industry's best-kept secrets. It’s cheaper and tenderer than a New York cut. Marinate the tri-tip in the above marinade and grill on high, about 3-5 minutes per side for medium rare.

Conversation starter: Make up a song about tonight's dinner. Winner gets the first slice of dessert.

January 8: Taquitos don't have to come from the freezer section

Homemade Taquitos

The first time I tasted homemade taquitos, I was hooked. It takes a bit of prep time, but everyone will enjoy your effort. Serve alongside homemade salsa, guacamole and Spanish rice. Makes 24 taquitos.

1 ½ cup leftover beef brisket, or chuck roast, shredded

1 can black beans

1 Tbs. Dried cumin

¼ cup salsa

1 small can green mild chilies

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

½ cup chopped onion

24 corn tortillas

2 cups peanut or canola oil

Combine meat, beans, cumin, salsa, chilies, cheese, and onion in food processor until it has the consistency of peanut butter, about one minute. Heat oil in deep frying pan to medium high heat. One by one, drop corn tortillas into oil and remove quickly. (This makes them easier to handle and roll.) Stack on paper towel-laden plate. When cool, press the tortillas down, squeezing extra oil back into frying pan, remembering to turn off the heat.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of bean mixture over the middle half of corn tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down on cookie sheet until all taquitos are rolled. Heat oil to medium high again. Place eight rolled tortillas, seam side down in hot oil. With tongs, turn taquitos over after 2-3 minutes, making sure they have browned. When both sides are finished, place on cookie sheet in a warm oven (325 degrees) and cook next two batches.

Conversation starter: Describe the perfect vacation.

January 7: Stew on this awhile

Beef Stew

“Talk of joy: there may be things better than beef stew and baked potatoes and
home-made bread—there may be.”
David Grayson, Adventures in Contentment, 1907

This is a particularly wonderful stew to concoct for a crock-pot. That way, the stew warms the house with its aroma. To prepare the stew for company, ladle stew into individual oven proof bowls, top with puff pastry and cook until pastry is browned, 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Call it stew en croute!

1 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (See note, page . . . about chopping onions)
1 ½ pounds beef chuck, cubed into 1 ½ inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbs. All purpose flour
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Freshly ground pepper
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
5 medium red potatoes, cubed
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley (or 3 Tbs. Dried)
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
3 Tbs. Ketchup
1 cup red wine
1 ¼ cup beef broth
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

In large nonstick skillet, sauté onions over medium heat until caramelized (See note, page … about caramelizing onions) Add beef and brown on all sides. Add garlic, flour, salt and pepper and stir through. Remove from heat. In a large crock- pot or stew pot, add carrots, potatoes, parsley and meat mixture. Combine mustard, ketchup, red wine, broth and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk until well mixed. Pour over stew. Let simmer all day over very low heat. Serves four very hungry people, or an average-sized family.

Conversation starter: Describe a time when you couldn't let go of something someone did to you (in other words, you stewed about it.) What helped you get over it?