New Twist on a Classic: Recipe

Making changes to an old stand-by can run the risk of being too radical but if it's done right, it can be a smash. However, like everything else, "smash" is purely subjective. I saw a Ming Tsai recipe for "Asian Sloppy Joes" and I was quickly drawn in. I followed the basics but make significant enough changes that I'm confident this is my recipe, now...And, we all laughed when my oldest came out with the perfect name - The Sloppy Dog.

Ming's recipe called for only a pork and beef mixture - I added in veal. He suggested using celery, and red onions only - I used a red bell pepper, and half a red onion and half a yellow onion, instead. His recipe used far more heat than this one and instead of iceberg lettuce, I used arugula and added freshly cubed avocado. And for the kicker: hot dog rolls, instead of hamburger buns.  The kids got a kick out of it and the littlest one ate hers deconstructed - she consumed the sloppy dog mixture and the roll separately.  This was a great meal! The Ming Tsai Hoisin-Lime Sauce was really delicious and added that perfect tang to the meat. This is one we'll eat again and again!

Sloppy Dogs
makes 8-10

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1 lb. meat mixture: ground veal, ground beef and ground pork
1/2 lb. plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cup Hoisin-Lime Sauce* (recipe to follow)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
8-10 hot dog buns, top sliced
1 large ripe avocado
1 large handful fresh arugula, washed and dried

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, pepper and jalapeno and mix well - saute till soft, about 5-7 minutes. Next add in the tomatoes and saute again - another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add in the cilantro and the meats. Cook the meat till browned, break up large pieces with the back of a wooden spoon - about 6-7 minutes.  Add in the sauce and raise the heat to high - bring the mixture to a boil, stir often, and allow it to thicken so it is no longer soupy - about 20-25 minutes. Take off the heat.

Line the rolls with arugula, top with meat mixture and then sprinkle with avocado.


Ming Tsai's Hoisin-Lime Sauce
makes about 2 cups

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 cups hoisin sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan until hot; add in the ginger and the garlic and saute over medium-high heat for about one-two minutes. Add the hoisin sauce and stir about one minute.  Add in the mine juice, mix well, and allow to come together for about one more minute.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend, drizzling in the 1/2 cup of oil. Cool well before refrigerating (can be stored for up to two weeks).

Sunday Supper: Veal Stew Recipe

Food confession: Last weekend I purchased veal stewing meat and it sat in the fridge till yesterday. I had intended to make it last Sunday but decided at the last minute that I didn't feel like dealing with the slow cooking and the annoying cries I'd get from my kids. But yesterday, given it was the first snow storm of the year - the first snow storm ever in October in the Tri-State area - I felt it was right to make it.  However, I couldn't even bring myself to open the package of meat...seven days in the fridge? Nah...into the garbage it went!  And out went the husband...to the store to buy...veal stewing meat (again).  Those of you that know me, know that this is an unfortunate regular occurrence in my house. I often buy food items that look cute or delicious and don't always cook them in time - sometimes I'm simply too lazy to bother. 

However, this weekend seemed to have been the right time - and, to boot, I actually found the right inspirational recipe to model.  Leave it to Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, my go-to guide for amazing Italian cuisine, to offer up the perfect recipe.  The book had a recipe for veal stew with white wine, cream and sage.  I switched it up slightly and came up with Veal Stew with Marsala, Rosemary and Cream (and I added some petite peas, for color).  I served the stew with yellow rice and a vegetable. 

Three out of four people in my house loved it...the fourth one refused to eat anymore than one bite. He's in the dog house right now and there will be no dessert later.  But you decide for yourself!  The meat was tender and the flavors worked so well.  The color was fantastic - a nutty brown - and the peas all popped in your mouth. The best thing is that it really didn't take long to make and I even shut off the heat at one point to go pick up my child - and I left the stew covered on the stove for almost an hour before returning the flame and warming it through.

Veal Stew with Marsala, Rosemary and Cream
1 1/2 lbs. boned veal shoulder cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt
several grindings of pepper
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium sprigs fresh Rosemary
1/4 c. Marsala wine
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. frozen petite peas

On a plate, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Toss the meat into the flour mixture and set aside.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat, until foamy.  Add the meat and allow it to brown well, turning at least once - about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. 

Add in the onion and saute, scraping up bits of the browned meat with a wooden spoon. Allow the onion to saute for about 5 minutes or until it's pale and translucent.  Add in the wine and allow it to bubble up, scraping up any left over browned bits. Return the meat to the pot, along with one sprig of rosemary. Cover, lower the heat and allow it to simmer about 45 minutes. 

Open the pot and mix well.  Add in the heavy cream and the second sprig of rosemary. Again, cover the pot and allow it to simmer another 30 minutes over low heat.  Meanwhile, place peas in a strainer in the sink and run boiling hot water over them for about 2 minutes. Drain well and then add them to the pot.  Mix meat and peas well together. 

You can certainly do this ahead of time...a day or two ahead of time, even. Just reheat it on the stove over a medium heat, gently stirring to ensure it's fully heated. Add in 2 tablespoons of water when reheating to thin out the sauce.

A Home Run Slider: Recipe

There is something about a mini burger on a mini bun that seems to delight even the most cranky. Who doesn't love tiny burgers? Of course, there is a whole subculture of people that love the White Castle burger (I'm not one of them...) so it only makes sense that these are a hit at a party.

These were a hit that our party - and I was very glad about that.  They were simple to make and nearly all of the burgers were gone in a blink!  I'm certain that if I had served these before the chips and dip, they would have been devoured.

Three-Meat Sliders with Asiago and Basil Dijonaise
makes about 35

1.75 lb. mixture of ground pork, beef and veal
2 medium shallots, minced
2 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 egg
2/3 cup Hikory-Brown Sugar BBQ sauce

6 oz. Asiago cheese, sliced very thin and into about 1/2" squares

2 Tbsp. mayonaise
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup fresh basil

35 mini "party rolls" (from Martins) or other mini slider rolls

* These were made the day before and stored in the refridgerator until ready to cook.

Combine meats, shallots, salt, oregano, and egg in a large bowl and mix very well - by hand, is best. Form very small balls, using a tablespoon to scoop out mixture. Gently flatten the ball with plam of your hand - do not make too flat. Place each onto a cooking sheet. Once all patties are made, brush each one with BBQ sauce - both sides. Cover well and refrigerate overnight.

In a food processor, combine mustart, mayonaise and basil until thick and all basil has been very finely chopped.  Place in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare barbecue and cook each patty about 4 minutes per side (with a very hot fire). Add the cheese and melt. While burgers are being cooked, spread the dijonaise onto the inside of each bun (one side only). Place burgers into the buns and serve!

Grilled Veal Loin Chops - Delicious!: Recipe

If you don't like veal stop reading here. If you like veal you should hurry up and make this! It was unreal. I saw a recipe for grilled veal chops but it had more of "X" and less of "Y" so I made a few minor alterations and all four chops disappeared from the plate. My son even tackled the bone! The flavors were so perfect together and the combination was just right. The smell while it was marinating made my mouth water and my five year old even commented on how great it smelled - and that was before it cooked!

Admittedly we enjoy our meat in this household but to have it disappear so quickly tells me I hit the proverbial nail on the head with this one!

Grilled Veal Loin Chops with Red Wine and Rosemary
1 1/2 lb veal loin chops (about 4 medium - large chops with the bone)
3 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
1/2 cup red wine (Cabernet worked perfectly)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. salt

Place chops in a large bowl. In a food processor combine salt, oil, rosemary and garlic until well chopped (about 4-5 pulses). Next add in the wine and puree 30 seconds until the wine turns a diluted color. Pour the marinade over the chops and with a fork, pierce the meat several times as you turn the meat over and over to coat. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. During that time, be sure to swish the bowl around two or three times to re-coat the meat.

Heat the barbecue. Grill the meat about 5-6 minutes per side for perfectly cooked medium.

To long-time friendships: Recipe

When you're belly-laughing nearly all night long because of silly conversation, you know you are amongst real friends. Saturday night I got together with my two very best friends - two people who know me possible as well as my own two sisters do. We are all grown up now, of course, and have families of our own and other everyday lives with which to contend, but when we get together - times that are few and far between - we realize just how special those bonds are that tie us together. In our case, it's history as far back as nursery schools and the 2nd grade play.

During the course of the night we talked about everything, of course. But inevitably the conversation came around to food. We spoke of one friend's love of food from her German heritage and the subject turned to a perfectly cooked Wiener Schnitzel.

So in honor of our great night of memories and laughter, tonight's family dinner is...but of course, Wiener Schnitzel. My children think cutlets (pork and now veal) are chicken so it's no wonder they ate with gusto!

This recipe is adapted from Ruth Reichl's in Tender at the Bone. If you've never read this book about the Gourmet Mag's Editor in Chief, you simply must. It's a beautiful autobiography of her discovery of food amidst some real family drama.

Danke!

Wiener Schnitzel

1 lb. very thin (paper thin) veal cutlets
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 grindings of fresh pepper
1 1/2 cup finely ground bread crumbs
8 Tbsp. butter
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup white wine
3 eggs, beaten

Pound each cutlet thin between two pieces of waxed paper.

Place flour in a shallow dish, mix in the salt and pepper. Beat eggs in a shallow dish and bread crumbs in a third dish.

First dredge cutlets in flour, then egg, then crumbs and repeat with each one. Place each one on waxed paper.

Melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a large pan over medium high heat and when it's foamy and bubbly, add as many cutlets in that will fit without crowding. Saute about 2 minutes on each side and remove to a clean plate and cover lightly with foil. Repeat until all cutlets are finished, adding 1-2 Tbsp. butter as needed. Once all cutlets are complete, raise the heat to high and add in the wine and allow it to come to a boil and scrape up the browned bits. Then add the lemon juice and allow it to bubble another minute and pour over cutlets. Serve.

Sunday Dinner: Stew Recipe

Doesn't the smell of slow cooked food on a cold Sunday transform you into some kind of zombie where you simply follow your nose straight to the pot simmering on the stove as though you had no control over your actions? That allure is what propels me to constantly make the all contained, one-pot-meal, Sunday dinner.

This recipe is a combination of two - one that my mother uses and one from a cooking mag. The magazine recipe is fantastic but it's not mine so I had to revamp it and my mother's is another one of those incomplete recipes so I was staring at paper with missing instructions! I had to improvise.

This was delicious - the longer you cook the veal the better it is, of course. This dish can only be made when there is ample time. If you rush you will be disappointed - not by the flavor, necessarily, but surely by the texture of the veal. It will be tough.

The flavors were rich and hearty and the vegetables were soft and never lost their shape. I served this over elbow macaroni which was great. Eat with a spoon AND a fork (no knife required). There was only enough meat for a family of two adults and two kids -so if you're feeding more than that, double the meat but only add an additional half of all other ingredients.

Rosemary Veal Stew
1 Lb. stewing veal meat
1 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. butter + 1 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, sliced thin
3 carrots, sliced thin
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced + 3" sprig
1 packet Lipton French Onion Soup Mix
3/4 Water + 1/2 cup Water
8 oz. white wine
1 cup canned, whole peeled tomatoes (drained of juice and cut up)
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley, divided

In a medium bowl combine the flour with the pepper and salt. Toss meat into the bowl and shake off the excess. In a large heavy pot, melt butter over medium high heat. When it's foamy add the veal and allow it to brown for about 5 minutes per side. Remove the browned meat and reserve. Add the extra 1 Tbsp. of butter along with the carrot and the onion to the pot and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the 1 Tbsp. rosemary. Raise heat to medium-high and continue stirring vegetables for another 2-3 minutes. Just as it starts to look dry and the pot begins to get very browned itself, add the wine and deglaze - scraping up all the browned bits. Allow the mixture to bubble and cook off for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, mix the soup mix with the 3/4 cup water. Then pour into the pot, as well. Add the meat back in along with the sprig of rosemary and mix well. Cover and simmer for 1 hr. 15 minutes. Mix once or twice during that time - but no more than that.

After the cooking time about, add the potato and the tomato another 1/2 cup of water mix well and recover. Allow the stew to simmer another 70 minutes. Add in 2 Tbsp. of parsley and mix. Simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve over elbows. And sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of parsley.

Simple Veal Sauce: Recipe

Marcella Hazan has an awesome recipe for a simple meat sauce for a weeknight. I have been very tired lately but there is no excuse that can be used when it's dinner time. People are hungry!

I do love this recipe but of course, as you know, I needed to alter it (but only slightly). This was quick - 30 minutes - and it was delicious. I think the alteration was excellent. In fact, it was Marcella who inspired my minor change in her recipe. She suggests serving this veal sauce with fresh pasta made with ground rosemary. Of course! Rosemary and lamb are like...Batman and Robin or Bagels and Cream Cheese! But, I didn't have fresh pasta and I'm not insane enough to make it on a week night...so, I decided to use fresh rosemary in the sauce instead and it was a perfect enhancement.

Simple Veal Sauce with Rosemary
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb. ground veal
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 1/2 cup whole, peeled, tomatoes and a bit of juice
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Lb. pasta

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute about 5 minutes. Add the herbs and saute another minute. Add the veal and saute about 10 minutes or until the meat turns white, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and mash them with the back of a wooden spoon. Simmer on low, uncovered, about 20 minutes, while pasta cooks. Remove sauce from the heat and stir in the cheese. Toss with the pasta.