Hamburger Stroganoff - comfort for a cold day

Temperatures dropping and a 90% chance of snow coming our way. Time for another comfort food recipe. This one is from my well-worn copy of the Greenwood County Cattlewomen's cookbook. These recipes are tested and true and are all about BEEF! And this week has been declared Eat Meat Week, so a perfect time to make this warming and tasty dish. The original recipe, from Anna Curry, who was our Extension Ag agent at the time, lists 1 pound of ground beef. I usually increase the amount of beef in a recipe. Our ground beef comes in 2 pounds packages, and often I use the whole package, or that minus a couple of patties for later. 

HAMBURGER STROGANOFF

1 ½ pound ground beef

1 (8-oz) can sliced mushrooms

¼ cup chopped onion (or 1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion)

¼ clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic in oil)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons chili sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-oz) carton sour cream

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in flour and chili sauce. Add cream of chicken soup and heat well. Just before serving add sour cream. Serve hot over cooked pasta or rice. 

Comfort Food

These cold winter days call for warm and comforting food. A few weeks ago it was not only cold, but I was recovering from a bout of flu and broccolis and really wanted some comfort food. As I looked through files of ideas I found a recipe for Cottage Pie and it sounded like just what I needed. This recipe uses ground beef, 'shepherds pie' is the traditional recipe made with lamb. I made a few changes to add more vegetables and reduce other ingredients to make a smaller amount. It still made a large enough dish for a couple of meals for us. 

COTTAGE PIE

Ingredients: 

1 ½ teaspoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ cups beef stock/broth

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup corn (I used frozen)

½ cup peas (also frozen)

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Topping:

1 ¼ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

Olive oil or melted butter

Shredded cheese 

Directions:

1.    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minutes. Then add carrots and celery. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened and sweet. 

2.    Turn heat up to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. 

3.    Add flour and mix in. Add tomato paste, broth, corn, peas, Worcestershire sauce, thyme. 

4.    Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly. It should reduce down to a gravy consistency. This will be the thickness once its baked. 

5.    Transfer to a large casserole dish or pie dish. Cover, then refrigerate to cool for 1-2 hours or overnight. This ensures that the potato topping doesn’t sink into the filling and makes it much easier to spread. You could also put it in the freezer to cool while you make the potato topping. 

Assemble:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.    Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return the pan to the burner which has been turned off. Shake briefly and allow to steam dry for 30 seconds or so. This allows the potatoes to reduce their liquid so the excess won’t drip into the filling and make the sauce watery. 

3.    Add butter and mash until melted. Then add milk and salt. Mash until smooth. You may add shredded cheese if you like. 

4.    Spread the hot potatoes onto the beef-vegetable mixture. Hot potatoes will be easier to spread than cooler ones. Top with shredded cheese. 

5.    Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Test with a food thermometer to be sure the temperature is at least 160 degrees. 

6.    Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. 

Healthy Resolutions

Did you make New Year's Resolutions? According to many polls eating healthier, losing weight, and getting more exercise are the most popular things people would like to improve with their resolutions.  Many (including me!) make similar goals each January and hopefully make some progress on continuting  these good habits. I've recently been studying materials from Med instead of Meds website, (medinsteadofmeds.com) a collection of recipes and information on eating a Mediterranean sort of diet that may reduce the use of medications for health concerns.  
I've found several recipes to try and this lunch was a healthy choice of salmon patties, quinoa, salad, veggies and roll. Very tasty and filling. The Rancher-husband didn't even ask "Where's the beef?". While we will continue to base most of our meals around beef, I want to include more fish and poultry in our menus. 

SALMON PATTIES

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

1 (14.75 oz) can or 2 (5-6 oz.) cans salmon, skin and bones removed

2 T. dried minced onion

1 T. dried minced chives

¼ cup bread crumbs (preferable whole wheat Panko)

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated ginger (optional) or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Juice from 1 lime (optional)

2 teaspoons olive oil or non-stick spray

Directions:

1.    Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until combined but do not overmix. 

2.    Shape into 4 patties. 

3.    Heat oil in a large skillet so that each patty has plenty of room.

4.    Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes per side. Lower the heat if needed to keep from burning. 

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) grows as a grass and produces an edible seed. This seed is prepared and eaten similar to a grain. It is rich in protein, fiber, B vitamins and minerals. The Incas called this ancient grain 'the mother of all grasses', and it is native to Peru and Bolivia where it is a common food. It is minimally processed and the bag will have instructions to "wash throughly before using". 

Quinoa is prepared much like rice. I prepared ours in the electric pressure cooker. Use 1 cup uncooked quinoa, 1 ¼ cup stock, and a pinch of salt. After rinsing the seeds with a fine colander for at least 30 seconds, drain. Add all to the EPC pot (I sprayed the pot with cooking spray first to be sure it didn't stick). Close and lock the lid and set the time for 1 minutes (yes, that is right!) on high pressure. When pressure time is up, allow a natural release for 15 minutes then a quick pressure release for the last bit of pressure. Remove the lid and fluff. 
If you're preparing quinoa in a sauce pan use 1 part uncooked quinoa and 2 parts water and salt to taste. In a saucepan bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook about 10-20 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes, this helps make it fluffy. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. 
Quinoa can be served as you would rice - by itself or mixed with vegetables or herbs and spices or grated cheese. Leftover quinoa keeps well, refrigerated, for 4-5 days and reheats well.