Roast beef sliders

Having a party? Can't decide what to make? Roast beef sliders are the answer. They are easy to make and can be prepared before your guests arrive. For this batch, I cooked up the beef according to this recipe from Simply Recipes. It came out perfectly rare in the middle. I cooked up the beef, slowly caramelized some onions, and made the blue cheese mayonnaise the night before the party. I threw it all in the refrigerator before I went to sleep.

The day of the party, I let the beef and onions come to room temperature while I got ready for the party. About 30 minutes before the guests arrived, we assembled the sandwiches (by "we," I mean bf did). We layered a handful of baby arugula, caramelized onions, slices of roast beef, and bleu cheese mayonnaise on mini rolls. The guests loved them!

Bleu cheese mayonnaise

4 oz. bleu cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together until creamy. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Braised short ribs

I've been dreaming about making braised short ribs for a long time. I'm glad I did. While they were serious tasty business (the sauce was outstanding!), in the end, the ribs were just a little too fatty for me. I will make this again with a less fatty cut of meat.

Regardless, if you are a fan of short ribs - and I know many of you are - I highly suggest you try this recipe. Mario Batali's braised short ribs? C'mon, you know they're gonna be good. This dish is too easy to mess up, the prep is really fast, and the aroma that fills your kitchen can't be beat. These ribs make a big, hearty meal, perfect for a party (you can mingle with your guests while the meat braises in the oven).

mise en place

first brown the ribs

then brown the vegatables

add the wine, tomatoes, and chicken stock

when done, the meat will be falling off the bone

roasted brussels sprouts round out the meal

Braised Short Ribs
adapted from: Babbo Cookbook

4 16 oz beef short ribs
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups red wine (Mario suggests Barolo, I used a Cabernet Sauvignon I had lying around)
1 16 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes (with juice), crushed by hand (I used San Marzano tomatoes)
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 bunch each rosemary, oregano, and thyme (I tied them up with butcher's twine for easy removal later)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large dutch oven, heat some olive oil on high heat. Season the ribs (liberally) with salt and pepper on high heat until browned all over. Remove the ribs from the pan. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned and soft (~5 minutes). Add the wine, tomatoes (with juice), and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge browned bits). Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and place in the oven for ~2 hours (meat will be falling off the bone).

I served the ribs over buttered orzo with roasted brussels sprouts.

Beef braciole

Beef braciole is easy, tasty and makes the whole house smell so good. The most time consuming part is rolling and tying the meet, but it's well worth it. Nonni would be so proud. I have no recipe, but the procedure is easy: first, cut and pound out some boneless beef. Stuff, roll and tie up the beef (I made a stuffing with some breadcrumbs, fresh chopped parsley, minced garlic and olive oil). I seasoned the outside of the rolls with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven and brown the rolls. Add some white wine to deglaze the pan, then add tomato sauce (not too much, you don't want the rolls to be covered in sauce). I used a marinara sauce I had on hand in the freezer. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the beef is tender.

All rolled up and ready to go

Deglazing

Served over pasta - yummy!

So much cooking, so little blogging

Holiday season is upon us which means lots of extra cooking and baking, as well as parties and visits and travel. I have tried a few new things that I will share with you over the next few weeks, and I am looking forward to trying even more new dishes and treats for Christmas. In the meantime, I've been trying to keep weeknight dinners easy, quick, and tasty (as usual).

For this meal, I marinated some beef then seared it in a frying pan. I served it with mashed potatoes and asparagus roasted with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Marinade
(adapted from Cooking Light's Marinated Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Ragout)

• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Note: The original recipe called for baking the steak - I cooked it on the stove top instead. I also omitted the onion and mushroom ragout for the sake of time. Instead, I boiled down the marinade to thicken it and spooned it over the steak.