Beef with Broccoli, Onions and Potatoes

Carole's Chatter, a really lovely blog, has a round-up each week showcasing one ingredient called Food on Friday. After Friday she showcases a few highlights in a new post. Recently the topic was beef. One recipe that caught my eye was a Beef with Broccoli Stir Fry from Dishing with Leslie. I had to make a few adaptions because we were riced out, having had it for the past few days, and I had some potatoes that needed to be used sooner rather than later. And while I was a little hesitant about using potatoes, they really worked out nicely in the dish. Had some beautiful little yellow cherry tomatoes that needed to be used up so I threw them in, too! Delicious. Had to decrease the heat a little, Grandma was here for dinner. It was enough that she noticed but not too much that her mouth was on fire. Been there, done that, but Grandma is a good sport! This was a keeper. Excellent. We'll try it with next time to soak up all that delicious sauce. And maybe add more chili-garlic sauce, too.

Beef with Broccoli, Onions and Potatoes

Adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Source: original recipe by Dishing with Leslie

Printable Recipe

4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
4 tablespoons water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb skirt steak, cut in strips, round or sirloin steak, cut against the grain into thin strips
vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby potatoes or large potatoes cut into smaller pieces, par-boiled in microwave or on top of the stove
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce

In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 3-4 tablespoons water; whisk until smooth. Add the minced garlic and let sit a few minutes. Add in beef and toss to coat; let sit about 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup water with remaining 2 tablespoons corn starch; whisk  until smooth. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic chili sauce. Set aside.

In large non-stick skillet or a wok, heat about a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Add beef and stir until lightly browned; remove from wok and keep warm. Add a little bit more vegetable oil to pan, add potatoes, onion and broccoli, cook until it softens. Return beef to pan. Pour sauce mixture in, add tomatoes, gently stir. Cook for another 5 -10 minutes. Serve.

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Matzoh Farfel

I finally have the right recipe, right technique, the right whatever to make a a matzoh farfel that everyone loved! My very good friend came to the rescue when I got sick and couldn't cook a thing, had to cancel holiday dinner for 28 people. After this I am never going back to that bland, mush of a farfel pudding I always ended up making. Normally when I make it it's like a casserole, you cut it into squares. It's good, not the greatest. This was so good. Light and moist, great flavor. Really good. And grandma didn't seem to be bothered by the extra load of pepper! This is our new favorite.

Thanks to Susan, Larry and Cindy. A terrific family and a delicious family recipe!

Matzoh Farfel with Mushrooms and Onions

Source: Susan, Larry and Cindy

Printable Recipe

1 box matzoh farfel

1 1/2 lbs onions chopped, more or less

12 – 16 oz sliced mushrooms, more or less

2 cans chicken stock, more or less

2 eggs beaten with a little water

paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet with a little vegetable oil. Saute the onions until golden brown. Then saute the mushrooms until soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Toss matzoh farfel with salt, pepper and paprika; set aside. Season the egg with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat large skillet with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Mix egg and dry farfel well. Add egg/farfel mixture to pan a little at time, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Slowly add chicken broth one ladle at a time. This is the tricky part. You want the farfel moist but not too soft. You may use all the broth or not, it depends.

Mix farfel with the seasoned mushroom and onions and bake at 350° F for about 15-20 minutes. This will also help to dry the farfel.

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Onion Soup

There is nothing like a good bowl of French Onion Soup, topped with gooey cheese, melting over the toasted bread, soaking up that delicious broth. When I saw Rita's version over at Sage Cuisine I dropped my plan for lentil soup and went with the onion. This one was a little sweeter than the French Onion Soup I had made previously. We loved Rita's recipe. It was a HUGE hit. 

Thanks, Rita, your recipe is a keeper!

Normally I'm not too safety conscious, hence the two good slices I gave myself with a handheld mandoline a while back. My friend Renee mentioned these cutting gloves that fisherman use and I thought I'd give them a try. Kind of goofy looking and they stunk after 7 big onions, but my fingers were intact. I'm a convert. They worked well for me. Thanks Renee. All ten of my fingers thank you!

Blade X5 Cut resistant gloves

And just to let you know, the gloves, they are machine washable!

Good as new.

I made a few changes to the recipe because of what I had on hand, I didn't feel like going out for more beef broth, and mixing chicken stock with the beef broth worked nicely in the past. And I used a little more Sherry. I used low-fat Jarlsberg and a little less butter. The kids had Mozzarella. I need to look for Gruyere. I loved the addition of a bit of sugar and the balsamic vinegar.

French Onion Soup

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Source: Sage Cuisine

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups onions, sliced

1 shallot chopped

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons Sherry

4 cups beef stock

4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

4 slices of toasted French bread

Gruyere cheese or any good melting cheese you like

Heat butter and oil on medium heat; add onions, salt, sugar and shallot. The onions will very slowly caramelize, stir regularly, you are looking for the onions to become golden brown. This will take over thirty minutes or more. You don't want the onions to burn, so keep an eye.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry, and allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes.

While the onions are almost done caramelizing, add the chicken and beef broth in a stock pot; add the balsamic vinegar and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

At this point you can store it the fridge or the freezer.

To serve:

Preheat broiler for 5 minutes.

Toast bread in toaster or under broiler until golden brown; set aside.

Place 4 ovenproof soup bowls on baking sheet or pan. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with toast slices. Add cheese evenly over top.

Place tray of bowls under broiler; broil for about 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden. Be very careful, the bowls will be extremely hot.

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Chicken Fajitas

And another fabulous fajita recipe, this one from Martha Stewart Living! This was excellent and pretty simple to make. Lot of great flavor, it's another keeper. This recipe by Susan from Savoring Time in the Kitchen that I usually make is a little different. Chicken Fajita's, the same, but different? But so good! 

Chicken Fajitas

Source: Martha Stewart Living, June 2009

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Printable Recipe

For the mojo de ajo:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

juice from 3 small limes

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the Fajitas:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into slices

1 yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into slices

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breast cutlet, cut in strips

8 small flour tortillas, warmed

For Serving:

guacamole

salsa

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

jalapeno rings

Make the mojo de ajo: Cook oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until garlic is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice, red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Make the fajitas: Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil, and gently swirl to coat. Add onion and bell pepper, and season with a 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is browned in spots, and pepper has softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken. Stir frequently, until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the mojo de ajo, and stir to coat. Cook for another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with warmed tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapeno rings, and cheese.

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Tomato Salad

A simple vinaigrette with supermarket tomatoes. 

Tomato-Onion Salad
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

tomatoes, quartered

red onion, sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh parsley, chopped

Basic Dressing:

approximate, it's all to taste!

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil (more or less to taste, we like more vinegar than oil)

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix the dressing in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over the vegetables, chill in the fridge for a bit. Serve.

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Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

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 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

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