Beef Stew

I apologize for the lateness of this post.  I was in Ann Arbor running around all day yesterday before attending the second day of the Ann Arbor Folk Music Festival.  I suppose I could have found a coffee shop to camp in and write this entry (goodness knows there are endless choices of coffee shops in Ann Arbor).  But I decided to do some rare shopping while I was there.

John has been telling me he was craving beef stew with barley for a little over a week now.  And of course, since he brought it up, I started craving it as well.  Despite the fact that I had just made a batch of Brunswick stew, I felt this would be a good thing to keep him stocked up for the next week.

I did some research to try to learn how to make effective beef stew (mine usually turns out more like beef soup). Once I had cobbled together ideas for what I thought would be an effective recipe, I gathered the ingredients that I had on hand.  Then on the way to John's place, I stopped and picked up the rest.  I chose to use a red blend from my stash for the red wine, a decision I might rethink if I use this recipe again, however, it was tasty wine, so while not as hearty as I might prefer, still nice enough.

I wanted something that I could start on the stove, but finish in the crockpot.  This recipe worked very well for this purpose.

Hungarian Beef Stew with Barley

• 1 1/2 lbs stew beef
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 8 small (or 2 regular) red peppers, sliced
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb red-skinned potatoes, large dice
• 3 carrots, coarsely diced
•  3/4 cup barley

1. Prepare the vegetables.  Season the beef with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add 1/3 of the beef to the pan and sear on each side.  Remove beef and set aside.  Repeat two more times with remaining beef.

2. Add onion and peppers to pan.  Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.  Add flour, paprika, caraway seeds and garlic.  Continue cooking for 1 minute.  Add wine and stir, cooking, until thickened, making sure all dark bits are stirred up from the bottom of the pan.  Add the remaining liquids, mix well.  Cook about 1 minute more and then remove from heat.

3. To assemble: Place carrots and potatoes into the bottom of the crockpot.  Place beef on top and then pour wine mixture over all.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours.  Adjust seasoning and add barley.  Mix well and then cook, covered, for another 1-2 hours on LOW, or until the barley is cooked.

 

Hummus

I had a can of pumpkin I needed to use up after substituting pumpkin for oil in brownies yesterday. As I was searching for things to use it in, I ran across a recipe for pumpkin hummus. My friend, Saada Eid, is from Jordan and always made the best hummus and Baba Ganoush, but when we asked for recipes, she always told us that it depended on taste. After making hummus today, I now understand. This recipe is only the basis for the hummus, you will want to adjust the garlic and lemon juice to your taste. Oh yeah, I always thought it was hard to mix natural peanut butter or almond butter when first opened. Well, tahini is even harder! But so worth the effort!

 Pumpkin Hummus
 Adapted from: http://veganyackattack.com/2011/11/14/pumpkin-hummus/

• 1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Tbsp. Tahini
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp. Paprika
• Optional: Water or more lemon juice to get a smoother, more fluid consistency

 Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth, or until the consistency is to your liking. If you choose to add water, add very little at a time so that it is not too liquidy. Note: Adjust flavors with lemon juice and garlic.

Pork Loin

Okay, I admit it! I sometimes can still be a lazy chef. When I cooked meat in the past, especially when cooking in a slow cooker, I often (almost always) skipped the searing step. With stews and fatty meats it didn't seem to make a big difference, so I just kept doing it. However, when cooking lean meats, the slow cooker always seemed to dry them out and make them fall apart and become stringy. Yesterday, I decided to try, once again, to cook a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker. I had finally purchased some nice smoked paprika last week, so I was looking for a paprikash recipe.  In my search, I found this interesting balsamic and paprika pork loin recipe and decided to give it a try. After finishing the dish, I have made a vow to never skip the searing step again!

 Balsamic and Smoked Paprika Glazed Pork Tenderloin
 Adapted from: www.porkbeinspired.com/RecipeView.aspx?RID=2213

• 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin*, trimmed
•  1 tsp kosher salt
•  1 tsp fresh ground pepper
•  2 Tbsp olive oil
•   1 14-1/2 oz can whole tomatoes, broken up
•  1 medium sweet onion*, sliced
•  1 red bell pepper*, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic*, minced
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock*
• 5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey*
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika

Pat pork dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Sear tenderloin on all sides until browned, about 1 minute on each side.

Place undrained tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and garlic in bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork tenderloins on top. Combine stock, vinegar, honey and paprika in a medium bowl; Pour mixture over pork and vegetables and cook on HIGH for 3 hours. Occasionally stir ingredients to ensure even cooking.

Remove tenderloins and rest, tented, for 10minutes. Slice in thick slices.

I served over an Italian quinoa pilaf.

*CSA ingredients