Jeannie's friend Charlie's meatballs

This recipe is from my dear friend and client Charlie Liberge, taken with permission from his “family & friends only” cookbook, Ellen and Son’s Italian Cuisine. Charlie’s Italian mother spent much of her life cooking for family and professionally, at her small sub shop in Lynn, Mass. Charlie, a footwear industry leader, for a short time left “corporate America” and had his own restaurant in Marblehead, Mass. He is a great cook because he loves food, people and living life. This recipe is a great one for the winter we are having especially (I made it this weekend), but a staple for anyone’s home – regardless of geographic location. I thank Charlie for letting me share this recipe from his family with mine...Jeannie of Newburyport, Mass.  The image is of downtown Newburyport.

Meatballs 
*For those who say a meatball is a meatball is a meatball! You may be in for the surprise of your life)
Makes 15 to 30 meatballs depending on size

Ingredients:
2 tsp freshly ground Oregano or 2 tsp from spice rack
2 tsp freshly ground Parsley or 2 teaspoons from spice rack
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 quarts of red gravy
3 tsp of freshly ground or crushed garlic
2 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp 100% olive oil
2 lbs 85% lean or higher ground beef
3 tsp of onion (diced very fine in a food processor)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese into a large skillet on medium heat

Cook slowly until cheese is melted

Pour ingredients into large mixing bowl

Add eggs and spices, salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce and stir until well mixed

Add ground beef, onion and mix well – about 3 minutes by hand

Add bread crumbs and mix well 2 minutes by hand

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Roll meatballs by hand using a little water or olive oil on your hands to insure moistness

Place meatballs on a cooking tray and place in the oven for 40 minutes

Turn meatballs over after 20 minutes

Place meatballs in red gravy (see recipe below) for at least 20 minutes prior to serving

Thank you to Jeannie and Charlie.  These sound spectacular!  Can't wait to make a batch~Jessie

Pot Roast in the Crock Pot

When the weather turns cooler, well its in the mid 60s here, I like to make heartier meals in my crock pot. If you don't have a crock pot this is a great time of year to get one. Most stores have sales on them before the holidays. You can buy the one pictured for $20 at Kohl's. You really don't need a fancy one either, I have made many great meals in my crock pot, which was the one my parents had when they were first married. Making a pot roast is a great traditional Sunday dinner but you won't be trapped in the kitchen, this can cook while you are still at work. You can vary the vegetables depending on what you like. I add extra carrots, since they are my favorite in a roast!

1 yellow onion or 4 cippolini onions , chopped 4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pound turnips chopped 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1 cup tomato sauce 1 garlic clove, crushed 3 fresh rosemary sprigs (we have lots of rosemary around, if you don't use thyme or a teaspoon of Italian Herbs) 1 bay leaf 1 beef rump roast, 3 to 4 lb. (Try to trim away the extra fat, pot roast doesn't have to be fatty) Shake of Cavender's 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Place in your crock pot all the vegetables, tomato sauce, garlic, Cavender's, rosemary and bay leaf, stir it. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Brown the roast on all sides, about a minute per side. Place the roast in your crock pot, cover and cook on high for 6 hours, if you will be at work longer just lower the heat a little. Rump roast is a tough cut, so the longer you cook it the more tender it will be. Take the roast out to carve it when you are ready to eat, let it stand a few minutes before you carve it. Scoop out the vegetables to serve with the roast. Don't forget to throw away the bay leaf. You can use the extra sauce as a gravy.
Jason our favorite wine blogger has offered a pairing to have with this dish:
Well comfort food calls for comfort wine. What's yours? Mine is Zinfandel. In particular for me something from Sausal like this Cellar Cats Red Zinfandel which is made from 50-90 year old vines and cost $12. Unfortunately I think it is only available at the winery. No worries, just grab the comfort wine of your choice and enjoy!
Jason, my comfort wine is Red Zin too, I like Ravenswood or Gnarly Vine from Lodi.

Spiced Beef & Onion Pitas

We love pitas, and we had steaks left from the Safeway sale, so beef pitas seemed like a great recipe to try. This was fun for a more casual meal.

For sauce

3 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (from 2 bunches)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil
For beef and onion pitas

4 (6-inch) pita loaves with pockets

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb white onions, quartered lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide wedges

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb 1/3-inch-thick top round steaks, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips

Make sauce:Purée all sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Make beef and onion pitas: Wrap untoasted pitas in foil and warm in a preheated 300°F oven or toaster oven.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté half of onions, stirring occasionally, until browned but still crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Sauté remaining onions in 1 tablespoon oil in same manner and transfer to plate (reserve skillet).
Stir together coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pat beef dry and toss with spices. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over moderately high heat, then sauté half of beef, stirring, until browned but still pink inside, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer beef to plate with onions, then sauté remaining beef in remaining tablespoon oil in same manner.
To serve:Halve pitas and fill with beef and onions. Serve sauce on the side.

Brisket Tacos

Sometimes my mom will send us a gift card to On the Border, a chain Mexican place. I normally don't get excited about chain restaurants but they make these amazing Brisket Tacos. I of course decided that I could make them at home. They turned out so well Matt declared him his #2 favorite dinner!

You need to start by making Carrie's shredded beef, this is more than enough beef so you can still have sandwiches. Note to the Baca-Johnson Families:This would be a great Wii Bowling League dinner!

Shredded Beef (half of Carrie's recipe)

1 bottle barbecue sauce

1 chipolte pepper

shredded Monterrey jack cheese

shoe string onion rings (You can buy these frozen or make your own)

tortillas

Place the shredded beef in a sauce pan, cover with barbecue sauce, add a chipolte & stir until heated through. Serve in warm tortillas, top with cheese & onion strings.

If you want to make your own shoestring onions:

1 large vidalia onions
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup flour
3 tablespoons McCormicksLemon Pepper Seasoning

1 teaspoon Accent Seasoning
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Canola Oil for Frying

Slice onion,form into rings and cut rings in half

Combine egg,milk and sugar into a large baggie or bowl.

Combine flour and seasonings into another large baggie or bowl.

Dip onions in egg mixture than into flour mixture and place into a 400'degree deep fryer for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

Barbacoa Beef

Matt & I love Chipotle, maybe a little too much, we were very sad when we discovered how many calories were in our favorite burritos. I won't tell you how many but if you want to calculate your meal click here. I figured if we could make our food at home we could sub in low fat sour cream & cheese that would help. After a little searching I found the recipe for the beef. It has quite a few specialized ingredients but it could become your favorite! Serve on a salad, in a burrito or in tacos with all the fixings.

4 guijillo chiles

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground cloves

10 allspice berries

1/3 cup Mexican oregano

12 sprigs fresh thyme

6 garlic cloves

1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 (6 to 8-pound) beef roast

Salt and pepper

1 (2-pound) package dried avocado leaves

Large tortilla for wrap, beans, rice and vegetables of your choice.
Instructions:
Toast chiles, cover with boiling water in a deep bowl and set aside for 20 minutes. Grind cumin, cloves, allspice, and oregano in coffee grinder. Drain soaked chiles, puree in blender the chiles, ground spices, thyme, garlic, onion, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. Process until smooth. Push mixture through a sieve, season beef with salt and pepper. Rub paste all over the meat. Arrange in a bowl and allow to marinate for 4 hours, refrigerated. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a deep roaster pan, scatter half of the avocado leaves on the bottom, place meat on top of the avocado leaves and scatter the remaining leaves over the meat. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook the beef 6 to 7 hours until meat is falling off the bone. If using lamb shoulder cook for 4 hours. Note: Fresh avocado leaves are toxic - they must be dried to be used for cooking.

Standing Rib Roast with Madiera and Stilton Sauce

A standing rib roast is typically a Christmas dinner, but I really like to serve it as an Easter Dinner. A standing roast is great with roasted vegetables. The leftovers also make fantastic sandwiches. This recipe is amazing & worthy of a 5 star restaurant, but simple to make.

1 (5 to 7 pound) beef rib roast

1/2 cup vodka

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

12 bay leaves
Madeira and Stilton Sauce:

8 shallots, finely minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup Madeira

2 cups beef stock

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

4 ounces Stilton, crumbled

Fresh horseradish, for garnish
Rub the roast all over with vodka. Rub in the salt and pepper. Cut small pockets in the fat and insert the bay leaves. Let roast sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the beef in a roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and roast 12 to 15 more minutes per pound for rare to medium rare. When beef is cooked, let it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan caramelize shallots in 1 tablespoon of the butter (add more butter if needed) with Madeira in a saucepan over high heat until wine is reduced by half. Add stock and reduce again by half. Break butter into small pieces and whisk into sauce until completely smooth. Reduce heat to low, add Stilton and whisk until melted. Keep warm, but be careful not to overheat as sauce will separate.
Carve the beef, serve the warm sauce with the beef, along with fresh horseradish.

Southwestern Shredded Beef Carrie Muntz

Recipes that cook in the crock pot are great for weekdays. This Shredded Beef is amazing and almost as simple as the Crock Pot Chicken.

Southwestern Shredded Beef Carrie Muntz

1 3 to 3 ½ lb. boneless beef chuck pot roast
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. chili powder
1 14 ½ oz can stewed tomatoes
2 4oz cans diced green chile peppers
1 C. chopped onions
¼ cup snipped fresh cilantro

Trim fat from meat, cut into pieces to fit in slow cooker.
Combine Cumin, chili powder, ¼ t salt & 1/8 t pepper. Rub on to meat. Place in cooker.
Add undrained tomatoes, chile peppers, onion.

Cover cook on low for 10 – 12 hours.

Cut and shred the meat.
Serve on buns with cheese and cilantro.