September 20 - Classic Shepherd's Pie

I was looking for a classic Australian dish, and came across with Shepherd's Pie. For some reason, my husband did not like the Shepherd's Pie he tried in England.

But surprisingly he liked my version of Shepherd's Pie. And the kids loved it!

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
6 large Yukon potatoes
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
3 large shallots, minced
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper
3 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 tbsp flour
1/2 cup water


Cooking Time (110 minutes)
Boil the potatoes in a large casserole for an hour.
After 30 minutes, start cooking the meat.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok.
Add the shallots, celery, carrot and pepper and saute for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the ground beef and Worcestershire sauce together, taking out the lumps.
Add the ground meat in the pan.
Cook for about 15 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
In a small cup, whisk the flour and 1/2 cup water together.
Add the flour mixture to the meat.
Mix and cook for another 5 minutes.
Peel the potatoes.
Add 3 tbsp butter and 1/2 cup milk.
Mash the potatoes.
Place the meat in a large baking dish.
Top with mashed potato.
Brush the melted butter on top.
Bake the casserole for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then broil the casserole for 10 minutes until the top is slightly browned.

September 17 - Bitterballen

My husband is off to Netherlands and here I am trying out the bitterballen. Bitterballen is a Dutch typical appetizer that is prepared like croquettes but shaped like a ball. They were originally served with bittertje, a small glass of Dutch jenever, that's why is called "bitter ball".

The main thing he told me when preparing bitterballen is not to use ground meat. It is not a meatball. For this, I used beef chuck pot roast.

It is also a ragout, meaning you can use any leftover meat. Since I did not have any leftovers, I made my own boiled beef first before making the bitterballen.

It is typically served with mustard, or any dip of your liking.

Since I am serving bitterballen as church snacks, I increased the portions 4 times as much, about 70 pieces of bitterballen. If you are just serving to a small group, then 2 cups of shredded beef should be fine.

It is also good to prepare bitterballen ahead of time and store them in the freezer.



Bitterballen

Ingredients:
4 lbs beef chuck pot roast
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp peppercorn
1 cup or 2 sticks butter
4 cups flour
8 cups broth
4 packets unflavored gelatin (1 oz)
5 tbsp parsley flakes
2 tbsp nutmeg
juice from 1 fresh lemon

4 eggs, yolk and white separated
1 cup milk
bread crumbs
flour
oil for deep frying

Preparation Time (overnight)
Place the beef chuck pot roast in a big casserole.
Add the salt and peppercorn.
Add enough water to cover the meat, about 10 cups.
Let it cook in low heat for 4 hours until the meat is really tender.
Strain the broth and set aside.
Shred the beef using two forks.
Chop the shredded beef as well.
In a large pot, melt the butter in medium heat.
Add the flour and mix it to make a roux.
After 10 minutes, slowly add 8 cups of the beef broth.
Mix it thoroughly for 5 minutes.
Add the gelatin and mix it well.
Add the parsley, lemon and nutmeg.
Mix 8 cups of the shredded beef.
Mix it thoroughly for another 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat.
Add the egg yolks and milk.
Transfer the mixture in a large shallow pan.
Cool it in the refrigerator for 5 hours or overnight to make it firm.


Cooking Time (1 hour)
Heat enough oil in a deep fryer.
Place 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
Place the egg whites with 3 tbsp oil in another bowl.
Place 2 cups of bread crumbs in a third bowl.
Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, scoop enough mixture to make a 1.5 inch ball.
Dip it in the flour, then in the egg whites mixture, then in the bread crumbs.
Make at least 5 balls before frying them together in the deep fryer.
Fry them for at least 5 minutes.
Serve warm with mustard.

September 7 - African Meat Stew With Peanut Butter

African beef stew with peanut butter is popularly known as Maffe. It is a basic African stew with ground peanuts (or creamy peanut butter). You can pretty much use any meat, like pork, goat meat or chicken.

The sauce has a subtle sweet taste that the kids enjoyed. I used the Jif Chunky Peanut Butter so the soup has chunky bits of peanuts.

African Peanut Butter Beef Stew

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 Knorr beef bullion
1 cup Jif chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Vidalia (sweet) onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 lbs beef chuck, cut for stew
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 medium sized carrots, cut 1" thick
2 green bell pepper, cut in 1" squares
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves


Cooking Time (2 hours)
In a small pot, boil 2 cups of water and melt together the beef bullion and peanut butter.
Set aside.
In a large casserole, heat the olive oil in medium heat.
Saute the garlic and onion for 5 minutes.
Season the beef with salt and pepper.
Add the beef and cook for about 20 minutes, in high heat.
Note that since the beef will produce a lot of liquid, the beef will not get browned.
Add the peanut butter mixture.
Add the tomatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, thyme and bay leaves.
Mix well.
Simmer the stew for 90 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Serve warm with white rice.

September 2 - Stuffed Roasted Aubergines

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. My kids are beginning to like it too, since I served the ratatouille for dinner.

My friends and I were served with sumptuous Vietnamese dishes with European flair when we had dinner at Le Colonial. We ordered Aubergines for appetizer. These are eggplants stuffed with crab and shrimp served with shallot frites and nuoc cham.

I would have loved to serve the same thing at home. But since my kids are not fond of crabs yet, I stuffed the aubergines with ground beef instead.

My husband enjoyed the dish, especially the shallot frites, that gave the kick to the dish.

Stuffed Roasted Aubergines

Ingredients

6 European eggplants, halved

olive oil

salt and pepper

3 shallots, thinly sliced

2 lbs ground beef chuck

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

Cooking Time (75 minutes)

Lay the halved eggplants in a large baking pan.

Drizzle 1/2 cup of olive olive.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the shallot frites.

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.

Fry the shallots for about 10 minutes, but be careful not to burn them.

Set the fried shallots in a plate with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

After an hour, cook the ground beef.

The ground beef chuck will have enough fats so you do not need to add oil for cooking.

After 10 minutes, add the chopped garlic.

Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully scoop the flesh out of each half eggplant.

Mix the eggplant flesh with the ground beef.

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat.

Fold in the fresh parsley and tomatoes.

When serving, place 3 tbsp of cooked ground beef in each half eggplant skin.

Serve with shallots frites.

August 31 - Serving Pan Fried Flounder with Broccoli Slaw

I am pleased that my kids are appreciating more fish dishes than before. Also, they have added zucchini and eggplant as favorite veggies besides broccoli.

So tonight, I served pan fried flounder and broccoli slaw. I have not prepared the usual cabbage slaw at home but surprisingly, they did not shy away from the broccoli slaw. Secret ingredients must be the bacon bits and sugar :)

Pan Fried Flounder and Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients

for the Pan Fried Flounder:

6 7oz. flounder fillet

salt and pepper

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

1 lemon, thinly sliced

butter for frying

for the Broccoli Slaw:

2 packages of Dole Broccoli Slaw

5 bacon slices

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

Cooking Time (1 hour)

Lay the flounder fillets in a large baking pan.

Season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Let it stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli slaw.

Chop the 5 pieces of bacon.

Fry the bacon bits in a large frying pan.

In a big salad bowl, mix together the broccoli slaw, brown sugar, mayonnaise, olive oil and bacon.

Start cooking the flounder.

Place the milk in a shallow bowl.

Place the flour in a big plate.

Dredge each flounder fillet in milk, then in flour.

You may use butter or the oil from the bacon to fry the flounder.

Cook each side until it's golden brown.

Serve the fish with rice and slaw.

You may add a lemon slice on top of the fish for garnishing.

August 30 - Caribbean-Style Pineapple Marinade for Steaks

Here is a healthier option to the usual BBQ marinade of soy sauce and brown sugar - pineapple marinade.

I tried it initially with Flanken-style beef short ribs to bring it to a church banquet. That 4 pound was gone in no time.

I went back to the supermarket to buy some beef chuck steaks to serve the same dish at home.

Do take time to marinade the steaks, at least overnight. You can bake it for an hour at low heat, about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or simmer it in a shallow pan for the same amount of time.


Steaks with Pineapple Marinade
Ingredients
4 lbs Beef Chuck Center Cut Steak Bone-in
2 cups 100% pineapple juice
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation Time:
Place the steaks in a large shallow baking pan.
Add the rest of the ingredients, pineapple juice, salt, pepper and garlic.
Marinate the steaks overnight.






Cooking Time (75 minutes)
Cover the baking pan with a foil.
Bake the steaks (marinade included) for about 45 minutes at 250 degrees.
Uncover the pan and let it bake for another 15 minutes.
Grill the steak for 6 minutes on each side to give it some brown color.
Serve with sauteed vegetables and rice.

August 27 - A Special Way to Serve Cod

While dining in Delmonico's, I had a wonderful serving of Pan Roasted Cod with Tomato Leek Fondue. Since cod is my husband's favorite fish, I dared myself to prepare it at home.

The dish was served with tomato leek fondue and spaghetti squash. The tomato leek fondue, for me, was the main driver of the dish. The spaghetti squash has a subtle and sweet taste. I used a non-stick frying pan to cook the fish since cod is very soft and can easily break.

Pan Roasted Cod

Ingredients:

for Pan Roasted Cod:

6 cod fillet, about 2.5 lbs

salt and pepper

olive oil for frying

for Tomato Leek Fondue:

15 0z tomato sauce

1 tbsp salt

pepper

3 cups leek (the white portion of the leek, thinly sliced)

1 cup milk

capers and black olives for garnishing

for Spaghetti Squash:

1 spaghetti squash

olive oil

salt

pepper

grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Time (90 minutes)

Start with the spaghetti squash.

Cut it in half (lengthwise).

Scrape the seeds and the "stringy" stuff out.

Drizzle with olive, salt and pepper.

Put the halves together.

Bake in the oven for an hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

After 30 minutes, start preparing the fondue.

In a pot, heat the olive oil.

Saute the leek for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper.

Let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Add 1 cup of milk.

Blend the sauce to make a puree.

Keep it warm while preparing the pan roasted cod.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan.

Pan fry each cod fillet, on both sides.

Cook it until slightly crisp.

When serving, add Parmesan cheese on the spaghetti squash.

Place a big scoop of spaghetti squash on a plate.

Place a cod fillet on top of the squash.

Pour some tomato leek fondue over the fish.

Garnish with capers and chopped black olives.