Since I've moved to Canada, I've been served some odd things that have been labeled chili. Meat with beans, bell peppers, and ... corn? It's not to say that Canadian chili isn't good (especially Maison du Roti's chili!), it's just not what I think of as chili. When I started explaining traditional Texas red to people, I got some strange looks. No beans? No tomatoes? The anti-bean contingent was more enthusiastic about these strange ideas. The pro-vegetable contingent was a little more skeptical. After last night, I think I've convinced some people of the goodness of Texas red. Of course, the only downside is I have no leftovers to make a Frito pie with today! Frito chips covered with chili and shredded cheese is a great way to eat chili.
I made a couple of changes to the recipe. I ran out of ancho chiles so I ended up substituting half ancho chile powder for the ancho chiles. Sadly, I am now completely out of my Texas ancho reserves and need to go hunting through the Latin American grocery stores now. I couldn't locate beef suet (although I didn't search very hard), so I used bacon grease to brown the meat. I was briefly tempted to use duck fat given how available it is here, but I resisted! You could also just use oil, but bacon grease makes everything better ... and then there's bacon to snack on! I cooked this in the slow cooker because I was using my Dutch oven to make the other chili recipe. I needed more liquid because I hadn't soaked as many chiles and was paranoid about burning the meat, so I used beer for the extra liquid (and then later a cornstarch slurry to thicken it back up). I'm including the stove guidelines below, but feel free to dump in the slow cooker after browning and let it simmer away for the day! Finally, the original suggests making a day ahead and then reheating. I'm sure it's better as it gives the flavours more time to meld, but I didn't do this and I have no leftovers to test my theory on.
Frank X. Tolbert's Original Bowl of Red (from Texas Home Cooking)
Notes from Texas Home Cooking, "One pundit said that if chili were a religion, A Bowl of Red would be its Bible and Frank X. Tolbert its Moses."
Ingredients
12 dried ancho chiles / 12 tbsp ancho chile powder
1.5kg lean beef chuck, cut into thumb-sized pieces
57g beef suet / 3 tbsp bacon grease from 4 cooked bacon slices / 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano (I used Mexican)
1 tbsp cayenne
1 tbsp tabasco sauce
2 or more cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp masa harina
1. Break off steams of the chiles and remove the seeds. Place chiles in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the chiles, reserving the simmering water.
3. Place the chiles and a bit of their cooking liquid in a blender. Puree to make a smooth, thin paste. (If using only powder, mix with just a tiny bit of water).
4. Pour the chile puree into a Dutch oven (or slow cooker).
5. In a heavy skillet, sear the meat in batches using the fat of your choice. Transfer meat to the dish with your chile puree.
6. Pour in enough of the chile cooking liquid to cover the meat by about 2 inches if using a Dutch oven. (If using a wide slow cooker, you probably just want to cover the meat. If you don't have enough chile cooking liquid because you used powder, you can add beer, broth, or water.)
7. If using a slow-cooker, simmer on low for 6 - 8 hours adding additional spices 1 hour in and masa harina during the last 30 minutes to 1 hour.
8. If using a Dutch oven, bring chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the chili 30 minutes.
9. Remove chili from heat and stir in cumin, oregano, cayenne, tabasco sauce, garlic, and salt. Return to heat and resume simmering for 45 minutes, keeping the lid on except to stir occasionally. Add more chile liquid only if you think the mixture will burn.
10. Add the masa harina. Cover chili and simmer for another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
11. Remove chili from heat and refrigerate overnight. Skim fat before reheating and serve hot.
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Cook's Illustrated Chili
I was too focused on eating the Texas red chili last night, so I haven't tried this slightly blasphemous version of chili yet, but it got good reviews, so I'm going ahead and posting this.
I tried to follow the recipe fairly closely, but I ran out of ancho chiles and ancho chile powder while making the Texas red (my stash from Texas no less!), so I followed the suggested guidelines and substituted 1/2 cup commercial chile powder (slightly less because I was trying to make sure I didn't make it too spicy for the Canadians and I made the paste in the same blender I'd used for the other chile so I had some ancho paste left in there). Luckily, I had arbol chiles on hand, but if not you can use cayenne pepper. I made this in the oven as suggested, but I think it would also be a perfect slow-cooker dish.
Cook's Illustrated Chili
Ingredients
salt
1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
6 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed and torn into 1 inch pieces / 6 tbsp ancho chile powder / 1/2 cup commercial chile powder
2 - 4 dried arbol chiles stems and seeds removed / 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp cornmeal
2 tsp dried oregano (I used Mexican)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 medium onions, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (2 cups)
3 small jalapenos, stems and seeds removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (~4 tsps)
1 (398mL) can diced tomatoes
2 tsps light molasses
1.6 kg blade steak (or chuck-eye roast) trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 bottle mild lager
1. Combine 3 tbsp salt, 4 quarts water, and beans in large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse well.
2. If using ancho chiles, place chiles in 12" skillet over medium-high heat, toast, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.
3. If using chile powder, add powder to food processor.
4. Add arbol chiles (or cayenne), cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa, and 1/2 tsp salt to food processor. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes (skip if not using chiles). With processor running, slowly add 1/2 cup broth until a smooth paste forms, about 45 seconds. Transfer paste to a small bowl.
5. Place onions in empty food processor bowl and pulse until roughly chopped. Add jalapenos and pulse until consistency of chunky salsa.
6. Preheat oven to 300F.
7. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring, until moisture has evaporated and vegetables are softened, 7 - 9 minutes.
8. Add garlic to Dutch oven and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
9. Add chili paste, tomatoes, and molasses to Dutch oven and stir until thoroughly combined.
10. Add remaining 2 cups broth and drained beans to Dutch oven, reduce heat and simmer.
11. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Pat beef dry and season with 1 tsp salt.
12. Add half of beef to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer meat to Dutch oven.
13. Add 1/2 of beer to skillet, scraping to loosen browned bits, and bring to simmer. Pour into Dutch oven.
14. Repeat steps 11 - 13 with second half of beef.
15. Stir to combine ingredients in Dutch oven and return to a simmer.
16. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to oven. Cook until meat and beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Let stand, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir and season to taste before serving.
I tried to follow the recipe fairly closely, but I ran out of ancho chiles and ancho chile powder while making the Texas red (my stash from Texas no less!), so I followed the suggested guidelines and substituted 1/2 cup commercial chile powder (slightly less because I was trying to make sure I didn't make it too spicy for the Canadians and I made the paste in the same blender I'd used for the other chile so I had some ancho paste left in there). Luckily, I had arbol chiles on hand, but if not you can use cayenne pepper. I made this in the oven as suggested, but I think it would also be a perfect slow-cooker dish.
Cook's Illustrated Chili
Ingredients
salt
1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
6 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed and torn into 1 inch pieces / 6 tbsp ancho chile powder / 1/2 cup commercial chile powder
2 - 4 dried arbol chiles stems and seeds removed / 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp cornmeal
2 tsp dried oregano (I used Mexican)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 medium onions, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (2 cups)
3 small jalapenos, stems and seeds removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (~4 tsps)
1 (398mL) can diced tomatoes
2 tsps light molasses
1.6 kg blade steak (or chuck-eye roast) trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 bottle mild lager
1. Combine 3 tbsp salt, 4 quarts water, and beans in large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse well.
2. If using ancho chiles, place chiles in 12" skillet over medium-high heat, toast, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 4 - 6 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.
3. If using chile powder, add powder to food processor.
4. Add arbol chiles (or cayenne), cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa, and 1/2 tsp salt to food processor. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes (skip if not using chiles). With processor running, slowly add 1/2 cup broth until a smooth paste forms, about 45 seconds. Transfer paste to a small bowl.
5. Place onions in empty food processor bowl and pulse until roughly chopped. Add jalapenos and pulse until consistency of chunky salsa.
6. Preheat oven to 300F.
7. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring, until moisture has evaporated and vegetables are softened, 7 - 9 minutes.
8. Add garlic to Dutch oven and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
9. Add chili paste, tomatoes, and molasses to Dutch oven and stir until thoroughly combined.
10. Add remaining 2 cups broth and drained beans to Dutch oven, reduce heat and simmer.
11. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Pat beef dry and season with 1 tsp salt.
12. Add half of beef to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer meat to Dutch oven.
13. Add 1/2 of beer to skillet, scraping to loosen browned bits, and bring to simmer. Pour into Dutch oven.
14. Repeat steps 11 - 13 with second half of beef.
15. Stir to combine ingredients in Dutch oven and return to a simmer.
16. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to oven. Cook until meat and beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Let stand, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir and season to taste before serving.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Veal Scaloppine with Marsala and Cream
This is fancy enough for a special holiday meal, but quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner. My only regret was not serving it with some pasta to soak up the sauce.
Veal Scaloppine with Marsala and Cream (from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
450g veal scaloppine (veal cuts pounded flat if your grocery store doesn't sell them pre-pounded)
flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1. Put oil and butter in a skillet, turn up heat to medium high.
2. When butter begins to foam and subside, dredge the veal in flour. Brown quickly on both sides (about 30 seconds) and transfer to a warm plate. If the veal doesn't all fit at once, do this in batches, flouring as you go.
3. Turn the heat to high and add the Marsala. Scrape any residue loose with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the cream and stir until the cream is reduced and forms a dense sauce.
5. Reduce heat to medium, return the veal to the pan, and turn them to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Veal Scaloppine with Marsala and Cream (from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
450g veal scaloppine (veal cuts pounded flat if your grocery store doesn't sell them pre-pounded)
flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1. Put oil and butter in a skillet, turn up heat to medium high.
2. When butter begins to foam and subside, dredge the veal in flour. Brown quickly on both sides (about 30 seconds) and transfer to a warm plate. If the veal doesn't all fit at once, do this in batches, flouring as you go.
3. Turn the heat to high and add the Marsala. Scrape any residue loose with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the cream and stir until the cream is reduced and forms a dense sauce.
5. Reduce heat to medium, return the veal to the pan, and turn them to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans
Before I left on my trip, I decided that I should try and cook my way through some of the dried goods I have sitting in my pantry. Specifically, I wanted to make sure I used up all of the split peas I have before they're past their prime. As an added side bonus, it's always nice to only need to buy one or two things when you're cooking a recipe.
I adapted this recipe a lot based on reviews and prior experience. I also substituted veal for lamb because Maison du Roti didn't have any lamb stew meat pre-cut (and I'm still feeling exceedingly lazy after my trip), but the Metro always has veal stew meat. A brief summary of the other changes: less meat, fresh garlic in place of powder, all of the spices are my addition, 2 cups of dried chickpeas (I'm not sure what that comes out to after they soaked), more broth and sauce, less spinach (the baby spinach I bought was much lighter). I served it all over couscous (recipe to follow).
One year ago: Cornbread Dressing that I wish I had been given the chance to make again this year instead of being forced to eat Morrison's ...
Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans (liberally adapted from epicurious.com)
Ingredients
570g lamb shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1" pieces (I used 375g veal meat)
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup 1/2" pieces peeled carrots
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 can chickpeas, drained (I used 2 cups dried, then pre-soaked them)
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup tomato sauce (I used strained tomatoes)
1 tbsp lemon juice
275g spinach leaves (I used a package of baby spinach that was less than that)
cooked couscous
1. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and spices and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to dish.
4. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomato sauce, and lemon juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
5. Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper. Serve over couscous.
I adapted this recipe a lot based on reviews and prior experience. I also substituted veal for lamb because Maison du Roti didn't have any lamb stew meat pre-cut (and I'm still feeling exceedingly lazy after my trip), but the Metro always has veal stew meat. A brief summary of the other changes: less meat, fresh garlic in place of powder, all of the spices are my addition, 2 cups of dried chickpeas (I'm not sure what that comes out to after they soaked), more broth and sauce, less spinach (the baby spinach I bought was much lighter). I served it all over couscous (recipe to follow).
One year ago: Cornbread Dressing that I wish I had been given the chance to make again this year instead of being forced to eat Morrison's ...
Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans (liberally adapted from epicurious.com)
Ingredients
570g lamb shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1" pieces (I used 375g veal meat)
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup 1/2" pieces peeled carrots
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 can chickpeas, drained (I used 2 cups dried, then pre-soaked them)
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup tomato sauce (I used strained tomatoes)
1 tbsp lemon juice
275g spinach leaves (I used a package of baby spinach that was less than that)
cooked couscous
1. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and spices and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to dish.
4. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomato sauce, and lemon juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
5. Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper. Serve over couscous.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Brisket (sort-of)
There are three things I miss about Texas: Tex-Mex, steak, and barbecue. Barbecue in ZTexas is serious business and there are few things better than driving out to Salt Lick on a weekend afternoon, waiting an hour to be seated at community picnic tables, and ordering from a seemingly horribly limited menu with a choice of sausage, pork ribs, or brisket served with potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and white bread that normally you couldn't get me to touch, but is perfect for soaking up barbecue sauce. Having spent entirely too long on the phone with my dad before being reminded that grilling is not the same thing as barbecuing, I should point out now that this isn't true brisket. There's no pit, there's no smoke, it's a sad imitation, but it's as close as I'm going to get right now. The dry rub and mop were roughly inspired by a cookbook I picked up last time I was in Houston called Texas Home Cooking. I say roughly, because I ended up going out on Friday night instead of going home at a reasonable hour and buying black pepper (it figures the moment I decide to make the switch over to fresh ground peppercorns and get rid of the bulk black pepper that was old and not so great is the moment I run out of pepper). I also managed to forget while cutting and rubbing the meat at 11:30pm that I had planned ahead and bought extra paprika just for this recipe, so my rub ended up being pepper-free and paprika-light! The method I followed was one described on Smitten Kitchen. I also took the suggestion of adding liquid smoke to my mop. It's not the same, but there is something wonderful about that smell. I cheated and used bottled barbecue sauce because for some reason, you can buy Stubb's sauce up here. I couldn't pass up a little taste of Austin in favour of an untested sauce recipe. I think I'll be trying a recipe from Texas Home Cooking soon though on some ribs. If there's success, I'll report back!
Plan on starting this recipe the night before you're serving it as the meat did seem to taste better after resting for the day. This can be made in the oven (see the SK link) if you don't have a huge slow-cooker. I couldn't fit all of the meat in mine, so I ended up with a tiny hunk being stored in my fridge for a rainy day (I also ended up having to cut the meat smaller than I wanted to in some cases to make as much as possible fit which did seem to make it tougher).
If you're in Montreal, good luck finding raw brisket. Le Biftheque in Ville St-Laurent does carry it!
Brisket (sort-of ... see above for the source mashup)
Ingredients
4 - 5 kg of brisket
barbecue sauce for serving
Dry Rub
3/4 cup paprika (I had to use less)
1/4 cup ground black pepper (I had to omit)
1/4 cup chili powder, preferably homemade (I did a quick and dirty rough approximation and used 2 tbsp ancho chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp Mexican oregano)
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp ground cayenne
Mop (you may end up roughly doubling this so keep extra on hand!)
1 bottle of beer
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp dry rub (I used the leftover from rubbing the meat)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp liquid smoke
1. In a medium bowl, mix together dry rub ingredients.
2. Rub meat with the dry rub. Ideally, you would do this the morning before you're serving and let it set for the day in the fridge, but if not, no worries!
3. Place meat in a slow cooker.
4. In a medium bowl, combine all of the mop ingredients except the beer (I used the bowl with the leftover dry rub so I have no idea how much dry rub I used).
5. Pour mop and beer over meat. Don't worry that it doesn't cover the meat. As the fat melts, you will have plenty of liquid.
6. Cook in the slow cooker on low heat for 10 hours (ideal for overnight!).
7. Cool the meat slightly. With a spoon, scrape off the large knobs of fat from the brisket. Transfer to an oven-safe dish (or keep it in the slow cooker if you're lucky like me and it has a removable oven-safe dish). Allow the meat to rest for at least an hour, ideally most of the day.
8. One hour before you're ready to serve, preheat the oven to 300F. Skim the fat off the top. Remove the meat, thinly slice it and return it to the fat-skimmed liquid.
9. At this point, I became concerned that there wasn't enough liquid left to keep the meat from drying out when I reheated, so I poured in another beer, some vinegar, worcestershire, liquid smoke, a little ancho chile powder, mexican oregano, and black pepper (I bought pepper the day it was cooking!). Heat in oven, covered, for at least 30 minutes or until bubbling and warmed through.
10. Remove the meat from the mop and serve with barbecue sauce.
Plan on starting this recipe the night before you're serving it as the meat did seem to taste better after resting for the day. This can be made in the oven (see the SK link) if you don't have a huge slow-cooker. I couldn't fit all of the meat in mine, so I ended up with a tiny hunk being stored in my fridge for a rainy day (I also ended up having to cut the meat smaller than I wanted to in some cases to make as much as possible fit which did seem to make it tougher).
If you're in Montreal, good luck finding raw brisket. Le Biftheque in Ville St-Laurent does carry it!
Brisket (sort-of ... see above for the source mashup)
Ingredients
4 - 5 kg of brisket
barbecue sauce for serving
Dry Rub
3/4 cup paprika (I had to use less)
1/4 cup ground black pepper (I had to omit)
1/4 cup chili powder, preferably homemade (I did a quick and dirty rough approximation and used 2 tbsp ancho chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp Mexican oregano)
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp ground cayenne
Mop (you may end up roughly doubling this so keep extra on hand!)
1 bottle of beer
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp dry rub (I used the leftover from rubbing the meat)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp liquid smoke
1. In a medium bowl, mix together dry rub ingredients.
2. Rub meat with the dry rub. Ideally, you would do this the morning before you're serving and let it set for the day in the fridge, but if not, no worries!
3. Place meat in a slow cooker.
4. In a medium bowl, combine all of the mop ingredients except the beer (I used the bowl with the leftover dry rub so I have no idea how much dry rub I used).
5. Pour mop and beer over meat. Don't worry that it doesn't cover the meat. As the fat melts, you will have plenty of liquid.
6. Cook in the slow cooker on low heat for 10 hours (ideal for overnight!).
7. Cool the meat slightly. With a spoon, scrape off the large knobs of fat from the brisket. Transfer to an oven-safe dish (or keep it in the slow cooker if you're lucky like me and it has a removable oven-safe dish). Allow the meat to rest for at least an hour, ideally most of the day.
8. One hour before you're ready to serve, preheat the oven to 300F. Skim the fat off the top. Remove the meat, thinly slice it and return it to the fat-skimmed liquid.
9. At this point, I became concerned that there wasn't enough liquid left to keep the meat from drying out when I reheated, so I poured in another beer, some vinegar, worcestershire, liquid smoke, a little ancho chile powder, mexican oregano, and black pepper (I bought pepper the day it was cooking!). Heat in oven, covered, for at least 30 minutes or until bubbling and warmed through.
10. Remove the meat from the mop and serve with barbecue sauce.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce
Were you beginning to worry that I'd abandoned this endeavor? I've had a hard time getting myself to cook since I've returned from San Francisco. The food there was amazing and for the first time, I wasn't at all happy to be returning to Montreal. I spent the first three days back sulking and trying to remember what I loved about this chilly, grey city. Then I spent three days begrudgingly remembering all of the things that I adore here. Finally, I'd come around, but the urge to cook was still missing ... and it was the weekend with too much to do!
This is an easy first step back from a cookbook I bought shortly before leaving and haven't had a chance to use yet. I only used 360g of beef (I wanted to use some of the ground beef, lamb, and veal combo packs I'd seen at the Metro previously, but sadly there was none available today!), but kept all of the other ingredient levels the same (well with only 1 onion). I thought the spice level worked well, so you may want to double or triple the spices when you make it. I wasn't entirely sure what were meant by fiery peppers and didn't feel like buying peppers, so I just used some dried peppers I had in my cabinet.
According to the book, this is the Moroccan version and should be served with rice.
Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce (from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food)
Ingredients
Meat Balls
1 kg ground beef or lamb (I only used 360g)
2 medium onions, finely chopped (I reduced to 1 with the reduced meat)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger (I grated fresh and may have used slightly more)
salt and pepper
Sauce
1 large can whole tomatoes
2 tbsp oil
3 small fiery peppers, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne
1. Pull all ingredients for the meat balls together in a bowl and work to a smooth paste. Roll into small balls the size of large marbles.
2. To make the sauce, heat the tomatoes in oil and break up with a spoon. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Drop in the meat balls and if necessary add enough water to cover.
4. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until they are done and water has reduced.
This is an easy first step back from a cookbook I bought shortly before leaving and haven't had a chance to use yet. I only used 360g of beef (I wanted to use some of the ground beef, lamb, and veal combo packs I'd seen at the Metro previously, but sadly there was none available today!), but kept all of the other ingredient levels the same (well with only 1 onion). I thought the spice level worked well, so you may want to double or triple the spices when you make it. I wasn't entirely sure what were meant by fiery peppers and didn't feel like buying peppers, so I just used some dried peppers I had in my cabinet.
According to the book, this is the Moroccan version and should be served with rice.
Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce (from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food)
Ingredients
Meat Balls
1 kg ground beef or lamb (I only used 360g)
2 medium onions, finely chopped (I reduced to 1 with the reduced meat)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger (I grated fresh and may have used slightly more)
salt and pepper
Sauce
1 large can whole tomatoes
2 tbsp oil
3 small fiery peppers, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne
1. Pull all ingredients for the meat balls together in a bowl and work to a smooth paste. Roll into small balls the size of large marbles.
2. To make the sauce, heat the tomatoes in oil and break up with a spoon. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Drop in the meat balls and if necessary add enough water to cover.
4. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until they are done and water has reduced.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)