Stuffed Zucchini

Rich flavored stuffed zucchini, the best anytime!

Ingredients for 4 servings:
2 Zucchini
200 grams ground beef
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 size small onion
1 piece carrots (minced)
1 small bell pepper (minced)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Any melting cheese for toppings

Zucchini

Procedure:
1. Slice the zucchini and remove the middle part  then boil the zucchini for 2 minutes or until it is half cooked then remove from pot and set aside.

Boiled zucchini

2. Saute the garlic, onion and bell pepper then add the ground beef and stir until the pinkish color is gone.Add the carrots, soy sauce, salt and pepper, simmer until done.
3. Put the filling mixture in the cooked zucchini, then top it with cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven for 5 minutes or until done at 190C.

5. Slice, then serve with a big smile :-).

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Beef Guisantes

One of the yummiest yet simple to prepare beef dish.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo beef Sirloin ( sliced thinly)
1 (280can  green peas ( guisantes)
1 onion ( diced)
3 cloves garlic ( minced)
2 tomatoes (diced)
3/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic, tomato and onion then add the beef and simmer until the pinkish color is gone. Then add the water and simmer until the meat is tender.
2. Add the tomato sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper then give a good stir and simmer until the meat is tender then add the green peas and simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
3. Serve with a smile :-).

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Classic Beef Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables

We went �lean� on Fat Tuesday? Yes, it�s Fat Tuesday, but instead of rich and decadent, today�s clip is lean and clean; a classic beef pot roast, slowly braised with aromatic winter veggies. As I say in the clip, this dish �makes itself.� A nice hunk of chuck, a few seasonings, some veggies and a few hours is all it takes to make something so satisfying and heart warming.

Most of these recipes have you flour the meat first, and then sear it, but I think my method works much better. You�ll see me make a quick roux in the pot before we braise. This allows me to really brown the roast well, without worrying about burning the flour.

Of course you can vary the vegetables that we add for the last hour of cooking, but I hope you don�t leave out the parsnip. It really gives the dish an important aromatic layer of flavor. I didn�t add potatoes (since I wanted to save the carbs for the bread I used to soak up the juice!), but they are a standard addition to this dish in most recipes.

Be careful when selecting your pot roast. You are looking for a boneless, 3 pound beef �Chuck� pot roast. Check a few packages, as some can have larger chucks of fat than others. By the way, hey Butchers, stop putting the price sticker over that big chuck of fat to hide it! I hate that. Anyway, hopefully you have a nice butcher who will make sure you get the perfect cut for this great dish.


3 pound boneless beef �chuck� pot roast
2 tbl olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leave
3 cloves garlic
3-4 springs fresh thyme and rosemary (2 tsp of dried if you can�t find fresh)
2 tbl flour
1 quart beef stock or broth
1 yellow onion
4-5 carrots
2 parsnips
3 stacks celery

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Italian Meatballs � Let�s get rolling!

While the ingredient list may look a bit long, home-made meatballs are a very easy to make, and since we skip the very messy step of pan-frying these before they hit the sauce, it becomes downright simple. Here I use a standard 1/2 beef, 1/2 pork mixture. Some recipes use 1/3 beef, veal, and pork, which is also nice, yet more expensive. These days you can find all sorts of lean to fat ratios for ground beef. Most stores sell 90% lean, 10% fat, but I prefer the 80% lean, 20% fat ratio for this recipe.

The other trick here is soaking the bread crumbs in milk before adding. This makes for a moister meatball, and the milk actually helps keep them tender. If you make your meatballs the same size (golf ball) I do, this recipe will make about 30 portions.

This is one of those dishes that just get better the next day. So, if you have time, make these a day ahead and refrigerate in the sauce and re-heat slowly the next day to serve. The meatballs will be even more tender and flavorful. I know I will get emails requesting the sauce recipe, so let me save you the time and tell you that I plan on filming a nice meat sauce soon.



1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/3 plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk (can substitute water or beef broth)
1 diced onion
2 tbl olive oil
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 eggs
1/4 bunch fresh parsley
2 tbl grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried Italian herb mix (basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, etc.)

* Once shaped, bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, then simmer slowly in a rich tomato sauce for 1-2 hrs.

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Thai-style Beef Stew �Snow Flurries and Red Curries

Well, it�s not quite snowing here in San Francisco, but it�s COLD!! It's winter and that means it's stew season. Chucks of meats, slowly simmered in a flavorful broth for hours, enjoyed while gazing out a frosty window. This version of a classic Thai red curry will certainly do the trick.

This is what I always order when I can�t decide what to get at my local Thai restaurant. I love the way the potatoes soak up the spicy broth, and the slight crunch of the roasted peanuts make for a very happy ending.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast (cut in 2 in. cubes)
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1 onion
3 inch piece of ginger
2 tbl tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1/4 fish sauce
1 pint beef broth
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
3 green onions
1/2 bunch basil and/or cilantro

Note: As you�ll see in the clip, I simmer the beef for about 45 minutes covered, and then add the sugar, potatoes, and peanuts. I cover it again and simmer for about 15 minutes more, then UNCOVER until the potatoes are tender as well as the beef. I like the last 20 minutes, or so, of cooking to be done uncovered so the stew reduces slightly and becomes a bit thicker.
Also, remember to taste and adjust for salt and heat!!

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Steak au Poivre �Pepper Steak�

This clip was already been posted on the site when we first started, but since there is a good chance many of our newer viewers have not seen it, I decided to re-run it today. It�s probably the dish I�ve gotten the most emails about and also lots of comments on YouTube. It�s very simple, and makes for a fantastic �special occasion� dinner.

We�ve streamlined this steakhouse classic to work for the home chef. If you can find veal stock, or even demi-glace, you can use that instead of the beef stock I used in the clip. Either way, it will produce a delicious, rich pan sauce perfect for a couple tender, medium-rare filet mignons. Also, many Chefs use a combination of black and green peppercorns. So if you can get them, go ahead and add a teaspoon of crushed green peppercorns to the sauce when you add the stock and it will be even more authentic.

Speaking of old clips, if you not happy with your mashed potatoes, check out that clip on the site and watch how to make great mashers every time.


Ingredients:
2 Filet Mignon (Beef Tenderloin, about 8 oz. each)
3/4 cup Veal Stock or Beef Stock/Broth
1/3 Cognac or Brandy
1/3 Heavy Cream
Cracked Black Pepper
Salt
Unsalted Butter

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Brodo di Manzo with Tortellini and Greens � Shank you very much!

The soul of this dish is an incredibly rich, and deeply flavored, beef broth or �brodo.� This is accomplished by slowly simmering a beef shank for a long time, a really long time - like 4 hours, so if you�re in a hurry, this dish is not for you. But, if you want to enjoy a bowl of something that will warm you to the bone (or shank) then give this extremely simple soup a try.

As you�ll see in the clip the first part of the dish is making the dark and delicious beef broth, after that we add some tortellini and kale to finish. That�s the point where you can swerve in your own direction by adding different types of pasta or greens. This would be just as savory with Swiss chard, mustard greens, etc. As far as pasta substitutions, if you�re not into the cheese tortellini I added, then virtually any other short pasta or macaroni will work.

When I look at the ingredient list I find it hard to believe how such a short and simple list can produce something this satisfying and wonderful. Those �winter blues� will never know what hit them!

Ingredients:
1 beef shank (about 2 inch thick)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
3 tbl tomato paste
1 quart beef broth plus 1 quart water
1 bunch kale
8 oz dried cheese tortellini
salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
parmesan cheese to garnish

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Braised Beef Short Ribs with Chocolate and Cinnamon ...Free your mind, and your cuisine will follow

To many, the thought of adding chocolate and cinnamon to a savory dish like braised beef short ribs, would just seem too strange. I remember the first time I had Chicken Mole in San Francisco�s Mission district, it was so rich and delicious, and when I was told the sauce was actually made with dark chocolate and dried chilies, it took a while to process. It forced me to change how I thought about food, and how ingredients are �supposed� to be used. I�m not sure at that young age I would have even ordered it if I had known there was chocolate in it. Now, it�s my absolute favorite Mexican dish.

Legend has it the recipe I�m showing today comes from the Catalonia region of Spain. It�s an amazingly sexy concoction that would be perfect for that special winter dinner. The chocolate and cinnamon scent the succulent short ribs in a way that is very hard to describe. The first time I served this to my wife Michele her exact response was, and I quote, �wow... wow... wow� mmmmm.�

So, please, free your culinary mind and give this a try! All the ingredients are easy to find and the recipe is almost impossible to mess up.

Warning: to make this properly, the dish takes two days to prepare. The first day it�s braised, then left to cool in the sauce and refrigerated overnight. Day 2, you lift all the fat of the top of the sauce, reheat and serve. I served this with another unusual side dish, Celery Root and Potato Puree, which all also demo. Make sure your butcher picks out some nice meaty short ribs for you, some can have a lot of fat on them, so make sure you check them.

Ingredients:
3 pounds beef short ribs (about six 4-in. long)
3 oz Bacon (maybe 4 slices)
1 cup dry sherry
1 quart beef broth
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
5 springs of thyme
2 tbl flour
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leavesblack pepper and salt

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