Simplest Beef Stew

Very easy, but the opposite of quick.

beef stew meat cubes, or chuck roast/steak, cut into approx. 2″ chunks. If you buy it already cut up and it’s in smaller chunks that’s okay. Shouldn’t be any smaller than 1″.
oil (olive, canola, etc.)
salt and pepper
yellow or white onion, peeled and chopped.
carrot, peeled and chopped (optional)
celery, chopped (optional)
bay leaf
Worcestershire sauce

Start in the morning and cook this all day. Choose a large deep skillet with a lid, or a Dutch oven. Put it on the stove with the burner on medium+. Once the pan gets hot add about a Tablespoon of the oil, then put in single layer of beef cubes and season liberally with salt and pepper. Do not crowd the pan or they will steam instead of brown. Cook for several minutes (5?) until brown on one side, then turn and brown the other. Remove the browned beef and any juice to a plate or bowl, and repeat for the rest of the beef. 

Once the last batch of beef is browned, return all the beef and juices to the pan. Add the vegetables, a bay leaf or two, about a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. 

Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and let it simmer very gently (DO NOT BOIL) all day until it is very tender. Check it throughout the day to make sure it is not drying out, and that the simmer is still very gentle. Serve with potatoes, noodles, rice, or bread, and a vegetable. Slice it up and put it on a salad or in a quesadilla. You get the idea.

Hamburger Stroganoff

8 oz ground beef
8 oz button mushrooms, chopped or sliced, sauteed
1/2 a large yellow onion
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
sour cream as desired (1/4 cup?)
rice, noodles or toast

In a 3 quarter non-stick pot melt 1 Tablespoon butter and cook the onion slowly until very soft.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef in large bite-size pieces with plenty of salt and pepper. Drain off excess fat.

Also meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in a small skillet in 1 Tablespoon butter until tender.

When the onions are soft enough, add the flour and cook and stir for 3 minutes. Then add the mushrooms, beef broth, cream, and Worcestershire sauce and beef and heat through. Add the sour cream if using and heat but do not boil. Serve with rice, noodles, or toast.

Cheeseburger Mac

1.5 cups dry elbow macaroni
1 lb ground beef
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup heavy cream (this was too rich. I will try half-and-half next time)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the pasta according to package directions until just tender – do not overcook. Drain in a colander and set aside.

While the water is heating up and the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. After it is brown, season with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.

In a small pan, cook the onion in olive oil until very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

To the pan that the pasta was cooked in, add the seasoned cooked beef, onion, tomato sauce, half-and-half, and 3/4 cup of each cheese (save the other 1/4 cup of each cheese for the top. Stir well until the cheese is melted. Then add the pasta and stir again until well combined. Pour into an 8×8″ casserole dish (no need to grease it) and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

Sean = yes
Anna = yes
Ma = yes
Sam = didn’t try

Leftover Steak Soft Tacos

3 tacos per person is a good serving

leftover steak, sliced very thinly across the grain when cold, sprinkled with salt & pepper, and set out to warm up to room temperature
optional seasoning: Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming is a great choice
Trader Joe’s Mini Sonora-style Tortillas (street taco size)
cheese: grated medium cheddar, jack, or pepper jack
toppings of your choice:
caramelized onions
cabbage or slaw (shaved red & green cabbage, grated carrot, thinly sliced green onions, lime juice, cilantro, rice wine vinegar & oil, salt & pepper)
pico de gallo (drained)
taco sauce
avocado or guacamole
sour cream
crumbled queso fresco
cilantro

Get everything ready (mis en place!) because this moves quickly. I make one person’s tacos, serve them, and move on to the next person.

Put one small skillet and one large skillet (both preferably non-stick) on the stove over medium heat and let them warm up.

Put one person’s serving of beef into the small pan. Add seasoning and/or onions if using on this serving. (Tip: If some people do not want seasoning on their beef, make their tacos first.)

In the large pan, place two tortillas side by side. Turn them over after about 20 seconds and top with cheese. When the cheese is melting and the beef is warm/hot in the other skillet, transfer a few pieces of the beef onto half of each tortilla. Remove to a plate and add any other toppings, fold tortillas to close.

Repeat and devour.

Marinated Flank Steak

for 2 lbs of steak, trimmed

3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Penzeys Northwoods seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend the marinade ingredients in a zip-top bag, add steak, seal the bag, set it on a small baking tray in the fridge and let it marinate 3-4 hours. When ready to cook, remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off, and discard the marinade.

Can be cooked in a skillet (cut in half, medium-high heat, 3 minutes per side, rest 10 minutes) or under the broiler (high setting, 4″ from heat, 3 minutes per side, rest 10 minutes). Cut into 1/3″ slices to serve.

Broiled Flank Steak

Marinade:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar

2 lbs (+/-) flank steak, trimmed of any large pieces of fat

Put marinade ingredients in a 1 gallon ziplock bag. Seal the bag and slosh it around to combine the marinate ingredients. Open the bag and add the steak, then seal the bag again and turn it over a couple of times to coat the steak with the marinade. Put the bag on a baking sheet in the fridge for 2 hours or so.

When ready to cook, take the steak out of the fridge. Remove it from the bag, letting the marinade drip off into the bag. Seal the bag and throw it away – do not re-use the marinade. Place the steak on a baking tray or broiler pan. Place the oven rack so the steak will be about 4″ from the broiler. Preheat the broiler on HI for 5 minutes. Place the baking tray/broiler pan with the steak on it under the heat element, leaving the oven door ajar as your oven instructions direct. Broil for 6 minutes, turn, then broil 6 minutes more on the 2nd side. Remove and check the temperature – we like our flank steak at about 135 degrees – medium-rare. If it’s not at the desired temperature, put it back under the broiler as needed. Note that it will keep cooking a bit as it rests. When it’s at the temp you like, remove it to a cutting board, and cover with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes. Slice across the grain (very important!) at an angle, in 1/3″ slices, and serve immediately.

This recipe looks great too:
https://www.theblackpeppercorn.com/how-to-cook-the-perfect-flank-steak/

Skirt Steak

from Fine Cooking

Remove surface fat and silverskin.

Cut crosswise into large pieces that will fit well into your cast-iron skillet.

Pound each piece to 1/4″ thickness.

Heat the skillet on medium-high/high.

Make sure the meat is dry. Season with salt, pepper, and other dry seasonings as desired.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on how thick you pounded it.

Let rest a few minutes.

Slice thinly (1/4″ – 1/3″ thick) across the grain.

Should be rosy pink when cut.

Simple Beef Stew

Lynda Balslev is a cookbook author, food and travel writer, and recipe developer based in the San Francisco Bay area.

Total Time: 3 1/2 hours

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups dark beer, such as porter or stout, divided
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cups beef or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (Burns family note: Use Le Creuset Dutch oven.) Add the beef in batches in one layer, without overcrowding, and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and repeat with remaining beef.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the Dutch oven. Add the shallot and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add 1/2 cup beer to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits with a spoon. When the beer is nearly evaporated, add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the pot and stir to coat.

Add the remaining 1 cup beer, the stock, bay leaf, brown sugar, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. The meat should be just covered with liquid. If not, add additional stock to cover. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the meat is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, potatoes and onions and lightly season with salt. Saute until the vegetables begin to soften without browning, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onions and potatoes to the stew and stir to combine. Return to the oven and cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce slightly thickened, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaf and serve warm ladled into bowls.

Sean: Omit carrots and potatoes

Taco Beef

1/2 to 1 onion, grated, minced, or chopped in 1/4″ dice
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1-3 teaspoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce (use the leftover marinara in the fridge)
1/4 cup water
1 cup of petite diced tomatoes

Put a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil (more if you are using more onion) and let it get warm.  Then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent.  If Da will be eating, the onions must be completely soft, so grate the onion, or it will take at least 30 minutes.  You may add some water in the last 10 minutes or so to help it get softer.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in another cast iron skillet over medium heat.  (Grass-fed beef needs to be cooked over lower heat and for less time than regular, to keep it from getting tough.)  Put the whole block into the pan and chop it up with the top of the metal pancake turner/spatula thing.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown.  Get a big dinner plate, put the colander on it, and line the colander with three paper towels.  Scoop the beef into the paper-towel lined colander.  The remaining grease/liquid should go into the metal can under the sink:  put the can into the sink, bring the skillet to the can, pour into the can.

Return the beef pan to the stove.  Put the beef back in the pan.  Add the onions when they are soft enough.  Add the taco seasoning (jar to the right of the stove) and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, water and diced tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until ready to go ahead with dinner.  Or let cool and refrigerate for later.

Brown Beef & Mushrooms

Brown one pound crumbled ground beef in cast iron pan over medium-high heat.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels on a plate or in a bowl.
Wipe out the pan.
Chop 1/2 lb mushrooms and saute in the same pan with salt and pepper.
Add beef to the mushrooms.
Add 1/2 cup of water, 1 teaspoon (or to taste) beef Better Than Bouillon, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste or marinara sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Stir to combine and cook over medium heat until it is the consistency you like.

Serve over or next to rice, pasta or potatoes.