Skip to main content

Back in the swing of things

Every time I travel, it takes a week or more to get back into our normal schedule.  Last weekend, we had no out-of-town guests and were even (gasp) invited out for a meal.  This weekend, things have gone back to normal.  Three boys from Shapell's are visiting with us.  A family in our community is remodeling their kitchen, so they are coming over for dinner along with three of my 15 year olds friends.  How quickly we reach 20 for dinner.  A family whose matriarch is 8 month pregnant will be with us for lunch (8+3+4 = 15 people total).

This week, I'm revisiting an old recipe I made up in college.  It is fittingly called College Goo.  It was something I could whip up that stretched the ingredients, was very filling and tasted good (to a college student on a limited budget).  Its ground meat, rice, onions, mushrooms and peas and garlic, and is usually served with soy sauce.  Quantities are very loose, so its more of a make it up as you go dish.  I usually add Cumin while I saute the onions and mushrooms.

Shabbat Parshat Vayikra
Dinner - 20
Barley and Corn Soup
Roast Chicken with Garlic
Carbonnade (Beef and Onions Stewed in Beer) (The Best Recipes in the World, Pg 385)
Rice
Boiled Potatoes
Broccoli
Stir Fried Cabbage


Lunch - 15
Gefilte Fish
College Goo
BBQ Chicken bottoms
Artichokes
Lettuce Salad
Israeli Salad
Red Cabbage

Carbonnade
3 cups thinly sliced onions
Oil for cooking (2-3 Tbsp)
1 Kilo stewing beef cut into cubes
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp Minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bottle Guinness stout

Carmelize the onions by first cooking over a medium heat in a covered pot until the start to brown.  Add the cooking oil and cook until its the onions reach a uniform brown color.  I stopped when I got a golden color, but you could take it all the way to molasses color as long as it doesn't burn!  Move the onions to a dish on the side.

Brown the beef cubes, adding salt and pepper.  When the beef is brown, add the garlic and saute for a minute or two.  Add the spices and the beer.   Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for at least an hour.

Check the consistency.  In my case, it was VERY watery (probably because I started with frozen beef).  Uncover and cook on high heat to reduce the liquid.  It should not dry out completely.

The original recipe calls for adding Dijon mustard at the final stage.  I skipped this part because it looks and smells SOOO good.  Serve over potatoes, rice or noodles.
(makes enough for 8)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A change of pace (Kidney Failure)

I have been trying to keep this blog focused on hospitality and food.  God though has other plans for his creations and I find now that I will have to expand the scope to cover new topics.  I'll try to continue blogging about my menus and our guests, but expect more posts that have little or nothing to do with food. In February of this year, My second oldest son, Asaf was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. Simply put, both his kidneys are damaged and scarred from some infection or defect that happened years ago.  They will likely cease to function sometime within the next six months. The good news is that there is no immediate danger to his life.  Kidney Dialysis is a viable option and can maintain his health for up to ten or more years if necessary.  Unfortunately, the process is not easy and there are potential side effects. Given Asaf's generally excellent health and age, Kidney Dialysis is considered only a stop-gap measure and not a long term solution. The best solutio...

Post Wedding!

What a feeling!  Married off my son and gained a daughter.   The wedding was very special.  As befits our family, it went off according to schedule, even finishing 15 minutes early.  Yet, no-one felt that it was too short or that something was missing.  The dancing was perfect and the shtick funny and smooth.  All in all, a good evening was had by all. The young couple are like cats that have just eaten the bird.  They walk around with a big grin.  No worries.  What a wonderful time to be young, in love and married!  May they have many such years together in happiness and health. The weekend after the wedding it is traditional for the families to have meals together.  The mother's of the couple have arranged to serve meals at the local synagogue.  Of course, both families are making parts of the meals.  Like the marriage, this weekend is a partnership. My father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law and two brother's...

Mid Pesach weekend and Recap

For the first time in memory, all of my children stayed awake for the whole seder.  In the past years, we usually lost one or more before the main meal.  Last year, one of my children fell asleep on the sofa and we woke him up to say "Pesach, Matza and Maror".  He then went back to bed. My parents attended the seder with us this year.  I'm not sure how many more chances we will have to celebrate pesach with them.  The travel is harder each year and my father is visibly aging.  In past years, my father was the king of the seder.  He belted out the sing-song chant that we use for the hagada and he led the discussions.  This year, he was a silent participant while I took over the singing. On chol-ha-moed, we first went off-roading with our friends the Moritz's down south, just below Hebron and within the 1949 borders.  The Jewish National fund has planted about 3 million trees in that area since 1956.  The location is just north of the ...