Grandmas Braised Beef Food

GRANDPA'S BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions, and garlic to the hot oil and sweat them until very soft and very light caramel in color, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and reserve.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Pat the meat dry and season very liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the meat to a deep brown all over, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Peel the potatoes and very thinly slice them lengthwise into planks. Slice the tomatoes working over a bowl to catch their juices.
• Arrange 1/2 the onions over top of the meat, season with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon thyme. Arrange 1/2 the potatoes over the onions and dress the potatoes with a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a handful freshly grated cheese. Top the potatoes with 1/2 the tomatoes and their juices, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter a few leaves of torn basil. Repeat the layers. Do not add basil to the top layer of tomatoes.
• Cover the pan and roast the meat in the oven until very tender, 4 hours. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Reheat, covered, in a preheated 325 degree F oven until warmed through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Take off the lid of the pot, drizzle the top of the meat with oil, sprinkle with cheese, and broil to lightly crust the top. Cut down through the layers of the potatoes, tomatoes, and onions to portion the meat, serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread and pan juices.

BRAISED BEEF RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the beef into large chunks.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown the beef chunks. Then remove them and set aside.
• Cook the onions in the same skillet until they are fully cooked (or translucent).
• In a Dutch oven pot, begin layering the ingredients in the following order; 1/2 browned beef chunks, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, then half the sautéed onion and half the garlic (pressed).
• Repeat step 4 with the remaining beef chunks.
• Add the red wine and water to the meat and place the lid on top. Place the pot onto the cooktop and bring it to a boil. Place the pot into the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours at 360 Fahrenheit. Cook until the meat is fully cooked through.

BRAISED BEEF WITH GRAVY-LIKE SAUCE AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Start preheating the oven to 350F.
• If you like garlic and want to add a couple of full heads, it's a creamy deliciousness once cooked, do as follows. Remove as much loose skin as you can. Cut off about a quarter to one third from one end. Garlic heads will go in the braising pan later, while some of the cut off pieces can be used in this recipe in place of the two required garlic cloves and the rest can be saved for other uses.
• Heat the olive oil with two tablespoons of butter in a braising pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the braising pan and set aside.
• Add the onions, mushrooms, shallots, carrots and leeks. Saute until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue sauteing for another minute.
• Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and let it melt, while constantly stirring. Turn the heat down to low. Have the broth ready. Add the flour and stir briskly until it is fully incorporated. Pour in the broth, turn the heat up to medium high and let the liquid mixture come up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, constantly stirring, until the mixture starts to thicken. It shouldn't take long, less than a minute. Remove from heat.
• Add the pepper and nutmeg, stir, then salt to taste. Stir in the red wine vinegar. The sauce may taste a little too tart right after you add the vinegar, but it will be perfect by the time it's done cooking.
• Nestle beef pieces and garlic heads, if using, in the sauce, spreading them out evenly. If using, place the garlic bulbs cut side up. Garlic smell can be quite strong, so add those bulbs only if you love garlic and have a good ventilation in the kitchen. If you place it cut side down, the sauce will get infused with garlic too much.
• Cover and braise in the oven at 350F for 3-4 hours. I think the beef only gets better if cooked a little longer.
• Serve with freshly made mashed potatoes, garnish with chopped fresh herbs, and enjoy.

(ALMOST) MY GRANDMA'S ROULADEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a small saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the bacon just enough to render the fat, and set aside. Salt and pepper the steaks and lay flat on a large cutting board. Brush the top side of the slices with enough mustard just to coat.
• In a small bowl, toss together half the onion with the pickle relish and the reserved bacon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the onion mixture over the meat. Starting at the short end, roll the meat up jellyroll style, and secure with kitchen twine.
• Heat the oil in a medium heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and brown all sides of the meat. Remove the meat from the pan, and add the remaining onion, carrot and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine and then add in the canned tomatoes (with their juice).
• Nestle the meat back into the pan, bring to a simmer, cover and then bake until the meat is tender, about 90 minutes. Turn the meat once halfway through cooking.

MY GRANDMA'S BRAISED CABBAGE

Steps:

• In a medium pot or Dutch oven, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple, brown sugar, wine, vinegar, and water, and bring up to a simmer, stirring. Cover and braise for 30 minutes, stirring once and checking on the texture. Cook a little less for a firmer cabbage; a little more for softer cabbage.
• Add a small splash of cider vinegar just before serving.

GRANDMA'S BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the meat well on all sides.
• If using a crockpot, transfer meat to crockpot at this point. In either pot, add all ingredients, except the catsup. Add broth to cover meat.
• Simmer covered, over low heat until meat is tender. This can vary with the cut of meat, usually anywhere from 2 to 4 hours (all day in the crockpot.) If using the Dutch oven check every hour or so and keep adding broth to keep meat covered.
• Add catsup and cook for and additional 45 minutes to an hour.
• My grandmother served it with egg dumplings, but it can be served with egg noodles or potato dumplings. I usually serve it with Gnocchi. They are Italian, but are made the same way as the German potato dumplings, only they are smaller.
• What ever you choose to serve it with, cook according to your recipe or the package directions. I put the noodles, or dumplings or Gnocchi in the bottom of a flat soup bowl and ladle the braised beef over. If you are worried that it isn't a balanced meal (no veggies) it is also good with carrots added. I will occasionally steam a package of sliced carrots and add them to the top in the bowl just before I serve.

JEWISH GRANDMA'S BEST BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Season the brisket generously with black pepper. Place in the pan and cook until the surface is a rich brown color, not burnt, but dark. Lift the roast and scatter the onions in the pan. Place the uncooked side of the roast down onto the onions. Repeat the browning process.
• Add the garlic to the pan, and fill with enough water to almost cover the roast. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid or tight-fitting aluminum foil. Simmer for 4 hours, turning the roast over once halfway through. The roast should be fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a serving platter. Bring the broth in the pan to a simmer, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Cook until reduced to a thin gravy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

GRANDMA STANDARD'S CORNBREAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Place the cornbread cubes into a large bowl. Set aside until needed.
• Place the chicken breasts in a pot and cover with water. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan, reserving at least 2 cups of the chicken broth. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and debone, discarding the skin and bones.
• Mix the onion, chicken broth, and red pepper with the cornbread; mash the mixture using a hand masher. Season to taste with sage, salt, and black pepper, adding a little at a time. Stir in the chicken. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 45 minutes.