DoughSeeDough

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Tag Archives: meat


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Oklahoma Chili

My college roommate kindly shared her recipe for beanless chili with me. I am a huge chili fan, but I love mine with lots and lots o’ beans. I decided to do something different and decided to make it without the beans for once.

I love the simplicity of this recipe. My all-time favorite chili recipe has almost 30 ingredients in it. This has just 13. It involves little prep work and the results are so dang tasty.

I like my chili with elbow macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese, onions, and some hot sauce.

Oklahoma Chili

3 pounds lean ground beef
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large can V8
6 tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons salt
10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper
3 tablespoons  paprika
3 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons cornmeal
1 cup water

  1. In a large pot, brown ground beef in olive oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper, to taste.
  2. Add V8 to pot and simmer for 2 hours.
  3. Add chili powder, salt, garlic, cumin, oregano, sugar, red pepper flakes, and paprika. Simmer for 30 more minutes.
  4. Whisk flour and corn meal together with water and add to chili. Cook for 5 minutes.


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Chicken Pot Pie

I planned on making my Soy-Mirin Tofu with Peanut Sauce a few weeks ago, but a blizzard decided to blow into Wisconsin. So, change of plans to a comfort food – chicken pot pie! I hadn’t made one for a good 3 years or so and was excited to give it another try.

I spotted these adorable bowls in the cupboard and just had to use them. I love that they had little wicker bowls to go with them; they are perfect for keeping your hands from getting burned. These made eating in front of the fire pretty darn easy.

Chicken Pot Pie
serves 5

1 cup carrots, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth*
1/4 cup milk

For crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or shortening, chilled
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

  1. Simmer carrots, celery, potatoes and chicken in 2 cups water and bouillon for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid, and set aside.
  2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, garlic powder, celery seed, and pepper. Slowly add in chicken broth and milk. Simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. To make crust, blend flour,salt, and butter or shortening together until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  4. Pour into a bowl and drizzle ice water over dough. Gently mix with a fork until dough comes together.
  5. Gather dough gently into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 380°F.
  7. Divide dough into 5 pieces. Place one piece between two sheetws of parchment paper and roll into a circle. Repeat with remaining dough. Set aside.
  8. Divide chicken mixture between 5 oven-proof bowls. Pour sauce over chicken and place crust on top, sealing the sides. Cut slits into crust to vent steam.
  9. Brush crust with milk and bake for 45  minutes.
  10. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* I used the broth left over from boiling the chicken. It takes zero time and effort and it tastes so much better than the canned stuff!


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Spaghetti with Spinach, Tomato, and Bacon

I had leftover bacon and wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I’m not a huge fan of bacon (yeah, yeah, don’t hate me), so having it for breakfast wasn’t really an option. I threw this together for dinner and it turned out pretty tasty. It was simple and I was able to use up the leftover bacon! Win-win.

Spaghetti with Spinach, Tomato, and Bacon

1 pound spaghetti
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach, torn into pieces
Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Drain most of the fat off and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add in tomatoes and cook until warmed. Add in spinach and cook until just wilted. Toss with cooked spaghetti until well incorporated. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top.


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Pelmeni

One of the saddest days of my college life happened when Pelmeni closed. Pelmeni was a tiny little restaurant in Madison that served just that – pelmeni, or Russian dumplings. They had meat or potato or mixed and you could get it spicy or plain. There were piles of sour cream in the cooler and a few sodas, too. Not spicy enough? They had bottles of some sort of magical spicy sauce that you could dump onto the pelmeni.

So. Dang. Good.

I was devastated when they closed. Where else was I going to be able to get such a filling meal for only $5? I searched everywhere for pelmeni – in grocery stores, other restaurants, everywhere. I finally gave up and tried making my own version. The verdict? I think it came out pretty close to the original State Street restaurant.

Pelmeni

To make the dough:
2 cups flour, sifted
7 fluid ounces of cold water
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt

 

To make the filling:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the topping:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Sour cream, to taste

  1. Place flour in a large bowl. Make a dimple in the top of the mound and crack the egg into it. Add salt. Gradually add cold water and knead.
  2. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 15 – 20 minutes.
  3. Combine all filling ingredients and mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
  4. Roll the dough into a rope 1 inch in diameter. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
  5. Roll the pieces into circles 1/16 of an inch thick.
  6. Place a teaspoon of filling into the center of the dough and pinch the edges to seal the pelmeni. The pelmeni will be in the shape of a semi circle. Bring the two pointed ends together to form the final shape.
  7. Mix the butter and vinegar together and set aside.
  8. Boil the pelmeni in salted water for 3 – 5 minutes.
  9. Toss pelmeni with the topping ingredients
  10. Toss the cooked pelmeni with the butter and vinegar and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, a dash of curry powder, a sprinkle of cilantro and a drizzle of Sriracha!

 


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Tater Tot Casserole

I had the privilege of trying this delicacy for the first time last year. As much as I hate to say this, I actually kind of like it. A lot. And I have a few little secrets that make it even better.

1. Red pepper flakes, and lots of ’em.
2. Baking the casserole without cheese to get the tots crispy

I apologize in advance for the photo. I think it’s dang near impossible to take an appetizing photograph of this monstrosity of a meal.

Tater Tot Casserole
serves 8

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound frozen green beans
1 pound frozen corn
2 10.75 ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 32 ounce package tater tots (I like the mini tots)
1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Sauté the onion in a large pot until cooked. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
  3. Mix in green beans, corn, and soup. Stir in red pepper flakes until well-distributed.
  4. Spread mixture into a casserole dish and top with tater tots.
  5. Bake 30 – 45 minutes, or until tots are golden brown and casserole is heated through.
  6. Top with cheese and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.


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Pesto Chicken Pasta

It’s amazing how quickly time goes by. I create a to-do list almost daily with the intention of completing every.last.thing. on the list before I go to bed at night. I don’t think I have succeeded in doing so yet this semester. No matter how busy I am though, I still find the time to cook almost every single night. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not that I have too much to do, it’s that I just don’t want to do any of it. With graduation just a few months away, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to get my school work done. Senioritis much?

Pesto Chicken Pasta
serves 4 – 6

1 16 ounce package of pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and cut into strips
1/2 cup pesto sauce

  1. Cook pasta according to direction. Drain and place back into pot.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until tender, 2 minutes, and then stir in chicken.
  3. Season with red pepper flakes and cook until chicken is golden brown and fully cooked.
  4. In the pasta pot, combine the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto with the pasta. Toss to coat evenly.
  5. Serve immediately.


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Market Street Meat Loaf

I had meatloaf for the first time last semester. We made it in my food science lab and I was pretty disgusted by the process of kneading the raw meat for 5 minutes, but I was surprised by how good the end product tasted! I asked Mike to buy me the book the recipe came from for Christmas, and he delivered.

If you have a food processor, I highly recommend that you use it. I spent so much time finely chopping the ingredients until I remembered I had purchased a Cuisinart food processor during Black Friday. Unfortunately, I was already half way through the prep work, but the other half only took 30 seconds.

Don’t let the length of the recipe deter you from making it! It really doesn’t take that long, especially if you have a food processor.

Market Street Meat Loaf
serves 8 – 10
from The New Basics Cookbook

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 pounds lean ground beef chuck
12 ounces sausage meat (not fennel-flavored Italian sausage)
3/4 cup fine fresh bread crumbs, toasted

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and add the onion, scallions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the moisture from the vegetables has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, at least 1 hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  3. Combine the salt, black and white pepper, cayenne, cumin, nutmeg and eggs in a mixing bowl and beat well. Add the ketchup and half-and-half. Blend thoroughly.
  4. Add the chuck, sausage, and bread crumbs to the egg mixture. Then add the chilled vegetables and mix throughly with your hands, kneading for 5 minutes.
  5. With damp hands, form the mixture into an oval about 17 x 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, resembling a long loaf of bread.
  6. Place the loaf in a baking dish and place this dish inside a larger pan. Pour boiling water into the larger pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
  7. Place the pan in the oven and bake 35 – 40 minutes.
  8. Remove the baking dish from the water bath, and let the meat loaf rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.


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Stuffed Bell Peppers – with Venison!

These stuffed bell peppers went from good to great with the addition of venison! Mike got a deer this year and we have so much venison now! Though there are a lot of venison recipes out there, I’ve been trying to think of ways to incorporate it into unexpected places. The ground venison is perfect for that since it is easy to cook with! I’ve already put it into pasta sauce and now I’ve tried it in stuffed peppers, too! Both had really tasty results.

Stuffed Bell Peppers
serves 2

1 cup cooked white or brown rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1/2 pound ground venison
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
  2. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and skin starts to brown.
  3. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half the green onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in ground venison and cook until browned.
  4. Spoon in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and the remainder of the green onions and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
  5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.


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Sweet and Sour Pork

I originally made this dish in my Food Science lab during fall semester using seitan, a meat substitute. The entire lab was really interesting, since it was based on using meat-substitutes. We used tofu, seitan, tempeh, and beans to make a huge variety of delicious dishes. This one was my favorite, and I decided to recreate it at home. While I enjoyed the seitan, I opted to use pork, since that was what I had on hand. Since then, I have also made this dish with chicken – both are very good!

Sweet and Sour Pork
serves 4

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound pork chops, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bell pepper, cut in strips
1 large onion, chopped
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks with juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.
  2. Stir in the pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir until thickened. Mix in pineapple chunks just before serving.
  3. Serve with white or brown rice.


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Sauerbraten and Spaetzle

I stumbled across this recipe in the October issue of Food Network magazine. I’ve never had sauerbraten or spaetzle before, so I decided to give it a try since I love eating new things. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I made it for myself, Mike and my friend Ashley and I think we all agreed that the meal was not just good, it was wonderful.

Though the recipe was time-consuming, I have no regrets making it. I would suggest that you prep the meat on a Thursday night so that you can cook it Sunday. I prepped it on Friday and made it Monday and between classes and meetings, I was stressed out about this meal! One bite of it completely calmed me down and made me realize that it was worth every minute I put into it, though!

Sauerbraten and Spaetzle

Sauerbraten
serves 4 – 6

3 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 large onions, cut into large chunks
5 cloves garlic; 3 crushed, 2 chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon juniper berries (spice aisle)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 3-4 pound boneless beef top chuck roast
Kosher salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon crushed gingersnap cookies
Freshly ground pepper
Sour cream and fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Spaetzle, for serving

  1. Combine 2 cups broth, wine, vinegar, 1 chopped onion, crushed garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns, and cloves in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Place the beef in a large resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 3 days, turning daily.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry. Season with kosher salt on all sides. Strain the marinade, discarding the solids.
  3. Heat a large ovenproof pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the meat and brown on all sides, 10 – 12 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Add carrots, celery and remaining onion to the pot and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and chopped thyme and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour and cook 2 minutes. Stir in strained marinade and remaining 1 cup beef broth and bring to a simmer.
  4. Return meat to pot, cover and cook in the oven until tender , 2 hours and 3o minutes.
  5. Remove meat and transfer to a plate. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in gingersnaps and simmer until thickened; season with salt and pepper.
  6. Thinly slice the meat and serve with spaetzle, the vegetables, and sauce. Garnish with parsley and sour cream, if desired.

Spaetzle

Spaetzle
serves 4 – 6

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons melted
Freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

  1. Mix flour, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Gradually stir in up to 1 cup water to make a smooth dough. Beat with a wooden spoon until bubbles form and then stir in melted butter.
  2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Place about 1 cup of dough in a colander with large holes. Using a rubber spatula, push dough through the holes and into the boiling water. Cook for about 1 minute after the spaetzle float to the surface and then transfer with a slotted spoon to another colander. Repeat with remaining dough. Rinse spaetzle with cold water if not serving immediately.
  3. Before serving, sauté the spaetzle in a skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until warmed through. Season with pepper and garnish with parsley.

Tip: I used a metal colander that was part of my large stock pot to do this. Mike and I found that it was easier to push the dough through a metal colander versus a plastic one. We also used a wooden spoon on the metal since it was sturdier than a rubber spatula.