Jones Creek Beef #1 & I'm on a roll -- Casserole that is

Ever notice that you can cook almost anything in the universe at 350F? It's just that a rack of brontosaurus ribs will take longer than a Cornish Game Hen.... The first dish this week cooks much lower and slower though.

Jones Creek Beef #1 -- Bajan Pepperpot Beef Roast

At long last, I was able to find the local Walmarts carrying Jones Creek Beef tm. Special thanks to Mike W from the Jones Creek Beef Ranch in Springville, UT, for his assistance in my quest. Those of you outside Southwest Florida should not have the problems I did! Here in Fort Myers I found that the "new" Walmart on San Carlos Rd just off Summerlin Rd has The Good Stuff. There's also one in Naples at I-75 and Immoklee Rd. Others in the area will be getting JCB soon.

Bajan (bay-jaan) is what the people of Barbados call themselves. This former British possession in the Western Caribbean has a long history of beef in their island diet. Of course in the old days, the good cuts went to the upperclasses while the ordinary folks got the bits and pieces. Originally, Pepperpot was a dish similar to Ossa Bucco, made from joint meats and other marginal cuts cooked into submission low and slow to bring out all the flavor and goodness. Today you can make Pepperpot with a really nice cut of beef, like a Jones Creek Beef Rump Roast.

Bajan Style Pepperpot Beef Roast

This is not a quick recipe, but it's worth the time. Cook this in an electric skillet or slow cooker. This looks like a huge ingredient list; but it's "a pinch of this and a bit of that". Combine everything after the roast and the Bajan Seasoning in a bowl, and mix it up before you surround the roast with it.

2 lb Jones Creek Beef Rump Roast

1/4 cup Bajan Seasoning

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1 large Red Bell Pepper, diced large

1 cup Butternut Squash or Yam cubes

1 large Sweet or White Onion, sliced

½ Red Onion, sliced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp whole Allspice Berries

1 Teaspoon whole Black Peppercorns

2 Bay leaves

4 oz Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

1 Lime, juiced

Optional -- for a bit more heat add a red Jalapeño or Scotch Bonnet pepper, minced.

When you unwrap the roast, you discover that it is a largish triangle of meat a couple inches thick. Sear the open roast in a very hot skillet. Not to seal in the juices, that's a fallacy. You're searing to get that extra tasty 'not quite burnt' crusty goodness!

Now put the Bajan seasoning on the "inside" of the meat, fold the meat back over itself,with the Seasoning in the middle, and pin it closed with a couple pieces of bamboo skewer.

Bajan Seasoning wrapped inside the Chuck Roast

Put the seared roast in an electric skillet or slow cooker. Surround the roast with the other "below the line" ingredients.

Roast surrounded by the 'gravy' ingredients

Cover and cook low and slow at 200-225F. The aroma while this is cooking is out of this world!

After 45 minutes, check the internal temperature with your meat thermometer. You really don't want "shredded beef" here, you want a sliceable roast. When the internal temperature reaches 135-140, take the meat out and put it on a platter with the surrounding veggies and liquid to rest for 10-15 minutes. Then slice thin and serve with a helping of the "gravy" of cooked veggies and liquid and whatever sides you like.

Pepperpot Roast, 'gravy' veg (top) and Bajan Chilled Vegetables

I gotta tell you folks, this is some TASTY beef! Tender, slightly sweet, and just a bit of fat. That means you really want to treat this right. If you do, you'll have slices of heaven on your plate! Thaw the roast naturally. Sear it brown, then cook, covered, low and slow with plenty of surrounding liquid to keep the meat moist (because grass-fed beef has much less fat than grain-fed/feedlot beef). Four to six hours in a slow-cooker would be just about right.  Then slice it thin and enjoy!

Jones Creek Beef is all-natural, grass-fed, humanely treated beef from happy cows. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am. Stay tuned for next week's JCB recipe.

Bajan Chilled Veggies

On a Caribbean island, anything chilled is extra special, like this simple vegetable side dish.  If the cabbage was sliced rather than shredded, you might call this a slaw.  I call it darn tasty, and served it alongside the Bajan Pepperpot Roast.

2 cups shredded Carrots

1½ cups Green Beans, steamed

1½ cups shredded White Cabbage

1 Cucumber, Shredded

2 cloves Garlic, minced

½ tsp Black Pepper

3 Tbsp Barbados sugar (use Mexican pillocillo, turbinado, or just plain Dark Brown)

3 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

1 Lemon, juiced

1 tsp ground Turmeric (I used part of a Badia Sazon Tropicaltm spice packet)

Combine carrots, green beans, cabbage and cucumber in a bowl. In another container mix together the remaining ingredients as a dressing. Toss the veggies in this dressing and chill for 4 hours or more before serving.

Whatchagot Leftover Casserole

Whattyado with leftover chicken breast, aroz amarillo, some broccoli stems and a wedge of Bruschetta Jack cheese? Especially when you need something fast? Make a casserole, of course!

In a 9x9 dish I laid down some leftover rice which had been cooked with Sazon Tropicale tm . On top of that, I layered peeled and sliced rounds of raw broccoli stems leftover from Sunday night's broccoli side dish. That was followed by slices of cooked chicken breast also from Sunday's "lunches for Sally" chicken cooking. Pop it in a pre-heated 350F oven for about 25 minutes and there you are!

Asparagus-Onion-Mushroom Casserole

This is loosely based on a Paula Deen recipe. I had all those butt ends leftover from making two Asparagus Tarts in the last couple weeks, and needed the space in the freezer.

1/3 cup butter
4 cups of 1" cut pieces of 'pencil' Asparagus (see Sally's note, below)
1 cup diced Onion
1 (8-ounce) package sliced baby bella Mushrooms
1/4 cup all-purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups whole Milk or half & half
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
zest of 1 Lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste
1 (6-ounce) can French-fried Onions (see my substitution, below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet cook the asparagus, onion, and mushrooms for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and the liquid has evaporated.

In another pan, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, don't let the roux go brown. Add the milk, whisk to break up the flour-fat mix, and you have a Béchamel or White sauce. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add the lemon and cheese to make a Mornay sauce and season with salt & pepper.

Combine the asparagus-mushroom-onion mixture with the Mornay sauce. Spoon into the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Top with the 'French Fried' onions, and bake for another 5 minutes. I found these wonderful baked Vidalia Petals tm, which were cheaper and tastier than the traditional can of French-fried Onions. If you can find them locally, they're MUCH better than the others.

Wow!  Is this every a rich recipe!  All that cheesy Mornay goodness! 

Sally Says: If you make this with the butt ends rather than tender tips, cut the asparagus into much less than 1" pieces, and cook it really well done before adding it to the casserole. Otherwise the asparagus can be too stringy and fiberous.

I think some diced ham (Sally said chicken) would go well in this dish too. Of course it would go well with a good bunch of bacon crumbles (doesn't everything?).  If you cut the 'gras small, it would also make a great dip/topping for bruschetta or crackers.

If I were to make it again, I would add some smoked paprika, Cajun spice, the zest of the lemon -- something to cut the almost cloying richness of the cheese sauce.  As much as we both love cheese, this was almost too much of a good thing.