Beef Stroganov, Cauliflower Steaks, Irish Soda Bread

JCB #5  Roast Stroganov

The last, but not least, of my five Jones Creek Beef tm Roast Creations is this whole roast version of Beef Stroganov (stroganoff) using a whole slow-cooked roast rather than cutting the meat into chunks and pan cooking it. This way takes longer to prepare, but is less hassle in the long run;  and you get really tender beef.

2 lbs JCB Roast – Rump or Chuck

Salt & Pepper to taste

2+ Tbsp AP Flour for coating roast

1 large Onion, sliced

1 lb sliced Mushrooms (Crimini preferred)

1 cup Water

1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp Marjoram

1 tsp Dill

8 oz Sour Cream

1/4 tsp fresh grated Nutmeg

Optional: 1/2 tsp Trompeta en Pols – powdered mushroom concentrate

Egg Noodles

Salt and pepper the roast, then flour and brown the meat in a bit of oil.

 

Floured roast

Slice the onion and lay down a bed in your slow cooker. Put the roast on the bed of onions, add the liquids and spices. 

 

Liquid and dry flavors

At the 4 hour mark, surround the roast with the mushrooms and continue cooking.  In the last half hour, remove the roast, stir in the sour cream to make the classic gravy, and return the roast to the cooker. 

Cook for a total of 8 hours on low heat.  Place the roast on a platter and slice. 

To serve, plate a bed of egg noodles, top with a slice of beef, and ladle on the gravy. Add a scoop of vegetable side and dig in!

Many thanks to Jones Creek Beef for giving me this opportunity to explore the pleasures of their grass-fed, free range, hormone-free beef.  Look for JCB beef in the meat department the next time you're at your Walmart grocery.  Try, it folks, you'll really like it!!

Poached Pears

For a simple dessert to go with the Stroganov, I served pears poached with a teaspoon of Cardamon seeds and a whole Star Anise rather than the usual cinnamon or nutmeg.  Gingersnap cookies gave an aded layer of flavor to the dish.

Irish Soda Bread

Had some of this at a great Irish Pub over in Punta Gorda the other weekend, and just had to try making it myself. This is one of the classic quickbreads of all time. Can you say simple? I knew you could.  No yeast blooming, no extensive kneading and rising!  The whole process takes about 45 minutes.

You can make this either as white bread, or whole wheat. Traditionally, whole wheat loaves would be made for “everyday” consumption, while the more expensive white flour would be saved for making special occasion loaves.  Some folks turn this into a sort of fruit bread by adding currants, raisins and other such nonsense.  Trust me, it's reaaally good bread without any additions!

4 cups AP or WW flour (or a mixture of both)

1-1/2 tsp Baking Soda -- it wouldn't be soda bread without this!

3/4 tsp Salt

1-3/4 cup (approx) Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425F. Flour a baking sheet.

Remember that dry "flour" cups are not the same size as "wet" buttermilk cups!  Use the appropriate measures.  

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add in enough buttermilk, stirring with a fork, to form moist clumps. Gather the dough into a ball. Turn out onto lightly floured surface, and knead just until the dough holds together, about a minute.

Shape the dough into a 6-inch-diameter by 2-inch-high round. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cut a 1-inch-deep X across top of bread, extending almost to edges. 

Bake until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. 

 Slice and slather with butter!

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks

This is my take on a Bon Appetit recipe.  My take because I wasn't going to make a cilantro pesto!  Neither one of us likes that much cilantro!   I used basil, parsley and chives with the lime, ginger and garlic, to make my pesto/sauce.

1 large head cauliflower

2 Tbsp Vegetable oil, plus more for the grill

1 bunch large Scallions, trimmed

1” piece Ginger, peeled, grated

1 clove Garlic

1/2 cup (packed) of a combination of fresh Basil, Parsley and Chives

1 Lime, juiced

Cajun Spice blend, to taste

Prepare your grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate. We don't have a conventional grill, so I used the upside down grill in Sally's oven, called the Broiler, to do the cooking.

Remove leaves and trim the stem of the cauliflower, leaving the core intact. Place cauliflower core side down. Starting at the midline, slice from top to bottom into four 1/2" thick steaks. Slicing from the middle helps the steaks stay intact. Reserve florets that break loose.

Season the cauliflower and scallions with a splash of olive oil and Cajun spice.

Since I was using the broiler, to cut down on “grill time” (heating the kitchen), I par-cooked the steaks in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Then I broiled the steaks, loose florets and scallions together 5-6 minutes per side.

Otherwise, grill the scallions, until charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Then grill the cauliflower steaks until tender and charred in spots, 8–10 minutes per side. Grill loose florets in a basket until cooked through, 5–7 minutes.

Blend the ginger, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and oil in a food processor, thinning with water if needed, until the sauce is the consistency of yogurt. I just minced my ingredients extra fine and added the oil and lime juice. 

Arrange the cauliflower and scallions on a plate. Brush with the pesto, and serve. Leftover pesto makes a nice bread dip for the Irish Soda Bread.

This is a pretty tasty recipe, that's for sure! Be aware, the amounts listed above won't serve 4 as a main course, the way the magazine suggests.

You don't have to go to the trouble of making your own pesto, of course. And you really don't have to slice the steaks as described, but it does make a nice presentation! You could just disassemble the head of cauliflower, lay the florets and green onions out on a grate or baking sheet, and grill or broil until things get brown around the edges.