Dan | Adventures in Thyme

Beef and Pasta in Red Sauce

June 8, 2016 by Dan Leave a Comment

Beef with Pasta in Red Sauce

Red sauce is so versatile at mealtime, we’ve been playing around with making a better one, and I think we’ve hit on a winner. Give it a whirl in the pot and let us know what you think!

2 lbs Beef
Olive Oil
1 cup Red Wine
32 oz box of Beef Stock
12 oz can Tomato Paste
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
2 teaspoons dried Basil
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons good Balsamic Vinegar

Start by slicing your meat into 1/8 inch strips and cutting the strips into bite sized pieces. Tip: If you cut against the grain it’s a lot more tender! Add a little olive oil to the bottom of your pot (a 3 or 4 quart pot with a lid) and heat the pot to medium on the stove top. Add the beef to the pot being careful not to over crowd it. Cook the beef in a couple of batches; cooking until lightly browned on both sides. Remove the beef and set aside (a bowl in your refrigerator is a good idea.). Add the red wine and beef stock to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the good bits off the bottom – that’s where the flavor is! Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add all of the spices. (I put all of my spices in a coffee grinder and ground them to powder before using.) Add the honey and balsamic vinegar, stirring until well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the sauce simmer for an hour or so. Return the meat to the pot and bring the mixture back to a simmer, and leave it to simmer for another 15 or 20 minutes.

Serve over your favorite pasta and add a vegetable and some nice, crusty bread for dinner.

Steak – One Pan Meal

May 4, 2016 by Dan Leave a Comment

Steako one pan meal

Tonight we offer a “one pan meal”, because some nights, you don’t have enough strength to clean more than one pan after dinner!

2 to 3 pounds of steak (I used ribeyes)
2 large white Sweet Potatoes
1 Sweet Onion
1 good Broccoli Crown
1/2 head of Cauliflower
Your favorite steak seasoning, I used:
Rosemary
Thyme
Cinnamon
Seasoned Salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with cooking parchment.

Peal the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets. Cut your onion into wedges. (Or substitute your favorite vegetables that roast nicely.) Lightly coat the sweet potato wedges and the vegetables with olive oil. Toss with a bit of your steak seasoning. Lay the sweet potato wedges in around the edges. Place the rest of the vegetables in the middle of the pan, so you have a nice even layer in the pan. Season your steaks and lay them on top of the vegetables.

Place your pan in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so. Turn the steaks over and cook until they are as done as you wish. Remove the steaks and cover with aluminum foil. Put the vegetables back in the oven and bake until the vegetables begin to brown. (The total cooking time was about 40 minutes in our oven.) Remove the vegetables from the oven. Serve the steaks with the vegetables and sweet potato wedges.

Enjoy a delicious dinner, and the bonus – one pan in the sink!

Meatballs with options for everyone at your party

March 7, 2016 by Dan Leave a Comment

Turkey Meatballs in a Cream Sauce

With summer gatherings on the horizon, we’re sharing an easy dish that lets your guests decide what they want to eat. Turkey meatballs, sides of pasta and rice, a few sauces and your guests can mix and match their way to foodie heaven.

We’ll start with the meatballs, but if you are making sauces from scratch, you will want to make those first and then cook the meatballs.

For the meatballs, you need:

1 cup Rolled Oats
2 sprigs Rosemary
2 sprigs Oregano
1 teaspoon Salt

2 pounds lean ground Turkey
1 Egg, lightly beaten

Olive oil

1 cup red wine
32 oz. Beef Stock

Combine the first 4 ingredients in your food processor and pulse until the oatmeal has the consistency of course corn meal and the herbs are finely chopped. Place the turkey in a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and then the beaten egg. Combine with a fork, but do not over work the meat. You want it tender, not dense.

Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of your large skillet. Heat over medium heat until the skillet and oil are hot. Use a small scoop to make your meatballs. This will give you nice, even meatballs and they will be small enough to cook evenly. Place some meatballs in your hot skillet. Do not pack the meatballs into the skillet, give them a little room. Brown on 3 or 4 sides. Remove the browned meatballs from the pan and add another set. Don’t worry that they aren’t cooked through, we’ll take care of that once they are all browned.

Return all of your meatballs to your hot skillet. Add 1 cup of red wine and 4 cups of beef stock. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve over noodles or rice with whatever sauces your guests enjoy. This makes 4 to 6 servings.

Here are a couple of ideas for sauces. You can also use the Teriyaki sauce we made here. If you are rushed for time, pick up some of your favorite sauces at the grocery store and doctor them to suit your taste. Your guests don’t need to know you didn’t slave over them for hours.

Simple, Quick Red Sauce

Quick red sauce

1 29 oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 14.5 oz. can diced Tomatoes
1 or 2 sprigs Rosemary
1 or 2 sprigs Oregano
1 tablespoon Honey
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 fresh Basil Leaves

Remove the leaves from the herbs and chop finely. Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pot, bring to a boil, turn down to low and let simmer at least half an hour.

To serve, place some noodles in a small skillet, add a few meatballs and a little sauce. Gently stir or toss to combine over medium low heat. Add a little sauce over the top after you plate the meatballs and noodles.

Easy “Cream” Sauce

1 1/2 cups of the liquid from the simmering meatballs
3/4 cup tofu based Sour Cream
1 or 2 teaspoons of Corn Starch
Herbs, salt and pepper to taste

This sauce goes together very quickly. Make it just before you are ready to serve the meatballs.

Take 1 1/2 cups of the liquid from your simmering meatballs and place it in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the tofu based sour cream (or if you want, real sour cream). Stir to combine. Take a little of this liquid and place it in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of corn starch and mix well. Return this mixture to your pan. Stir while it comes to a boil. If you want it thicker, repeat with another teaspoon of corn starch.

To serve, place the meatballs on a bed of noodles or rice and spoon some sauce over the top.

Feel free to add onion, garlic or whatever other spices and herbs you and your guests enjoy.

Turkey Meatballs in a Red Sauce

Chicken for game day

February 4, 2016 by Dan Leave a Comment

Chicken

Sports and hot wings are almost a cultural obsession. Our house doesn’t really warm up to either – don’t hate us! But dipping chicken (and veggie) into a condiment of choice DOES appeal to our foodie nature. So, if you want chicken for game day but want something a bit healthier than wings – here you go. Chicken breast strips breaded and baked.

Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Corn Starch
3/4 cup Corn Starch
1 cup Flour
5 Eggs, beaten
1/2 cup fresh grated Pecorino Cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 or 4 large chicken breasts

Preheat your oven to 425 degree F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a good sized cooling rack om the baking sheet.

Put 1/2 cup corn starch into a large zip lock bag. Place 3/4 cup corn starch, flour, grated pecorino cheese and salt and pepper into another large zip lock bag and shake to mix well. Beat all 5 eggs in a wide shallow bowl.

Wash chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2 inch thick pieces, something close to the size of chicken wings.

Place a few pieces of chicken in the bag of corn starch. Shake to coat evenly. Remove from the corn starch and shake off the excess. Place the chicken in the egg and coat evenly. Place the chicken in the second bag with the flour mixture and shake to cover well. Remove the chicken from the flour and dip in the egg again. Place on the rack on your baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken is coated.

Bake at 425 for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden grown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the rack and place in a bowl, a few pieces at a time. Toss with your favorite wing sauce, I used teriyaki. Serve with strips of carrot and celery or whatever vegetables you prefer. Add some extra dipping sauces and your set for the big game- or a quiet evening at home, as the case may be. 🙂

Spaghetti with sliced beef

January 21, 2016 by Dan Leave a Comment

Spaghetti with sliced beef

I love spaghetti. I’ve probably been eating it for *almost* half a century. So when my cravings started down the familiar pasta pathway, I decided to make it a little differently. After a quick trip to the grocery store I returned triumphant with beef to slice and cook in my sauce. It was hearty, and a delicious change!

You will need:

1 1/2 lbs Chuck Roast
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon crushed Thyme
1 teaspoon crushed Rosemary
2 15oz cans Tomato Sauce
1 14.5oz can Diced Tomatoes
2 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoons good Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Red Wine

Slice the beef into approximately 1/8 inch thick and a couple of inches long. Brown in a hot good sized, deep skillet with a little olive oil. Add all of the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes or so, until the beef is tender.

Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with some grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese. Add a slice of nice rustic bread and you have a great winter dinner.