Prime Rib

This week , our favorite grocer has rib roast on sale for $3.99 a pound. I jumped on the opportunity and bought one for tonight’s dinner and a couple more for the freezer.

We like the rib roast because, well, it’s prime rib. The dogs like it because they get a bone.

I’ve always said that I hate ordering something in a restaurant that I can do better at home. I am happy to say, prime rib is no longer on the restaurant menu.

They are so easy to cook and oh so good. Since there’s only two of us, I usually only get a 3-4 pound, two rib roast. I like the two rib like I said, because I’ve got two dogs.

When ya get it home rinse it off, rub it down with some vinegar and set it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it. I use a red wine vinegar. When you are ready to start cooking, fire up the oven on bake at 325 degrees. While it’s warming up, put just a touch more vinegar on it. Don’t worry it’ll cook off. You need it to hold on the kosher salt you’re gonna rub into it next. Finish the process with some coarse ground or cracked black pepper. This is called “pepper encrusted.”

Pop ‘er in the oven. I use a glass baking dish with a wire meat rack on it. Place the roast on the rack. I prefer the bone down but I have trouble with a small roast wanting to fall over, so I put it bone up. (With a larger roast, definitely bone down.)


Cook it for about 2 ½ hours checking the temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer after the the first 1 ½ hours and every half hour after. When the internal roast temperature gets to 140, you got a rare prime rib. 150 is medium rare and 160 is medium. I always make sure I get at least 140 but never let it go above 160. Just a matter of taste. If you want, 170 is well done, and anything higher is a waste of money. Throw an old shoe in the oven, and get a sharp knife.

Ok, how simple is that?

Prime rib is traditionally served with au jus and a horseradish/sour cream. I like it like that, but…

If you read my Tournedoes Chasseur recipe in Feb 2010, you’ll know that I like chausseur (hunter style.) Since then, I have perfected this sauce for simplicity.

The original recipe for Chasseur Sauce calls for shallots. I use just a half of a regular ol’ onion either thinly sliced or chopped. Then the recipe calls for 1 ½ teaspoons of tomato paste. What the heck do ya do with the rest of the can? It usually ends up getting tossed, so I have replaced it with ketchup. I like Heinz. I also increased the mushrooms to a ½ pound. I use fresh cremini mushrooms because my grocer always has them. Rinse them, dry them, and slice them with your egg slicer. Lastly, I increased the flour from 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons. I just like a thicker sauce. If you like a thinner sauce, stick with the original.

Here’s what your recipe card will look like.

Prime Rib
Rinse then rub roast with vinegar
Cover with kosher or margarita salt
then with coarse or cracked black pepper
bake on a meat rack over pan at 325 degrees
until internal temperature is 140-160
Give bones to dogs, slice and eat the meat.

Chasseur Sauce
½ pound sliced mushrooms
½ onion (sliced or chopped)
Saute mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons butter
In a shaker blend:
1 ½ teaspoons ketchup
2 tablespoons flour
1 can beef broth
Dash, pinch or a shake each Salt and pepper
Add to mushrooms and onions
Cook til thick and bubbly. Serve over prime rib.

It is Fantastic!
Enjoy!

Two Great French Dressing Recipes

When I was in intermediate school (now known as Junior High), I had a classmate named Nick DeGrace. Nick’s parents, Philip and Elizabeth, owned a local restaurant called the Manor House (Liberty, Mo 69 Hwy.) The restaurant was operated by Nick’s big sister Rosalie. I remember there was a fire there, but I don’t remember if that’s why they closed.

I never went there that I can remember, but I do remember my parents going there for parties and dinners. They always seemed to enjoy the place.

Now, as I remember going to other restaurants about that same time (around 1966) you usually only had two or three choices for salad dressing. Those were French, Italian (vinegar & oil), and if you were real lucky, thousand island.

My mother loved the Manor House’s Coronado Court salad dressing and the DeGrace’s graciouly provided her the recipe. It’s easy to make and it’s delicious.

Coronado Court – from the Manor House Restaurant, Liberty, Mo

½ cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 cup catsup (or ketchup)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp tobasco
1 whole garlic button

Mom always mixes it up in a big mason jar, shakes it like crazy, then lets it sit for At least 24 hrs before serving.

In the early 90’s, Marie Calendar’s had a tomato vinegarette that reminded me of Coronado Court dressing but it had tomatoes in it. So, I decided to add a can of drained whole tomatoes to the recipe. It turned out great.
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I met my wife in 1980 and we started dating January 1981. My wife is originally from North Platte, Nebraska. Nebraskans love Dorothy Lynch French salad dressing.

The salad dressing was made in Duncan, Ne. Dorothy and her husband sold the recipe in 1964 to a company called Tasty Toppings for $40,000 and a contract for a 1% royalty. Tasty Toppings opened a production facility in Columbus, Ne. Dorothy died in 1975. In 1987 Tasty Toppings changed the recipe and reduced the calorie content. Arthur, Dorothy’s husband died in 1992. The company again made some changes to the recipe and quit paying the Lynch family the royalties. The Lynch family sued and it went to trial in 1996 at the Platte County, Ne courthouse. The royalties were recovered.

Every time we go to Nebraska, we have to pick up a few bottles of Dorothy Lynch to bring home. In 2009, our local Wal Mart carried the dressing for about three months but then stopped.

Sometime in the 90’s, my wife ran across this recipe which is pretty close and very good.

Dorothy Lynch French Salad Dressing

Mix in blender
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s tomato soup, undiluted
1/2 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Enjoy!

String Pie

This recipe originally comes from the North Dakota Beef Commission. In the early 90's, one of my co-workers, Ina, made this for us at work. She had added just two items and doubled the recipe for the work potluck.
I also like to add a little extra mozzarella just because.

Here's the original recipe:
Click Here

Make note that the recipe calls for teaspoons of butter instead of tablespoons ( I have no idea what would happen, but Ina underlined it on the recipe)

Here's the two items Ina added. It adds a really nice PIZZAZ and I suppose you could say changes it from Italian to Mexican.

-- 1 can (7-3/4 oz) of Marca El Pato brand Jalapeno Salsa
-- Add some "nacho sized" jalapeno slices on top of the cheese before baking (this picture doesn't have the sliced jalapenos on top.)

A great recipe for anytime- Pumpkin Bars

A friend of mine sent me this recipe.
Rather than retype it here, here's the link:
Click Here
It's easy to follow and prints out on a single page.

Ok, so here's what happened. I'm a dummy at times and I used the wrong sized pan. So instead of a sheet cake for pumkin bars, I made this nice pumkin cake. Same ingredients and same delicious taste.

The icing comes out thick. Don't cover it until you've cooled it in the fridge giving that icing plenty of time to harden some.

I also wondered what to do with leftover cream cheese since it only calls for a pkg and a half. So buy some sliced ham and make some pinwheels. :)

Beef Stroganoff

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I first made this recipe in 1974. It originally came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but over the years I’ve made a few minor changes.

The original recipe is as follows.
Beef Stroganoff
Cut one pound beef sirloin into ¼ inch strips. Combine 1 tablespoon flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Coat meat with flour mixture. Heat skillet, then add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. When melted, add sirloin strips and brown quickly on both sides. Add one 3 oz. can mushrooms, drained, ½ cup chopped onion, and 1 clove garlic, minced; cook 3 or 4 minutes or till onion is crisp-tender.
Remove meat mixture and mushrooms from pan. Add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine to the pan drippings; blend 3 tablespoons all purpose flour. Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Stir in 1 ¼ cups cold beef stock or one 10 oz can condensed beef broth. Cook and stir over medium high heat till thickened and bubbly.
Return browned meat and mushrooms to skillet. Stir in one cup dairy sour cream and 2 tablespoons dry white wine; cook slowly till heated thoroughly (do not boil) Keep warm over hot water. Serve over hot buttered noodles. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Now, I found several things wrong or just a pain in the ass with the original recipe. The first is the cut of meat. Sirloin is kinda tough unless you cook the heck out of it. I either use a better cut of meat like a rib steak (rib eye) or a tenderloin. If I do use a cheap cut, I use whatever’s on sale. If that’s sirloin so be it. I then cut it into bite sized pieces instead of strips and I remove all that fat. I actually cook the fat with it, then feed it to the dog.

Then there’s all that flour mixture bullshit. It’s a pain in the rear. Then how about that tablespoon of tomato paste. What do you do with the rest of the can? How about the wine. Dry white? I always heard you served red with beef, white with chicken or fish.

So here’s the cure and then some.

I cook it in the crockpot.

I cut the meat into bite sized pieces. Throw it in the crockpot on high. I chop up one medium onion and throw the whole thing in there. I use pre-chopped garlic and throw in a heavy spoon full. Mix a tablespoon flour and ½ teaspoon salt sprinkle it over the meat. Let it cook til the meat is tender, I mean melt in your mouth fall apart tender. Pull out that fat, rinse it, chop it up, and feed it to the dog.

Use whatever kinda wine ya got on hand and throw in about a quarter cup. Now you can throw in a can of mushrooms, but I prefer about ¾ to a pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced. My brother, who makes a fantastic stroganoff says you can never have too many mushrooms. Cook in the crock on high for about three hours stirring whenever you think of it.

Throw in the full 6 oz can of tomato paste. It makes your stroganoff a little red. If you prefer a lighter color, follow the one tablespoon recipe then throw the rest in the ketchup bottle. Or if your crazy, just throw the rest away, save it, whatever. Pour in the can of beef broth or consomme. Sir in the 3 tablespoons of flour. I use a shaker with some of the broth. Now this should cook up to a nice gravy consistency. If it's too thin, taste it. Can you add more flour without making it taste like flour? If so add a tablespoon at a time and let it cook awhile, and repeat if necessary.

Cook your noodles or rice, which ever you prefer. I like both. While you’re cooking the noodles or rice, stir in that cup of sour cream. Serve it over the noodles or rice.

Yep, that’s some good stuff!

Enjoy!

PS- Here's a handy tip for the fresh mushrooms.

I use my egg slicer to slice the mushrooms.

Pork Ragu

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The Williams-Sanoma catalog came in the mail. My wife and I always enjoy looking at their recipes. The problem with most of their recipes, it calls for stuff you don’t usually find lying around your house or lying around your local grocery store. This months recipe,

Pork Ragu was no exception. It called for 3 bulbs of fennel, 1 ¾ pounds cremini mushrooms, 3 tblspns mushroom demi-glace, and ¾ pound pappardelle cooked al dente. This was besides the other ingredients, one of which is pancetta. I knew I could get pancetta at our local grocer because I had seen it before. Pancetta is an Italian bacon.

Anyway, this recipe sounded pretty good so I decided to give her a try. After going to several stores unsuccessfully trying to find these obscure items, here’s the recipe I made up with the help of the Williams-Sonoma, my Grand Diplome Cooking Course books, and looking at various internet recipes.

Pork Ragu in the Crock Pot

3 lb pork shoulder roast
flour
olive oil
3 oz pancetta
1 white onion
3 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 tblspn minced garlic
1 ½ lb mushrooms
2 cups fresh tomatoes
1 tblspn fennel seeds
1 small can tomato paste 6 oz
1 cup pinot noir wine
1 can (10 ½ oz) chicken broth
Fettucine

Go here to compare with Williams-Sonoma along with my explanation below.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/pork-ragu.html

I had a pork shoulder roast in the freezer. Normally, I would have put it in the crock pot, put in a couple cap fulls of liquid smoke and let it cook all day till it fell off the bone. Fish out the bone, pour in a bottle of barbeque sauce, stir, and viola, BBQ pulled pork.

The W-S recipe called for 3 ¾ pounds, quartered, then browned in oil after being “dredged” with flour. Of course, making sure you shook off the excess flour. I cut out the bone, then cut the rest into strips like you would for a stroganoff. Always cut against the grain to ensure tenderness after cooking. I threw it all in a bag, and poured in about a cup of flour. Here’s what you do. Shake it all up making sure it’s all covered in flour. Then brown the pork in some olive oil. Move it to the crock pot which you haven’t turned on yet.

In the same pan you browned the meat, add some more olive oil. Then sauté the pancetta, garlic, onion, carrot, and celery (all diced.) I used a white onion, cause it was already there. W-S called for yellow. A friend always told me, yellow is for cooking. Red and white are for eating raw, ie salads, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc. So throw all that stuff in with the pork. Crock pot on high.

I really don’t think I could be a real chef because my neck and feet wouldn’t take it. After dicing and slicing, my neck hurt like the dickens and after this was all over, my back and feet were killing me.

Ok, at this point I had to go to the store for more ingredients, or I may have gone ahead and combined these final items all at once with the other veggies.

Now, I’m really not sure what a cremini mushroom is but the picture looks a little smaller and somewhat brown compared to what I bought. I went over to the produce aisle and grabbed a pound and a half of those full white mushrooms. I think they were champignon mushrooms but besides portabello, that’s all they had. Who knows, they may have been cremini.

Our stores used to carry a packet of demi-glace mix. We always had some in the cabinet, but about six months ago, they quit carrying it. Go figure.
I couldn’t find any jars, cans, or dry packets of demi-glace so I skipped it. That may have taken away from some of the flavor. I know if I cooked great gourmet meals at home a lot, I would have some Espagnole and demi-glace sauce readily available in the freezer. But….

So, let’s talk fennel. Until today, I don’t think I ever gave fennel a second look even if my store had it. They didn’t. I went to three stores, no luck. I’m not sure if it’s out of season or what but I know Wal-Mart doesn’t carry it cause the produce manager was out there in the aisle and I had a pleasant conversation with him. He asked what I was cooking. I explained it and said, well, I guess I’ll get some fennel seeds in the spice aisle and throw in a tablespoon. He suggested that I fry them or soak them to make them tender before putting in the recipe. I thought, well, I’m putting them in the crock pot, so….

When I got back home, I sliced the mushrooms and chopped the tomato. Luckily, tomatoes are ripening in California gardens right now, so I have plenty. I didn’t plant any this year, but my friends did. Anyway, I put a little oil in a pan and turned to a medium high heat. I threw in the tablespoon of fennel seeds and grilled them up.
Take the opportunity to pop a fennel seed in your mouth. It has a licorice flavor to it. Mmm. Apparently, it’s used to make absinthe liquor, and is sometimes used as an after dinner mouth cleanser. I wish I could have found the bulbs, I would like to try them.
Then I threw in the mushrooms and turned down the heat, sautéing them until they looked like they came out of a can. I threw in the tomatoes and let them cook a few minutes. Then, I added a can of tomato paste and the can of chicken broth. I stirred it all up and let it cook a couple minutes until the paste had all dissolved. Then I poured in the wine.

I transferred all the mushroom, tomato, fennel seed, wine stuff to the crock pot with everything else. I turned it on high and let it cook. W-S says to cook on high for five hours. After three, I turned mine down to low. This is a full crock and this stuff was bubblin’. It cooked another three hours and then it was dinner time.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever even seen pappardelle pasta, but the picture looks like lasagna noodles without the edge. I would have tried it, had I found some, but instead, I opted for fettucine. Cooked as directed on the box and drained. I don’t rinse because I like my pasta a little sticky, but there’s nothing wrong with rinsing it before serving.

So fettucine in a pasta bowl, then cover with the pork ragu. Some bread and butter next to me at the table. Grab a forkful and give it a taste. Hey, this stuff ain’t bad. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty darn good. Pass the parmesan.

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Scrambling Hamburger

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The other day on FaceBook there was a post going around. The post was:
“I want all my FB friends to comment on how you met me!
After this comment, copy this to your status so I can do the same for
you. You'll be amazed at the responses you get.”

I got a kick out of reading some of the comments, so I went ahead and posted it on mine. Here’s the reply from a friend of my sister, Alice Hall Stewart:
“I walked into your house (on Maple?) with Diane and Ard and you were in the kitchen in your underwear, cooking hamburger meat. Diane said you were "scrambling hamburger" to eat with ketchup. I still call it "scrambling hamburger" today.”

The post was correct, I was amazed. Diane is my sister. I was in either 7th or 8th grade at the time. Isn't it always amazing the tiny things that we do and how it affects the lives of others. Thanks Alice, for the comment. I'm sorry you had to see that and carry it with you all these years... hahaha!

Since then I haven’t changed much. I still cook in my underwear. Although I haven’t used the phrase “scrambling hamburger” for about 40 years, I may start using it again.

What the phrase refers to is the fine art of browning hamburger. We laugh because browning hamburger is easy and everyone does it for sloppy joes, chili, lasagna, spaghetti sauce, tacos, and a whole slew of other recipes. But, I want to share with you just a simple trick I learned while working at the Cuckoo, a long gone fast food restaurant in my home town. They did this for taco meat. The trick is a simple addition of a cup of water.

Most people start with a skillet or saute pan and put it on a hot burner. Then they add the hamburger by picking off itsy bitsy pieces at a time and placing them strategically in the pan. Then they stand there stirring, chopping, and separating the hamburger for 15 to 20 minutes. They use a spatula, a spoon, or a fork. I’m sure that’s what I was doing while standing there in my tidy whities back in the 60s.

What I do now is that I throw that pound of hamburger in the skillet whole. I don’t bother with separation. I add a cup of water and I don’t bother measuring. I place the lid on the skillet and I go do something else. I come back every once in a while just to make sure I don’t need to adjust the heat and see how things are going. That’s when I take my wooden spoon and do a simple crumble of the burger as necessary, mostly to see if it’s done. What happens is this. The water stops the burger from sticking and burning to the pan. It also creates steam that combined with the lid cooks more evenly. The heat then breaks down the fat and what you have left is finely ground hamburger. I little chopping at the end separates big chunks. Then you drain in your calendar like always to get rid of all that fat and grease. I even do this using frozen hamburger, although I monitor it a little closer. Sometimes, I’ll use a crock pot.

I also throw in the chopped onions, garlic, etc depending on the recipe. The difference is if I want the onions carmalized, they’ll go in the pan first with a little butter and when they’re done, then the hamburger and water.
So now you know how to scramble hamburger. While we’re at it, here’s a favorite recipe using the scramble.

Goulash

Scramble up then drain
a pound of hamburger
medium chopped onion
tblspn chopped garlic
medium sized chopped green pepper

While your doing that, cook two cups elbow macaroni. When it’s done, drain it and set aside.

In a blender, food processor, or using a hand held immersion blender, mix up the following:
2 tblspns chili powder (the hotter, the better)
5 dashes of Tabasco
¼ tspn ea salt and pepper
1 can Mexican style tomatoes
1 tblspn ea 57 sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce

Throw the whole thing together in a skillet and low simmer about a half hour.
Stir once in a while to keep from sticking or burning. This also will burn off most of the moisture (nobody wants a runny goulash)

I hope you like it.

Feel free to send me your favorite recipes. They may even end up here on Uncle Ron’s Kitchen.