My New Favorite Beef Stew

Now that it's getting colder, I recently got out one of my favorite recipes for beef stew.  However, a while ago I realized that it's far too complicated for everyday use.  It has a few ingredients that tend to be duplicated (two types of onions), or can just omitted. (Does 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste REALLY add that much flavor to a huge pot?)

So, I've modified it a bit. It's a very easy recipe that serves six. and makes the entire kitchen and house smell delicious. This modified recipe is easier to find ingredients for, it reduces chopping, and, of course, I've added more wine to my original recipe.  :)

Recipe of the Week: Meat Ragu

Ragu and ziti pasta cooking
on stove-top.

I've been on an Italian kick lately.  Last weekend we made Bolognese. The week before we visited an Italian restaurant.  And before that, we visited ANOTHER Italian restaurant. Needless to say, my wife wasn't surprised when I decided to try making a new meat sauce.

The below meat ragu recipe is based on the recipe in the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. When I was learning to cook, a friend recommended it.  And it is now the most used, destroyed and beloved cookbook in our kitchen.

This is an awesome cookbook is made by the same people who made the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, mentioned above:


This meat ragu came out very hearty with a strong beef flavor. In some ways, it almost tastes like my favorite beef stew.  However, the Pecorino Romano cheese and the Ziti noodles all but made me forget the resemblance. If I were to modify this recipe, I'd try to give it a more Italian flavor by adding oregano, a couple cloves of garlic and more tomatoes.

Click Read More for the ingredients and directions.

Taco Bell Offers Discounted Food This Week Only

Due to the debacle over their not-so-meaty beef, Taco Bell is planning on squelching the cacophony of dissent, by offering discounted Crunchwrap Supremes!  YAAY!

Because nothing says "We stand behind our 88% beef-like product," like a flour tortilla, wrapped around a fried corn shell, with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and eventually beef -- all for $.88.  Don't forget the Fire sauce!

Please understand, I love me some Taco Bell.  But really, celebrating the fact that your beef is over 10% filler, is just sad.  Just offer some cheap steak tacos and I'll be good. (F.Y.I. their Fresco menu items, are outstanding!)

Click the jump for a link to Taco Bell's $.88 Crunchwrap Supreme.

Taco Bell Beef Isn't Really Beef -- I KNEW IT!!!

This isn't the most noteworthy news.  After all, did any of us REALLY assume that Taco Bell used real ground beef in their amazingly cheap (yet delicious) food-like offerings?

Nope, me either.

Here is a listing of what is in their "Ground Beef" that's really called "Taco Meat Filling."  Personally, I'm just relieved that there isn't any horse...

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate

How's that for a list?  Nothing says yummy taco like "autolyzed yeast extract."

Hit the jump for Taco Bell's response:

Tri-Tip Coming to the East Coast

Below is an article I ran across in the Sacramento Bee which talks about a cut of beef that I grew up with -- tri-tip.

When marinated and thrown on the grill, this cut of beef is absolutely delicious. Found between the bottom sirloin and round, this triangular cut (hence the name tri-tip) of beef will be found at almost every backyard grill and every street fair during the summer in California's Central Valley.

Below is a part of the article, with the link to the full story. Apparently tri-tip is growing in popularity and is found in a few restaurants on the east coast. Yay!
-------------------------------------------------

Tri-tip is 'California's Cut' -- and a gift to the nation
apierleoni@sacbee.com
Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2010

When it comes to beef, tri-tip rules as the king of the California grill. Now this humble, easy-to-cook cut is gaining a toehold in other parts of the nation and is even wowing diners in the Big Apple.

Sporadic consumer demand outside California has spurred Costco, other national chains and regional grocers, to supply what the California Beef Council has officially dubbed California's Cut. The council has fielded so many requests from people in other states longing for tri-tip that it posted a meat-cutting chart on its Web site (http://www.calbeef.org/).

"These are people who moved out of California or who tasted tri-tip during a visit here, and they can't find it where they live," explained Laura Norman, marketing director for the Sacramento-based council. "Now they can take our chart to their butchers and have a tri-tip cut especially for them."

While these grass-roots appeals caught some grocers' attention, they hadn't caused a ripple in any dining meccas. Then, earlier this year, Northern California tri-tip czar John Pickerel introduced New York City to California's Cut at his Tri Tip Grill. Ever since, New Yorkers have lined up there for a taste. . .

Click here for the rest of the article.

Recipe Friday: Super Bowl Chili!

As you probably know, I consider chili to be one of the major food groups. It's yummy. It's filling.
And it's absolutely perfect for cold weather and Super Bowl parties!

I came to love chili while eating at Hard Times in Alexandria, Virgina. Fortunately for my taste buds (but unfortunately for my waist line), I happened to work within a few blocks of that restaurant for the better part of the decade.

I got to know their four types of chili (Terlingua Red, Texas, Cincinatti, and Vegetarian) very well. As for my favorite -- it was a mix of Terlingua Red and Texas.

For those of you unfamiliar with these types of chilis, I'll do my best to describe them:

Texas chili is cooked in it's own juices, contains no tomato, has strong chili powder and cumin flavors, and is one of the spicier chilis. Terlingua Red is slightly less spicy, and has a tomato base (which gives it the red color).

So, a while ago I decided to try to make a hybrid of these two chilis. And after several tries, I think that I've finally got this one correct!

Click Read More for the details:

Recipe Friday: Mom's EZ Lasagna Recipe

This is my Mother's easy lasagna recipe. For those of you who don't know my Mom, she doesn't consider herself to be a cook. So, if she's got a go-to recipe, you know it's easy to prepare, cook, and clean-up. The beauty of this recipe is that you don't need to pre-cook the lasagna noodles. Just throw them in all crunchy, and after one hour, viola! Soft yummy noodles in the lasagna!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic
32 ounces omato sauce
1 package lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta
1/2 cups parmesean
1 tbsp parsley
3 cups mozzarella and cheddar combined

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375
2) Brown meat in skillet with onion and garlic
3) Combine ricotta and parsley (when dealing with the ricotta, it's easiest to just use your hands)
4) In a deep pan start layers from the bottom up. sauce --> noodles --> ricotta -->beef --> cheese --> sauce --> noodles --> ricotta --> beef --> sauce --> cheese
5) Cover tightly with aluminum foil
6) Bake at 375 for one hour.
7) Serve with garlic bread using garlic butter recipe
8) Enjoy!

Chico's Mexican Grill

The other day I was again craving mexican food. So, I decided to drive to a nearby restaurant with my friend, to check out Chico's Mexican Grill.

Located in a rather bland strip mall on the corner of Statesville and Gilead, Chico's is very easy to get to. Once I made my way past the Food Lion in the same mall, I grabbed a parking space, and we made our way in.

I was suprised by the atmosphere at this restaurant. It's sorta cute. The tables at the booths are covered with colorful tile, and in the middle of the restaurant there is a sort of a wooden pergola covering a row of booths. It has no function other than to add atmosphere, and I liked it quite a bit.

We were quickly taken to our seats, and upon seating were promptly brought chips and salsa. To be honest, the salsa was nothing special -- it was very similar to what I get at the store. But nevertheless, I promptly started munching. Our waitress arrived quickly and took our drink orders. And then I started looking over the menu.

On the back of the menu were the lunch specials, and there were many of them. I settled on the special with the tostada, taco, and enchilada. After a short wait, our food arrived, and I dug in. I started with the enchilada. Which, really, wasn't an enchilada. It was simply a flour tortilla filled with beef and topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. It wasn't the standard enchilada that is baked in the sauce. To be honest, I found the beef to be lacking in flavor, so I started applying salsa, to the enchilada. It helped.

Then I hit the tostada. It was good, but not great. It was a simple tostada with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato. It just wasn't enough to keep my tongue happy so I proceeded to the crispy beef taco. Again, I found it to be lacking flavor. The beef just didn't have enough flavor for me. I'm used to mexican food having a distinctive flavor, and this just lacked most flavor. In my opinion, they needed to add some more cumin, oregano, and onion to the beef.

Aside from the beef, the taco was good. The lettuce and tomatoes seemed to be fresh, and the crispy taco shell wasn't soggy. But since the meat tends to add so much flavor, I was just disappointed by the overall experience.

But it should be noted that the atmosphere and service were great. Our drinks were regularly refilled, and the service was fast and friendly.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (Including tip, lunch was less than $10)

Conclusion: Chico's has a lot of promise -- but I just couldn't get over the lack of flavor of the beef. But I did enjoy my time there, so I will be heading back, and trying another dish and meat. Hopefully next time the meal will be a bit better.

Restaurant Info:
Chico's Mexican Grill
North Statesville Rd.
Suite B2
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-992-2755
http://www.chicosmexgrill.com