Adobo Sauce

Authentic Mexican Adobo Sauce is easy to make and allows you to create any flavor you want. In most supermarkets and grocery stores there are ethnic isles that have many different types of dried chili peppers. They range from hot to mild. You can choose any combination to create the heat you need for your guests.

To make an adobo sauce is pretty straight forward. Chop up about 10 - 12 dried peppers (we like using a lot for a stronger flavor) and heat them up in a cast iron pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil for a few minutes. We removed the seeds and stems. You will begin to smell the strong flavor soon.

Plunge the hot oily peppers into a small bowl of water (~ 2 cups) and wait a few minutes for the flavor to penetrate the water. Use another plate to keep the peppers under water if necessary.

In a blender add the peppers and water, then pulse. Then add the vinegar, brown sugar (you could use white but the molases adds flavor), cumin, salt and some hot sauce. Blend until smooth. Taste and see if it needs any more sugar. You will find that the taste will not be too sweet, but more vinegar should come through. Flavor really begins to develop over the slow cooking process.

Slow Cooked Beef Chuck in Adobo Sauce

To make the dish cut up the chuck (or bottom round) into cubes and brown them in some oil or bacon fat. Then add the onions, sautee and then add the tomato paste. Stir until combined, then add the adobo sauce. If you want you can add other ingredients. We added fresh red peppers to the dish at this point.

Put the lid on to the dutch oven and let cook in the oven at ~ 300 degrees F for about 2 hours.

We actually made this dish on an outdoor charcol grill so we checked the dutch oven every 15 - 20 minutes to make sure nothing was burning. When using a charcol grill make sure not to have too many coals making it too hot, you want to slow cook the dish. 

Beef ribs taste great and make an interesting presentation for the holidays or any summer day. They are usually very expensive to have out, but we found them for about $3/pound (December 2008) at our local grocer.

So we started with two racks, about 3 pounds total, although the bones on beef ribs are a lot larger and heavier then with the more familiar baby back pork ribs. Beef ribs also have less meat than you are paying for because of the size of the bones, but they have a richer taste than pork ribs. They do not fall apart quite the same way as pork ribs either, so they are easier to move once cooked. Pork ribs tend to completely fall apart when you try to move them.

Baby Back Pork Ribs

Preparation

We laid them out on a half sheet pan the night before and coated them with a dry rub, sometimes referred to as a dry brine because of all the salt in the rub.

Rub

• 4 teaspoons kosher salt, use less for table salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Rub the mix all over the ribs, coating both the back and the front. Cover with foil and let sit overnight.

Cooking

Preheat your over to 325 degrees F and cook for 2 hours. Then remove the foil and rub a little barbecue sauce on the top (presentation side) of the ribs and place under the broiler for 5 - 10 minutes.

Serve.

They will be tender and should have a very beefy flavor, but do not rush the cooking process because the meat can become tough if the heat is too high.

Save the Bones

The bones have a lot of flavor and really should be used. If you take the bones and sautee them with some butter on high heat you can begin to make a great beef stock to use in soups or stews.

Salisbury Steak is a great way to serve a large tough piece of meat. By the time the meal is ready the meat will be easy enough to cut with a fork.

The goal is to not have the meat totally fall apart. You want the pieces to stay intact but to be buttery and smooth. We served this meal with mashed potatoes, but green beans, rice or just about anything else would work great.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 300° F.

	Slice the beef in 1 - 1 ½ inch pieces
	Lightly flour each sides and use a meat mallet to work the flour into each piece as the meat tenderizes and becomes thinner.
	In a large dutch oven (5 - 8 quarts) sear the tenderized meat for 4 minutes on each side. Add salt and pepper to each side. Remove the seared meat and put aside while you sear the next piece.
	Rough chop the celery, onions and carrots. Add to the pot and deglaze with white wine or vermouth. Add 2 - 3 cups chicken stock.
	Place the meat back in the pot and cook in the oven at 300° F for about 3 hours.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 pound of ground chuck
• 3 onions, diced
• 4 carrots, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp worcester sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Sweet, spicy, smokey and oh so tasty. Are you used to old tacos with ground beef and a taco mix? Forget about it! These fresh, great tasting tacos take Mexican food up to a whole other level. Although this recipe was inspired by a pair of Korean tacos we had out, the ingredients are primarily Mexican: suffice it to say, you could probably call this recipe a fusion between the two cuisines.

By upgrading the meat here to flank steak (skirt steak would work too), instead of using the much more common ground beef, you make the dish far more interesting. We cook the meat, slice it thinly, and then add it to a very flavorful sauce which couldn't be easier to make, provided of course you have a can of smokey chipotle chilis in adobo sauce on hand. Without it - or without some other equally good smokey chili sauce, the finished product won't be nearly as good, so you definitely don't want to skip this step. The sauce comes together quickly: ketchup (or canned tomatoes would work too), vinegar, brown sugar, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, soy, worcester and a touch of sesame oil. It sounds like quite a few ingredients, but there really aren't too many and you probably have most of them in your pantry anyway.

In terms of a shell, we used steamed corn tortillas. This feels like a fresher and more appealing alternative to hard taco shells which you usually buy pre made, and who knows what's in those shells anyway? Steaming corn tortillas is very easy to do: dampen a kitchen towel with water and wring it out very well. Then wrap a stack of tortillas in the slightly damp towel and place the whole package in a thick bottom pot (enameled cast iron would be ideal, but some other equally thick pot would also do.) Then put the the lid on and put pot on low heat for a while and turn the package with tortillas every once in a while to distribute the heat (just make sure to keep the heat low since you don't want to burn the towel!)

The tender, flavorful meat goes well with some nice crispy shredded cabbage studded with fragrant cilantro. We also added avocado, because when can you ever go wrong with avocado? as well as a dollop of sour cream (which moved this dish into Mexican territory as opposed to Korean...) Anyway, this additon mellowed the heat a bit and completed the dish. So try this - it's unexpected and will make you think about tacos in a whole new way.

Servings:  about 6

Ingredients:

1.5 lb flank steak, or other similar piece

Sauce (very approximate measurements):
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 chipotle chilis, finely chopped up and 2 tbsp of adobo sauce
3 finely minced garlic cloves
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcester sauce

Toppings
1/3 head of green cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 avocados, cut in pieces
corn tortillas (enough for two tortillas per taco)
sour cream

Method:

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Let cook for about 15 minutes, taste and see if the balance is good.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper the flank steak well and cook it over pretty high heat. Allow to rest, then slice in fine pieces. If more cooking is needed, quickly saute the slices over high heat, and then add them to the sauce. Let cook for few minutes to distribute the flavors.

Steam the corn tortillas.

Mix the shredded cabbage with the chopped cilantro.

Then assemble:

Take two steamed corn tortillas (so it keeps together better), add some meat and sauce, top with cabbage and cilantro, avocado and sour cream. Enjoy!

 Individual Meat Loaves

We love to make this dish over and again because it tastes great and the individual portions are a perfect size. Just cut them in half to save some for later, or to split with someone else. We usually serve the meat loaf with a baked potato and some kind of vegetable like the string beans in the above photo.

* 1 tablespoon good olive oil
 * 3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
 * 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
 * 2 teaspoons kosher salt
 * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 * 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
 * 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
 * 1 tablespoon tomato paste
 * 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
 * 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
 * 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
 * 1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

View Full Recipe

This sliced zucchini and meat sauce casserole is a bit like a lasagna, but without the pasta. It's a very flavorful dish to make, and feels a lot like comfort food. This dish is great to make if you happen to have a lot of zucchini on hand, or if you simply try to eat less carbs.

Even though it doesn't have pasta in it, it's still delicious with a rich and flavorful meat sauce that contains some red wine. Here we like to go flavorful, yet pretty cheap. There is no point in spending a lot of money on a wine here, so go for something which you would like to drink with the meal, but nothing too fancy. We usually like to use a Chianti or something similar.

Zucchini has a lot of water in it, so to prevent the dish from getting too watery, it's a good idea to first slice the zucchini and apply a liberal amount of table salt over it. When placed in a colander, the zucchini will release liquid and will be perfect to use after 20 to 30 minutes.

This meatless lasagna would work well to freeze, so if you're looking for a nice dish to make frozen lunch boxes with to take to work, then this would be a great choice.

Sliced Zucchini & Meat Sauce Casserole (Pastaless Lasagna)

• 3 small (or 2 large) zucchinis
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1.5 pound of ground beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• fresh pepper
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 2 cups of red wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ pound grated cheese (Mozzarella or Monterey Jack)

Method:

Put the oven on 375 degrees. Slice the zucchinis thinly and salt liberally between the slices. Place in a colander and let sit to release the water.

Using a large pot, put the heat on pretty high and add the ground beef, cook for a few minutes until brown, add the onions and continue to cook another 10 minutes or so. At this point add the garlic, the oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and then cook for a minute or two before adding the diced tomatoes and red wine. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the sugar and balsamic vinegar. Taste and possibly add some more salt and pepper.

Now rinse the zucchini of excess salt and dry with a paper towel.

Utilizing a 9x4 dish, first put in a layer of meat sauce, then a layer of sliced zucchini and then some grated cheese. Repeat with another layer of meat sauce, then the rest of the zucchini slices, more meat sauce and a layer of grated cheese on top.

Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes until nice and brown on top. Serve with a crisp salad, some crusty bread and a glass of the remaining wine.

We usually make hamburgers with ground chuck or sirloin, or a combination of both, but this time we had some frozen beef tenderloin and decided to try making a burger with that instead. Given that beef tenderloin does not have much fat we also added a little sausage.

The result was really good, even though all the ingredients were frozen and we ground everything in a food processor, the patties came together really well.

We even got a chance to use a little trick from the "America's Test Kitchen" so that the meat was nice and flat when it cooked. 

Method

Frozen meat can be difficult to chop, so be careful and run them under some cold water so that they are not too slippery.

Chop all the meat in pretty small pieces. Place in the food processor in small batches and pulse until ground. 

Add the salt and pepper. 

Heat a cast iron pan for a few minutes on medium-high. 

Form into 5 ounce patties (150 grams) and place an indentation in the middle of each burger so that when it cooks it does not rise up too much.

Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Ingredients

300 grams sausage

454 grams beef tenderloin

2 tablespoons single malt scotch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and broken
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 18 ounces ground chuck
• 18 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey

Method:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.

Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

Swedish meatballs are real comforting fall and winter food. Warm, hearty and oh-so tasty, they are a perfect project on a dreary Sunday afternoon. We like to make a double (or triple) batch and freeze some, because they are perfect to keep on hand in the freezer.

There is something nice and soothing about rolling each little meatball to a perfect size and watch them line up on baking sheet one by one. Then frying batch after batch and satisfyingly watch your fall storage come together. This is a project that’s fun to gather your friends and family around. Anybody with clean hands, old or young can help out and roll. And let’s face it, after rolling 20 or 30 meatballs, you don’t mind switching off and letting someone else take a turn…

Swedish meatballs are usually quite small as opposed to Italian meatballs and traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam. If you can’t find lingonberry jam, a nice cranberry sauce is a possible substitute, since cranberries share the lingonberry’s sweet tartness.

These meatballs are also nice to serve next to a red beet salad – or favorite is making sandwiches using a dark bread, red beet salad and meatballs cut in half. That’s also quite a traditional combination, and for those of you who never heard of it, you should really try it, because it’s quite good!

Swedish Meatballs (Svenska Köttbullar)

About 30 meatballs (4 to six servings)

• 1/3 cup hot milk
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 bullion cube
• ½ cup very finely chopped onion (or grated)
• 3/4 pound ground chuck
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Butter for frying

	Method: In a small bowl, combine hot milk, bread crumbs, crumbled bullion cube and chopped onion. Stir and set aside and let swell for a few minutes. In a bowl, or a mixer, with paddle attachment combine the meat, the bread-and-milk mixture, the eggs, the Worcester sauce and the spices. Either mix well with a wooden spoon or beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
	Roll our meatballs, using your hands and place them on a sheet pan. We like to make each meatball slightly under 1 oz in weight, but you can certainly make them as large or small as you like. Swedish meatballs are traditionally quite small… When you have rolled them all out, heat some butter in a cast-iron pan. Wait until the butter is warm and bubbly, and carefully add the meatballs. Be sure to not turn them too soon, you want to make sure they form a nice surface before rolling them around, or they might break. Sauté until golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes, then transfer to another sheet pan and start a new batch.
	If you’re planning to eat these right away, then you can keep them in a low oven to keep them warm, while you sauté the rest. If you want to cool them, you can place them on a sheet pan with a drying rack on top turned upside down with some paper (newspaper or paper towels) between the sheet pan and the drying rack. This will help absorb any extra fat or drippings. Once you’re done cooking, you could utilize the scrapes of the pan and make a gravy. Simply whisk in some flour to make a roux. Next, add some beef stock, or some water, and finish off with some heavy cream. Possibly season with some extra salt and pepper.