Author: kathrynrahz

Chefs. 

We cook even when we are sick. 

Some of the characteristics of a good chef are a high organizational skill set, the ability to receive criticism, and the passion and desire to learn more. 

We can also suck it up when we aren’t feeling our best selves. 

With that being said I decided to make beef barley soup to wash down my dose of antibiotic. In my defense, my Dr. told me that “you might want to take it with food, so it doesn’t upset your stomach.” 

Dr.’s orders. 

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Ingredients:

2 lbs. stew meat

2 onions, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

4 stalks celery, finely diced

2 Idaho potatoes, shredded

4 carrots, shredded

12 cups beef stock

1 cup barley

s&p, seasonings

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Directions:

1. Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Salt and pepper that stew meat generously. Seriously, do not be shy. Most of us that take an immense amount of pride in our kitchen creations keep salt and pepper at the range, right where we need it. As in, we don’t even have salt and pepper shakers at our tables, because if someone has to ask for the s&p we didn’t do our job. And we are not even going to have this debate in the year of Beans + Rahz , 2018.  NO.  S&P at the range only, because when your diners start messing around with the seasonings of their food and completely ruin your hard work don’t cry for me Argentina. Season it correctly yourself and you will thank me from now until forever. Moving on…
2. Brown up that beautiful stew meat. You will most likely need to do this in batches, as you want the meat to brown, and if you crowd the pan the meat will steam instead. That’s a hard NO. Brown and crusty is the way to go.
3. Once all of your meat is browned, remove it to a plate and set it aside. Lower the heat to your dutch oven slightly and add in the celery and onion. Sauté them for a few minutes, and then add in the garlic, and cook for about another minute more.
4. You can now do one of two things: you can finish the soup in the dutch oven on the stove, or you can transfer everything to your slow cooker. I decided on the slow cooker today.  Put the onions, celery, garlic and beef into your slow cooker. Add the beef stock, s&p, and seasonings. I say seasonings as a generalization, because it is truly up to you. Thyme is one of my favorites for beef. Today, my inner Beyoncé that I usually can dial down a notch or two was reigning supreme, so I went the extra route and did  Herbs de Provence.
5. Set it on low for about 6 hours. Once that time is up, add in the shredded potato and carrots. We aren’t fans of our carrots cooked, but doing it this way made it real tolerable, and also gave the soup a nice texture. Keep that on low for about another hour.
6. Next, add in one cup of barley. Barley is readily available in almost every grocery store, and you can usually find it with the rice and other grains. Heinen’s kept me on my toes and put it in the soup aisle, so take note, local Cleveland readers.
7. Once your barley is cooked, check and adjust your seasonings. Add in some chopped parsley, not only does it add a nice flavor, it also adds a nice little pop of color so your delicious bowl of soup doesn’t look like a bowl of brown winter sadness.

Today, I’m sick. It’s not man flu (yet), but I’ve got a cold that is something fierce. I wanted chicken noodle soup, but my punks children asked for spaghetti and meatballs. I’m always down for a meat heavy dish with a shot of carbs so I added it to the meal plan and off to the grocery store I went.

For awesome meatballs you should always do a mixture of meats. I like pork for the fat, and beef for the flavor. Our local Cleveland grocery store (and my fave) Heinen’s, makes what they call “meatloaf mix”, which is equal parts beef, veal , pork, and their genuine love and care for us all to have great meatballs. Don’t even come at me about the veal and love for animals thing, because I have a toddler at home so I can argue all day if I needed to.  If that’s not your thing just skip the veal and buy equal parts of  ground beef and pork and come along with the rest of us.

If you have a small army to feed like I do, follow along with the quantities I have listed below. Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you think you need to.  Either way, happy cooking and Buon Appetito!

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For the meatballs:

3lbs. meatloaf mix (or equal parts ground beef, veal and pork)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese (either is fine)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

4 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp. oregano

salt and pepper

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For the sauce:

4 cloves minced garlic

1 onion, halved

2- 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

2- 14 oz. cans tomato sauce

dash of red wine

Oregano, Basil, Salt, Pepper

Baking soda

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1. First you start with the meatballs. Put all of the ingredients into a big bowl and mix it together with your hands until it is well combined. Roll them into the size meatball you prefer. My two boys are hogs big eaters so I make mine about the size of a golf ball.
2. Heat up a dutch oven with some olive oil, and brown the meatballs on both sides. You will have to do this in batches so that you don’t crowd the dutch oven and mess with the glorious crust that you are trying to achieve.
3. Once your meatballs are all browned, set them aside on a plate. It is ok that they are not cooked all the way through, You are going to finish cooking them in the sauce.
4. Using the same dutch oven, lower the heat slightly, and then add your minced garlic. You are going to cook this very quickly, as you don’t want to burn that precious garlic.
5. Next,  pour in a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of those crusty bits, because the crusty bits are forever the flavor and ALL THE BUSINESS.
6. Add in your tomatoes, and seasonings. The two onion halves go in next. I keep them halved, because I am not a fan of diced onions in my sauce, but I do like the flavor of onion. So I keep them in halves and fish them out later, when the sauce is done.
7. Then you are going to add the meatballs back in, to finish cooking. I didn’t cover mine with a lid, instead I used one of those screen things that everyone’s Grandma had to keep it from splashing all over her stove top. I let my sauce simmer for about 1/2 hour or so.
8. Cook your pasta to al dente.
9. Once your sauce is done simmering, turn off the heat. Fish out those two onion halves and discard them. Now here is where you were all probably like, baking soda? What? Your Italian grandmother and I will agree that the acidity of the tomato needs toned down. But we will disagree about what to use. Most recipes will tell you to use some sugar, which will work, but I am not a fan of the sweetness added to my sauce. Instead, I add about 3/4 tsp. of baking soda to mine. It will fizz and bubble for a minute, and that is normal. When it’s  done, give your sauce a nice little stir, give it a little taste, and adjust your s&p if you need to.
10. Serve it on top of your favorite pasta, top it with some parmesan, and enjoy!

When does hibernation start? Because I am 100% participating in that.

The colder weather makes my appetite bigger, and most of my menu consists of very meat heavy soups and stews. I figure I can have all the grilled chicken and salads in the summer. It’s called balance.

Pot roast is a recipe you should all know how to make. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and your kitchen will smell like the Lord’s kitchen. You will probably be saved.

Classic Pot Roast:

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3-5 lb. beef chuck roast

2 onions, peeled and cut in half

6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

Beef Stock

Red wine

Salt, pepper, thyme, and 2 bay leaves.

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1. Season the meat with salt and pepper. DO NOT be shy here. Salt and pepper is all the flavor.
2. Get a dutch oven on the stove, over medium/high heat, with some high quality olive oil.  Add the halved onions to the pot, and brown them on each side. Remove and set aside. A platter or plate works fine.
3. Add the carrots to the pot and cook them until they are slightly browned. When they are done, add them to the plate with the onions.
4. Add a little more olive oil to the pot, and turn up the heat just a little hotter. You are going to sear each side of the meat. This step is everything. This step brings out all of the flavor of that glorious meat and you will make your grandmother proud. It will take a few minutes on each side, so don’t lose your patience. If it is sticking to the dutch oven, it’s not ready to be turned to the next side yet.  Patience is a virtue that I also do not possess, but trust me, wait until it is ready. Get that meat brown and crusty.
5. Once it is all browned, you are going to remove the meat to the same platter with the carrots and onions. What you are going to do next here is called deglazing. This consists of  getting up all of those crusty brown bits from the bottom of the pot because that is where all of the flavor lives. That is THE BUSINESS.  But deglazing is the proper term, so you should also email the food network and let them know that they should put you on deck for the newest show because you too know how to use fancy culinary terminology. I used wine here, but you could also just use more beef stock. Pour it in, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up all of those crusty bits at the bottom. It’s going to make some steam, so keep your hands away to avoid any unnecessary burns.
6. You are now going to put the meat, carrots and onions back into the pot, and you are going to top it off with the beef stock , so that it is just covered. Then add the herbs, You can use whatever you like. I like to stay traditional and go with a bay leaf, thyme, and a little rosemary. You are going to bring this to a simmer, and then put the lid on, and let your dutch oven do its magic. Keep it at a gentle simmer for about 4-5 hours. When you remove the lid, the meat should be falling apart at this point.
7. Once it is done, it is up to you how it will be served. I love me some mashed potatoes, and this is always a safe bet to keep all of your diners happy. Even your picky ass eaters children will enjoy it. Whatever you choose, you definitely want to pour that glorious meat juice from the pot on top of it, unless you hate yourself. You can also serve it with the cooked carrots from the pot, but this is not a crowd favorite at the Rahz house. We apparently prefer our carrots so raw that they tell us Bible stories.