OKE: Beef

I've seen the words 'lazy day' and 'Cozy Sunday' a lot in blogs and magazine articles lately. It is fall afterall, and I can honestly say I'm in desperate need of a lazy cozy weekend! I feel like there's always something that has to be done, people to see, events to attend. Since weekends are our only time to spend together as a family, I'm feeling the pinch, along with my family, because I'm taking a 13 week Pro Chef Series which meets every Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am-12:30 but usually I don't get home until after 1pm. I get home and I'm hot, tired, and smelling of each week's culinary ingredient. Last Sunday, was pork class. I got home and my oldest son said, "What sinks like horrible food?"

Yes...he's been a real shit lately. He not happy that I'm gone every weekend until the afternoon. I get it. And it is true, I do smell like chicken, beef, garlic, onions, grilling, oil, pork...you name it! Just wait until Fish and Shellfish class. But seriously after 4 hours of cooking, my clothes, my hair, skin, and even my bra stinks like food and dare I admit, a hint of sweat. It's a ton of work and A LOT of fun and most importantly, I LOVE IT! I'm learning so much and the food has been out-of-this-world delicious! Don't worry, I'll blog some of Chef Teri's amazing recipes and share some cool techniques I've learned along the way. :)

But that brings me back to Lazy. Cozy. Sunday. I need one and my family needs one. I have no class the weekend after Thanksgiving so I'm scheduling my Lazy Cozy Weekend with my family. Just me, my husband and my boys. Nothing to do. Nowhere to be.

I'll turn off my phone, wear PJ's all day, make a big pot of soup, watch old movies, nerf guns, and play twister with the kids. Hey...who knows, maybe we'll go for a long walk or a bike ride...or maybe not...we're supposed to be LAZY right? Of course, the cozy part is completely dependent on SoCal weather. :)

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a delicious soup for your next lazy weekend!

Short Rib and Bok Choy Soup

Recipe slightly adapted from Three Beans on a String

Serves 8

2 pound short ribs, with or without bones

6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 Roma tomato, quartered
1 t. Chinese Five Spice
1 Habanero chile, halved and seeded
1/2 cup rice wine or sherry
1/2 cup soy sauce
12 cups chicken broth
1 lb. baby bok choy, sliced in 1-inch strips
10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

In a large stockpot, cover the short ribs with water and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and remove the beef and set aside. Discard water and wash the stock pot. This helps make a clearer broth. Return the par-boiled short ribs to the clean stockpot and add garlic, ginger, onion, tomato, five spice, Habanero chile, rice wine, soy sauce and chicken broth. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 3 hours or until meat is tender. Remove from heat and allow the soup to sit for an additional hour. Next, remove the beef from the pot and pour the broth through a sieve to strain out the vegetables while collecting the broth in another clean stock pot. Add beef back to the strained broth.
Skim any fat from the surface of the broth. (I refrigerated the soup overnight and removed the hardened fat from the surface)

Bring the soup back up to a boil and then add the mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the Bok Choy and blanch for another 2 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top soup with bean sprouts, green onions and cilantro.

Other Soup recipes to try:
Rustic Minestrone Chicken Pot Pie Soup Spicy Beef Stew

I woke up cold and reached for a blanket that wasn't there. The summer heat continued well into fall so I had't pulled the blankets out of the closet. Unable to warm up, I got out of bed, looked at the clock, and I was instantly happy. Not just about finally getting cooler weather but because I realized I'd slept through the night for the first time in months! It was after 6 A.M. Hooray! My usual night time routine was to wake up at 3-4 A.M. no matter the time I went to bed...and I STAY awake. I'm completely unable to fall back to sleep. It sucks!

But today, I felt renewed and rested. Also, I was excited because I was home from school today. No PTA. No volunteering. No meetings. No problems. No people. Just time for me! Time in my kitchen. Time in my home. Time to tend to the things that I enjoy...Time to cook!And cooking is what I did.
I made these ridiculously delicious Creole Beef Grillades. I experimented with this idea a few weeks ago with a cheap cut of beef and it turned out amazing.

I see a lot of affordable cuts of beef at the grocery store but I'm always unsure as how to cook them and have them taste good. Of course braising is the only way that came to mind for cheap cuts but I wanted something with a flavorful punch that's not spicy hot. I tend to make food spicy for flavor, but I didn't want this meal to be spicy...I wanted my kids to eat it. Creole flavors came to mind. So with a full shaker of Creole seasoning in my cupboard and some beef chuck steaks, this is what I came up with.
The ultimate cold weather comfort food. Happy Fall!

Creole Beef Grillades

Serves 6

6-8 beef chuck steaks
1 c. flour with a generous amount of Creole seasoning (for dredging)
3 T olive oil, divided
1/2 c. medium onion, diced
1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. red wine
3 T tomato paste
2 c. beef broth
2-3 bay leaves
2 T Creole Seasoning
pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dredge steaks in flour/Creole seasoning mixture and set aside.

In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, celery, red bell pepper and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside. Add remaining 2 T olive oil to the skillet and over high heat, brown the steaks about 5 minutes on each side. Remove steaks from skillet and place in a roasting pan.

Prepare Braising Gravy
De-glaze the skillet with red wine, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste, beef broth, bay leaves, Creole Seasoning and sauteed vegetables and heat to a simmer. About 8-10 minutes.
Pour the gravy mixture over browned steaks in the roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1.5-2 hours or until meat is tender. (Time will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks.)

Remove from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve over mashed potatoes or Grits for authentic Creole fare. Generously ladle gravy over the top and enjoy!