Beef Mushroom and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. sirloin, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups (32 oz.) beef broth, plus
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 cups (32 oz.) boiling water  
1 cup dry pearl barley 
 salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large 6 -8 quart pot, on med-low heat, melt olive oil and butter.  Brown the beef. Then add the chopped onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until onions are soft.  Add chopped celery, carrots and mushrooms; cook for a few more minutes.  Add beef broth and beef bouillon mixture (should have 8 cups total, broth and bouillon).  Add bay leaf and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an hour.  Add a bit more water if liquid level goes down.  Add barley, stir, bring to boil again, then reduce to simmer -- cover and cook for another 1/2 hour, until barley is tender.  Adjust for salt and pepper, to taste.  Remove bay leaf and serve.

Tourtiere

A favorite recipe from my mother-in-law, Margaret Guthrie.  Traditionally served at Christmas-time.  I love the blend of spices and the way the house smells when it is cooking.  For years I thought this was an old family recipe -- and I guess now it is, but I learned many years later that it was not, and I think, originally from Bon Apetit magazine.   Anyway, it is so good, and has been a Guthrie tradition for longer than I have been in the family!

Filling Ingredients:

2 cups chopped onion

1-1/2 ground sirloin

1- 14 oz. can whole tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped celery leaves

1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp each nutmeg, mace, ground pepper, ground cloves

2 tsp cornstarch

1 chicken bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Filling Directions:

Brown meat, onion, garlic.  Add tomatoes and break up.  Add celery, salt, thyme, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ground pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes (**) until most of moisture has evaporated and mixture is quite dry.  Dissolve cornstarch in bouillon and stir into meat.  Cook until mixture thickens (about 2 minutes). Add chopped parsley. Set aside and roll out cough for crust. 

**  Make Dough while the meat cooks (there is a top and bottom crust).  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

Dough Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter (original ingredients said chilled oleo)

6 Tbsp. cold shortening

1/3 cup ice water

1 egg beaten (for brushing on the crust before baking)

Dough Directions:

Mix together flour and salt.  Cut shortening and butter into flour mixture until butter is pea-sized.  Add ice water slowly and mix with fork until dough holds mostly together.  Gather dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate until the meat mixture is cooked and ready to be used as filling.  When ready, divide the dough in half.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough for the bottom crust.  Gently line the pie plate with the rolled out dough.  Roll out the other half of the dough.  Fill the the bottom crust in the pie plate with all of the meat mixture.  Cover with the rolled out top half of dough.  Trim excess dough around edges, press the top edge of the dough to the bottom  dough,  I roll the edges of the dough under first, then crimp decoratively.  Brush crust with 1 beaten egg. Cut slits in the top decoratively to vent.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  

Serves 8.

Rouldaden

Recipe from Margaret Guthrie -- Good served with warm German potato salad.     Serves 4

Ingredients:

Sirloin tip cut 1/4" thick

large dill pickle cut in 1/4

1/2 lb. diced bacon

1 or 2 chopped onion

1 cup red wine

mustard

beef bouillon

salt

Directions:

Spread each cutlet with mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, onion, bacon and pickle.  Roll and secure (with toothpicks or string).  Brown in butter.  Add 1 cup bouillon and wine.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove toothpicks before serving.

Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1 to 1-1/2 lb. sirloin strips, dried on paper towels
1/2 cup cornstarch for coating beef
1/2 cup peanut oil for frying beef
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
fresh ground sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. Mirin (Japanese sweetened saki -- get in aisle near soy sauce)

additional 2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp. water
additional ground pepper, to taste
additional red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl or ramekin, mix together the soy sauce and Mirin with the cornstarch and water; set aside. Salt and pepper the beef, then coat with 1/2 cup cornstarch. In a large frying pan, heat oil on med-high heat until hot. Add red pepper flakes and cook for a few seconds. Add beef and cook on each side until well browned and crispy. Remove from pan to serving dish and set aside. Add a few more red pepper flakes and then green pepper and onion slices to pan. Stir fry for a few minutes until cooked, but still a bit crisp. Add beef back to pan and stir. Add more fresh ground black pepper, to taste. Turn down heat to med-low. Stir the soy sauce mixture again, and add to the pan, stirring to coat the beef and vegetables as the sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

(Serves 4)

Orange Beef

Ingredients:

2 Florida juice oranges (or 3 Florida tangerines)
1-1/2 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. peanut oil for sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch for sauce
2 Tbsp. water

1-1/2 lb. sirloin strips, cut into bite-size pieces, and dried on paper towels
Additional 1/2 cup cornstarch for coating beef
Additional 1/2 cup peanut oil for frying beef
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions:

(1) Using a peeler, zest the 2 oranges and set zest aside.
(2) In a small bowl, then squeeze the juice from the 2 oranges and set juice aside.
(3) In large bowl, toss beef pieces in 1/2 cup cornstarch and set aside.
(4) In a small pot, mix fresh orange juice, ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. peanut oil. Bring to a boil. In a small measuring cup, mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. water and add slowly to the boiling orange mixture, stirring until mixture is thickened, then turn off heat.
(5) In a large frying pan, add 1/2 cup peanut oil. Cooking on medium-high heat, add red pepper flakes and stir for about a minute, until pepper flakes are browned. Then add pieces of orange zest, stirring constantly until zest just begins to turn brown around edges. Remove zest pieces and set aside. Add cornstarch coated beef to the frying pan and cook turning occasionally until beef is well browned and very crispy.
(6) Add the cooked orange zest pieces back to the beef in the pan and stir.
(7) Add the cooked and thickened orange mixture to the beef in the pan and stir quickly to distribute the sauce evenly. Remove from heat.

Serve immediately with steamed Jasmine rice (cook with a Tbsp. minced ginger) and steamed broccoli.

(Serves 4)