Beef Irish Stew

So the other day I threw together a vegetable irish style soup stew thing and that got me thinking about trying the real deal. So today that is just what I did. I really wanted to get lamb meat for the stew, however I could not find any worth getting this week so I chose beef as a replacement. I think it turned out quite well and was a delicious lunch for me today.

Ingredients:
1 lb Beef Stew Meat
1/3 cup Shallots, diced
6 Garlic Cloves, diced
6 Scallions, diced
3 Leeks, sliced
6 Celery Stalks, sliced
10 Carrots, sliced
15 sm Potatoes, halved and quartered
1 can Guinness beer
3 cups Beef Broth
1 can Tomato Paste
Italian Herb Mix
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Fennel Powder
Fenugreek Powder
Sweet Paprika
1/4 stick Butter
Lowry's Seasoning

I began this recipe by gathering my ingredients.

I then proceeded to slice up the Carrots first. They got the first mixing bowl, which I then added the sliced Celery Stalks and Leeks while topping off with the sliced Scallions.

In another bowl, I put the diced up Shallots and Garlic Cloves.

The third bowl got the halved and quartered Potatoes.

I put a pot on the stove and that is where I put the 3 cups or so of water and a beef bullion cube to make the beef broth. Put the heat on high and mostly cover. It should be ready in a few minutes.

Now, I put this to the side for a second while I threw the meat into the large saucepot with the Butter and a healthy dash of Lowry's. Once the meat was done browing, I took it out into a bowl on the side. Using the liquid still in there, I put in the Garlic Cloves and Shallots. Mix together quite well.

Once the Shallots have begun to caramalize and turn translucent, put the meat back in there.

I let this go for about a minute. Then the vegetable medly bowl had it's contents put into the mix. Then of course mixed together.

Next were the Potatoes. Mix together.

I put in about 1/2 the beef broth. At this point I added the can of Tomato Paste.

Mix it together and add the rest of the beef broth.

Now add the can of delicious Guinness beer. Any stout would do, but Guinness is great so why not that one!

Now let the stew come to a boil, reduce heat to just above simmering and let cook for about an hour.

Taste test at the end to make sure it's done, if not let cook more. Enjoy.

Center Cut Pork Chops

Last night I made myself a delicious meaty treat of a dinner. I had seen this cut of pork in several cookbooks and cooking tv shows, however I have never cooked using it. Well, I did this last night and it turned out amazing!










Ingredients:
2 Center Cut Pork Chops
4 Shallots
5 Garlic Cloves
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Sage
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Fennel Powder
Sweet Paprika
1/2 stick Butter

I began likes usual by gathering my ingredients.

I then diced up the Shallots and Garlic Cloves. I put the saucepan on the stovetop with the heat medium. In goes your 1/2 stick of Butter.

Once that begins to melt, in goes your Shallots and Garlic Cloves.

Now, shred all your spices and herbs. I did not list an amount because I only used about a spoonful or so of each. Probably less of the Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper.

Put the herbs in first.

Then add spices.

Mix together thoroughly.

Add in your 2 Center Cut Pork Chops.

Flip after a few minutes.

Do so again about 8 minutes later.

They should be done about 5 minutes after that. All that is left is to dish out and serve. I served mine with a garnish of Rosemary and a cold delicious beer. Enjoy.

White Mushroom Sauce on Linguine Pasta

I was not feeling all that well last night and my girlfriend made sure that I was going to be alright. I think she did amazing at it even though it wasn't much, but it's the thought that counts. So today on my way home from work, I stopped by the store and picked up some Mushrooms since I was going to whip up some amazing food for her dinner today. So let me know what you think!

Ingredients
Pasta
bunch of Linguine Pasta
Italian Herb Mix
Sea Salt

Mushrooms
1 lb White Button Mushrooms
3 Shallots
1/2 stick Butter
1/2 cup White Wine
Italian Herb Mix
Ground Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Fennel Powder
Sea Salt
Fenugreek Seeds
Flax Seeds
Sesame Seeds

I began this with the knowledge that she loves Mushrooms. I have been slowly getting into making sauces because I find the process quite interesting and want to be able to make them for any occasion. So I gathered my materials and began this endeavor.

I filled a pot about halfway with water, a dash of Sea Salt, and a heavy dash of Italian Herb Mix. I turned the heat for it to high. Once it started to boil, I turned the heat down to medium and proceeded to grab the Linguine Pasta. I took out a good amount and snapped it all in half and put them in the pot. Make sure to keep an eye on it at first so it doesn't boil over. Pay no attention to the 2 Chorizo Sausages I am cooking up for tomorrow's lunch in the small pot! Then turn your attention to the Mushrooms.

I diced the Shallots and sliced the Mushrooms first. In the saucepan, I put the half stick of Butter in and turned the heat to high medium. Once the butter was mostly melted, I turned the heat down to just below medium and threw in the diced Shallots.

Once they started to turn translucent, I added in the sliced Mushrooms and half cup of White Wine. Mix really well to get all the Mushrooms covered with the sauce in there. Check your Pasta at this point, it should be close to being done. Once it is done, turn off the burner and cover.

About 1 minute later, I added in the spices. First I went with a heavy pinch of Italian Herb Mix with slightly smaller pinches of Onion and Garlic Powder. Fennel Powder was next and I used about the same amount as I did for the Italian Herb Mix. To finish it a dusting of Flax, Fenugreek, and Sesame Seeds went in. Mix together thoroughly.

Once the Mushrooms are spongey, they are done cooking. Turn off the burner. Now turn your attention to your Pasta. Get a strainer out and pour the pasta into it. Use a pair of tongs to take the pasta out to serve. I used a ladle to scoop out Mushrooms and the sauce mixture from the pan and carefully pour on top of the pasta. I added some grape tomatoes as garnish around the edges, which I must say the color contrast is quite nice. Enjoy.

Asparagus with Buttery Shallot Sauce

I picked up some Shallots this past week because I have never actually used them for cooking. Well, that needed to change. I've seen many recipes with them used and thought that a recipe I threw together would be a good start before delving into more complicated usages. So stay tuned if you like Shallots since I will most likely be using them in a lot of sauce creations in the future!

Ingredients:
5 Shallots
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 stick of Butter
1/4 cup White Wine
Paprika
Sea Salt
Fennel Powder

First, I made sure I had everything I needed.

Once I had every thing together, I grabbed the Asparagus I had bought as well thinking that I can make this work. Well, I was right. The Shallots I diced up into as small of pieces as I could without mortally wounding my delicate fingers. I then did the same to the Garlic Cloves. Now that that is done, I turned to the Asparagus and trimmed off the thick ends. I did this because I wanted to cook everything properly without worrying that most of the stalks go bad just to cook the thick end.

Using a saucepan on the stove and setting the heat to medium, I waited for my half stick of Butter to melt. Once it was mostly melted, I dumped the diced Shallots and Garlic in and mixed them around with a pinch of Sea Salt. Once that was done, in went the half cup of White Wine and I topped it all off with a pinch or three of Paprika.

Once the Shallots started turning translucent I put in the Asparagus itself. Mix this around to get the buttery shallot mixture over everything. Taste test every once in awhile to find out if it is cooked properly.

Once it is done, turn off the heat and transfer the Asparagus to a plate. I put this plate in the microwave to let it stay warm easier, longer.

Now at this point I turned to making my Buttery Shallot Sauce. This part includes everything not Asparagus that was left in the saucepan. Scoop all of this, liquid included, into a small food processor. To this I added a little bit of Italian Caesar Dressing, a pinch or two of Italian Herb Mix, and some Fennel Powder. I closed it up and pureed the life out of it.

The final step in this recipe it to plate it. I chose a long narrow plate to compliment the shape of the Asparagus. I thought that skewing them by placing them diagonally would make the whole dish come together better. To top it off, the sauce I laid down in two simple lines to accent the length of the dish, almost make it seem even longer than it is. Enjoy.