Pot Roast Paprikash and Hungarian Pilaf

Joe whipped up some Hungarian-style rice pilaf to go along with this. Though we cooked this in the oven, it would work well in a slow cooker, too. When you get home from work, the house will smell amazing, and the rice takes less than 30 minutes to make. It's a Sunday dinner kind of dish for a weekday timetable!

Ingredients

2 pounds beef rump roast
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
14 1/2-ounce can beef broth
2 cups yellow onions, halved and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins
1 cup red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
8 ounce carton low-fat sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Rice

1 cup long grain rice

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

Directions

Trim the fat off the meat and cut it into quarters.

If using a slow cooker, place the meat in the cooker and sprinkle with the paprika. Top with tomatoes, broth, onions, carrots, and sweet peppers. Cook for 10 hours on low heat or 4-6 hours on high heat.

If using the oven, preheat it to 350 degrees. Brown the meat on all sides, then sprinkle with the paprika. Add the  tomatoes, broth, onions, carrots, and sweet peppers. Bring to a boil, then cover, and place in the middle rack of the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

To make the rice, heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the rice and stir until it turns white and slightly toasted. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender. Add the stock, parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is evaporated.

When the meat is tender and flaky, put it on a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Skim any fat from the sauce, put the meat and sauce into a saucepan. Whisk together the water and cornstarch, then bring it to a boil and cook 15 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the sour cream and heat on low for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve over the rice.

Serves 4-6.

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Szechwan Hot and Sour Soup

Joe's test of a good Asian restaurant is the quality of their Sichuan hot and sour soup, so I gave him a kitchen challenge: impress me with your version of hot and sour soup. Oh, and I've been craving Thai shrimp spring rolls, can you do anything to help?

He exceeded my expectations.

I hear that this soup is one of those concoctions that can cure a cold, or just make you feel a whole lot better while you're eating it. Maybe we should start a new category for medicinal recipes.

Ingredients

1/3 lb pork
1 tbsp dried wood ear mushrooms
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup bamboo shoots
1 small carrot
3 oz. tofu
1 green onion
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp (30ml) Sichuan preserved vegetables, or 2 tbsp chili-garlic paste
5 cups pork broth
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs


Garnish:
Red pepper flakes
Sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Instructions

Place the pork, salt, and woodear mushrooms into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until cooked, about 30 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid, adding more if necessary to make the 5 cups of broth you'll need at the end.

Cut the pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, scallion, carrot, and Sichuan preserved vegetables into matchstick slices. Add to the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Whisk together the cornstarch, soy sauce, and vinegar, then slowly stir into the broth. Whisk the eggs.
Pour them in a thin stream into the soup while stirring the broth, so that it forms flaky threads as it swirls into the soup.

Serve in single bowls with the garnishes on the side for the diners to add as they choose.

Serves 4-6.

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Sausage & Apple Skewers with Honey-Mustard Glaze

A few days later, one of my friends gave me an enormous bouquet of sage and kale from her garden. I fried up some of the sage, Italian-fashion, but saved some for these luscious fall-flavored sausage skewers. We used firm honeycrisp apples, as they hold their shape well when cooking, along with curls of white onion and slices of those fresh sage leaves. A super-easy honey-mustard sauce goes over the top - so delicious.

Ingredients

10-12 wooden skewers

1 pound mild Italian Sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound hot Italian Sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups firm tart apples, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Jonathan, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup onion, cut into quarters, then separated into leaves or curls
5 large sage leaves, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup stone ground mustard
3 tbsp apple cider viegar
2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Soak the wooden skewers for about 15 minutes, to prevent burning. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, or the grill to medium heat.

Thread the sausage, apple chunks, onion, and sage pieces onto the skewers. Whisk together the honey, mustard, vinegar, and garlic powder, then drizzle half over the skewers.

If roasting in the oven, place the skewers on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Flip them over, drizzle with the remaining glaze, then roast until the sausage is fully cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes more.

If grilling the skewers, place directly on the grill and cook them, turning frequently, for about 30 minutes, basting them with the honey-mustard glaze occasionally.

Serves 4.

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Broiled Tomatoes, Arrabiata-Style

According to people who probably know what they're talking about, arrabiata means something like "angry"; cooking something arrabiata-style ("all'arabiata") means it's in a fiery tomato sauce. This pepper-laced topping on luscious summer tomatoes is inspired by spicy red arrabiata sauce. If you're talented at cupping the breading over tops of the tomatoes so it sticks, this entire dish will take about 3 minutes to prepare, and 30-40 minutes of hands-off cooking time.

That's enough time to take a bubble bath with a glass of wine before dinner. Just sayin'.

Ingredients

8 medium ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

2 tsp capers, chopped

1 tsp basil, chopped

1 tsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp Asiago cheese, grated

6 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking pan.

Wash the tomatoes and cut the core out of the top of each one. If desired, slice a little off the bottom of each tomato so it will sit steady on the pan. Place the tomatoes an equal distance apart on the baking sheet.

Stir together all ingredients except the olives, and spoon onto the tops of the tomatoes, pressing the topping down so it stays in place. Top with the sliced olives.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and fully cooked. Turn on the broiler to 500 degrees and set the pan under the broiler 4 inches from the heat. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Serves 4-8.

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