Жаркое (Zharkoye)

While scrolling through Facebook the other day I saw this recipe on a friend's page and it looked so good, I just had to try it! The recipe comes from Tatyana's Everyday Food blog where it is listed as "Ukrainian Stewed Beef & Potatoes" with the name Жаркое in the body of the recipe page. I looked up a pronunciation and Zharkoye was an Anglicized version of the word. A few sources of what Жаркое translates to listed "roast" or just "hot" as possibilities. Whatever you decide to call this it is delicious!

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef, I used a chuck roast that I cut up myself
olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp fresh chopped dill


In a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, allow a drizzle of olive oil to get hot. Add in the beef and season with kosher salt while browning on all sides.

Add in the garlic and onion, sauteing until translucent.

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika (SMOKED) and cumin in a small bowl.

Add to the pot!

Allow the spices to cook in the dish for a few minutes and then add the tomato sauce, beef broth and water.

When the liquids begin to simmer, put on the lid, reduce heat to low and set a timer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check the beef for tenderness during this window to determine when it is ready for the next step! That step is to remove the beef to another dish with a slotted spoon.

Add the potatoes into the pot to cook in the stew liquid. They need to be completely covered so add more broth/water if necessary. Cover and cook the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes. While you are waiting, mix the cornstarch and heavy cream to make a "slurry" (which is the word the original recipe had and it made me giggle). I used my little Ikea milk frother for this and it worked great!

Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the slurry and return the beef to the pot.

Stir and continue to cook until the stew thickens to your desired consistency. Season with fresh dill and serve like a stew or soup. I was not sure how the family would feel about the dill so I had it on the side to add to individual servings. The recipe also recommended serving along with small, Kosher pickles and topping with a dollop of sour cream!

This was so good! I served it with some crusty bread and since I had some naan on hand I tried it with that and was blown away! So good!! Comfort food at it's finest. This was my first time using smoked paprika and it smells AMAZING!

SPO (Sausage Potato Onion)

I made this for dinner the other night and realized I had never blogged it so I took pictures and here it is! I love this recipe SO MUCH which is unusual for me because I am not a big fan of sausage. In fact, I usually don''t eat any of the sausage when I make it. I do love the flavor that the potatoes and onions take on from the sausage and the spices. I originally found this recipe online and printed it out. According to the print out it is from this site.

THE INGREDIENTS

1 package link sausage (I use beef sausage)
1 large onion, peeled and chopped 
5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed OR 1.5 pound bag of baby potatoes, cut in half
Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground thyme OR 1/2 tsp dried thyme

This is a very different kind of recipe for me. The original has no measurements for the spices! I was very unsure of myself the first time I tried to make it but it turned out so good! I have found that the amount I listed are a good starting point. More on that in a minute...
I cook this on a sheet pan that I have covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with this wonderful invention:

I have never had any issues with sticking and clean up is a breeze! I also double this recipe every time so if the pictures below seem like a lot of food, it is. Everyone in the family loves this so much that we never have any leftovers. I use my largest mixing bowl and drizzle the empty bowl with olive oil first. Then prep the onions and add them to the bowl, followed by the potatoes and the sausage.

I add a little more olive oil and then mix everything around to coat the mix. For the spices, I mix them together in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the spice mix over the meat/veggie blend and mix to coat. Sometimes after mixing it seems like there are not enough spices so I will mix another portion and add and mix until everything has an even amount. When you are satisfied with the spices, pour the mix on the sheet pan and spread evenly.

Bake at 400 degrees for a total of 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir around to prevent sticking.

After 45 minutes, test the potatoes to make sure they are done through. If they do not pierce easily with a fork, cook a little longer, checking every 5 minutes or so until done.

My favorite thing to serve with this is cornbread but I usually forget that and unless I make the cornbread earlier, it doesn't work out. In any case this is a relatively simple but very hearty dish that our whole family loves!

Salisbury Steak 3

I have two different Salisbury Steak recipes on this blog already. I love the easy patties in this one and the sauce from this one. Since finding the second recipe I have tended to make a combination of the two so I thought I would blog that version!

THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE PATTIES

 1 cup of milk
28 saltine crackers
4 TBSP dried minced onion
4 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 pounds lean ground beef

THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE

1 can condensed French onion soup
2 TBSP flour (I use seasoned flour)
1/2 cup ketchup
4-6 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, mix the saltine, onion and parsley flakes. Add the milk and allow to soak while you make the sauce.

In a separate bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Whisk together until flour is fully blended in.

Back to the meat! Mix the ground beef into the crackers mixture. I find the best tool for this is my hands.

Once fully mixed, I sort of divide the bowl into eighths.

Grab a section and roll it into a ball in your hands. Then flatten it out into a patty.

Place the patty into a 9x13 pan. I also like to poke a hole in the middle to help them cook through evenly.

Pour the sauce over the patties. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until cooked through.

This is a doubled recipe of the original and it makes 8 patties. I put two in a smaller dish and bake it all at the same time. This last picture is of all 8 patties in the smaller dish. The recipe can be halved but it leaves you with half a can of condensed soup. I guess you could make half the meat mix and all the sauce and have extra sauce for potatoes!

French Dip Sliders

Well! It has been a little while since I have blogged anything, hasn't it? I am attempting to dust the cobwebs off this blog by starting to add some of the delicious things we have been eating here in Chaosville so here is the first one! As with many of the new recipes I have tied lately it started as a post on Facebook. This particular recipe was posted on Chelsea's Messy Apron

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 package (12) Hawaiian sweet rolls
1 pound deli roast beef
10-12 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups French fried onions
Seasoning mix:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 packet AuJus seasoning mix, separated
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using the softened butter, butter the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Split the package of Hawaiian rolls in half but do not separate the rolls individually.

2. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the buttered casserole pan. Top with a layer of provolone.

3. Add the roast beef in a layer on top of the cheese.

4. Spread the fried onions on top as evenly as you can. Add another layer of cheese on top of the onions.

5. For the seasoning sauce, melt the butter in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the AuJus mix and the remaining ingredients.

6. Put the top layer of rolls on and coat with the sauce. You probably won't need all the sauce, just enough to cover the tops of all the rolls well.

7. Bake, uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Just long enough to make the cheese melty and the tops of the rolls toasted. Slice with a large knife to separate all the rolls from each other.

8. We ate ours with some pasta salad and loved every bite!

Special thanks to my lovely assistant, Pattie Lynn!!

Baked Mini-Burgers

I saw this post on Facebook (I think it was on Tip Hero) and tried it last night. I loved it!! Everyone else said they were okay but I LOVED them! Did I mention I loved them? Moving on...

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 package Hawaiian rolls
1 pound ground hamburger meat
1 diced onion
sliced cheese of your choosing

The pictures kind of say it all, but the steps are simple enough...Brown the hamburger and saute the onions.

Cut the rolls in half and lay the bottoms in a 9x9-ish baking dish. Evenly crumble the hamburger on top of the buns.

Evenly distribute the cooked onions on top of the meat. Two of my clonies do not like onion so I made half and half.

Throw some cheese slices on top!

Crown them with the bun tops.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Mine got just a touch overdone. Not burnt or crisp but darker than I would have liked. Next time I will check on them at 20 minutes!

SO, SO GOOD!

Salisbury Steak 2

This is my second Salisbury Steak recipe to post. I love the other one but it is full of salt due to the canned gravy it calls for. I have been looking for another one and I really love this one. I cannot remember where I found it, but I am very glad I did. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 can condensed French onion soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1-3 tsp Worchestershire sauce (to taste)
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 cup water

In a large mixing bowl, add together 1/3 cup of the soup, the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper.

Get to work with your hands and thoroughly mix together.

Shape into 8 patties. I like to press down in the center to make it thinner there. I feel like it gets done a little quicker that way when cooking.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the patties on both sides and pour off any fat. I do it in two batches.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth.

Add ketchup, water. Worchestershire and mustard.

Pour over patties in skillet.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with mashed potatoes and enjoy immensely!