Roasted Beets

This is the best way to prepare beets. 

Preheat oven to 425F

Scrub beets and cut tops off. 

Toss beets with 2 Tbs olive oil.
Place in pan and season with salt and pepper. Add herbs of your choice such as thyme, bay leaves, Rosemary 

Add 1/4 cup of water. Cover pan tightly with foil. 

Roast till a paring knife slips easily through the flesh. 40-60 minutes depending on the size of beets. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove skins by trimming the top and bottom of the beet, and then rubbing them  with a paper towel. 

Cover and chill. 

Can be made 3 days ahead. 

Beets are great served sliced with goat cheese, and some chopped dill. Sprinkle with oil and a little balsamic vinegar for a quick salad. 

Australian Gourmet Meat Pies

This is a recipe we make every Christmas. In Sydney, meatpies are a big part of the culture. We found a gourmet deli that had pies made with sirloin, instead of the ground beef, and found they were the best. After trying out a few recipes, this one is our favorite.

Ingredients:

2 ¼ lbs beef- top sirloin chopped into ½ “ pieces or lean ground beef

2- 14oz cans of low-sodium beef stock

3 TBS tomato sauce

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup red wine

1 tsp fresh or dried oregano

1 tsp steak spice

1 chopped shallot or ¼ white onion chopped finely

½ chopped red pepper (optional)

1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

Salt/pepper as needed

Thickener:  2 TBS Flour + ¼ cup water OR 2 TBS cornstarch + ¼ cup water

Crust:  Puff Pastry (Pepperidge farm – 1 package makes 4 pies and it comes with 2 sheets) or Tenderflake – comes in two pieces and you roll out each one into a 10x10 square.

Saute the shallots/onion in 3 TBS olive oil.  Gently fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add beef and brown on Med-high.  Add stock, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, red wine & seasonings. 

Simmer for1 ½ to 2 hours till very tender.  Add thickener.  Boil gently 1-2 minutes till thick. Cool.

For crust, cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 equal squares.  Roll lightly so each piece will fit the bottom of a small tinfoil pie plate.  Fill with the cooled mixture.  Top with mushrooms or 2 tbs grated cheddar cheese if using.  Cut another sheet into 4 and roll slightly - use these pieces for the tops of the pies.  Use a fork to go around the edges to seal.  Cut excess pastry off with a knife. 

Place pies on a baking sheet and bake at 375F - 400F for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Place on lowest rack so the bottom cooks through.  To serve, cool slightly and remove from the foil plate.  Serve with ketchup if you’re a true Aussie.

Makes 4 individual pies.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

2 Servings 

Ingredients 

1 large avocado 

1 banana 

3 TBS coconut oil 

4 TBS raw cacao powder

3 -4 TBS maple syrup or honey 

1/8 tsp salt 

Method

Put all ingredients in a blender, vitamix or food processor and process until 

smooth. You can't over process so make sure it's really smooth.  taste for sweetness and add more honey or maples syrup if needed.

Spoon into dessert bowls and refrigerate covered  for at least one hour, or overnight. 
It's even better the next day and will last a few days in the fridge 

Garnish with fresh berries, whipped cream, mint sprig and chopped nuts (almonds, pistachos, walnuts or coconut). 

Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad

Ingredients

4 Servings 

¼ cup fresh lemon juice 

2 TBS Dijon mustard 

1 TBS minced shallots 

1 tsp minced garlic 

¼ tsp salt 

Fresh ground black pepper to taste 

2 large bunches of kale,  center stem removed

Or, baby kale leaves 

6 – 8  Brussels sprouts, trimmed, and sliced 1/8" 

½ cup extra virgin olive oil 

1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds 

¼ cup dried cranberries 

½ cup shredded fresh parmesan cheese (or less)
Omit for Vegan, or add your favorite vegan shredded cheese 

Method

Combine the lemon juice, mustard, shallots and garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk till smooth.  Set aside to let the flavors meld.

In a large bowl, toss the kale and Brussels sprouts with the dressing.  Cover and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes or more (up to 6 hours).  Just before serving, add the parmesan cheese and toss.  Top with the toasted almonds and cranberries. 

Tuna & Bean Salad with Radicchio and Arugula

When buying tuna, try the tuna fillets packed in glass jars in olive oil. The fish is mild tasting, and has a better texture than the canned tuna.  This brand is Tonnino - 6.7 oz jar which is perfect for 2 people.

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 small head of radicchio, cored
2 cups of arugula
1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 stalk of celery, sliced on a the diagonal
6 oz tuna, drained
Kosher salt
flat leaf parsley for garnish
lemon wedge for garnish

Parsley Vinaigrette  (Makes enough for 4)

1 cup parsley (preferably the flat-leaf Italian)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbs lemon juice
3 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
kosher salt
finely ground pepper

Method

Mix the Parsley Vinaigrette ingredients in a food processor or blender until well blended.
If you don't have a a blender, finely chop the parsley and garlic and put it in a bowl with the lemon juice and vinegar. Slowly drizzle the oil in and mix it so it thickens slightly. Add salt & pepper to taste. You can add another garlic clove if you love garlic.

Arrange the radicchio and arugula on a plate. Top with the beans and celery. Salt & pepper
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and top with the tuna. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.
Serve with extra dressing on the side and a lemon wedge.

Note: You can prepare the salads ahead in the fridge. Add the dressing, just before serving.
Adding a salad dressing too early causes the salad to wilt from the oil, resulting in a soggy salad.
Kale however can stand longer with dressing since the leaves are dense and it actually helps to soften the texture of kale.

Hungarian Beef Goulash

This recipe calls for Sweet Hungarian Paprika.
I tried it with Smoked Paprika from Penzeys (www.penzeys.com).  Delicious! 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped

or leek or shallot

2 tsp. caraway seeds

3 lb Chuck Roast or Blade Roast - cut into 1" pieces & fat removed,  

or 2 lbs of stewing beef already prepared

1 red pepper cut into1"pieces

3 Tbs. sweet Hungarian paprika, or 

      smoked Paprika

4 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock

1 can (14 1⁄2 oz.) diced tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Tsp fresh thyme

1⁄4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1⁄2 cup sour cream

Directions:

* If you buy a blade or chuck roast, you can cut your own pieces of meat and the quality of the meat is excellent. Discard any large amounts of fat. 

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and caraway seeds and sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 of the beef and 1/2 the paprika and sauté until the beef is evenly browned on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. 

You do this in two batches, so the meat is in a single layer in your pot and is not crowded. 

Remove the meat and put in a bowl. Repeat for the next pound of meat.  Remove all the meat to a bowl. 

Add a bit more oil to the pot and saute the red pepper for about 2 minutes.

Return all the beef to the pot. 

Increase the heat to high, add the stock and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and simmer until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the garlic, potato, parsnip, carrots, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes more. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasonings. 

Ladle the stew into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the sour cream and more parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups flour  
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger  
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon  
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda  
½ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
Grandma's Original brand
¼ tsp ground nutmeg          
1 egg

Icing and decorations

Directions

1. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.  
2. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  
3. Add molasses and egg; beat well.  
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.  Press dough into a thick flat disk.
   Wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. 
5. Preheat oven to 350F.  Roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface.  Dough will be soft. Cut into gingerbread men shapes or you can use other shapes – hearts, Christmas, etc.  Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Do now crowd them.   Keep dough refrigerated for easy handling.  Take out 1/4 or 1/3 of the dough at a time, and leave the rest in the fridge till ready to roll it out.  Before baking, press the raisin or currents in for the eyes and add hard candy decorations like pearls or stars  for the buttons. 
6. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown.  Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove to wire racks; cool completely.  Decorate cooled cookies as desired.  You can use Betty Crocker decorator icing in the tube with the decorating tips. Icing will harden.  Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days separated with wax paper, or tinfoil after the icing has set.   Makes about 20 - 5" cookies.