Category Archives: Meat

Meat

Dom’s Steak and Onions

April 7, 2024 robiulo Leave a comment

When I was in high school, I often ate at Dom’s Luncheonette on Broome Street. It was run by an Italian family, a father and his two sons. A couple of times a week they’d make Steak and Onions, and it was one of my favorites. I tried duplicating it and think I’ve finally got it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. strip steak
Olive oil for frying
1 or 2 Spanish onions, (depending on how much you like onions) sliced in half moons
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp. tomato paste
½ tsp. oregano
2 bay leaves
¼ cup tomato puree
½ cup red wine or water

Bring steak to room temperature and season with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil on high and sear the steak until lightly browned. It will be very rare but don’t worry. The steak will continue cooking with the onions. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary and fry the onions until they soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and blend with the onions and continue cooking then add the oregano and bay leaves.

Trim any excess fat and slice the steak across the grain into quarter inch strips. Return the steak to the pan and toss with the onions. Add the tomato puree and a half cup of wine or water, stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover. and simmer for 15 minutes. Add water if you feel that it’s too dry or that the sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice or on Italian bread sandwiches the way Don did.

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Meat

Smash Burger

October 30, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

The very best smash burgers that I’ve ever had were at the famous Dyer’s Burgers on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Their unconventional method of deep-frying burgers in beef fat that hasn’t been changed for years and makes a very tasty burger. You can substitute bacon for beef fat as I did or, in a pinch, use cooking oil.

Ingredients:

Bacon fat (or cooking oil)
Ground beef
Salt and black pepper
Red onion, sliced thin in half moons
Cheddar cheese
Sliced whole grain bread (or hamburger rolls)

Fry the onions over medium heat in a frying pan with some bacon fat until they begin to wilt and brown and remove from the pan.

Turn the heat up and add some more fat to the same pan. Take about 4 ounces of ground beef and roll it into a ball. Place it in the pan and flatten it with a spatula, using a wooden spoon to help push down if necessary.

Sprinkle salt and pepper and some of the cooked onions on the flattened burger and flip it. Flatten your smash burger a bit more, add the cheese and cover until the cheese melts.

Place one or two of these burgers on whole wheat toast or a bun and add mustard, ketchup, mayo or whatever you like.

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Meat

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers

December 23, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers is a simple one pan recipe with easily available ingredients. It’s a typical home cooked Italian diner.

Ingredients:

1 lb. thin skinned potatoes
1 red onion
1 each red & green bell pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and black pepper
5 or 6 Italian sausages cut into thirds
¼ cup dry white wine

Preheat your oven to 425^o.

Cut the potatoes, onions, and bell peppers into bit sized pieces. Place them in a bowl with the oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Toss and coat

Put the vegetables to a large roasting pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Place the sausage in the same bowl that the vegetables were in and shake to coat with any remaining olive oil and thyme. Place the sausage directly on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.

Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the sausage and vegetables in the cooking juices. Add the wine to the baking pan and return the pan to the oven. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until sausages are fully cooked and the potatoes are tender.

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Meat

Mustard Fried Pork Chops

December 4, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Mustard Fried Pork Chops

Mustard Fried Pork Chops are a Southern dish. There are no eggs in this breading. You can vary the spices according to your taste but be sure to use thin pork chops and yellow mustard.

Ingredients:

2 thin cut pork chops
Salt and black pepper
½ tsp. Cajun Spice
½ tsp. paprika (hot or sweet)
½ tsp. garlic salt
¼ cup yellow mustard
½ cup flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Season the chops with the spices, coat with mustard and dredge in flour. Let them sit for 30 minutes. Cook until the crust is golden brown either by pan frying or deep frying.

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Meat, Sides

Roasted Marrow Bone

October 13, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Roasted Marrow Bone

This is a one ingredient recipe. You put the beef bone in the oven, heat and eat. The femur is the largest bone in the steer, and it has the best marrow to bone ratio. My butcher ties a few sprigs of fresh oregano on the bone to make a better presentation in his display case. Even salt and pepper aren’t really necessary, but it can’t hurt.

Since marrow is mostly fat use a high heat for a short time, so it doesn’t all melt away. Place the bones in an oven proof dry pan in a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Serve with good bread. If you love steak, you’ll love a roasted marrow bone.

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Meat

Sloppy Joe’s Sandwich

August 14, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Sloppy Joe’s Sandwich

After my post about Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Havana I started wondering if there was any connection between the bar and the Sloppy Joe’s sandwich. I was told that the American Sloppy Joe’s sandwich is an off shoot of the Ropa Vieja (old clothes), served in Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Havana, Cuba. A friend got this Sloppy Joe’s sandwich recipe from a waiter at a restaurant in Key West, Florida. It works for me.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion
½ cup green bell pepper
1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Black pepper and salt to taste
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
½ cup Heinz Chili Sauce or ketchup
2 tbsp. brown mustard
2 tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
6 hamburger buns

Roughly chop the onion and green pepper finely or place them in a food processor until well diced. Put the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Fry the onion and green pepper until some of the moisture evaporates.

Add the chopped beef, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper. Break up the beef with a spoon as it browns. When the meat is browned, drain the excess grease from the pan.

Set the pan aside and combine the crushed tomato, mustard, brown sugar, and spices in a bowl. Mix well.

Pour the sauce into the pan with the meat and raise the heat to medium-high. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

When it’s done, serve it on a hamburger bun.

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Meat

Posole

June 16, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Posole

Posole is a traditional Mexican dish. It’s a thick soup made with meat and hominy. You can have your butcher cut a pork shoulder into pieces. The toppings are up to you. Use as many or as few as you like.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 dried ancho chiles
6 cloves garlic (3 crushed & 3 finely chopped)
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Salt & black pepper
Olive oil for browning
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
3 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed

Remove the stems from the anchos and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put them in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove them after about 15 minutes, let them cool a bit and then put them and 1½ cups of the liquid in a blender. Add the crushed garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt, and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing the sauce through with a rubber spatula.

Season the pork with salt and black pepper and set aside. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pork and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Add the onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and return the browned meat. Increase the heat to medium high.

Stir in the chicken broth, oregano, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup or more of the chili sauce (depending on your taste). Add enough water to cover the meat and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and slowly simmer, turning the pork a few times, until tender – about 2 hours. Stir in the hominy and continue to simmer, uncovered, about 45 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf. Add some water if the posole is too thick. Check for seasoning.

Serve the posole with the remaining chili sauce and a topping of fresh diced avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onion, sliced radishes, and/or cilantro.

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Meat

Venezuelan Liver and Onions

June 4, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Venezuelan Liver and Onions

Not everyone likes liver. I think that’s more because of the way liver is prepared than what it actually tastes like. Lots of people over cook it, giving it an unpleasant texture. The key to tasty liver is to serve it rare. Fry it quickly in a hot pan for just a few minutes until the exterior is brown. That’s all.

Ingredients:

3 tbsps. olive oil for frying
1 to 1 ½ lbs. calf’s liver cut into strips
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsps. butter
3 or 4 thinly sliced onions,
3 minced garlic cloves
4 ozs. white wine
Fresh parsley, chopped

Pat the room temperature liver dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot add the liver strips and fry until browned on both sides. Don’t crowd the pan or the liver will steam instead of brown. Remove the liver and set aside on a plate.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter to the same skillet. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the garlic to the onions and sauté and blend for about 1 – 2 minutes. Add the liver back to the skillet and pour in the wine. Let the wine reduce for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove everything to a serving platter, pour the pan drippings over it and sprinkle with parsley.

Gravy for Venezuelan Liver and Onions – If you’d like, use the pan drippings to make a gravy. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the drippings. Stir constantly for 1 -2 minutes over medium heat, then add 1 cup of beef stock. Cook and stir until thickened. Serve over liver and onions.

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Meat

Peposo Beef

May 2, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Peposo Beef

If you like black pepper, you should try Peposo Beef. It’s a simple recipe but with 3 hours of simmering be sure to give yourself time to make it. This is a basic recipe, and you can make some variations. I think the carrots add a bit of color and texture, but you can leave them out. Three hours of simmering soften the pepper corns and make them very edible but if you want you can add them in a spice bag that you can remove before serving. One thing you shouldn’t change is the wine. This is a Toscano dish and should be made with Chianti.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (your choice – parsley, thyme, oregano, etc.)
1 – ½ lb. stew beef cut in chunks
2 cups of Chianti
4 or 5 carrots cut in ¾ inch pieces (optional)

Heat the oil in a pot on medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and peppercorns and cook for one minute. Add whatever herbs you’re using and then add the meat. Sear until its lightly browned on all sides.

Add the wine, cover, and simmer on a low heat for about 1 hour. If it gets too dry add some water and continue simmering. Add 4 cups hot water, and the carrots if using, and cover the pot. Allow it to simmer slowly for another 2 hours, checking regularly to see that the liquid has not evaporated completely. Add water if necessary to keep the meat covered.

After 2 hours remove the lid, and let the liquid evaporate until the meat is left in a thick brown juice.

Peposo Beef is traditionally served with polenta. I like it with pasta.

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Meat

Italian Beef Stew

March 31, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Italian Beef Stew

When my friend Carlo gave me his mother’s recipe for Italian beef stew, I asked him what made it “Italian.” He said it was the addition of tomatoes and because his mother came from Genoa.

Ingredients:

1 – 1 ½ lb. stew beef
Olive oil for browning
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp. flour
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup dry red wine
14 oz. tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 – 2 cups beef broth
2 potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
4 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge it in flour and shake off any excess. Let it come to room temperature and brown in olive oil. Do it in batches and don’t crowd the pot or it will stem instead of brown. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add more oil and cook the onions until soft. Return the beef and pour in the wine and allow to reduce, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and enough broth to cover the meat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 30 – 40 minutes or until soft. Cover with more beef broth. Add the peas, simmer for 5 minutes. Add more liquid if too dry, taste for seasoning and serve. It may seem odd for beef stew, but you can serve this with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. If you don’t have beef broth you can use bouillon cubes.

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Fry the onions over medium heat in a frying pan with some bacon fat until they begin to wilt and brown and remove from the pan.

Turn the heat up and add some more fat to the same pan. Take about 4 ounces of ground beef and roll it into a ball. Place it in the pan and flatten it with a spatula, using a wooden spoon to help push down if necessary.

Sprinkle salt and pepper and some of the cooked onions on the flattened burger and flip it. Flatten your smash burger a bit more, add the cheese and cover until the cheese melts.

Place one or two of these burgers on whole wheat toast or a bun and add mustard, ketchup, mayo or whatever you like.

Sausage with Potatoes and Peppers

Ingredients:

Preheat your oven to 425o.

Cut the potatoes, onions, and bell peppers into bit sized pieces. Place them in a bowl with the oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Toss and coat

Put the vegetables to a large roasting pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Place the sausage in the same bowl that the vegetables were in and shake to coat with any remaining olive oil and thyme. Place the sausage directly on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.

Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the sausage and vegetables in the cooking juices. Add the wine to the baking pan and return the pan to the oven. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until sausages are fully cooked and the potatoes are tender.

Mustard Fried Pork Chops

Mustard Fried Pork Chops are a Southern dish. There are no eggs in this breading. You can vary the spices according to your taste but be sure to use thin pork chops and yellow mustard.

Ingredients:

Season the chops with the spices, coat with mustard and dredge in flour. Let them sit for 30 minutes. Cook until the crust is golden brown either by pan frying or deep frying.

Roasted Marrow Bone

Since marrow is mostly fat use a high heat for a short time, so it doesn’t all melt away. Place the bones in an oven proof dry pan in a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Serve with good bread. If you love steak, you’ll love a roasted marrow bone.

Sloppy Joe’s Sandwich

Ingredients:

Roughly chop the onion and green pepper finely or place them in a food processor until well diced. Put the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Fry the onion and green pepper until some of the moisture evaporates.

Add the chopped beef, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper. Break up the beef with a spoon as it browns. When the meat is browned, drain the excess grease from the pan.

Set the pan aside and combine the crushed tomato, mustard, brown sugar, and spices in a bowl. Mix well.

Pour the sauce into the pan with the meat and raise the heat to medium-high. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

When it’s done, serve it on a hamburger bun.

Posole

Posole is a traditional Mexican dish. It’s a thick soup made with meat and hominy. You can have your butcher cut a pork shoulder into pieces. The toppings are up to you. Use as many or as few as you like.

Ingredients:

Season the pork with salt and black pepper and set aside. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pork and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Add the onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and return the browned meat. Increase the heat to medium high.

Serve the posole with the remaining chili sauce and a topping of fresh diced avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onion, sliced radishes, and/or cilantro.

Venezuelan Liver and Onions

Ingredients:

Pat the room temperature liver dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot add the liver strips and fry until browned on both sides. Don’t crowd the pan or the liver will steam instead of brown. Remove the liver and set aside on a plate.

Gravy for Venezuelan Liver and Onions – If you’d like, use the pan drippings to make a gravy. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the drippings. Stir constantly for 1 -2 minutes over medium heat, then add 1 cup of beef stock. Cook and stir until thickened. Serve over liver and onions.

Peposo Beef

Ingredients:

Heat the oil in a pot on medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and peppercorns and cook for one minute. Add whatever herbs you’re using and then add the meat. Sear until its lightly browned on all sides.

After 2 hours remove the lid, and let the liquid evaporate until the meat is left in a thick brown juice.

Italian Beef Stew

When my friend Carlo gave me his mother’s recipe for Italian beef stew, I asked him what made it “Italian.” He said it was the addition of tomatoes and because his mother came from Genoa.

Ingredients:

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge it in flour and shake off any excess. Let it come to room temperature and brown in olive oil. Do it in batches and don’t crowd the pot or it will stem instead of brown. Remove the beef and set aside.

Reveries and Recipes

Preheat your oven to 425^o.