This is the first in a series of posts that I will be making documenting ways to reduce your time in the kitchen and reduce waste and save money while you are at it.
These are the things you can do with the sauce once it is complete:
Ziti with sauce and meat
Italian sausage subs
Meatball subs
Chicken Parmesan
Eggs in marinara
Pizza
The main recipe will take a good portion of the day to cook, but the good news is that it is mostly hands off time as the sauce simmers away.
Sauce:
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped or shredded
6 cloves minced garlic (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon anchovy paste (or a couple whole anchovies)
1 small can of tomato paste
6 ounces of wine (or one single serve bottle) Use the wine you like to have with red sauce. I often use a white wine because that is what I have. I have also used Merlot with a good outcome. This is an optional ingredient, you can use the broth to deglaze the pan too if desired)
2 cups chicken broth or homemade stock. (you can substitute veggie stock here if you wish)
3 28 ounce cans of whole or crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons dry Italian seasoning
Heat the oil in a good sized dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan. This can also be done in a slow cooker if yours gets hot enough to saute in.
Add the onions and carrots and a good pinch of salt, saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The onions should get less opaque and even a bit browned. Add in the garlic and stir until you get a good whiff of cooked garlic smell.
Add the anchovies or anchovy paste and cook and stir until fully incorporated with the vegetables.
Add the tomato paste, stir and cook until incorporated. The bottom of the pan should have a thick coating on it, but not burned.
Deglaze the pan with the wine by adding it to the pan and scraping the bottom to loosen all the bits. Allow to boil down until good and thick.
Stir in the chicken broth. Mix well and add the 3 cans of tomatoes. If they are whole tomatoes, chop them up first. Don't forget to add the liquid the tomatoes were canned in. Stir in the seasonings and another big pinch of salt.
Bring it all to a simmer, put on the lid off center (I prop it with a wooden spoon) and lower the heat to a low simmer. Allow to simmer for four hours or more, stirring occasionally. It will need more attention towards the end of the simmering.
When done cooking, adjust for salt and seasoning by tasting it.
Blend the whole thing with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender (a stick blender) you can do this in a regular blender, but be careful as blending hot things in a stand blender can be messy and hot.
While that is simmering, you will want to get started on the meatballs, which are super easy.
Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (this can be omitted, but will make up for the texture that ground veal would normally add) Mix with 1/4 cup of cold water and let sit for a few minutes before adding.
1 finely chopped onion (about 1/2 to 3/4 a cup)
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, I prefer to use panko, but regular plain will do.
1 egg
2 big pinches of salt
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Mix together the bread crumbs and egg and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add in the rest of the ingredient and mix gently with your hands until fully incorporated. Over mixing can make the meatballs tough, so you want everything mixed, but with a gentle touch so that the meat doesn't get warmed up.
Roll 2 inch meatballs. To do so, first, dampen your hands with water and place some of the meat mixture in the palm of your hand. Roll until a ball forms. I like to use a cookie scooper that holds about 2 tablespoons to keep everything uniform. Keep your hands slightly wet to avoid having everything stick to your hands.
Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You want them cooked through, but they can be slightly underdone as the rest of the cooking will happen in the sauce.
Put the meatballs in the sauce and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so.
One more thing to do is to cut the Italian sausages in half (sweet or hot, whatever your preference, but hot ones will add heat to your sauce). Brown them nicely in a hot pan and add to the sauce to cook with the meatballs.
Meal 1
Ziti with Red Sauce and Meat
Bread, preferable a nice crusty bread. You can make the dough in advance and freeze it in quantities, or just go ahead and buy a loaf.
Side salad would be ideal, but lets get real. The sauce is full of veggies anyway.
Meal 2
Italian Sausage Subs with Peppers and Onions
Sweet Potato Fries
Meal 3
Meatball Subs with sauce and mozzarella
Meal 4
Chicken Parmesan: Fry up some breaded chicken breasts Recipe:
Butterfly and pound one pound of boneless chicken breasts
Put some dry bread crumbs in a bag and season with salt, pepper and italian seasonings.
In a dish, beat an egg with a little milk or water
Put 1/2 cup of flour in a dish and season well with salt and pepper
put a chicken piece in the flour and lightly cover it, shaking off all the excess. Then put it in the egg wash and place the cutlet in the bag of crumbs. Shake the bag to cover the cutlets well.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. When hot and the butter is no longer foamy, add the cutlets and cook on medium high until browned and crispy. Turn and finish cooking. 2 minutes per side (approximately) Remove to towel lined plate (paper towels, torn up paper bags or just a cake rack will do) After draining, place in a baking dish. If doing this ahead of time, pop them in the freezer until ready to use. You can also use pre-made cutlets if efficiency is more important than saving money, so it depends on your needs.
Place the cutlets in a baking dish and top with some grated Parmesan and mozzarella over the top. Melt in a hot oven (425 for hot, fresh made cutlets. Follow package instructions for frozen)
Serve on a bed of pasta and top with sauce.
Serve with a vegetable, a nice salad or some green beans that have been tossed with olive oil, garlic and some toasted bread crumbs.
Meal 5
Eggs in marinara: Put about 2 inches worth of sauce in a skillet and heat to a simmer. Break some eggs into it, 2 per person. Cover and let cook 5 minutes, or more until the eggs are done to your liking. Top with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt if desired.
Serve with crusty bread and a vegetable of your choice.
Meal 6
Pizza: Use some of that frozen dough we talked about, or pick up some ready made stuff. Pillsbury puts out one that is pretty passable. Another option is if you have some of that crusty bread left, slice it in half lengthwise and lightly oil the cut sides. Use this as the base for some french bread pizza. Heat the oven to 425 to bake. A regular type of pizza will take about 15 minutes tops in a heated oven. The bread type varies in time, so keep an eye on it. Top the pizzas anyway you wish before baking. Left over meats from the sauce? Some veggies or canned things you would like to get rid of? Put them on the pizza with a good amount of mozzarella cheese (and a touch of cheddar or Swiss if you have it) and you have a delicious meal.
If you are keeping the sauce for more than four days (which is probable as there are at least five meals in there), measure out some of the sauce for the freezer in meal sized portions, for safety sake. Don't forget to freeze any meatballs or sausages that won't get used quickly.
Grocery List:
Meat:
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 pounds Italian sausage, hot or mild or a mix.
1 pound chicken breasts
Produce:
2 lbs onions
3 heads garlic (or more)
1 lb carrots
1/2 pound green beans
flat leaf parsley
Salad fixings: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, whatever you like)
Bell peppers (red, green, orange and/or yellow)
2 large sweet potatoes (also marketed as "yams")
Grocery:
3- 28 ounce cans crushed or whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
Anchovy paste
32 ounces chicken broth
6 ounces of wine (do NOT use cooking wine)
Panko bread crumbs
Italian seasoning
Unflavored gelatin (optional)
Salad dressing if you don't make your own
Crusty bread
8 Sub rolls
flour
Dough for pizza if not making yourself
Dairy:
Parmesan cheese
16 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 dozen eggs
Additional cheddar or Swiss as desired for the pizza
butter
Ingredients assumed in pantry: salt, pepper, cooking oil, olive oil (preferably extra virgin, good quality, but that is optional)
Showing posts with label easy menu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easy menu. Show all posts
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Cook Once, Eat All Week: Chuck Roast
As part of the series on cooking once and eating for the week, I will share my plan for using a large chuck roast (with video!). The first meal will be a pot roast dinner. Minimizing your time in the kitchen will help you to save money on those last minute "let's just order out" days when you are exhausted or simply do not have the time to start a meal from scratch.
Meal 2: BBQ Beef on bulky rolls, Sweet Potato Fries
Meal 3: Taco Salad
Meal 4: Beef and Barley Soup
1 large chuck roast
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 red potatoes
8 ounces baby carrots
(optional: Turnips, cut up into bite sized chunks)
I apologize for the bad subtitles. Practice, practice practice
Heat up a large dutch oven (I prefer enameled cast iron for this application). Add a tablespoon of oil. Salt and pepper both sides of the beef and add to the pan once the oil is shimmering. Leave in the pan on high heat for several minutes. When very browned, turned meat over and allow to brown on the other side. If your pot roast is not flat, you will want to brown the other sides too.
Remove meat from the pan. Add a bit more oil if necessary, and add the onions and carrots to the pan. Cook for several minutes until you see the onions starting to lose their opaqueness. Lower the heat slightly and add in the garlic. Stir and cook until you really smell the garlic cooking.
Deglaze the pan by adding the broth to the pan and scraping the bits off the bottom. Raise the heat a bit if necessary.
Once the pan is deglazed and the liquid starts to boil, add the meat back in the pan. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and put into a 275 degree oven. Let cook for at least three hours.
Add the vegetables to the pan after three or four hours, cover the pan again and let cook in the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan. Pass the liquid through a sieve to remove the bulky vegetables and skim the fat if necessary.
In the now empty pan, heat 2 tablespoons of fat (oil, butter, even schmaltz or bacon fat will do). Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and mix together while cooking over medium heat. As soon as the flour starts to smell a bit nutty and maybe getting slightly browned a bit, slowly add in the now clarified liquids while whisking. You want the gravy to be slightly thinner than you plan to serve it as it will thicken as it cools. If the gravy isn't dark enough for you, add a small touch of gravy master until it is the shade you prefer. You don't need a lot of this stuff.
While you are cooking the roast, now would be a great time to boil a bunch of red potatoes. I usually get a 5 lb bag, use some for the pot roast and boil the rest for the week.
Shred any left over beef to refrigerate for the rest of the week.
Shred enough left over pot roast for the number of sandwiches you are making. Top with BBQ sauce of your choice and slowly reheat over a low flame until hot.
Toast the rolls. Top with the beef mix and any other sandwich fixings you like.
Sweet potato "fries": Scrub and peel two large sweet potatoes (sometimes marketed as "yams"). Cut in half lengthwise, then cut slices about the size of fries, as you like them. Toss the slices in a bit of oil, place in a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake in an oven at 475 for 10 minutes, flip the slices and bake until they start to brown and are cooked through.
Shred iceberg or romaine lettuce. Cut some tomatoes into chunks, or use a can of diced tomatoes. If you have the time, toss them with a little oil and roast in the oven at 475 until they shrivel and brown a bit, but this is completely optional. Slice a small can of olives. Crush some tortillas and lay at the bottom of the bowl, top with a mix of the vegetables and olives.
Cook up some of the shredded beef with some taco seasoning using the directions on the back from the point after you brown the beef. Alternatively, use the recipe below to make your own seasoning, then add 3/4 cup of water and simmer with the beef until heated through.
Top the bowls with the meat mixture and shredded cheddar if desired, when ready to serve.
Shredded beef (or small chop)
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
garlic, as much as you like. Or none. Up to you.
6 cups broth
assorted chopped vegetables: potatoes, turnips, parsnips, broccoli, whatever you have on hand
1/2 cup of pearled barley
1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas
I can petite dice tomatoes
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (use soy if you don't have this, or just leave it out. It will be a bit different, but still good)
heat some oil in a soup pot. Saute onions and carrots. When cooked, add in garlic if using. When you start to smell the garlic cooking, add in the broth. Bring to a boil. If using fresh vegetables, add them now, then add the barley, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and peas and heat through taste and season as desired (salt, pepper) and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
2 or more cups of boiled potatoes, cut into small bite sized pieces. Finely chop cooked broccoli to make about a cup.
Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add some very finely chopped onion to taste. Cook onion until it starts to brown. Add the potatoes and a bit more fat if necessary. Heat potatoes through and let them brown. Mix in bacon bits if desired, mix in broccoli. When heated through, top with cheddar cheese and cover until cheese melts.
Advanced cooking tips:
Boil potatoes when making pot roast
An alternative to cooked, chopped broccoli would be to pick up a bag of frozen chopped broccoli and let thaw before using.
Chop up onions, garlic and carrots in advance all at once for use during the week.
Mix up a batch of taco seasoning in advance
I buy a bag of bacon bits from Costco. Easily add that delicious flavor to anything without the mess.
Freeze any portions of beef that you will not be using in the next 3 or 4 days, to avoid spoilage.
Meat:
5 pounds chuck roast
Produce:
2 lbs carrots
16 oz bag baby carrots
1 pound of broccoli OR 16 oz frozen chopped broccoli
2 lbs onions
3 heads of garlic
5 lbs red, white or yellow potatoes
Iceberg or Romaine lettuce
1 pound or more tomatoes (or, a can of petite diced)
2 large sweet potatoes (also marketed as "yams")
Groceries:
Black olives
Taco Seasoning
3-32 ounces containers chicken broth
Gravy master (optional)
Good quality bacon bits (optional)
Bulky rolls
Tortilla chips
pearled barley
BBQ sauce
14 ounces petite diced tomatoes if not using fresh
Frozen:
16 ounces peas
16 ounces chopped broccoli (if not using fresh)
Dairy:
8 ounces shredded cheddar
8 ounces sour cream
Menu
Meal 1: Pot Roast and Vegetables
 |
| Pot Roast Dinner |
Meal 3: Taco Salad
 |
| Taco Salad without Cheese |
 |
| Beef and Barley Soup |
Meal 5: Cheesy Potatoes with chopped broccoli
(this uses no roast beef, but does use up left over potatoes)
 |
| Cheese Potatoes and Bacon (this one has no broccoli) |
Recipes
Pot Roast with Veggies1 large chuck roast
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 red potatoes
8 ounces baby carrots
(optional: Turnips, cut up into bite sized chunks)
Cooking directions below video
Remove meat from the pan. Add a bit more oil if necessary, and add the onions and carrots to the pan. Cook for several minutes until you see the onions starting to lose their opaqueness. Lower the heat slightly and add in the garlic. Stir and cook until you really smell the garlic cooking.
Deglaze the pan by adding the broth to the pan and scraping the bits off the bottom. Raise the heat a bit if necessary.
Once the pan is deglazed and the liquid starts to boil, add the meat back in the pan. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and put into a 275 degree oven. Let cook for at least three hours.
Add the vegetables to the pan after three or four hours, cover the pan again and let cook in the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan. Pass the liquid through a sieve to remove the bulky vegetables and skim the fat if necessary.
In the now empty pan, heat 2 tablespoons of fat (oil, butter, even schmaltz or bacon fat will do). Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and mix together while cooking over medium heat. As soon as the flour starts to smell a bit nutty and maybe getting slightly browned a bit, slowly add in the now clarified liquids while whisking. You want the gravy to be slightly thinner than you plan to serve it as it will thicken as it cools. If the gravy isn't dark enough for you, add a small touch of gravy master until it is the shade you prefer. You don't need a lot of this stuff.
While you are cooking the roast, now would be a great time to boil a bunch of red potatoes. I usually get a 5 lb bag, use some for the pot roast and boil the rest for the week.
Shred any left over beef to refrigerate for the rest of the week.
Meal 2: BBQ sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries
Shred enough left over pot roast for the number of sandwiches you are making. Top with BBQ sauce of your choice and slowly reheat over a low flame until hot.
Toast the rolls. Top with the beef mix and any other sandwich fixings you like.
Sweet potato "fries": Scrub and peel two large sweet potatoes (sometimes marketed as "yams"). Cut in half lengthwise, then cut slices about the size of fries, as you like them. Toss the slices in a bit of oil, place in a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake in an oven at 475 for 10 minutes, flip the slices and bake until they start to brown and are cooked through.
Meal 3: Taco Salad
Shred iceberg or romaine lettuce. Cut some tomatoes into chunks, or use a can of diced tomatoes. If you have the time, toss them with a little oil and roast in the oven at 475 until they shrivel and brown a bit, but this is completely optional. Slice a small can of olives. Crush some tortillas and lay at the bottom of the bowl, top with a mix of the vegetables and olives.
Cook up some of the shredded beef with some taco seasoning using the directions on the back from the point after you brown the beef. Alternatively, use the recipe below to make your own seasoning, then add 3/4 cup of water and simmer with the beef until heated through.
Top the bowls with the meat mixture and shredded cheddar if desired, when ready to serve.
Meal 4: Beef and Barley Soup
Shredded beef (or small chop)
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
garlic, as much as you like. Or none. Up to you.
6 cups broth
assorted chopped vegetables: potatoes, turnips, parsnips, broccoli, whatever you have on hand
1/2 cup of pearled barley
1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas
I can petite dice tomatoes
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (use soy if you don't have this, or just leave it out. It will be a bit different, but still good)
heat some oil in a soup pot. Saute onions and carrots. When cooked, add in garlic if using. When you start to smell the garlic cooking, add in the broth. Bring to a boil. If using fresh vegetables, add them now, then add the barley, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and peas and heat through taste and season as desired (salt, pepper) and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Meal 5: Cheesy Potatoes with Chopped Broccoli
2 or more cups of boiled potatoes, cut into small bite sized pieces. Finely chop cooked broccoli to make about a cup.
Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add some very finely chopped onion to taste. Cook onion until it starts to brown. Add the potatoes and a bit more fat if necessary. Heat potatoes through and let them brown. Mix in bacon bits if desired, mix in broccoli. When heated through, top with cheddar cheese and cover until cheese melts.
Advanced cooking tips:
Boil potatoes when making pot roast
An alternative to cooked, chopped broccoli would be to pick up a bag of frozen chopped broccoli and let thaw before using.
Chop up onions, garlic and carrots in advance all at once for use during the week.
Mix up a batch of taco seasoning in advance
I buy a bag of bacon bits from Costco. Easily add that delicious flavor to anything without the mess.
Freeze any portions of beef that you will not be using in the next 3 or 4 days, to avoid spoilage.
Shopping List
5 pounds chuck roast
Produce:
2 lbs carrots
16 oz bag baby carrots
1 pound of broccoli OR 16 oz frozen chopped broccoli
2 lbs onions
3 heads of garlic
5 lbs red, white or yellow potatoes
Iceberg or Romaine lettuce
1 pound or more tomatoes (or, a can of petite diced)
2 large sweet potatoes (also marketed as "yams")
Groceries:
Black olives
Taco Seasoning
3-32 ounces containers chicken broth
Gravy master (optional)
Good quality bacon bits (optional)
Bulky rolls
Tortilla chips
pearled barley
BBQ sauce
14 ounces petite diced tomatoes if not using fresh
Frozen:
16 ounces peas
16 ounces chopped broccoli (if not using fresh)
Dairy:
8 ounces shredded cheddar
8 ounces sour cream
Make your own taco seasoning mix!
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Put all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine
Taco seasoning recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
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