Week-end meals.

I usually call these week-end meals simply because they need a little bit more time to prepare. They are not difficult, you just have to give them time, not the usual 30 or 40 minutes, to get the best results. Also you need the week-end because if you'll follow my example you'll need to start them on Friday night. In fact, before I close the kitchen on Friday night, I make sure I start to defrost the meat for the week-end. So tonight it's beef cubes and chicken. Out of the freezer and into a bowl in the refrigerator for the next day. Saturday we'll have beef stew, and Sunday Tandoori chicken. The beef is already cut, so you'll just have to marinate the chicken and leave it in the refrigerator for Sunday dinner.

BEEF STEW

                                                                 

This was a common dish while growing up. It's a no fuss no mess way to have a decent meat dish in your meal. It doesn't need an expensive cut of beef, on the contrary, any cut will do, even the cheapest one. The secret is in the way you cook it. And it's not a "dark" secret, it's simply time, just give it time to cook slowly.

We used to call it "kebab in a pot", from the meat cut in cubes and cooked in a pot, not in skewers on a grill. It was ubiquitous in every house, especially when you cook for family. The basic recipe is very simple and easy, but I noticed that I made it several times, but didn't like it as much as I used to, or as I remembered it. Something was not right. Maybe because I made it without adding fat? I remember my grandma putting a whole tablespoon (or more) of butter in it. But I cannot add that much. So I tried adding a little bit of butter. Still it wasn't the same. Then I remembered the golden rule: if you are going to omit something from the recipe, you have to compensate for it with other ingredients. So I did, and it came out perfect. You'll need:

2 lb beef cut into 2 inch cubes

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cajoun seasoning

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the spices with the onion and garlic and add to the meat. Mix well to make sure that all the meat cubes are well coated. Let stand a while so that the meat will absorb the marinade. Sprinkle the flour over the meat, and mix to slightly coat it. (This process, and the spices are what I used to compensate for not using fat). In a non-stick pan, large enough to hold all the meat cubes in one layer, brown the beef on all sides on high heat. Don't panic if you notice that it is making some brown bits on the sides of the skillet, that's what will make the delicious sauce. It will need 7 to 10 minutes. When the meat is well browned on all sides, add some water and with a wooden spoon scrape off to release all the brown bits stuck on the sides and bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer. Check after 15 minutes and add water, enough to make the sauce liquid again. Cover and let cook. You may need to repeat until the meat is fork tender and the liquid is almost all absorbed and you have a thick brown sauce. The whole process will take about 50 minutes depending on the cut of meat you're using (I use top round). Serve over pasta, no sauce, you'll use the meat sauce, or rice, or with bread to dip in the sauce, with some vegetables of your choice on the side. 

TANDOORI CHICKEN

You probably had this kind of chicken at an Indian restaurant. I simply tried to replicate it because it is a nice departure from the same old same old chicken dish, and also because this way I can control the spicyness of the dish. I am not a fan of very hot dishes, so I made it as mild as I can. Of course you can make it as hot as you want. You'll be amazed at how easy it is. You'll need:

1 whole chicken cut into 8 or 10 pieces (or the equivalent in pieces: drumsticks, thighs, breasts) all skinless

1 tsp each: curry, celery salt, cumin

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp each: coriander, ginger

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp plain yogurt

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mix

Salt to taste.

Mix all the spices together. Add the onion/garlic mixture, mix. Add to the chicken, sprinkle with the lime juice and mix well. Add the yogurt to the chicken and mix to coat. Make sure that the pieces of chicken are of almost the same size. If they are too big you can make a small cut with a sharp knife in the thickest part so that the marinade can go into every part of the chicken. If the breast is too big you can cut it in half. I use it with or without bone. Cover the chicken and refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, arrange the chicken pieces on it and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the leftover marinade. You may have noticed that I added salt and not pepper. It's because with all the spices you don't need pepper, but you might need some salt (be cautious not to over do it). You may as I said add hot pepper flakes to your taste.

Serve with rice.