A FEAST FOR THREE

A year has gone by and here we are back at the big "meat day": Eidul Adha. We celebrate the day God asked Abraham to sacrifice his first born, then gave him a big ram to sacrifice. In this day, we do the same thing: every family starts the day with this ritual, then divide the meat into three parts: the first part to be given to the poor, another to friends and the last third to feed the  family. Growing up, this was a very big thing, all the family would come to our house early in the morning and after the prayers celebrating the Eid, we would all start cooking, eating or playing, depending on who is doing the activity and when. Of course I have kept the tradition as much as I could, gathering  all the family on this day and cooking different kind of meats and organs. Don't say ewww, some are really delicious, you just have to know how to cook them and have an open mind about "bizarre foods". But this year we decided to have a quiet celebration just for the three of us. Actually the oven is still not fixed, I have to go to work during the week, and everybody is somehow busy traveling, or doing something very important! So I decided to go with the flow and have a quiet dinner with the least possible effort. It has to have a meat dish, preferably a healthy version of something we usually have, with some vegetables and minimal work. The best choice was a beef round cooked in the slow cooker with a side of veggies. It can be the easiest meal you can cook, it even almost doesn't need a recipe: you can make it with what you have, and the quantities depend on what you like and the combination of colors that you prefer. I usually go for a mix of whites, greens and reds: potatoes, celery and carrots.

You'll need:

1 whole beef eye round, about 3 1/2 lbs, fat trimmed

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 to 6 medium potatoes (I used red ones), peeled and diced

10 baby carrots cut in 3 pieces

2 stalks of celery, sliced

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup stock (or granules dissolved in hot water)

Salt and pepper to taste (I use Adobo seasoning)

All you need to do is to slice and dice the vegetables; it will take you about 15 minutes max. Put the vegetables in the slow cooker, add seasoning and mix to distribute it.

                                                    

Season the meat with salt and pepper, and sear it on all sides in a nonstick skillet in one or two tbsp oil. Make some space for the meat in the cooker and let it rest over the veggies, add  the stock, cover and set it on high and let it cook for 4 hours undisturbed.

                                                

In the mean time you can cook some orzo in the same skillet where you seared the meat, adding stock until it's tender.

Slice the beef and arrange it on a serving platter with the vegetables on the side. You can use the remaining liquid in the pot to make gravy: just melt a small slice of butter in a sauce pan, add a tbsp of flour, stir to cook the mixture for a couple of minutes then add the liquid, stirring frequently to avoid lumps. Let it simmer and reduce to the desired thickness. 

You may also keep the liquid to use later as a base for soup or any other dish.

                                       

                                            

Really, nothing to eat?

I was very lazy lately..we went through a period of "whatever and anything" as answer to the age old question:"what are we going to eat today?" So it was a multiple repeat performances of everyday recipes, nothing special: a pasta dish today, some salad tomorrow and take out after that. Maybe it had to do with the oven still being broken.  I usually don't use it that much to cook everyday. But it's still a good excuse. Anyway that was our life for two or more weeks. Now I am back to work and this gave me some energy to think of something extra to have ready for when I come home. A good home cooked meal. I didn't go shopping for a while during the lazy period, but I am sure I have something in my freezer and my pantry to help me whip up something nice. Actually I found a beautiful cut of beef and some veggies...this could be the beginning of a delicious meal.

BEEF WITH CARROTS AND OLIVES

                                               

                                               

I remember cooking this dish years ago when I first got married and was trying to reduce my husband's intake of red meat. He ate it, probably to be nice to me, but then he gently made it clear that he prefers his steak big, in one piece, and medium rare. But lately he's been open to suggestions, so I thought maybe he will not object to it anymore. I like it because it has some vegetables in it and you can have it as a complete meal. Also when you cook beef on low heat you end up with moist and tender beef cubes that everybody will love, children and grownups alike. You'll need:

2 lb beef top round steak, 3/4 inch thick

1 medium onion cut into wedges, (or a large one if you love onions)

12 to 15 baby carrots, cut in half
1 garlic clove crushed and thinly sliced

1 can (6 oz) black pitted olives

1 to 2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup red wine (optional) + 1 cup water, or 2 cups water or stock

Chopped parsley for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the beef in 3/4 inch cubes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper and flour to lightly coat.
In a nonstick skillet cook the beef cubes in the oil on medium high heat until well browned on all sides. Add the garlic, stir and then add the wine if using it and the water (or stock). Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 50 minutes. Add the onion wedges, the carrots and the olives. Let cook for another 40 minutes until meat and veggies are fork tender. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. (Sorry, we were so hungry, they didn't give me time to do this last step. We're lucky I got to take a picture of the end result!!)
I served it with some bow-tie pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and carrots.

                                                   

It's very simple: cook the mushrooms in a drop of oil with 1/2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the mushrooms welt down, add the asparagus cut in the pasta size. Stir, then add 1 tbsp of water. Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water, and before it's done add the carrots. (You may want to slice them lengthwise). Drain the pasta, add it to the veggies, mix and transfer to a serving bowl.