French Onion Meatballs

2 lb yellow onions; halved and sliced thinly 
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
6 oz Gruyère cheese; grated
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine (single serve bottle)
32 oz beef broth
1 tsp balsamic or sherry vinegar

10 UNCOOKED Meatballs from Meatball Salad recipe

Arrange oven rack 8-10 inches from the broiler. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place meatballs on pan and bake on the middle rack until browned and cooked through or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 165°F, about 20 minutes. When done, remove from oven and set aside.

Melt butter in a broiler-safe, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, kosher salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat if the onions start to burn, until the onions have reduced by over half, are very soft, and deep golden-brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir until the flour is completely incorporated and leaves a film on the bottom of the skillet and begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add dry white wine and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Continue to stir until the wine is evaporated, about 1 minute.

Add  20-30 oz of beef broth and whisk to combine. Increase the heat back to medium if it was lowered while cooking the onions. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add balsamic or sherry vinegar and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.

Set the oven to broil. Transfer the meatballs to the sauce. Gently stir to coat the meatballs  then spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with the Gruyère cheese.

Transfer the skillet to oven and broil until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with the remaining thyme leaves and serve with crusty bread, if desired.

Prime Beef Sliders

6  2 oz Prime Beef sliders

3 slices American cheese

salt

pepper

salt and pepper both sides of sliders. Preheat grill on highest level for 10 minutes; reduce to medium high. Grill sliders for 4 minutes; flip and grill for 4 minutes; flip and grill for 2 minutes;  flip add cheese and grill for 2 minutes. Remove and cover with foil for 5 minutes.

Meatball Salad

 Meatballs

flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese; grated 
1 tbsp kosher salt

1 lb ground veal

1 lb ground pork
2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups warm water

2 eggs; beaten
peanut oil

Yields about 40 meatballs

Sauce

2 anchovy filets

2 oz tomato paste

1 shallot; chopped 
3 cloves garlic; minced

1 large cans of Italian peeled tomatoes

single serving bottle red wine

flat leaf parsley; chopped
fresh basil; chopped

salt
pepper

Dressing

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 cup olive oil

red onion; 4-6 half-moon slices

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; grated

1/4 cup of above sauce

Salad

romaine lettuce

celery, half-moon slices

compari tomato wedges

red onion; half-moon slices

olives

Parmesan cheese; grated

For meatballs:

Combine parsley, breadcrumbs, Parm salt in a food processor and set aside.

 

Break apart meat with your hands into a large mixing bowl. Add water; wait 30 seconds; add eggs and breadcrumb mixture, 

Using forks, gently combine. Be careful; over-handling the meat results in dense meatballs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Hand form 33-36 2" balls. 

Pour enough peanut oil to cover the bottom of a dutch oven. Brown 11-12 balls on all sides on medium heat in batches 3-5. About 10 minutes per patch. Don't over crowd. Set aside and let balls drain. Freeze the rest. 

For sauce:

Combine parsley, basil and tomatoes in a food processor until sauce is desired consistency. 

 
In the now well-seasoned dutch oven (if needed add fresh oil), add tomato paste and sauté shallot until soft and translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and anchovies, mashing the filets and sauté for another minute. Add wine; increase heat; reduce and scrape up bits until most wine has evaporated. Reduce heat to lowest setting; add tomatoes, parsley and basil; add balls back; salt and pepper to taste. 

Chili

2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
2 tablespoons; 1.5 - 2 cups water
salt
pepper
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 dried ancho chilies, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 F. Toss beef with 2 tablespoons water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Yoast anchos in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, reducing heat if anchos begin to smoke. Transfer to food processor and let cool.

Add tortilla chips, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, thyme, and 2 teaspoons pepper to food processor with anchos and process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl. Process tomatoes and their juice in now-empty work bowl until smooth, about 45 seconds.

Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef and cook, stirring to break meat up into 1/4 inch pieces, until beef is browned and fond begins to form on pot bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Add ancho mixture and chipotle; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add tomato puree, remaining 1.5-2 cups water and agave nectar. Bring to boil, scraping bottom of pot to loosen any browned bits. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is tender and chili is slightly thickened, 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Remove chili from oven and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in any fat that has risen to top of chili, then add vinegar and season with salt to taste. Serve. (Chili can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; add water as needed when reheating to adjust consistency.)

Start to finish: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Horseradish Sour Cream

2 cups sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
2 small shallots; chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley; chopped
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons "hot" cream horseradish

Mix.

Its a dip; its a sauce; no its both.

Beef Tenderloin

4.5 lb beef tenderloin trimmed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (red wine, balsamic, sherry)
1/4 cup fresh parsley; chopped rough
1 teaspoon fresh tyme; leaves
2 cloves garlic; smashed
salt
pepper

1-2 hours prior to cooking, remove tenderloin from fridge and dry with a paper towel.
Rub with remaining ingredients. Cover and allow to reach room temp.

Preheat grill with all burners on HIGH for 20 minutes.
Sear tenderloin for 3 minutes on each side.
Turnoff 1/2 burners and use indirect cooking until more than one location in the loin is 128 F.
30 tp 50 minutes depending on starting temp, heat, etc.

Use a meat thermometer. Trust it. It's perfect medium rare.
Remove, cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Slice at a 1/2 "

Bierocks at Hay Merchant

We had a blast watching Huskers (win) @HayMerchant. The bierocks were fabulous! @awhouser pic.twitter.com/uhYx4bwEYs

— Louise Houser (@Louhouser) November 19, 2016

Hashbrown breakfast sandwich; teriyaki beef and onions with cheese at Art's Cafe; 9th and Irving, San Francisco

This is for a "recipe" more than the place.

Hashbrown breakfast sandwich; teriyaki beef and onions with cheese and two fried eggs on the side.

The hashbrowns formed a taco shell for the beef,
onions and cheese.

Meatballs and Spaghetti

Meatballs

flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese; grated 
1 tbsp kosher salt

1 lb ground veal

1 lb ground pork
2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups warm water

2 eggs; beaten
peanut oil

Yields about 40 meatballs

Sauce
flat leaf parsley; chopped
fresh basil; chopped

2 large cans of Italian peeled tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot; chopped 
3 cloves garlic; minced

2 anchovy filets  
single serving bottle red wine

salt
pepper

spaghetti, cooked al dente

For meatballs:

Combine parsley, breadcrumbs, Parm salt in a food processor and set aside.

 

Break apart meat with your hands into a large mixing bowl. Add water; wait 30 seconds; add eggs and breadcrumb mixture, 

Using forks, gently combine. Be careful; over-handling the meat results in dense meatballs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Hand form 33-36 2" balls. 

Pour enough peanut oil to cover the bottom of a dutch oven. Brown 11-12 balls on all sides on medium heat in batches 3-5. About 10 minutes per patch. Don't over crowd. Set aside and let balls drain. Freeze the rest. 

For sauce:

Combine parsley, basil and tomatoes in a food processor until sauce is desired consistency. 

 
In the now well-seasoned dutch oven (if needed add fresh oil), sauté shallot until soft and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and anchovies, mashing the filets and sauté for another minute. Add wine; increase heat; reduce and scrape up bits until most wine has evaporated. Reduce heat to lowest setting; add tomatoes, parsley and basil; add balls back; salt and pepper to taste. 

Cook covered for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Your call.

Toss sauce with pasta and add a meatball or two. Serves 4. 

Rib-Eyes Medium Rare

1" thick rib-eye steaks
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
cooking spray
cast iron skillet

Salt and pepper both sides of the steak.

Quick blast of cooking spray. Well-seasoned pans may not need it. Heat cast iron skillet on high until you get worried about it or light whiffs of smoke appear. Add steak to the pan for 5.5 minutes. Flip and sear other side for 5.5 minutes. Remove from pan and let it rest for about 3 minutes. Server and eat. 1 medium rare steak per person.

Prime Rib

4-8lb (3 or 4 bone) prime rib trimmed

salt

pepper

1 clove fresh garlic sliced thinly

Taylor digital meat thermometer

Bring to room temp 2-3 hours, heavy salt, heavy pepper, spike beef and insert garlic slices

Rack in roaster, uncovered, 425 for 30 minutes, insert thermometer (doctor's orders), 350 until temp is 127 (1-2 hours)

Her Enchiladas

Lou makes a mean 'chilada. Secret recipe.

However, I will record some interesting fillings she has used.

Brisket for Coke Whores - magical

Don't Let Your Meat Loaf - She doesn't need to do it again. They were good but no real point.

asadero,  oaxaca and Colby jack for the cheese enchiladas

Brisket for Coke Whores

1 Brisket. Size does not matter. Trimmed or not.
Salt
Pepper
Penzey's English Prime Rib Rub
Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 medium white onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 16 oz bottle of Coke

Season the brisket with the spices. Slice the onions into rings. Crudely crush the garlic. Spread about 3/4 of the onions and the garlic in the bottom of an appropriate sized roasting pan. Put the brisket in the pan fat side up and put the rest of the onions on top of it. Pour the Coke over the brisket. Re-season if need and and make sure onions are still on top of the meat.

Cover with foil and cook @ 400 for 30 minutes and then turn down to 250 for 6 hours for an 8-10 pounder. Baste every two hours. Meat thermometer.

Remove from pan, cover with foil and let rest for 25 minutes. Slice and eat.

Don't Let Your Meat Loaf

3 medium shallots, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1 tbsp peanut oil

3 cloves roasted garlic
1 egg
9 oz crushed tomatoes

2 oz chopped pimentos

1.5 lbs ground sirloin
1 lbs ground pork

1 piece of sour dough bread or bobillo roll, crumbled

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Worstershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper

Sauté shallots and bell pepper in peanut oil just to soften, 1-2 minutes. Set aside and cool to room temp. 

In a food processor with a single pulse, combine roasted garlic, egg, tomatoes and pimentos . 

In a large bowl, using forks, combine shallots & bell pepper mix, tomato mix, sirloin, pork, bread and parsley, worstershire sauce, salt and pepper. 

Do not mix too hard and destroy the meat. Be gentle. Mix just enough to incorporate all the ingredients. If you mix too much, the loaf will get dense.

Form into a loaf shape and put in a large cast iron skillet. Cook on 375 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until internal temperature of 165. Remove from skillet a foil lined cookie sheet and tent with more foil. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve.

Before baking



















Finished Masterpiece