Guinness Beef Stew

Not sure why it's taken me so long to put this one up. I've been making it for years and it's a staple in the Saul household. Beef stews are made a million different ways - I much prefer Guinness over red wine (sorry Julia) and have to have the potatoes IN the stew...contrary to how my husband's family eats it back in Ireland: steamed potatoes peeled and buttered on the side.

2 lbs beef chuck/stew meat, cut into big bite sized pieces (they'll shrink)
1/2 cup flour, divided
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter, divided
3 carrots chopped
3 celery ribs chopped
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
5 sprigs of time (either tied with twine and fished out later or trimmed)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cans of Guinness (drink the other half - bonus!)
~3/4 of a 14oz can of crushed tomato or tomato sauce
~4 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, chopped to bite size
Salt and pepper

1. Divide the beef into two batches (make sure that the beef is dry and not juicy, dry it with a few paper towels if needed). Generously salt and pepper the beef and dredge half in flour.

2. Heat a large dutch oven to medium high heat and add enough olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to coat the pan. Add half of the beef and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot, add a little more oil and cook the other half of the beef. Set aside.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan if needed. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and thyme and cook until softened, about 10 mins. Add the garlic and a bit of salt and pepper.

4. Push the veggies aside and add the tomato paste. Cook for a couple of minutes and mix into the veggies.

5. Add the Guinness and scrape up all brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato and potatoes and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and simmer covered for at least two hours or until the beef is very tender. Stir occasionally to check the temp and avoid stew caking on the bottom of the pot. The stew will start out runny and thicken as you cook.

Chinese Take-out: Basil Chicken

I love Chinese food. We get take-out once and a while but it's so expensive...I'm ALWAYS shocked at the price of it when I order. So I try to make stuff at home as much as I can..and then I also know what's in it. I adapted this from America's Test Kitchen (I know, I know - haven't they already perfected it?).

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs in bite sized pieces
6 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin on bias
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 2-in. piece of ginger, sliced thinly
6-8 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
1 cup Thai basil leaves, sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1. Put the chicken in a medium sized bowl with the soy sauce and rice wine and marinate for an hour or while you do step 2.

2. Add oil to skillet with ginger and garlic and heat over medium low heat for about 10 minutes or until they're softened - don't burn them!

3. Pour the chicken and marinade into the pan. Turn heat up to medium high and bring to a simmer. Then turn down to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.

4. Combine the cornstarch and water and turn the heat back up on the skillet to medium high. Let sauce thicken.

5. Add the basil and celery and cook for another couple of minutes until the celery is just tender. Drizzle the toasted sesame oil and serve over rice. I like this with a side of steamed broccoli with a little soy and sesame and red pepper flakes ;)

Greek Turkey Bunless Burgers and Rice Pilaf

I love gyros. We ate tons of them in Greece and there's a great gyro place down the street from us in Davis Square. I tried this version of a turkey pita-less gyro/bun-less burger semi-salad the other night and we'll definitely have it again and again. The feta in the burger keeps the turkey from getting too dry (a trick I learned from a delicious Flour turkey burger recipe). The tzatziki is key to making this what it is - either buy some or make it (recipe linked to another Greek recipe below).


Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion pwder
1 cup cooked spinach, juices squeezed out and chopped
1/3 cup feta

Rice Pilaf

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup rice

Extras
Tzatziki
Chopped tomatoes and cucumbers



1. Saute the onion over medium high heat. Add the rice and cook until translucent. Add the broth and cook the rice until tender.

2. While the rice is cooking, combine the turkey burger ingredients in a large bowl and make patties. Cook over medium high heat in a bit of olive oil until cooked through.

3. Serve burger over rice with tzatziki and veggies on the side.

Antipasto Tortellini Salad

It's been HOT this summer. Really, really hot. Paddy still asks for scorching pasta and sauce about weekly, but I just can't do it. I'm iced coffee and pasta salad May-Oct with few exceptions. This is super easy and a good change up from the usual.

Half a package of frozen cheese tortellini cooked extra soft and tossed with olive oil
1 cup sliced salami - either chopped up extra deli meat or packaged, sliced salami
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1-2 cups fresh mozzarella, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped jarred peroncino
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or balsamic
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Tumeric Tilapia and Coconut Rice

I've always been one for fast dinners but since #2 arrived last month, I'm looking for 20 mins or less to get a balanced dinner on the table...and something that 3.5 year old #1 will eat. Miraculously, he's going through a fish phase so this works. It takes him an hour to eat it but he loves it. This is from Cooking Light.

1 tbsp tumeric
Salt & pepper
2 tilapia filets
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup cilantro
1.5 tbsp lime juice
Matchstick carrots, broccoli slaw or another veggie side

1. Season the fish with the tumeric, salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook the fish until browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside - keep warm.

3. Wipe out the pan. Add the rice and heat through. Add the coconut milk and sugar and stir until thickened. Add the lime juice and cilantro.

4. Either remove the rice from the pan or move to one side of the skillet. Add the slaw and cook until softened. Serve on the side.

Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake

Maybe it's because I'm seven months pregnant but this cake blew my mind this week. I had a load of overripe bananas and couldn't handle another banana bread. I saw this on Food52 recently and gave it a try. WOW. Not only is it the best cake I've had in a long time, but it took like 15 to make. It's like one big banana sticky bun. Amazing.

Caramel & Bananas
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 bananas, sliced lengthwise either in half or in thirds

Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking pwder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a 10 inch cast iron pan, melt the butter of medium high heat. Add the brown sugar and stir occasionally until it dissolves and is bubbly. Remove from heat and add the banana slices, flat side down, in one layer over the caramel so that all of the caramel is covered.

3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs and whisk. Slowly add the buttermilk until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined - don't over mix.

4. Pour the cake batter over the bananas and put in the oven for 35-40 mins.

5. When done, remove from oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Let it sit for 5 mins and then carefully invert the cake onto a platter.

Sloppy Joes

I hadn't had a sloppy joe since...3rd grade? Just hearing the words make me think of the smell of the school cafeteria on sloppy joe day. And it was gross. But these are amazing and one of Jack's favorites. I make the sauce on the weekend and then throw it together during the week in a flash... These would also be good with ground chicken or turkey.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp molasses
Hamburger buns

1. Cook the beef in a large skillet until lightly browned. Remove from pan.

2. In the fat/juice still in the pan from the meat, cook the onions and garlic until soft. Add the spices and cook until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients until well incorporated.

3. If eating right away, add the beef back into the sauce and bring to a simmer. If making ahead, put the beef and sauce into separate containers and when you're ready to eat it, throw it all in a pan and bring to a simmer. Serve on hamburger buns.