Ethnic Comfort Food: Moroccan Meatball Stew

Last Saturday morning I turned on the Food Network as I was sipping my coffee and cuddling with my furkid. Rachael Ray's new show happened to be on and I'll admit, I was hooked. She prepares a whole week's worth of meals in one day and provides instruction on how to finish the meal on the day you choose to serve.

Most of the meals looked "just ok" however one meal caught my eye and taste buds. Her Moroccan Meatballs with Eggs was unlike any other dish I'd ever seen. She made little meatballs with lamb, mint and traditional meatball binders. Then she created what I call a stew with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions and zucchini. What gives this dish its ethnic (Moroccan) flare is the spice mixture known as Ras El Hanout. She provided a recipe to make your own from spices in your cupboard.

Ras El Hanout
1 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Coriander
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Cardamom
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Cloves

I made the spice mix and stored it in a glass jar. You won't use all of this in one recipe--you could also mix and match these spices to your liking and make very little if you didn't want leftovers.

Moroccan Meatball Stew
1 pound ground lamb or beef (I used beef)
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
5 eggs, 1 for meatballs, 4 for poaching and serving, optional
1 medium onion, 1/4 onion grated and juiced, 3/4 onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, 2 minced or pasted, 2 sliced
1 small handful fresh mint leaves, leaves picked and finely chopped
Pinch ground cinnamon
Few grates nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling
1 small zucchini, sliced on an angle or chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Spice Blend or Ras el hanout
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas
A handful cilantro, leaves picked and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the large mixing bowl, combine the meat, bread crumbs, 1 egg lightly beaten, 2 to 3 tablespoons grated onion and juice, 2 cloves minced garlic, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Roll the meat into walnut-size balls and arrange the meatballs on a large baking tray. Roast the meatballs until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meatball ingredients before mixing

Meanwhile, heat more extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion to the pan with the sliced garlic, and zucchini. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, then add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, honey, and spice blend, and bring to a bubble. Drain the chickpeas and stir into the sauce. Remove the meatballs from the oven and slide into the sauce. Cool entire mixture completely and store in fridge for make-ahead meal.

When I was ready to serve this, I reheated half of the meatball mixture in a smaller sauce pan over medium heat. Add a bit of water if the sauce is too thick. I made 2 "wells" in the sauce and dropped one egg in each well. Cover the pot and simmer the eggs in the bubbly mixture until poached. Carefully scoop the mixture into a shallow bowl, being sure not to break the egg. When ready to eat, break the yolk and stir around like a gravy! YUM!

Served with crusty French bread. This was perfect for a snowy March night!

 

Brent's review: While he enjoyed this, I knew it wasn't a hit with him when he didn't take it as his lunch the next day. 

Valentine's Two-Steppin' Tenderloin

The perfect Valentine's Day meal...except I didn't make it on Valentine's Day! Brent was travelling, so I made this a couple weeks before the romantic holiday.

I'll admit, I was really disappointed with the tenderloins that I purchased from my local grocer. I bought them packaged since they were on sale. I should have known better...they put the "bad" side down, so I couldn't see that it had some weird connective tissue on one side. Blech. Note to self...spend $1 more and pick the exact cuts I want from the meat case.

BUT I cooked the tenderloins perfectly and the pesto and rice "pilaf" came out nicely! The cool thing about this recipe is the cooking method. It's like a chef's secret: from the stove top to the oven = perfectly browned and perfectly medium rare (or whatever doneness you prefer).

A tip to cut down on ingredients and time: buy jarred pesto. YES, making your own is probably healthier because you can control the amount of oil, type of nuts, etc. But making it myself made for more dishes to wash--I'm not a fan of more dishes. :)

Two-Steppin' Tenderloin

Colorful and easy!

Quick and Easy: Beef Fried Rice

Years ago I won a silent auction item that contained a wok, Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking cookbook and lots of staple Asian cooking ingredients like sesame oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, black bean paste, etc. I used the wok once and because I have those stupid coiled burners on my range, it didn't really work out. I need a gas range. UGH. So I have to use a large skillet to stir-fry instead.

Back to the story. I'm not a great Asian cook. I think I do pretty well with lots of cuisines, but I don't feel confident in most Asian applications. But last night I was craving Chinese food. Knowing I had a great cookbook and the right tools at home, I purchase some a Petite Top Sirloin from the grocery store and some asparagus. I was going to try to make fried rice. I used this recipe as a base and it came out to be almost as good as I've had from some restaurants. Kudos to the cookbook!

Beef Fried Rice
2 cups uncooked microwavable brown rice (cooked according to package directions)
2 Tbsp chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
1 pound beef, appropriate for stir-fry (I used Petite Top Sirloin), cut into thin slices
1 package frozen vegetables, stir-fry mix, thawed
1 bundle fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp macadamia nuts, chopped

Cook rice and set aside. Mix broth, sauces, sesame oil and salt in bowl and set aside. Add vegetable oil to large skillet (lots of surface area for a stir fry) over med-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and stir for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add beef, stir and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Add vegetables, stir and cook until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Move beef and vegetables to the sides of the pan. Add eggs in the middle and stir, until cooked through, about 1 minute. Mix all ingredients together.

Add rice to mix and stir. Pour sauce over mixture and stir. Serve with chopped macadamia nuts on top.

This made four very large servings.

We added a little Siracha on top, but it didn't really need it

Chimichurri Beef with Orange Cilantro Couscous

I love my job. I say that quite often. Not long ago we got some beef to take home since the freezers were being cleaned out for a new shipment. I got a mixed bag of items including a Schwan's Chimichurri "Marinate on Demand" product that is, sadly, no longer available. So I won't go into that too much, but needless to say, it was really good!

I wanted something to match the chimichurri sauce on the steak, so I opted for something fresh and citrusy. This is based off a Weight Watchers recipe but I used couscous instead of the quinoa they called for.

Orange Cilantro Couscous

1 cup(s) uncooked couscous
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup(s) carrot(s), shredded (I used my vegetable peeler to make ribbons)
1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced
2 tsp ginger root, freshly grated
1/2 cup(s) orange juice, fresh
1/3 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped

Cook couscous according to directions on box.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, scallions and ginger; cook over medium heat, stirring, until carrots are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Stir in couscous; cook, stirring, until well mixed.

Remove from heat; stir in orange juice and cilantro and serve. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

3 WW points per serving (for couscous alone)

Random Weeknight Dinner: Steak and Eggs

New York Strip (aka Kansas City Strip, aka Strip Steak, aka Top Loin Steak) (one of the many lean cuts of beef) was on sale at my grocery store the other night so I bought it. When I got home my first thought was, "Yikes, I didn't buy anything to go with this!" Fret not, the fridge had plenty of items to work with! I had accidentally bought eggs when I didn't need them, so I needed to use some up. I also had spinach that was about to go bad. Perhaps the most random of all was a small amount of hashbrowns and frozen french fries. So how to use all this randomness up? Steak and eggs with potato hash and sauteed spinach. Sounds good to me!

I used a two-step cooking method on the steak. I started it on the stove top in an oven-safe pan. I browned it nicely on both sides for about 3 minutes on each side. Then I put it in a preheated (350) oven for about 10 minutes. It was a PERFECT medium rare and so juicy. I salted it after I let it rest for about 3 minutes. I only had one rather large steak, so I split it in two for our servings.

For the hash, I sauteed the frozen fries for a bit and then I added the refrigerated hashbrowns and some sliced red onion. Once I got some browning on them, I put them in a pan in the oven as well.

I then added the spinach to a saute pan with a little garlic salt and let that wilt.

I cooked the eggs over-medium and put it all together on a plate. Brent has requested it again, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to recreate it seeing how it was basically a bunch of leftovers and about-to-go-bad items. Either way, I call this a success.

Steak and Eggs with Random Hash and Sauteed Spinach

Spicy Beef Kabobs and Minted Watermelon Salad

The August issue of Real Simple magazine was incredible. I was so inspired by the cover alone that I decided to replicate the two recipes on my own. I was even more pleased to find that the recipes came from a special "3 Ingredient Dishes" section, so I had to purchase very few items to get this beautiful meal.
I added more veggies with additional vegetable kabobs. Also, I couldn't find red jalapeno peppers so I used green ones--and they were HOT. Brent and I couldn't even eat them. Next time I think I'll use green chilies or maybe poblano peppers.

The minted watermelon salad was amazing. I've made it again since this and it was just as good. I'd recommend using a seedless watermelon so you don't have to mess with removing the seeds. It can almost serve as dessert if the melon is sweet enough.

Recipes:
Minted Watermelon Salad
Spicy Beef Kabobs

My finished product

Chicken Fried Steaks with Spicy Blue Cheese Sauce

I got home from a work trip and didn't want to go to the store so it was time to create my own mystery basket contest from what I already had. I was actually inspired by a culinary competition I'd seen the night before--I just had to work with the ingredients I already had. You can see my choices below (well there were more choices, but this is where my mind went).

What is a Sirloin Tip Steak???!!! My mom had given me a variety of cuts from a half of beef they'd purchased. Beef cuts have so many different names--so I looked this up and found out that it's from the round. So its a lean cut! Awesome. That also meant it needed some "TLC" and probably shouldn't be grilled up as a normal steak. So I decided to make a sort of chicken fried steak. I put it on top of whole wheat pasta and spinach and then made a spicy blue cheese sauce.

Chicken Fried Steaks with Spicy Blue Cheese Sauce
1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta
2 beef sirloin tip side steaks
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp blue cheese crumbles
2 Tbsp light sour cream
hot sauce to taste
1 package frozen chopped spinach

Cook pasta and set aside. Place steaks on cutting board, top with plastic wrap and pound thin with a large pan or mallet if you have one. Pound until about 1/4 inch thick and cut each steak in half. Heat oil over medium heat in skillet.

In shallow bowl combine flour and salt and pepper to your liking. In second bowl lightly whisk egg and water. In third bowl combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Dredge steaks in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Place in skillet and cook about 3-5 minutes on each side until evenly golden and 145 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat spinach in microwave. Season with salt and pepper. Mix blue cheese, sour cream and hot sauce in small bowl.

Mound 1/2 cup pasta on plate, top with as much spinach as you'd like. Place two steaks atop pasta and spinach. Top with half the blue cheese mixture.

Makes two servings.

This was absolutely delicious. I also feel like it was a rather healthy version of chicken fried steak--if there ever was one. I sort of mixed it all up when I was eating it. I liked to have a taste of each item in every bite.

I'm making this again--but next time I'll have to go buy the steaks since I used my mystery meat successfully!

A Penne for Your Thoughts

This is one dish I make over and over. It’s affordable, easy to make, freeze-able, and tasty. I’ve made it lots of different ways. This time I had vegetables to use up, so I filled it up with zucchini, squash, onions and tomatoes. The basic formula is pretty much the same, just add in whatever you want and enjoy!

Baked Pasta

4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
1 pound 95% lean ground beef
2 tsp minced garlic
1 zucchini, cut into “coins” and then quartered
1 yellow squash, cut into “coins” and then quartered
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup light pasta sauce
2 tsp dried basil (or fresh if you’ve got it)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups light mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta and set aside. Brown ground beef in skillet. After 2 minutes, add garlic and vegetables. Cook for 3 minutes. Add spices and pasta sauce. Cook 3 more minutes. In casserole dish, layer pasta, meat sauce and cheese starting with small amount of meat sauce, ½ the pasta, ½ the remaining meat sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat ending with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. If cheese isn’t browned on top, turn on broiler for 1 minute until cheese is slightly brown and bubbling.

Makes 8 servings. Plugged into my WW recipe builder, it shows up as 5 points.

Building the layers

I've thought about adding some low-fat ricotta cheese to the mix, almost like a lasagna, but it would increase the points. It's good as it is, but I love gooey pasta--this isn't overly gooey.

I made this while my mom was here to visit and she loved it. She said my dad would even like it as long as you didn't tell him what was in it. Funny.

Leftovers: Italian Beef Stir-Fry

Leftovers. We have a love hate relationship. I love having enough for more meals, but I hate eating the same thing over and over. My Steak and Grilled Vegetable Salad from "Mmmm, Meaty Salad" had worn out it's welcome. It needed a face-lift. So for Sunday night dinner, I made what I'll call and Italian Beef Stir Fry. I cut all the ingredients (minus tomatoes) from my previous dinner into bite sized pieces. I also cooked some brown rice. I dumped all of that into a medium hot pan and sauteed with some light Italian dressing. At the last moment I threw in some arugula, just letting it wilt slightly. Topped it all off with some Parmesan cheese and we had a nice "leftover" dinner that felt new.

Guy take: "This is actually good." As if he doubted me.

I counted 6 points for my serving.

I cut some lilacs from Brent's neighbors bush. They livened up his bachelor pad.

An Italian version of a stir fry.

Mmmm, Meaty Salad

Thanks to Real Simple for a very beefy June issue. It inspired my dinner tonight, but of course I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly as written. The original called for skirt steak. First, I can’t find skirt steak all the time and second, there are so many great beef cuts—why limit myself? So I went to the store and they had Flat Iron on sale. It’s a pretty new cut, so you may not be familiar with it. It's usually vacuum packed in the meat cases. Here’s a picture of it.

Beef Flat Iron

It’s a nice lean cut and if it’s been cut right, it should have very little connective tissue. It performs best at medium rare, so be careful not to overcook it.

Steak and Grilled Vegetable Salad

1 pound beef flat iron (sub skirt or flank steak if you like)
1 large red onion, cut into ½ inch rounds
1 pound white mushrooms, halved
1 pound green beans, cleaned and trimmed
3 roma tomatoes, ½ inch slices then quartered
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
4 cups arugula (or you could use watercress or spinach or romaine)

Heat grill to medium heat. (I used an indoor grill pan because I was out of propane) Toss cut vegetables into large bowl and coat well with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill each vegetable, except tomatoes, until crisp tender 8-12 minutes. Grill flat iron, brushing lightly with 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 5-7 minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 145°F (med rare). Lightly grill tomatoes during the last 3 minutes. Remove beef and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing against the grain into thin slices. Place ¼ of the vegetables atop 1 cup of arugula. Lay 5-7 slices of beef on top of salad. Drizzle remaining olive oil and vinegar on top of salads.

Makes 4 servings.

My grill pan--love it!

All my finished grilled vegetables

This was a beautiful dish. They say you eat with your eyes first and in this case your eyes will make your mouth water. The peppery-ness of the arugula added a nice touch. I chose a beer to pair with the meal tonight only because I was out of wine and a beer sounded so good after mowing my lawn.

If you’re counting points, I counted 5 points for one serving. I’m satisfied and full.

A beautiful dish, if I do say so myself