BLOGHUNGRY

Homemade Turkey Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes aren't just for cafeterias anymore. This recipe from Tyler Florence is tangy and savory in a more adult way. He tops his with a butternut squash coleslaw with honey goat cheese dressing, but I got lazy and skipped that part. You can also sub ground beef, chicken, or pork.

Homemade Turkey Sloppy Joes

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
salt and pepper
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
12 large rolls or buns

Set a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add ground turkey, season well with salt and pepper and brown well all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon - about 7 to 10 minutes. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste. Finish with a splash of red wine vinegar and season it once more before serving on rolls.

Braised Short Ribs

Happy Birthday to me! I am celebrating 29 a couple days early by braising the crap out of meat in the richest most savory sauce the world has ever seen. Short ribs are a cheep and tough cut of meat, but braised until they fall apart, they're crazy good.

Braised Short Ribs

6 bone-in short ribs (about 5 3/4 pounds)
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1/2 cups tomato paste
2 to 3 cups hearty red wine
2 cups water
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
2 bay leaves

Season each short rib generously with salt. Coat a pot large enough to accommodate all the meat and vegetables with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

While the short ribs are browning, puree all the vegetables and garlic in the food processor until it forms a coarse paste. When the short ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Drain the fat, coat the bottom of same pan with fresh oil and add the pureed vegetables. Season the vegetables generously with salt and brown until they are very dark and a crud has formed on the bottom of the pan, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the crud and let it reform. Scrape the crud again and add the tomato paste. Brown the tomato paste for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat if things start to burn. Reduce the mixture by half.

Return the short ribs to the pan and add 2 cups water or until the water has just about covered the meat. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more water, if needed. Turn the ribs over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the lid during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let things get nice and brown and to let the sauce reduce. When done the meat should be very tender but not falling apart. Serve with the braising liquid.

Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese

Fall is here and squash is back with a vengeance. Every now and then, Popmuse asks for a healthier dinner without processed sugars or whatever other tastiness is killing us now. This won't replace spaghetti in your life, but it is a hearty and delicious meal with some good spaghetti-like texture.

Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese

1 large spaghetti squash, halfed lengthwise, seeds removed
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping, if desired
1/4 pound thickly sliced pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3 carrots, diced or shredded
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (optional)
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut-side down and roast until the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.

While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the beef to the pan and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.

Season everything with salt and pepper, then add the tomato paste, cooking it until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the red wine and beef stock and tomatoes (optional), scraping the bottom for any bits that may be stuck, and cook the sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the meat sauce on top of each squash half and garnish each with fresh basil (optional), and additional Parmesan cheese.

Pastry Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Spinach

I created this recipe as a Superbowl recipe for a Superbowl recipe contest a few months ago. Saddly I didn't win, but I did get to eat a whole meatloaf in the process. So I made out pretty well afterall. This is really just a different spin on my Italian Spinach Stuffed Pastry Wrapped Meatloaf for people who perfer BBQ sauce and blue cheese. I made my own crust, but you could skip that step and wrap yours in a premade rolled crust from the grocery. Just make sure you let it thaw until it's plyable and you may need to flour and roll it to the right size.

Pastry Wrapped BBQ Meatloaf Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Spinach

Meatloaf:
2 lbs ground turkey or beef
2 eggs
3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 cup bbq sauce
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups bread crumbs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a small skillet saute onion with a tablespoon of oil or butter until softened. Mix the meat, eggs, bread crumbs, bbq sauce, salt and pepper, and onion together in a large mixing bowl. Line a cookie sheet with a generous amount of foil. Pat out the meatloaf so that it completely covers the cookie sheet evenly. Layer the spinach and blue cheese in a line lengthwise in the center of the meatloaf. Use the foil to help fold the edges over the spinach and cheese, shaping tightly into a loaf. Make sure the loaf is smooth and sealed. Bend the foil over loaf and seal tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Wrap with pastry and continue to bake as directed below.

Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream

With hands or food processor, combine flour and butter to form a crumbly texture. Add egg and sour cream and combine into dough. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and roll into a rectangle roughly the size of the cookie sheet. Place the cooked meatloaf in the center of the sheet of dough.  Wrap the dough around the loaf.  Dampen the edges at the seams so they will seal well. Place the pastry-wrapped loaf in a greased shallow pan (you may have yet more fat cook out) with the seam down. Bake at 375 degrees F until the crust is golden brown, usually 25 to 30 min. Serve hot or at room temperature.  Cut slices across the loaf to show the layers. 

Bloghungry's Oscar Recipe Knock-offs

Usually my friends and I hold an Oscar party with a menu based around the best picture nominees. This is a practice that usually lends itself to a series of quirky mismatched of dishes and a few stomach aches. This year I've decided to knock off some of the foods from Wolfgang Puck's official event menu. We will be be serving:

Appetizer: Mini Cheeseburgers with Aged Cheddar
Salad: Chicken Salad w/ Cashews, Crispy Noodles & Honey Sesame Dressing
Entree: Roasted Garlic Chicken Breast with Wasabi Potato Puree
Dessert: Chocolate Shells Filled with Chocolate Mousse and Raspberries 

Mini Cheeseburgers with Aged Cheddar

1 1/4 pound ground sirloin
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
10 soft dinner rolls, split
1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
sliced aged cheddar

Special Sauce:
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix meat and next 4 ingredients. Divide meat into half and score each half into 5 pieces. Roll the meat into balls then squish it into small, thin patties, 3 inches across. You will yield 10 patties. To make a double batch or more, meat can be made into patties ahead and placed on cookie sheets to store 24 hours. Bake on cookie sheet in preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve on dinner rolls with cheddar, chopped onion and Special Sauce.
To make sauce, combine ranch dressing with ketchup and black pepper.

Chicken Salad with Roasted Cashews, Crispy Noodles and Honey Sesame Dressing

1 pound rotisserie chicken meat, skinned, boned and diced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 cup shredded carrot, a couple of handfuls
4 scallions, chopped on an angle
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons ground ginger
Salt and pepper
8 ounces mixed baby greens
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) roasted cashews
Fried Chinese noodles for garnish

Combine meat, celery, red grapes, carrot and scallions. Add yogurt and ginger to the salad and toss to evenly distribute the ginger. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to your taste.

To dress the greens, add salad to a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together broth, honey, sesame oil, and honey mustard. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. toss mixture with greens.

To assemble, pile dressed greens on a plate. Using an ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops of chicken salad on greens. Garnish with roasted cashews.

Roasted Garlic Chicken Breast  

Lemon Beurre Blanc, recipe follows
1 roasted green bell pepper, chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish
6 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a medium saucepan, combine the Lemon Beurre Blanc, roasted peppers, garlic, and feta cheese and heat over low heat. Keep warm until ready to use, stirring occasionally.

Preheat a grill or grill pan. Place chicken breasts on grill and grill on both sides until completely cooked through. Remove from grill and place on a serving plate. Spoon sauce over the chicken and garnish with crumbled feta cheese.

Lemon Beurre Blanc:

Pinch chopped garlic
Pinch chopped shallots
1/2 pound butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Chablis wine
2 lemons, juiced
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sweat the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the wine and lemon juice and cook until reduced by half. Add the cream and reduce until it reaches a sauce consistency. Reduce the heat to low and whip in the butter. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Wasabi Potato Puree

2 pound baking potatoes, like russets, peeled
Salted water
8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, heated
2 tablespoons roasted garlic puree
1 pound spinach, stems removed
3 teaspoons wasabi
Salt and pepper

Cut the potatoes into large pieces of equal size. Cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain thoroughly. Mash potatoes and whip in the butter, hot cream and roasted garlic puree.

Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water for 10 seconds. Refresh in ice water. Drain thoroughly. Transfer to a blender and add wasabi powder. Process to a puree. Stir into warm mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chocolate Shells Filled with Chocolate Mousse and Raspberries

Chocolate Shells:
12oz semisweet chocolate chips
8-10 paper muffin liners

Chocolate Mousse (for inside of Chocolate Shells):
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup raspberries

For the chocolate shells: Fill a small saucepan with about 3 inches of water and put over medium heat. Place chocolate in a metal or glass bowl and put bowl on top of sauce pan (creating a double boiler). Allow chocolate to melt slowly stirring occasionally until smooth. Fill 1 muffin paper at a time with about 3-4 tablespoons of chocolate spreading to coat sides and bottom of liner. Set aside and continue with remaining liners. Using a butter knife even out chocolate layers on sides and bottom to create an even wall of chocolate  Place on plate or tray in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and gently peel back paper liners. Spoon in mousse and garnish with raspberries

For the chocolate mousse: Fill a small saucepan with about 3 inches of water and put over medium heat. Place chocolate in a metal or glass bowl and put bowl on top of sauce pan (creating a double boiler). Allow chocolate to melt slowly stiring occasionally until smooth.

While the chocolate is melting, whip 1 cup of cream to soft peaks. Have a whisk ready and add 1/2 of the heavy cream into the hot melted chocolate. Work quickly or the chocolate will seize up. Whisk cream with chocolate until homogenous. Add the balance of heavy cream and gently fold to eliminate any white streaks. Reserve until ready to use.

Glazed Blue Cheese Meatballs

Popmuse loves meatballs and I love blue cheese with beef. Out of this love, the blue cheese meatball was born.

Glazed Blue Cheese Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoon sliced green onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup whipping cream
chopped parsley for garnish

Combine beef with cheese, onion, sauce and both salts. Shape into 12 meatballs. Melt butter in skillet. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Cover skillet. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove meatballs with a slotted spoon and put in serving dish. Add cream to drippings. Cook over medium to high heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes or till satiny. Spoon glaze over meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4.

Serve immediately. These can be shaped several hours in advance, cover and refrigerate till cooking time. 

Skirtsteaks with Blue Cheese Butter

I'm deep into a food phase moment. I can't stop piling my dinner on top of itself. Last weekend I made a skirtsteak with blue cheese butter piled on a bed of sherry roasted tomatoes and polenta. There's really something to layering flavors and textures of foods. I'm a uniter not a divider. Here's the rundown on the beef.

Skirtsteaks with Blue Cheese Butter

1 1/2 to 2 pounds skirt steaks
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Steak seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Drizzle meat with oil and season with steak or grill seasoning blend. Grill meat 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove meat and let it rest 5 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Mix butter with cheese and chives. Top hot steaks with butter and allow to melt.

Steak Frite with Fries and Garlic Butter

   
There are times in ones life that savory sliced steak and homemade garlic fries are a must. I made this a couple weeks ago and it turned out pretty great. I was in a hurry so I cut my marinating time down to 30 minutes and it still turned out fine. The real flavor comes from the garlic butter.

Steak Frite with Fries and Garlic Butter

1 ounce balsamic vinegar
1/2 ounce olive oil
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus 1 tablespoon
8 ounce London broil
4-5 medium russet potatoes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons Garlic Butter, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon parsley. Add steak and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Slice potatoes skin on into fries. Toss with a pinch of salt and 3 Tbsp olive oil. Bake fries in oven until crisp about 15-20 minutes.

Pan sear or grill marinated london broil over high heat for 45 seconds on both sides and cut into 1/4-inch strips.Toss fries and sirloin together with garlic butter, Parmesan, and remaining chopped parsley.

Garlic Butter:
4 ounces butter, melted
1 ounce olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped dried basil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Put olive oil, butter, and garlic in small sauce pan over medium high heat until garlic is slightly browned. Stir in remaining ingredients and set aside.

Crockpot BBQ

I had a craving for homemade barbecue sandwiches last weekend. So I dusted off my crockpot and went searching for recipes. Crock pots/Slow cookers really are the most suburban/old lady cooking devices ever. Every grandma in town has a slow cooker recipe and most of them involve cream of mushroom soup. Still, they can be a tasty no hassle way to put dinner on the table. You just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot, turn it on low, and 8 hours later you have a meal. It takes a little planning, but it can be a life saver after a long day at work. This recipe came from an internet source citing The 50+ Friends Cookbook. Im not sure if "50+ Friends" is refering to a large group of friends or friends over 50 years old, but either way it is bound to make a ton of food that even old people will enjoy. Look for more Bloghungry crock pot adventures in future weeks.

Crockpot Barbeque

2 1/2 - 3 pound beef roast
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp brown sugar
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
10-12 french rolls or buns
favorite store bought barbecue sauce (optional)

Remove any excess fat from the roast. Place roast in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients (except rolls) and pour over meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. Shread the meat by pulling it apart with two forks (it will fall apart easily). Add any extra barbeque sauce as necessary and serve on rolls or buns. Leftovers can be refridgerated.

French Dip Sandwiches

The French Dip Sandwich could be the world's most perfect sandwich. It's bold, juicy, and comes with it's own dipping sauce. There are plenty of mediocre French Dips in restaurants and fast food chains and I've tried them all. The secret to a good one is in the quality of the beef and the au ju. This is a solid recipe (from Rachael Ray) that you can have ready in about 10-15 minutes. Just make sure to get the roast beef sliced from your deli counter.

French Dip Sandwiches

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
a splash of dry sherry, optional
2 cans beef consomme, found on broth and soups aisle or beef broth
1 1/2 pounds deli sliced roast beef
Grill seasoning blend for steak, such as Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend, or, coarse salt and pepper
4 torpedo sandwich rolls, split

In a large, shallow skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and saute 2 minutes. Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer. Whisk in sherry and cook liquid out. Whisk in consomme in a slow stream. Bring sauce to a bubble and allow to simmer over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches.

Pile meat loosely across your cutting board or a large work surface. Season meat with grill seasoning or salt and black pepper. Set out 4 ramekins or small soup cups for dipping sauce, 4 dinner plates and 4 split torpedo rolls. To assemble, using a pair of kitchen tongs, dip meat into loose au jus sauce and pile into rolls. Set ramekins or cups with extra dipping sauce along side the sandwiches.