BLOGHUNGRY

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.

Midweek Meatballs

Tonight I have a craving for meatballs. Lots of beefy, barbequey, sweet and spicy meatballs. These aren't the fanciest most decadent cocktail meatballs ever, but they are simple and tasty. Pair them with a quick batch of homemade mashed potatoes and you have a perfect mid week meal. It should also be noted that I watched Must Love Dogs tonight and it was uncomfortably bad. John Cusack has gone to a very dark place.

Midweek Meatballs

1 onion, julienne
2 cloves garlic
2 beers, 12 oz. each
10 ounces barbeque sauce
30 mini meatballs
salt and pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until deep golden brown in color. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add beer and barbeque sauce. Add meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Reader Submission: Filet Mignon with Merlot Sauce

I've had last weeks episode of Project Runway on my Tivo for days waiting for my screening group to reconviene. Now that everyone is back together, it is certainly a cause for celebration. Tonight we dine on Filet Mignon with Merlot Sauce. This amazing recipe was brought to me by sm blogberg. Preparing the sauce takes some time and smells up your kitchen a little, but it's completely worth it. The steak is juicy and delicious and the sauce is rich and savory. Give it a try.

Filet Mignon with Merlot Sauce

1 750-ml bottle Merlot
3 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth (NOT condensed)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 6-ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick)
Freshly cracked pepper
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Boil wine and beef broth in heavy large saucepan over high heat until mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Mix butter and flour in small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and cracked pepper. Sauté steaks until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Add shallots, garlic and thyme to skillet; stir 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups reduced wine mixture to skillet (reserve remainder for another use). Bring mixture to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Boil sauce until thick enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes. Serve steaks with sauce.

Special thanks to sm blogberg for the recipe. To send in your favorite recipe email me at Bloghungry@yahoo.com.

Barbeque Meatloaf

Sometimes comfort food is the best way to make it to the end of a work week. I had the strongest craving for meatloaf last night. I have a couple meatloaf recipes in my arsenal already, but decided to branch out and try one of Paula Deen's this time. This is a basic meatloaf with an extraordinary sauce. Popmuse's distaste for onions deterred him from eating more than a couple bites, but I loved it.

Barbeque Meat Loaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 onion, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water, to thin sauce if necessary Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the water (if too thick). Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour.