High in protein and iron, beef is a great, flavorful addition to any meal. If you are tired of eating the same old beef recipes, let me help! I've used everything from the most expensive cut (filet mignon) to inexpensive stew meat and ground meat. No matter the occasion, one of these dishes is sure to hit the spot!

French Onion Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the soup:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 large white or yellow onions, sliced (see how here)

2 medium leeks, white part only, thinly sliced in half moons and washed (see how to cut and clean leeks here)

Pinch baking soda

1/4 cup dry Sherry

5 cups beef stock

4 large sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

For finishing:

1 large baguette, cut into rounds

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

1 cup grated gruyere

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom saucepan set over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and season lightly with salt and add a pinch of baking soda.  Cook onions until browned and tender (20-30 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Deglaze pan with sherry.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add beef stock, thyme, and bay leaves and stir to combine.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour (if simmering for more than 20 minutes, be sure to cover to avoid evaporation). 

While soup is simmering, coat slices of baguettes with olive oil. Place on parchment lined sheet tray and toast in the oven until golden brown, 5-7 minutes.

Once soup is done simmering, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle soup into oven-proof ramekins or crocks.  Mix together gruyere and parmesan. Top each bowl of soup with a toasted baguette round and a portion of the cheese mixture.  Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serve immediately.

Pressure Cooker Beef and Stout Pie

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 pounds stew meat (or a tough cut such as chuck, cut in to 1 1/2 - 2") pieces

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (3 tablespoons if you like a thinner gravy)

1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as canola, avocado, or vegetable), plus additional as needed

1 medium onion, diced in to 1/4” pieces

1 large carrot, peeled and diced in to 1/4” pieces

2 1/2 cups roughly chopped mushrooms (about 3/4” pieces)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup stout beer

1/2 cup beef stock

4 small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in to 1/2" pieces

1-2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Turn pressure cooker to the sauté feature and heat to a high heat.

Season stew meat with salt and pepper and toss with flour. When pressure cooker is hot, add oil. Sear meat in batches until all sides are brown (make sure meat does not touch), adding additional oil if needed. Add onion and carrot and sauté until onion becomes translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms have softened, about another 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until the color begins to change, approximately 1 minute. Add stout and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until stout is reduced by approximately half and the alcohol smell has burned off.

Turn pressure cooker off and add beef stock. Return seared meat to the pan, lock the lid on place, and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. While beef is cooking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Rapid release the pressure and add the potatoes to the pot. Stir in the potatoes, making sure that you scrape up any brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan. Return lid to pot and continue to cook on high pressure for an additional 7 minutes. Rapid release the pressure and open the cooker.

Place mixture in 9” x 13” pan, cast iron skillet, or individual ramekins or crocks. Lay a layer of puff pastry over the top of the meat mixture and place in the preheated oven. Bake until pastry is golden brown and cooked through, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Cups

Makes 8 lettuce cups

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado, canola, vegetable, etc.)

1 pound ground beef

1 cup julienned broccoli stems, soaked in ice water for 5-10 minutes

8 large butter lettuce leaves, or other tender, large lettuce leaves

Procedure:

Stir together oyster sauce, dark soy, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water in a small bowl and set aside.

Place skillet or wok over medium high heat. When hot, add oil. When oil is hot, add ground beef. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until meat is fully cooked through. Drain off fat if needed.

Pour reserved sauce mixture into skillet, using the liquid to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce until almost dry, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place lettuce cups on a serving platter, top with ground beef and julienned broccoli stems. Serve.

Mushroom Crusted Filet with Chocolate Port Sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the steaks:

6 filet mignon (beef tenderloin) steaks cut to 1 ¼" thickness

2 tablespoons dried mushrooms, dried in the oven if still bendable

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado)

Kosher salt to taste

For the sauce:

2 cups tawny port

2 cups beef stock

1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I like Guittard, and you don't have to cut these)

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in 4 pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Make the steaks:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a coffee grinder dedicated to spices (or mortar and pestle) grind dried mushrooms and peppercorns to a fine powder.

Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel (see why and how here). Season the steaks with salt. Coat the steaks with the porcini dust, making sure to press the mixture into the meat.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet over high heat. When hot, add oil. When oil is hot, place the steaks into the skillet, ensuring they are not touching, and allow it to cook for approximately 3 minutes on one side or until a deep dark caramelized crust is achieved. Flip and place the skillet into the preheated oven for approximately 4-6 minutes to cook the meat to medium rare.

Remove the skillet from the oven and place the steaks on a plate and allow to rest in warm area. Reserve the skillet for sauce.

Make the sauce:

Return the pan used to sear the steaks to a medium high heat and deglaze with the port, making sure to scrape up all brown bits.  Cook until the alcohol smell has burned off and the liquid is reduced by at least half.  Add the beef stock and reduce by half.  Turn heat to low and add chocolate, whisking constantly until chocolate is melted.  Remove from flame and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until melted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately. 

Ingredients and Equipment

Here are some of the specialty ingredients and equipment used in this week's newsletter.

Do you have a teen aged 14-18 that needs to learn to cook? I now teach both baking and cooking classes on Outschool for this age range. I have both live classes and "flex" classes that are built for your teen to go at their own pace. Click the link below to see my profile with all my classes I have to offer. 

Want to see previous newsletters and recipes? Click below to be taken to a page with all the past recipes I have sent out.