Kitchen Conundrum

Salisbury Steak Recipe- An Easy, Fast Midweek Dinner

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I’ve made this Salisbury Steak recipe twice in the past few weeks and it’s quickly giving my meatloaf a run for it’s money as the most requested dinner in my house. Even the little guy loves it and eats a whole patty, which is a lot for him.

When I first made Salisbury Steak years ago, I didn’t have any mustard powder in the cupboard so I used yellow mustard instead and I’ve never made it any other other way since. I just love the mustard flavor too so sometimes I will add a bit more in.

My favorite part is the gravy. It becomes so rich and creamy with the addition of butter and cream right at the end. Serve with a good starch, like mashed potatoes or thick egg noodles on the side to sop up any that is remaining.

From start to finish this recipe only takes about a half hour to make, so it’s perfect for a last minute, quick dinner for the middle of the week. Don’t bother washing the pan in between sauteing the onions and frying the patties. You’ll also want to keep some of the bits of browned meat in the bottom after you drain the oil for your gravy.

It’s been a long time since I’ve made this and I am glad I brought it back into the rotation.  I hope you like it too!

Salisbury Steak-5718

Salisbury Steak
 
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Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided into single tablespoons
  • ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon ketchup, reserve 1 tablespoon for the gravy
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, reserve 1 teaspoon for the gravy
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups beef broth, reserve 2 tablespoons to make a slurry
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Method
  1. In a large saute pan over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the sliced onion and cook until they are just softened. (The onions will cook more later.) Remove to a bowl and set aside. Don't bother cleaning the pan as you will reuse it.
  2. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of ketchup, mustard, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix well and shape into 4 oblong patties.
  3. Over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter combined with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in your large saute pan. Add the beef patties and brown on both sides being sure to not flip the patties too soon as you don't want them to fall apart. Continue until cooked through. (About 5-7 minutes.)
  4. Remove the patties to a plate and drain the pan of the oil.
  5. Reduce the heat and return the onions to the pan. Add the beef broth minus the 2 tablespoons. Add 1 tablespoon of ketchup and 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
  6. To make the slurry, in a small bowl combine the cornstarch and the reserved beef broth. Mix with a fork until all of the cornstarch is dissolved.
  7. Bring the gravy to a boil then add the slurry stirring continuously. Your gravy will thicken quite a bit.
  8. Return the beef patties to the pan and coat with the gravy, continuing to cook until heated through.
  9. Finish by adding 1 tablespoon of butter and heavy cream. Stirring to mix into the gravy. Add salt & pepper to taste. (You may not need any salt as Worcestershire sauce is quite salty.)
  10. Remove the patties, gravy and onions to a serving platter. Enjoy!

 

Ari’s Smokin’ Chili Reicpe

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The Northeast has been just slammed with one snow storm after the other and we have all been basically trapped in our houses for days on end. During this forced hibernation, we’ve sought warmth and comfort, whether it be a cup of tea and a warm duvet, or hanging out in fuzzy slippers and pjs while playing the Wii with the kids. It’s just those kinds of days.

We’ve also been cooking things that are comforting and warming. There has been Irish Oatmeal and Popovers for breakfast, homemade Macaroni and Cheese for lunch and soups and stews of various varieties for dinner. Anything to just keep us warm on the inside and fuel us while we shovel out a path to the rest of the world.

Last weekend, during yet another snowstorm and a day inside, we were glued to the TV in hopes that our home football team, from NY*, would win and take us on to the big game (otherwise known as the Super “Bleep”**). That didn’t quite happen, but we really enjoyed the chili and cornbread we ate while rooting them on.

*Rhymes with lets, pets, and bets. **Apparently only officially licensed sponsors can use the real name. And did you know, that you can’t actually say the Team Name? It’s true. You can only refer to their cities of origin but not by their official NFL monikers. I’m not even sure if you can say NFL. Opps. Said it twice! (And yes, I know, I probably can say their names because I am not actually advertising or selling anything. I just didn’t want to.)

 

Ingredients

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 lbs ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Jalapeno diced, (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)

2 chipotle peppers, canned variety with a some paste, diced

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 cup water

1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)

1 tbs cayenne pepper

½ tsp Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera- Dulce, a sweet, smoky paprika)

1 tbs red pepper flakes

1 tbs ground cumin

1½ tsp oregano

1½ tsp thyme

½ tsp ground coriander

Method

In a large Dutch oven or other large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Cook the meat, turning frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula until browned through. Once cooked, remove the meat with a slotted spoon from pot and set aside in a bowl, leaving the liquids in the pot.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, green bell pepper, garlic, Jalapeno and sauté until tender. Add the canned tomatoes, the chipotles and the beans. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Return the meat to the pot and add the water and tomato paste. Combine well and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

At this time, remove the cover and add the cayenne, paprika, red pepper, cumin, oregano, thyme and coriander and mix well. Let cook, continuing to simmer, uncovered for an additional half hour.

Add additional salt and pepper to taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. You may also add additional cayenne pepper if you prefer a hotter spice.

Spoon into large bowls and serve with corn bread or tortilla chips. You can also add toppings such as grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onion or chopped jalapenos.

 

However you like it, enjoy and may it keep you warm!

Meatloaf Recipe, Revisited and Refined

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Nothing says comfort food like meatloaf and potatoes. Except, that there is really nothing comforting about a flavorless slab of dry ground beef sitting on a plate. There just isn’t enough gravy to make that palatable. So, meatloaf was never a favorite in our houses growing up (no offense to our moms, who are truly great cooks otherwise, just for some reason not the meatloaf) and the memories of those meals haunted us until several years ago when a good friend sent me an amazing, flavorful recipe called Market Street Meatloaf.

While the original recipe is incredible, it is long, with a lot of steps and includes several ingredients that aren’t typically considered a staple in my house.  It is also very time consuming.  So, I’ve been tweaking the recipe for years now and it never fails to please, no matter how I change it up. Even my pickiest of eaters cleans her plate every time.

One of the things I love about this recipe is how versatile it is. I don’t always have celery. It’s true. And it’s absence is hardly noticed. If I’m feeling daring, I will dice up a jalapeno and throw it in to give it an extra kick. I’ve even been known to grab some frozen spinach or dice some fresh squash and zucchini and toss it into the mix. It’s virtually no fail.

We usually make a double recipe so we can freeze one loaf to have for a future week when it’s just too busy to cook.

This is my base recipe and I try to stick to it, but like I said, sometimes, I don’t have celery, or maybe I don’t have a green pepper. I just keep going. You can add a little more red pepper, or any other color pepper. You can even use celery salt, if you happen to have it in your cupboard. If not, don’t fret. It’ll still be tasty.

Meatloaf Recipe, Revisited and Refined

 

Ingredients Pt. 1

3/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
1/2 cup carrot, diced fine
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced fine
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced fine
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine or EVOO
Note: Here’s where you can add any additional vegetables you want as well as the jalapeno.

Ingredients Pt. 2

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup half-and-half (I use non dairy creamer)
½ cup ketchup + some to pour on top
2 eggs, beaten (You can also use Egg Beaters)
2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 -3/4 cup dry plain breadcrumbs

Method

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the butter/margarine/EVOO into a large pan. Add all of the Ingredients from Pt 1. Sauté until cooked through and tender. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl add the Pt 2. Ingredients with only ½ cup of the breadcrumbs. Mix together well.

Add the sautéed vegetables.

You may now need to add more breadcrumbs to get it to the texture where it will bind together and not be too mushy.

Shape the meat and place in a loaf pan (or two). Create a well down the middle of the loaf and squeeze a generous line of ketchup down the line.

Bake uncovered for 1 ½ -2 hrs at 375 degrees F. It should be brown on top but not burned. There may be a lot of liquid (extra fat) in the pan after it’s cooked. Remove the meatloaf from pan to a plate with a slotted spatula, drain the liquid and put the meatloaf back in the pan for easy serving and cleanup.

The original Market Street Meatloaf recipe comes from California’s 72 Market Street Restaurant which closed in 2000 but it can be found in the Silver Palate New Basics Cookbook.  My recipe is an adaptation of the original Market Street Meatloaf Recipe.

Enjoy!