Ropa Vieja

adapted from Memories of a Cuban Kitchen

   Interested in "Old Clothes" for dinner? I wish I could say I grew up eating this dish frequently and have a family recipe handed down from my bisabuela or something- but I was a super picky eater until high school...and a cookbook from my esposo is the true source. The 'lahatchita' part of me comes from being 1/2 Cuban.  My mom used to joke that the only visible Cuban part was my Cuban booty. Nevertheless, I really love good Cuban food and hope to cook lots so that maybe my 1/4 Cuban daughter will have some good recipes up her sleeve in the future.
  I made the recipe as described below, but I think it could easily be adjusted to work in a slow cooker. Also, if you want to make it super authentic, you could make it with horse meat from Argentine horses- that is how my mom had it growing up.

Ingredients

1 1/2 - 2 lbs flank steak, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1-2 tsp. dried oregano
1-2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup early sweet peas, (if using canned, drain)


Directions

1. Place beef and one bay leaf in a large saucepan, cover with salted water and cook over low heat until meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the stock (save the stock if you desire), allow to cool at room temperature, then cut into 2-inch chunks.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over low heat until fragrant. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic, stirring until tender- about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sherry, oregano, cumin, and remaining bay leaf, cooking uncovered an additional 15 minutes.

3. When the meat is cool, shred it with fingers,  remove excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Add it to the tomato mixture and cover. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, garnish with peas and serve with rice and beans and perhaps a little Cuban salad on the side.

Note: This dish can be prepared a day or two in advance, cooled, and refrigerated, then simmered (covered) over low heat until heated through, 30-35 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Stuffed Italian Burgers

slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

It may be October, but with the warm weather we've been enjoying (today is supposed to be 90!) we got a little craving for some burgers...

Ingredients

For the patties:
1 lb. ground sirloin (or good quality, low fat ground beef)
2 tbsp. yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
¼ tsp. black pepper
1-2 dashes of balsamic vinegar
Sliced fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves
8 slices pancetta

For the basil ketchup:
1/3 cup ketchup
Handful fresh basil leaves (about ¼ cup)
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

For serving:
wheat Kaiser rolls
Garlic butter (we did 1/4 of this recipe and it was more than enough)
fresh tomato slices
green lettuce

Directions

1. To make the patties, combine the ground sirloin, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl. Mix well to thoroughly combine. Divide the mixture into four equal portions; divide each of these further into halves so that you have 8 equal portions of the meat mixture. Form each portion into a thin, round patty.

2. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella and a few basil leaves on top of three of the patties. Lay the remaining patties on top of these, sandwiching the mozzarella in the center. Pinch the edges of the patties together to form one large patty with the cheese in the center. Wrap 2 slices of pancetta around each patty. Preheat the grill.

3. While the grill is heating, make the basil ketchup. Combine the ketchup, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor and pulse until well combined and finely chopped. Set aside.

4. Cook the burgers on the preheated grill until cooked to your liking and until the cheese inside has melted. Just before the burgers are done cooking, split the Kaiser rolls in half. Toast the buns and then spread with garlic butter. Assemble the cooked burgers on the rolls with fresh lettuce, tomato, and basil ketchup as desired.

Serves 4

Chipotle Skirt Steak Tacos

from Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients

1-2 lbs skirt steak
1/4 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
canned chili en adobo: 1-3 chipotle peppers + 2 tsp of adobo sauce {I used 1 1/2 peppers}
1-2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

accompaniments: corn tortillas, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, lettuce, lime wedges, salsa, etc.

Directions

1. Puree 1 chipotle pepper + 2 tsp of the adobo sauce with the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Taste and add more chipotle if needed. Stir in the cilantro. Throw it all in a zip lock bag with the skirt steak for at least 2 hours. Grill until medium-rare or medium-well. Cut the skirt steak into thin strips across the grain.

2. Place the corn tortillas directly on the grill 30 seconds, flip, add cheese, grill 30 seconds, remove. Transfer to plate, top with steak and desired accompaniments.

{This marinade is so delicioso it would take fabulous with chicken as well. We easily could have eaten the grilled steak with other sides, too}

Ginger Steak Salad

adapted from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

Marinade:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cooking Sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced (1/2 tsp.)
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 whole rib-eye, strip, or sirolin steak (or whatever you have on hand)
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salad Dressing:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (1/2 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 whole jalapeno, seeded and diced

Salad Ingredients:
drizzle of olive oil
1 red bell pepper, julienne
sliced almonds (generous handful)
8-10 oz. salad greens of choice (spinach, endive, radicchio, spring mix, romaine, etc.)
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 whole green onions, chopped
sesame seeds

Directions
1.Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. (If grilling- marinate for several hours. I did 7-8 hrs.)

2. Make salad dressing by combining all dressing ingredients and shaking or whisking until sugar has dissolved. Place in refrigerator.

3. Cook steak by either...
a. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak until medium rare or medium well. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly before cutting into slices.
b. Grill steak until medium rare or medium well. Remove from grill and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly before cutting into slices. ( I grilled)

In a large skillet or wok, add a drizzle of olive oil over medium high-high heat and stir fry bell pepper and almonds. After 2 minutes or so, add steak slices and a small drizzle of the ginger salad dressing. Mix until all ingredients are coated with dressing.

4.Toss salad greens lightly in the dressing. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place stir fry mix of steak, peppers, and almonds on top of salad. Drizzle additional salad dressing over the top. Add halved tomatoes, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds for garnish.

{If making to last more than one day only add dressing to desired amount of lettuce. I go light on dressing and had plenty left over dressing.}

Serves 4

Slow-Cooker Fajitas

adapted from stephmodo

Ingredients

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. flank or skirt steak, or boneless chicken (I used frozen chicken)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2-3 peppers (red, green, orange, yellow), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, finely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 fresh lime, juiced (could use lemon)

warm corn or whole wheat tortillas
sour cream
shredded cheese
sliced avocado

Directions

1. Cut meat across the grain into 1/2 inch diagonal strips. Place in a slow-cooker. {If using frozen chicken, simply place whole piece in slow cooker.} Top with onion and bell peppers.

2. In a small bowl, combine garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, salt, oil and lime juice. Pour mixture over meat. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Spoon several slices of meat with sauce into center of each warm tortilla. Fold over. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, and avocado.

Not-So-Sloppy Joes

from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey (could use ground beef)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt
ciabatta rolls or wheat hamburger buns, toasted (enough for 4-6 people)
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Avocado, sliced (optional, but delicious)
Sliced Jalapenos (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 3 min. Add turkey and cook, crumbling with spoon, about 7 min. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 12 min.

2. Spoon the mixture onto the bottom half of each bun and top with the cheese, avocado slices, a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 4 - 6 people.

Manchego Cheese and Garlic Hot Dogs

from Bon Appetit, July 2009

Ingredients

For the relish:
2 large heads of garlic, top 1/2-inch cut off
5 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup roasted red pepper from a jar, drained and diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley
Coarse kosher salt

For the hot dogs:
6 grilled or toasted hot dog buns or 2 1/2-inch-wide pieces ciabatta or pain rustique, cut to length of hot dogs and split lengthwise
6 grilled all-beef hot dogs
2 oz. Manchengo cheese, grated (I used a lot less than the full 2 oz.)
Balsamic vinegar


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place each head of garlic, cut side up, in center of square of foil; drizzle each with 1 teaspoon oil. Enclose garlic in foil. Place packets on oven rack; roast until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. Open packets; cool 15 minutes.

2. Once cooled, squeeze garlic cloves into small bowl. Mash enough roasted garlic to measure 1/4 cup (reserve remaining garlic for another use). Transfer 1/4 cup mashed garlic to bowl. Mix in 3 teaspoons oil, red pepper, and parsley. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

3. Arrange buns on plates. Top each with grilled hot dog, then cheese, garlic relish, and drizzle of vinegar.

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes

adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausages, casing removed (I used low fat turkey Italian sausage)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes
1/4 - 1/3 cup pesto sauce ( I buy in bulk and freeze)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 box Barilla ziti or penne pasta, freshly cooked
6-8 cups fresh baby spinach (about 8 oz.)
6-8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed*, with some shredded to top pasta (I used fresh)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic and sauté until sausage is cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices to pan. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. {While simmering, cook the pasta, if eating immediately.} Add pesto to sauce. Season sauce with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

2. Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Combine pasta, spinach, cubed mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese in large bowl. Stir in hot tomato sauce. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan and shredded mozzarella. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheeses melt, about 30 minutes.

*To have a more even distribution of cheese, make mozzarella cubed on the smaller size. If using fresh mozzarella, there may be a bit of excess moisture after pasta has baked, this can easily be spooned out if needed.

Serves 6-8

Penne with Tomatoes and Sausage

adapted from stephmodo

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausages, casing removed (I used the turkey version)
3/4-1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb. pasta (penne, rigatoni, etc.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Try to break up the sausage along the way with the back of a spoon. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with good sea salt and a little fresh ground pepper.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, and return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta. Sprinkle with basil and then Parmesan.

Serves 4-6.

Nick's Lasagna

Ingredients

Per il Ragu
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1-2 red/yellow bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 carrots, shredded (optional)
2 stalks celery, diced (optional)
1 lb. lean ground beef
36 oz. plain tomato sauce
dried or fresh basil, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

La Besciamela
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 Tbsp flour
2-3 cups of milk, enough to make a creamy sauce
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1-2 packages Barilla no boil lasagna noodles
freshly grated Parmiagiano, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, and Asiago cheeses


Directions

1. To prepare il ragu, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté yellow onion and bell peppers (and optional carrots or celery). When soft, add ground beef and brown. Drain grease. Add tomato sauce and season with basil, salt, pepper, red crushed pepper. Let simmer, up to six hours. (Can also simmer in a crock pot.)

2. To prepare la besciamela, melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour until a thick paste forms. Turn heat down to low-medium and add milk to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and nutmeg. Keep warm while making lasagna.

3. To assemble the lasagna, place a little ragu and olive oil on bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Put down a non-overlapping layer of pasta. Next a layer of ragu, then a sparse layer of besciamela, then a thin layer of cheese. Repeat as many times until reaching the top, alternating direction of pasta each layer. Be sure to get final sauce layer to cover all edges of pasta to avoid any crunchy edges. Be generous with top layer of cheese.

4. Bake around 375 for 40 min with foil lightly covering, 10-15 min with foil removed.
Buon appetito!


We often fill a 9 x 13 as well as a smaller baking dish. This also freezes well when frozen uncooked.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

1 lb low fat ground beef
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cups parmesan cheese, grated
⅛ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 bunch fresh italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 whole fresh mozzarella ball

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg, milk, and parsley. Add the ground beef until just incorporated; do not over-mix.

2. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out meatballs. Take the meatball , place a small amount of mozzarella cheese in the middle and form the ball around so that all of the cheese is completely covered. You now have three cooking options—choose whichever works best with your time frame. *I've done option 3.

1. Cook the meatballs and sauce in a crock pot on low for 6-7 hours.

2. Brown the meatballs slightly, leaving a pink/red center, then place in the crock pot with sauce and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

3. Brown the meatballs until almost completely cooked, place the meatballs on a foil-covered baking pan, and bake for approximately 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note: this recipe is for the meatballs only. Serve with your favorite ragu, make sure it is low in salt or this will be too salty.

Goes great with spaghetti squash.

Makes approx 30 meatballs.

Sweet Ginger Beef

adapted from Courtney Mangum

Ingredients:

1 big beef tri-tip or eye of round
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
2-3 cloves, or approx. 2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil

options: pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Bake tri-tip on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until well done. Remove from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slice very thinly against the grain.

2. Combine sauce ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to low-heat boil until it thickens. Add any additional flavor boosts (I do sesame oil and orange juice)

Serve over rice (Jasmine, Japanese, or brown. Goes great with steamed broccoli.)

Serves 4-6.