Tag Archives: beef recipes

Traditional Beef Pasties Recipe

Any true Yooper will tell you, there’s nothing more iconic about the Upper Peninsula than a pasty.

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A savory pastry dough stuffed with meat and potatoes, the pasty was developed as a way for miners to have a good, hardy lunch while working underground. The pasty can be eaten warm or cold and the thick, twisted crust was used as a handle of sorts that would be thrown away so miners could hold their food without having to worry about their dirty hands.

Today you can still find pasty shops all over the UP, and most of them come with a variety of fillings; however, you just can’t go wrong with beef, potatoes and rutabaga.

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I’ve had several pasties in my years spent up in the UP and they really are a tasty and filling meal. Not only that, they’re actually quite easy to make at home!

I made these pasties in a couple hours and they made great lunches and dinners throughout the week. Serve with a salad or just enjoy on it’s own…it’s certainly enough to fill you up!

Traditional Beef Pasties Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup lard
  • 3 to 4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 medium red potatoes, peeled
  • 1 small rutabaga, peeled
  • 6 baby carrots
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 egg, for egg wash (optional)

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Directions:

For the crust: Combine lard with 1 cup water. Melt on low heat until everything is incorporated and liquid is hot.

In separate heat-safe bowl, combine 3 cups flour and salt. Gradually add the hot liquid to the flour and stir until a very soft dough is formed. Cover and refrigerate until dough is cool, about 2 hours.

For filling: Chop red potatoes, rutabaga, carrots and onion into small 1/8 in. cubes. You’ll want everything to be a uniform size so it cooks through properly.

Add ground beef, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Stir filling until combined.

To assemble: Divide dough into equal portions (I weighed and divided the dough and got 8 portions with this recipe). On a floured surface, roll out one portion at a time into a 7 or 8 in. circle. Add about 3/4 to 1 cup of filling to center of dough. Moisten edges with water, then carefully fold dough over filling and seal edges. You can use a fork for easy sealing or do the traditional twisted crust by folding the dough over itself from one end to the other.

If your dough is still too soft, add more flour. I ended up having to add about a cup of flour after the dough cooled to get it to the right consistency. It should be soft, but workable.

Place pasties on an ungreased baking sheet. If desired, you can do an egg wash for a little color, which is what I did. Poke several holes in each pasty with a fork.

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Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour. Cool slightly before serving.

If you end up with extra filling, pour it in a skillet and cook up a hash for breakfast! I can say from experience, it’s DELICIOUS.

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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Braised Short Ribs with Cilantro Slaw

My first introduction to Matty Matheson was this MUNCHIES video for Braised Short Ribs.

It was basically love at first sight.

First of all, I wish I loved anything as much as Matty Matheson loves food. I mean just look at the joy on his face! Second of all, he’s literally the most colorful man I’ve ever seen. He’s like a big, loveable, cuddly coloring book.

As a lover of Cholula hot sauce and basically any meat that’s cooked low and slow, I bookmarked this recipe and continued my deep dive into the rest of Matheson’s videos.

It wasn’t until the first frost hit Chicago a few weekends ago that I decided it was time to finally bust out this recipe. Full of amazing flavor and stick-to-your-ribs deliciousness, this Braised Short Ribs recipe is just as good as it looks. Serve it with the homemade slaw and some salt and vinegar chips for a hearty, rich meal that is certain to warm you, body and soul.

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Braised Short Ribs with Cilantro Slaw

*Based on Braised Short Rib Sandwich Recipe, courtesy of MUNCHIES

Ingredients:

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
  • 1 poblano, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 rib celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 sprigs cilantro
  • 3 sprigs parsley
  • 3 bay leaves, dried
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 (6-inch) long short ribs (about 3 pounds)
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (5-ounce) bottle Cholula® Original Hot Sauce
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (I used an IPA)
  • 4 cups beef stock

For Slaw

  • 1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 limes, zested and juiced
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325°F. Place garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño, poblano, carrot, onion, and celery in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.

Tie the cilantro and parsley sprigs together with string. Set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper and cook, turning as needed, until brown all over, about 10 minutes. Set aside on a plate.

Add chopped vegetables to the saucepan and cook until soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 20 to 25 minutes (it’s gonna start smelling amazing in your kitchen). Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more.

Add the Cholula® Original Hot Sauce (yup, the WHOLE thing) and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add the beer and beef stock and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Again, I used IPA, but a stout or porter would also be really good here.

Return the short ribs to the saucepan. Top with herb bundle and dried bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover, then place in the oven. Cook until the ribs are soft, about 3 hours.

For slaw, toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl about an hour before you’re ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to plate.

Remove the ribs from the oven and set aside (remove and discard the bones). Strain the liquid, discarding the solids. Place the liquid back into the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until thick and reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Roughly chop the rib meat and toss in the reduced sauce. Stuff into toasted buns and top each with the slaw. Serve immediately.

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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12 Easy and Delicious Family Dinners

Dinner with the fam is about to get a whole lot easier…

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With these 12 easy and delicious dinner recipes, you can have food on the table and be done cooking in time to catch up on your favorite TV shows. These crowd-pleasers are also great for dinner parties and potlucks.

12 Easy and Delicious Family Dinners

Super Tender Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef

beef

Creamy Tuscan Shrimp Linguine

shrimp

The Best Baked Pineapple Chicken

chicken

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mushroom Cream Sauce

tomatoes chicken

Beefy Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

mexican

Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

salmon

Egg Roll in a Bowl

egg roll

Chinese Glazed Roast Pork

pork

Vegetable Soup

soup

Chicken Cacciatore

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Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle and Ricotta

short rib

Crispy Baked Ranch Chicken

baked chicken

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

There’s nothing like a quick, budget-friendly, and delicious dinner to sooth the soul this winter.  Full on flavor (and some New Year’s guilt–but well worth it!), this delicious tater tot casserole is sure to please kids and adults alike.

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This cheesy, hearty, yummy dinner is made even better with good-quality chili.  You can use homemade chili if you have some on hand, but canned works as well…just make sure you use the best-tasting and best-quality chili you can find, as chili is the main flavor in this dish.

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This Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole is so great for big family dinners and parties.  It can serve up to 8-10 people easily, or even more if you serve this as a side dish.  It can work as a meat-friendly or meatless dish, depending on what chili recipe you use, and if you can’t find Ore-Ida crispy crowns at your local grocery store, any sized hash brown will work.

 

Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Cowboy Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans chili (I used Amy’s Organic Chili Medium)
  • 4 tablespoons sour cream (plus more for serving, if desired)
  • 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 can diced tomatoes and chilies, drained
  • 2 bags shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1 30-ounce bag Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns

 

Instructions:

  1. Let the tater tots defrost for about 1-2 hours at room temperature.  Once fully defrosted, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Layer half of the tater tots on the bottom of the baking dish in one even layer.  Set aside.cowboy-tater-tot-casserole-recipe1

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  3. In a large bowl, combine the 2 cans of chili with the sour cream. Mix in drained corn and drained tomatoes and chilies. Gently fold in one cup cheese.
  4. Pour chili mixture on top of the tater tots.cowboy-tater-tot-casserole-recipe3
  5. Layer the other half of the tater tots on top of the chili.cowboy-tater-tot-casserole-recipe5

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  6. Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of cheese and cover with foil.
  7. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

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What other tater tot recipes do you love?  Share your tater tot staples below!

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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Spicy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Well, the days of holiday eating are coming to an end.  I’m already feeling the need to eat carrots and celery for the rest of my life, so here’s a little something different for your palate (sorry I haven’t put pics up recently!  My camera is somewhere in a box in my new place and I have yet to find it.  The hunt begins today).

SPICY BEEF AND BROCCOLI STIR-FRY

1 pound sirloin steak, cut against the grain into 1/4″ x 1/4″ strips

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 large broccoli stalks

1 cup reduced sodium beef broth

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger

2 large garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

4 cups hot cooked white rice

1.  Place the beef in a medium bowl, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and toss to coat.  Set aside.

2.  Cut the broccoli crowns into florets.  Peel the stalks and slice them crosswise into the rounds.  Set aside.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together the broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cornstarch and crushed red pepper until the cornstarch dissolves.  Set aside.

4.  Place a large well-seasoned  cast-iron skillet over medium high heat and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil.  When the oil is hot, add the beef and stir fry until it loses its pink color, about 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a clean bowl and set aside.

5.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the skillet.  When it is hot, add the broccoli and bell pepper, cover and cook until the veggies are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.  Stir the broth mixture and add it to the skillet.  Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the skillet.  Cook until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute.  Serve immediately over the rice.

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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