Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Week 5: Hungarian Goulash Soup

The Recipe
125g bacon, diced
1lb beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes
3 cups beef broth
2 tbsp paprika
1.5 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Dash sugar
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides. Add bell pepper and onions; cook until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, paprika, salt, pepper and sugar.

Cover and simmer for about 1-1.5 hours or until beef is tender. About 1/2 hour before serving, add the potatoes and reserved bacon; cook until potatoes are tender.

The Verdict
I used pork stew meat instead of beef stew meat. It was fine, but I think it would have been better with beef -- possibly minced beef would have been even better.

Apart from that, I really liked it. I was so tired last night that even chewing was a chore, so soup was just the thing :) And fortunately it tasted great too :)

Monday, January 28, 2013

Week 4: Caroline Crock Pork

The Recipe
1lb pork chops
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1tsp mustard
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together everything but the pork chops. Add the pork chops to a slow-cooker and pour everything else over. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours.

Serve over rice.

The Verdict
I can definitely understand making this as a freezer meal! The best thing about a crock-pot is that it's quick and takes little to no preparation time. Sure, chopping up garlic and onion doesn't take forever, but it's still great to be able to leave out even that small step. I put this on a Saturday I was going out to a birthday brunch, and it was GREAT not to have to worry about dinner when I got home.

Unfortunately the pork chop I got was slightly 'off' in its taste, which ruined the dish for me somewhat, but DH loved it, so I'm definitely willing to give it a second chance.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Week 3: Greek Gyros

The Recipe
250g ground beef
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried oregano
2 onions, sliced into rings
Pita breads
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/4 cup cucumber, finely chopped
Oregano, kebab powder
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Lettuce

Mix yogurt, cucumber and spices according to taste into a dressing for the gyros. Refrigerate.

Mix together beef, garlic powder and oregano and cook over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add onions and cook until done.

Serve with heated pita bread, chopped tomatoes, cucumber and shredded lettuce.

The Verdict
Yet another freezer recipe that really don't gain much from being frozen in advance. There's still quite a lot of preparation to be done at serving time.

The meal in itself was okay. Neither terrific nor horrible. I don't really see myself making this again.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Week 2: Easy Beef-Bean Burrito

The Recipe
250g ground beef
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2/3 cup chunky salsa (~1 jar)
1 (16-oz.) can black beans
10 ounces of chopped spinach
1/3 cup shredded cheese
8 tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ground beef and the oatmeal thoroughly. Warm some oil in a wok over medium-high heat, and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the next 4 ingredients (chili through beans) and cook for 10 minutes. Add spinach and cheese and stir until the spinach is wilted and the cheese has melted.

Serve on tortillas with extra shredded cheese and salsa as garnish.

The Verdict
I was hesitant about both the oatmeal and the spinach, but both additions turned out really well :-) This was originally billed as a freezer meal, but after making it as such, I see no reason to do so. There's hardly any preparation involved, so it seems unnecessary to do the work ahead. I think it saved me a total of 5 minutes.

Worth making again as a 'regular' meal though.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Fondue Dips

I made these for our NYE celebration, and they turned out really well :) I personally preferred the first one though.

Curry Dip
1/2 cup sour cream
Soy Sauce
Paprika
Curry
Oregano/Basil/Thyme mix

This one was made entirely to taste, so I have no idea how much I put in of the various spices.

Spicy Roast Garlic Dip
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sour cream
Chili Paste
Lemon Juice
In a small frying pan on low heat, add butter and chopped garlic, cooking until browned. Once the garlic is done, add it into a bowl with sour cream and a few drops of chili paste (add as much or as little as you want, depending on your heat preference). Mix it all together with a spoon, mashing up the garlic as much as you can. Add lemon juice according to taste once it is thoroughly mixed.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Week 1: Ham with apple/horseradish sauce

Third year running and I'm still going strong :) I'm loving trying out all these new recipes, and keeping a blog is keeping me accountable. This year I want to try to remember to take and add photos though.

This first recipe of the year is one my mother-in-law has handed down to me. It's one of my husband's favourite dishes, so obviously important that I got it right. Fortunately he was very appreciative :D

The Recipe
1lb ham
4 apples
2 tbsp shredded horseradish / horseradish paste (in Danish: revet, ikke høvlet)
4 tbsp water

Bake the ham in the oven or boil it in a pot, depending on your preference. Either way, the interior temperature should be 75C when it's done.

Prepare the apple/horseradish sauce in advance, as it's best cold.
Peel and deseed the apples, and cut them into wedges. Put them in a pot and add the water. Heat over medium-low heat until the apples are soft enough that they can be mashed with a spoon. Add the horseradish a little at a time until the sauce has reached the desired level of spiciness.

The Verdict
This was the first dish my mother-in-law served to me, and I started out being very dubious as I thought it just sounded weird. Being polite, I just took a small helping, figuring it couldn't be too bad. It wasn't - it was AMAZING! and I ended up kicking myself for not heaping on more ;) Fortunately my first attempt at trying to replicate it turned out really well, so I'll definitely be adding it to my repertoire as well :)