Rolling With the Beef.

This article will be visiting the countries of Germany, France and Italy, and the technique of rolling beef.  Now if beef is not on your household menu, yes, you can use pork or chicken.  As to “plant based” or “fake” meat, sorry, we don’t use it, don’t eat it, and can’t help with adjusting any recipes including it.  So, back to beef…

In the 1700s, a savory dish, called Rinderrouladen, became popular within the German Empire, especially in the state of Prussia (area which is now Berlin).  “Rouladen” is the German variation of the term “roulade”, meaning “to roll”, from the French.  Thin beef slices were rolled around a filling of mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles; then braised in a sauce or gravy.  Surprisingly, this recipe was often used by the lower classes as it helped to stretch out the amount of food available.  In Italy, this technique became known as Braciole with a stuffing of bread crumbs, cheese, herbs and pine nuts; braised in a tomato-based sauce. The French, however, took their roulades to higher levels by, either baking the beef rolls in pastry and serving with gravy as a side, or creating decadent desserts.  Have you ever had the traditional “Yule Log” cake?  This is actually the Bûche de Noël, a sponge cake rolled around a filling of cream, jam or fruit filling; served as is, or outwardly decorated for the holiday.

When I consider making a recipe, I will often ask Roy’s opinion, “Did you like this dish last time?”, “Do you think I should change anything?”.  After finding thinly sliced round steak (sometimes labeled as Milanese), I asked hubby, “Do you want Braciole, or something entirely different?”, and he wanted the different.  So, this is when we start throwing around ideas, like, “Remember the side of sauteed mushrooms and onions made with ribeye steaks once before? What if I made up some cornbread stuffing and mixed in the mushrooms and onions with it?"  Well, he thought about it, and thought about it, and decided that rolling the steak around that type of mixture sounded really good.  Wow, a married couple that actually discuss dining ideas!

It wasn't difficult to put together, however, rolling the steak the traditional "Braciole" way wouldn't do, as the stuffing was too bulky this time.  It was better to just draw one end over the stuffing, pull over the other end and then seal the sides with toothpicks.  Basically, I was making an enchilada type roll using steak instead of tortillas.   Beef broth was used as the cooking liquid, strained and then made into a rich gravy.  I did not season the steak before I began working with it; the inside will pick up flavors from the stuffing, while the exterior will be absorbing flavors from the broth.  Yes, I keep boxes, or bags, of stuffing mix or seasoned stuffing cubes in the home; it works great for those spontaneous recipes that call for it.  However, if you have an awesome cornbread stuffing recipe of your own, use it!

 

 

Beef Roulade aka Stuffed Steak Rolls

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. each salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1 lb. sliced mushrooms (if large slices, cut in half)

1 (6 oz.) box of cornbread stuffing

2 and 1/2 lbs. (8 pieces) thinly sliced round steak

2 cups (16 oz.) beef broth

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, medium-high heat; spread out onions, sprinkle seasoning over them, spread out mushrooms over the onions.  Let cook for 3 minutes before mixing the onions and mushrooms together; let cook another 3 minutes before removing from heat.  At the same time, prepare the cornbread stuffing according to package directions; add the sautéed mixture to stuffing and mix together thoroughly.

Cornbread Stuffing

Mushrooms and Onions

 

Stuffing Mixture

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Onto the center of each slice of steak, put a half cup of stuffing keeping it in a mound.  Any extra stuffing can be served as a garnish to the side of the rolls when served.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Fold one end of the steak over the stuffing; fold the other end over the first; seal the ends with toothpicks and place the roll into the baking dish.  Once all the rolls are done, and in the dish, pour the beef broth over the rolls; cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 30 minutes covered; uncover, spoon broth over rolls; bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove rolls from baking dish; strain liquid and pour into a small saucepan.  On high heat, whisk in cornstarch and bring to a boil; continue to boil for 3 minutes before serving over the steak rolls.

 

Makes 8 servings.

 

Side Dish Suggestions: take two large zucchini and cut ¼-inch slices; either round, or hold the knife at an angle to make oval slices; lightly season both sides of the slices with ground black pepper.  Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat; place the zucchini into the skillet and brown both sides; about 3 to 5 minutes per side.  Remove the slices to a serving bowl and season with medium crushed sea salt; it will give a salty surprise crunch to the zucchini.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes 8 servings.

~ Or~

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, broken up

1 head of broccoli, florets split apart, stems cut up

2 lbs. Brussel sprouts (remove stem ends and cut in half if very large)

1 small onion, diced

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup minced garlic

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. fine sea salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; spray 4-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; spread out evenly inside baking dish; cover dish with aluminum foil.  One hour into baking, remove foil, mix vegetables up from bottom to top.  Replace foil and bake for another 15 minutes; mix again before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

 

Option: Substitute cut up yellow or red potatoes for one of the vegetables, or add in 2 lbs. to make the side dish more substantial.  If the latter, add ½ cup olive oil to the mix. Increase heat to 425F, add 15 minutes to final baking without foil to ensure potatoes are thoroughly baked.

For a brighter mixture, add sliced carrots and/or red bell peppers; two cups plus 1/4 cup olive oil.  Keep temperature at 400F, unless potatoes are being used as well, then 425F.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mandela Effect and How Food is Remembered.

Before every food company converted their frozen meals to be microwaveable; the containers were aluminum and the plastic or cardboard covers needed to be removed first before heating. One of my very favorites was Stouffer's "Escalloped Chicken and Noodles"; chunks of white meat chicken, veggies and egg noodles in a luscious, creamy sauce. Alas, Stouffer's went the microwave route also; the containers became thin plastic with plastic wrap covers that stayed on, and the food stuck to. Not only that, the portions became smaller, but the prices almost doubled, and by now they have tripled.  What the heck is that all about!?!

I decided I'd had enough of this nonsense, and set upon making a copycat version of my own.  I purchased one more entree, heated it up and then analyzed it...the taste, textures, smell, what ingredients I could readily see or taste.  I'm sure if I was a scientist in a lab, I could have come up with an almost perfect copycat recipe; but I'm not and I'm still happy with the end result.

Using canned creamed soups saved me the trouble of using heavy cream which could break in a sauce if not cooked properly.  Adding chicken broth provided extra moisture for the egg noodles, so they did not harden up during the baking process.   I used fresh onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms, so their flavors are prominent in the dish now instead of just hinted at.

 

After making the recipe, and being very satisfied with the result, it was then that I took a look at the ingredient list on the box.  I wanted to see how close I was in my taste, texture and smell assessments.  Hmm, strange, but red bell peppers were not listed, but in the microwave entrée, I could see the tiny slivers of red.  There were also tiny bits of green, so I presumed that was celery diced to microscopic bits.  But no, what I took for peppers were “2% or less of carrots”, peas were listed, but where they were was a mystery to me.

Throughout the years of buying the boxed product, the predominant ingredients were “noodles, chicken, slivers of red, bits of green, loads of chopped mushrooms, toasted topping, and a very lickable creamy sauce.  But the box ingredient list states I am totally wrong, “Tender white meat chicken, freshly made fettuccini noodles, mushrooms, peas, celery, and carrots in a creamy sauce.”.  Listen, I know what I was eating, I saw what I was eating, tasted and smelled it, and the photo on the box did not show peas and carrots; not like it does nowadays.

Asking a question at the Stouffer’s site got me this result, “No, Stouffer’s did not use red bell peppers in the Escalloped Chicken and Noodles.    If you recall eating Stouffer's Escalloped Chicken and Noodles with red bell peppers, it's possible you are remembering a limited edition or regional version of the recipe.”.

Now I do not believe in coincidence, but right after this, Roy came in and started to ask me questions in the line of, “Do you remember this food having this name?”, or “Do you remember this food having this ingredient?”  Depending on the item, I could give a definite “yes”, “no”, or “never tried it, so don’t know”, and that’s when he began to explain “The Mandela Effect”.

The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon where a large group of people collectively misremembers an event or detail. The term was coined by Fiona Broome after she discovered many people shared her false memory that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s, when he actually passed away in 2013, and had been a freed man since 1990.

This principal is explained in two ways:

Collective false memory: It's a situation where many people share the same incorrect memory about something, such as an event, a phrase, or an image.

Psychological phenomenon: Psychologists explain the Mandela Effect as a demonstration of how imperfect and suggestible human memory can be. Memories can change over time and be influenced by external information.

When it comes to food, here are two perfect examples:

1 - Jif peanut butter was never called Jiffy; it has always been Jif since it was founded in 1958.

The name Jiffy may have been confused with the brand due to a tagline referring to making a sandwich "in a jiffy”; or by mixing the name with Skippy, another popular peanut butter brand. 

2 - Oscar Mayer: This brand is sometimes recalled as "Oscar Meyer".  This commercial jingle debuted in 1974.

"My Bologna has a first name,

It's O-S-C-A-R.

My bologna has a second name,

It's M-A-Y-E-R.

Oh, I love to eat it every day,

And if you ask me why I'll say,

Cause' Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A!!!!"

Previously, "The Wiener Song" debuted in 1962, but the lyrics only said the name, and did not spell it out as it was sung.

"Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,

That is what I'd truly like to be-ee-ee.

Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,

Everyone would be in love with me."

With this information, now I had to wonder if my memory of a favorite frozen dish was actually false, or just mixed up with another item I used to eat often.

So back to Escalloped Chicken and Noodles, and the development of the recipe during the Depression Era.  It became such an easy, and cheap in cost, recipe to make; with its popularity escalating once Stouffer’s began to sell prepackaged meals in the frozen food section of local markets and supermarkets.

Here is my version of this dish, sans the peas and carrots, but if you want to try the recipe, and add them (1 and ½ cups frozen peas and carrots mix, thawed), be my guest.

 

Escalloped Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup diced onion

Chicken Breasts are boiled in salted water.

½ cup diced red bell pepper

4 Tbsp. flour

4 cups cooked and shredded white meat chicken

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of celery soup

1 (8 oz.) package medium width egg noodles, cooked

1/2 cup plain, fine bread crumbs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. and spray a 3-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

 

 

 

In 10-inch skillet, medium-high heat, melt butter and sauté mushrooms, onion and red bell pepper until softened, but not browned; add flour and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In large mixing bowl, combine sautéed vegetables, chicken, pepper, broth, creamed soups and noodles.

 

 

Spread mixture into casserole dish; sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake 30-35 minutes; until sauce is bubbling and bread crumbs are golden brown.

 

Sprinkle bread crumbs over all.

Makes 8 servings.

Remembering something from the past, and you are positive, but facts say otherwise, maybe you are experiencing The Mandela Effect.

Mary Cokenour 

 

Easy Creamy Smothered Baked Tasty Casserole

In the past weeks I have seen, repeatedly, posted a recipe for Pork Chop and Potato Casserole featuring Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Usually, it is a photo of the completed dish with ingredients listed, just the names, not the amounts, and “Click on this link for full recipe”.  Clink on the link and you are taken to a cooking blog, or a Facebook page, that will not give the full recipe unless you become a follower.  While I would love to see folks click “Become a Follower” on my own food blog, I do not keep the recipes as secretive as a government agency.

Not everyone wants to join a blog, or page, just to access one recipe, and nowadays it is just easier to do a search, and find it printed elsewhere, intact with full ingredient list and directions. That is exactly what I did do, a search and read many a recipe describing the writer’s take on what the recipe should entail.  While many a recipe was quite simple to accomplish, some were so complicated, it went from comfort food to Michelin star status.  Well, my blog is about adventures in creating and enjoying comfort food, so that is the path I chose to create a dish of my own.  Also, while many a recipe had the same name, many others used a more descriptive word in the beginning, usually “easy”, “creamy”, “smothered”, “baked”, or “tasty”.; hence this article’s title.

The combination of pork with potatoes goes back centuries, to every country, and its culture, that had the two food products available.  Putting them both, into one pot, was merely a way to save time in the cooking process while other chores could be finished up.  Those working outside the home environment could come back to a hearty meal, spend quality family time, before heading off to bed.

So, how did cream of mushroom soup come into the mix?  Recipes for mushroom soups were made popular during the 16^th century, mainly in France and Italy, for the royals and rich.  It was 1934 that the American company, Campbell’s put out a canned version of a creamed soup.  Open the can, put contents in a pot, add milk, heat and enjoy a bowl of smooth, filling, comfort food.  Campbell’s went further in enticing housewives to buy their products by putting easy-to-make recipes on the labels.  However, the recipe for the pork chop and potato casserole was not one of their creations.  In fact, the only origin found was references to being influenced by French and Italian cuisines that used a smooth mushroom sauce that “smothered” the pork, and “scalloped” the potatoes at the same time, in one pan.  So, who did it first?  Ask anyone, and you will probably hear it was Grandma So-and-So, or Great Grandma What’s-Her-Name; and that Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup was the base for the sauce.

When it comes to the pork chops, bone-in or boneless, can be used, but cooking times must be adjusted, since bone-in takes longer to cook thoroughly.  Depending on the thickness of the chops, brining or soaking overnight in milk, will help loosen up the meat’s fibers.  Trimming away as much outside fat as possible ensures the sauce will not become greasy.  A little fat running through the chops will melt away during the searing process, so no need to add a fat to the pan.  Personally, I prefer using the boneless chops that about ¼-inch thick as they need no brining or soaking; they are thin enough to absorb the flavors and moisture of sauces.

Potatoes used can be any type, from the buttery golden to the hearty russet; and cuts can be thinly sliced, cubed or chopped.  However, the cut of the potato should be one that goes well with the chops being used.  A thinly sliced potato will bake up much faster than a thick, bone-in chop, so you will end up with mushy or burned potatoes before the chops are done.  You want the pork chops and potatoes to cook evenly, together.

After reading many a recipe, I came up with my own which pairs chopped potatoes, sliced mushrooms and boneless pork chops together.  It is a simple ingredient list, easy directions, and the end result is a “easy creamy smothered baked tasty casserole”.  That title is too long, so I simply call the recipe Pork Chops, Mushrooms and Potato Casserole.  Enjoy!

 

Pork Chops, Mushrooms and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

8 boneless pork chops, ¼-inch thick

2 Tbsp. oil (optional – use if skillet is not nonstick)

5 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped (1-inch pieces)

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (2 oz.) packet onion soup mix

2 and ½ cups 2% milk

1 cup (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms, canned or fresh

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F, spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick buttery spray.

 

Trim outside fat from pork chops; heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; sear both sides of chops, two minutes per side; remove from skillet and set aside.  If using a skillet that is not nonstick, then heat the oil before searing. 

 

 

 

 If not already done, peel potatoes and cut into one-inch pieces; cubes, triangles or mix of both shapes.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together creamed soup, soup mix and milk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In baking dish, spread out potatoes, cover potatoes with pork chops leaving space between chops, spread mushrooms over chops.  Pour soup mixture over all.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake additional 20 minutes.  Chops will be cooked thoroughly, potatoes and mushrooms softened with a smooth, bubbling sauce.

 

Makes 6-8 servings depending on size of chops.

 

Note: The creamed soup and soup mix have salt, so that is why I did not add any.  There are also low sodium brands available, if you want even lesser salt.

Mary Cokenour

Beef is Just What the Doctor Ordered.

A classic meal, not just in the United States, but in many other countries, is the hamburger.  I am not referring to the minuscule hockey pucks sold at too many fast-food places.  I am not referring to the one-inch-thick rounds of seasoned meat, dripping with juices, layered between a bun and topped with anything your heart desires.  No, I am talking about an actual meal that consists of the hamburger as the star, served with a rich gravy, over rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

In the USA, we know this meal as Salisbury Steak, but its origin is not here, or in any other English-speaking country, as the name might imply.  The original hamburger steak with gravy originated in Hamburg, Germany.  It was in the 1800s that immigrants from Germany brought this recipe to, not just America, but into England as well.  At this time, during the Meiji Era, Japan finally opened its borders to foreigners.  This opened up this region to cuisines from the USA, England, and India (Where do you think the Brits and Japanese got their love of curry from!”).

Back to Salisbury Steak which was named after Dr. James Henry Salisbury.  He was a general physician, but had a great interest in gastrointestinal health, digestion and nutrition.  During the Civil War, he noticed that the main diet of the soldiers was bread, a broth-like soup with some vegetables added, and fruit.  That is if fresh fruit and vegetables were available.  Dr. Salisbury deduced that even though the soldiers were eating, their bodies were actually starving from the lack of protein.  By introducing some type of meat (he focused on beef and pork), thickening the broth with “hard tack” biscuits, and adding vegetables, a more nutritious meal could be served to the soldiers, both North and South.

Ah, now how did Salisbury Steak become a popular dish, for not just those dining in restaurants, but for the populace in general?  Remember those German immigrants from Hamburg?  Coming into the USA, their ships landed in New York City, home to many famous restaurants like Delmonico’s.  Yes, you guessed it.  The chefs of Delmonico’s came up with a fancified version of the Hamburg steak, but then took it to another level.  Swiss Steak, which did not originate in Switzerland at all, is similar to the Hamburg steak recipe, but instead of ground meat, it uses actual steak that is tenderized by the” cubing” method.  “Cubing”?  The beef is pounded out and flattened to help tenderize cheaper cuts.  If you have eaten country fried/chicken fried steak, then you have eaten cubed steak.  Anyway, back to Delmonico’s who, with their innovative culinary techniques, were able to sell, to the rich and famous, dishes that any ordinary citizen could make as well.

After WW2, beef, in Japan, became more readily available and at a cheap price. Housewives, and restaurants, were able to take the Hamburg recipe and adjust it to Japanese tastes.  However, when beef became a more “specialized” protein, the prices went up, and pork began finding its way into the mix.  Since the 1960s, Japanese Hamburg Steak (Hambagu) contains

meat patties made from a mix of ground beef and pork, sautéed onions, garlic, eggs, panko bread crumbs, and milk.  Seasonings added are salt, pepper, and soy sauce while the sauce is a mixture of Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and sake.  Very similar to a homemade meat loaf recipe.  This is served with the ever-present bowl of rice.

So, next time you are dining on Salisbury steak, Swiss steak, or a juicy gourmet hamburger with all the fixings, do not feel guilty as it was just what the doctor ordered.

 

Salisbury Steak

 

Ingredients:

5 lbs. lean ground beef

1 cup each diced mushrooms and onions

1 cup beef broth

1 ½ cups plain dried bread crumbs

2 tsp. each salt and ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. butter

2 large onions, slivered

Gravy:

3 Tbsp. flour

2 (10.5 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cups milk

1 cup beef broth

1 (3/4 oz.) packet brown gravy mix

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray a large jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.

 

In a large bowl, mix together beef, mushrooms, onions, broth, bread crumbs and seasonings thoroughly.  Use a 1 cup measuring cup to scoop out mixture and make oval shaped “steaks”; flatten down to 1” thick; place on spray pan.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients listed under “Gravy”.

In a large skillet, melt butter on medium-high heat; sauté onions until softened.  Pour gravy over onions; mix and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.  Remove steaks, dabbing on paper towels to remove excess grease, and immerse into gravy-onion mixture.  Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over buttered noodles, rice or potatoes.

Makes 10 servings.

 

Swiss Steak

Ingredients:

2 lbs. cubed steak

1 tsp. each garlic powder, ground black pepper

¼ tsp. sea salt

1/ 2 cup flour

1/3 cup canola oil or peanut oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 large onion, slivered

1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 cup beef broth

Preparation:

Season both sides of steak with garlic powder, pepper and salt; lightly dust with flour. Heat oil, on high, in a large skillet; lightly brown both sides of steak; set on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Spray a 4-5 qt crock pot with non-stick spray. Place steaks in pot with garlic, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms on top. Spread diced tomatoes evenly over vegetables; pour broth over tomatoes. Set on low; cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is very tender.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Japanese Hamburg Steak

If you are interested in the Japanese version, here is a link to a good recipe:  https://norecipes.com/hamburg-steak-hambagu/

 Mary Cokenour