Mom's Tallarines

I'm not entirely sure where this recipe originally came from, but my mom has been making it for quite a while.  I'm not even sure of its original ethnicity. When I run a google search I find Italian translations and recipes, as well as a Peruvian dish.  All I know, is this makes one big pot of hearty, comfort food goodness.  Tallarines provide the heartiness of a good beef stew, but the tomato sauce adds a different, tangier twist. It does make a large quantity so it's a great dish for company. It also simmers in a pot or crock pot all day, which is another factor that makes it perfect for entertaining - little work, lots of glory! Serve it over egg noodles and with some crusty bread on the side and there won't be a rainy day you can't handle!

Mom's Tallarines

Ingredients
2 lb. rump roast, lean; trim fat

3-6 cloves garlic, peeled and whole (really large cloves could be cut in half)

3 Tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, or olive - choose your poison)
2-3 medium sized chopped onions
3/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (or 2-3 Tbsp dried) I used 3 Tbsp Italian Seasoning mix

2-14 oz cans Italian tomatoes (diced or stewed), undrained
2-6 oz cans tomato paste

2-3 cups water
1 jar pimiento, chopped (I used diced red pepper because I had it on hand they are practically the same thing)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup dry sherry (or leftover red wine that you might have on hand)

1/2 pound chopped mushrooms

1 lb egg noodles

Directions

1. Trim fat from roast. 

2. Make slivers in beef with a sharp knife and insert garlic cloves. I added three cloves to each side of the roast.

3. Heat oil until hot and brown roast on both sides.

4. In the same pot add onions, parsley, tomatoes, paste, pimento, carrots, bay leaves, sherry, and salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of water to start. As it cooks, you can add a little more if you want a soupier consistency. Stir to combine.

5. Cover and simmer 6-8 hours. I did this on the stove, but you could throw the whole thing in a crock pot as well.

6. Check for doneness by sticking a fork in the roast and twisting. If the meat breaks apart easily, then it's done. Use tongs to remove the roast from the pot and shred with a fork. You might be able to do this in the pot if your roast is very tender.

7. Add meat back to the pot and add the mushrooms.

8. Simmer another 20 minutes.

9. In the meantime, cook egg noodles according to package directions.

To Serve:

Dish up egg noodles and top with stew mixture. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired. I recommend serving with crusty bread. I made a batch of my top secret beer bread. I'll probably post this recipe another time ;)

Gooey Patty Melts

These are not low fat, but man are they so, so good. This recipe is, quite literally, the path to my husband's heart. We were inspired to begin making our own patty melts after a bad Steak 'n Shake frisco melt experience. There are some secrets to the perfect patty melt: caramelized onions, Swiss AND American cheese, and some copycat version of frisco sauce.

Gooey Patty Melts
adapted from From Away.com


Ingredients (for 4 sandwiches)

4 slices of bread of your choice (rye is tradition, I used multigrain ciabatta rolls that I found at Meijer)
3 tablespoons butter
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices American cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 large white onion, thinly sliced

Frisco Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup mayo (the real stuff)
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dill pickle relish

Directions
1. First caramelize the onions: melt the butter in a saute pan then add the sliced onions. Turn the heat to medium, cover, and stir every five minutes or so.  You want to cook the onions until they are a nice golden brown color. Like this:

Now, the correct way to do this is to let the onions slowly simmer on low heat for almost an hour. I generally keep the heat around low-med and med so that it happens in something closer to 15 minutes. You want to stir every so often to be sure they aren't sticking or burning. When they're done, drain the excess oil, if needed.

2. Separate the ground beef into four patties. Season with salt and pepper or seasonings of your choice and cook to desired doneness in a skillet (we like medium well).

3. Next, whip up the copycat frisco sauce. Simply stir together mayo, ketchup, sugar, and relish. Set aside.

4. Assemble the sandwiches in the following order: bottom slice of bread, Swiss cheese, burger patty, frisco sauce, onions, American cheese, top slice of bread.

5. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, heat it up, then through the sandwich on and brown each side (like you're making a grilled cheese). I sprayed an additional time in between flipping the sandwich.

6. Serve with french fries and a milkshake and you'll never need Steak 'n Shake again!

White Bean and Chicken Chili

Nothing says fall and football like chili. My husband loves chili and could probably eat it once a week, but I'm not a huge fan of kidney beans and that often ruins my excitement about chili. So, I decided to make us both happy by coming up with a chicken chili that satisfied his chili craving, but used white beans instead.

White Bean Chicken Chili

photo credit - I adapted this from a recipe in Prevention magazine.

Ingredients
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (I used homemade, but if you use store-bought I'd go for low-sodium)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans (you could use 2 cans if you're bean-crazy), drained
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (4.5 ox) chopped green chilis
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne

Garnishes: chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, crushed tortilla chips

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, garlic, and green chilis about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, broth, beans, and seasonings. Depending on the size of your chicken, you may need to add 1/2-1 cup of water to your pot.

3. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

4. Garnish with toppings of your choice!


And an idea for left overs!

We had company when we made this, so we had about two bowls-worth leftover. The second day I strained all the liquid then used the meat/veggie mixture as burrito filling! On a burrito-sized flour tortilla I spooned out about 3 tablespoons of brown rice, 1/2 cup of chicken mixture, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Then I rolled them up, placed them in a casserole dish, sprayed with cooking spray and baked at 425 for 15 minutes. They came out crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside! I topped the burritos with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and a dollop of guacamole!  My husband, who is not a fan of leftovers, loved them.

You could also make naked burritos by just spooning the chicken mixture over some rice, then topping with with fixins of your choice.