Try This Classic: Hungarian Goulash

 

 If I had more time, I’d make Julia Child’s Coq au Vin (Casserole of Chicken in Red Wine) recipe once a week.  I have successfully recreated her Cheese Souffle—a dish I was terrified to cook for guests because at the time I was a newbie in the kitchen and worried it wouldn’t rise.  I also treasure her Beef Bourguignon (Beef Stewed in Red Wine) recipe, and there’s no fear factor involved—just lots of steps and waiting around.

Question for Mom

Why does ground beef sometimes shrink more than ground turkey when you cook it?  ---Hannah B.

Ground beef often has more fat.  In fact, some ground beef can contain as much as 30% fat.  Fat melts during the cooking process, so not surprisingly your burgers become smaller.  Ground turkey does have some fat, and if it’s made from dark meat the fat content can approach that of ground beef.  Be sure to read the label.  I prefer the 7% fat ground turkey.

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Basic Beef Stew--An Easy Meal

I don’t buy beef very often, but when I spotted a package of well-trimmed beef stewing meat at the grocery store I snapped it up.  I immediately thought of making Beef Bourguignon but then remembered that our dinner guests don’t like mushrooms.

I decided to take this opportunity to make a basic beef stew.

Using Up Wine

Boeuf Bourguignon 

Back in the Dark Ages when I was teaching myself to cook, I stumbled on a recipe that called for a cup of wine.  Innocent that I was, I went to my local Bohack, a now defunct New York grocery chain, and consulted with one of the checkout clerks.  She told me what aisle had cooking wine. 

Mom Cooking Tip 160

                Semi-frozen raw meat is much easier to cut thinly than meat at room temperature.

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When I Learned to Love Spaghetti and Meatballs

Growing up in a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania meant different foods served at dinner, depending on where your parents came from.  My little town, about 15 miles Northeast of Pittsburgh, included many nationalities, drawn to the coal mining and steel working opportunities.

Thus was I introduced to Syrian sandwiches, made on bread much thicker and fresher than today’s packaged and often tasteless pita bread.  Or I might have been served that Polish classic, sauerkraut and kielbasa (sausage), or sticks of Greek souvlakia (aka shish kebab).  Or if I were eating at my grandmother’s house, I could count on boiled chicken.

I loved them all, but my favorite food from that time was Spaghetti and Meatballs.

How Much Meat Is Too Much?

I remember the rare occasions when my family would eat out.  If we were traveling, my father would always pull up to a Howard Johnson’s and order Veal Parmesan.  It was almost like he was a taste-tester, going from restaurant to restaurant, making sure the food was identical.

When we were at home, though, he switched his eating-out preference to Roast Prime Rib of Beef. That’s a cut of meat we all loved, and on those rare occasions when we ate out that’s what we all ordered. 

Looking back, I can’t believe how much meat arrived on my plate and how little remained when the wait staff took my plate away.  Today 1 slice of prime rib would probably serve 4 people at my house.

Mom Money-Saving Tip 89

Roast Pork Loin

Roasts provide lots of meals.  Buy them when they’re on sale, cook them and then freeze half the leftovers.  Use the rest for sandwiches, cut up in tortillas or soup or a simple repeat of your original dinner.  I just bought a 4-pound pork loin roast for $10 and used some of the leftovers for Cuban Sandwiches.  

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Roast Beef and I

London Broil Sliced Against the Grain

Roast beef and I used to have a fine time together.  When I was growing up, going out to dinner with my family and ordering prime rib was a grand tradition.  We didn’t do it often—maybe once a year—so it was memorable.. 

My mother didn’t know how to cook prime rib.  I doubt she ever looked for it in the meat department.  As I grew up and started learning about cooking, I examined various beef cuts, but I was so confused that I mostly bought ground beef and made hamburgers. 

What was the difference between sirloin steak, porterhouse steak, New York strip steak, minute steak, flank steak, round steak and chuck steak?  Before I figured it out, I moved to London, where these cuts of meat had different names.  Luckily the city had lots of small-store butchers who were willing to answer questions.  With their help

Mom Cooking Tip 129

Draft an ice cream scoop to shape meatballs or burgers, keeping your hands out of raw ground meat.

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Mom Cooking Tip 124

To remove fat from gravy, soup or meat stews, refrigerate the cooked food overnight.  The fat will solidify and rise to the top of the container.  Use a fork or large soup spoon to lift the fat off and discard.  This technique is easier and more effective than trying to spoon away fat while the dish is still cooking.

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Question for Mom

Will a candy thermometer also work as a meat thermometer?  -- Ginger B.

No.  A candy thermometer can clip to the side of a pot or a deep-fat fryer and measure the temperature of hot oil or melted sugar used in making candy such as fudge.  A candy thermometer may go as high as 400 degrees. A meat thermometer, which registers the internal temperature of roasting meat, generally goes only as high as 180 degrees.  Some candy thermometers have a spike at one end, making you think maybe they would work on meat, but they aren’t meant to determine whether the chicken is fully cooked.

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Question for Mom

Why do recipes say that roasted meat and poultry should rest for at least 15 minutes when they come out of the oven? - Angie P.

Resting time allows the juices to settle back into the cooked meat or poultry and also makes carving easier.
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Ramen Noodles Not Just for College Students

If you toss out the flavor packet (too much salt), packaged ramen noodles can be the basis of a reasonable emergency meal.  I proved it last night when I was scrambling to get dinner on the table and discovered two lonely packages of ramen noodles at the back of a pantry shelf.  They were just what I needed for the leftover pork stir-fry I wanted to make.

Mom Cooking Tip 104

Frying Chicken Tikka

Use tongs rather than a fork to turn meat as it cooks.  That way the juices won’t drip out through the holes made by the fork. 

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Mom Cooking Tip 75

Undercooked Pork

If meat is undercooked, slice it and put it under the broiler and broil for 45-60 seconds per side, continuing to keep an eye on it, until it is done enough for your taste.

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Mom Cooking Tip 65

Boneless Chicken Thighs Shredded with a Useful Gadget

If you have horribly overcooked some meat or chicken, shred it and serve it in tortillas or soup or add it to a pasta sauce.  Pictured above is the Schneidroller in action (see my post about useful gadgets).  It’s a handy device, although for thorough cleaning it needs to go in the dishwasher.

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 59

If you can’t find beef pre-cut for stew or if the pre-cut beef looks too fatty, buy a chuck roast and cut it into small pieces yourself.  Remove as much fat and gristle as possible.  In some cases, a chuck roast will be cheaper than stewing meat but not always. 

Chuck Roast

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Mom Money-Saving Tip 55

Oven-Roasted Tilapia Kebabs

To feed more people with a set amount of meat or fish, turn it into kebabs. Add to the skewers such vegetables as whole mushrooms, onion chunks, zucchini slices, bell pepper pieces or 1-inch slices of uncooked corn on the cob. Dab with oil and then grill, oven-roast or pan-fry.

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Mom Cooking Tip 44

Freeze ground meat in gallon-size plastic freezer bags. Flatten the meat as much as you can before sealing. It will freeze faster and thaw more quickly. If you decide you only need half the package for a meal, whack the still-frozen meat on the edge of the counter to split it in half.

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