Joan's Baked Meatballs (Gluten-Free and Paleo Versions)

by Michelle

   I inherited this recipe from my mother-in-law, Joan. Many years ago, when I learned that Joan's meatballs were not fried... well, I had an "aha" moment. Baking the meatballs in broth ensures tenderness. And guess what? It's incredibly easy to make a big batch of meatballs and leftovers are conveniently stored in the freezer. When you want to make meatballs with marinara, or perhaps even mushroom sauce, there is no need to defrost the meatballs ahead of time. Simply add meatballs to the sauce and heat slowly over a low flame.
   While the meatballs are reheating in the sauce, you can bake a spaghetti squash or boil water for pasta. My favorite gluten-free pasta is made by Bionaturæ®, which cooks and tastes like traditional pasta. If you need to prepare a meal for someone who is adhering to a gluten-free or Paleo lifestyle, and don't even know where to start... well, I've just solved your problem for you. Just about everyone loves a great meatball.

   Earlier this year when I committed to eating Paleo for a month while participating in a self-inspired Whole30 program, Joan's recipe made Paleo-style (with no breadcrumbs and no Parmesan cheese), was a lifesaver. The secret to gluten-free or Paleo-style meatballs is to swap seasoned mashed cauliflower for breadcrumbs. I read about this technique in Nom Nom Paleo's cookbook by Michelle and Henry Tam. Now before you cringe and say, "Oh yuck, " rest assured that the cauliflower flavor is not even remotely detectable in the meatballs.
   If anyone could taste cauliflower hidden in food, it would be be husband Jay, who pretty much dislikes cauliflower altogether. When we talked about completing a second round of Whole30 this month, Jay asked how we could accomplish our goal and avoid eating as much cauliflower as we did the first time around when I over did making faux-rice, faux-potatoes, and faux-bagels (yes, all made with cauliflower) with varying degrees of success. Rest assured, if Jay gives this recipe two thumbs up, the cauliflower is not detectable. These meatballs are moist and tender and I think you and your family and friends will adore them as much as we do.

Joan's Baked Meatballs (Gluten-Free and Paleo Versions)

Bone Broth—It's What's for Breakfast

by Linda

"Good bone broth will resurrect the dead." —A South American Proverb

Mark enjoys a cup of steaming bone broth on a cold January morning.

   I recently heard it said that bone broth is the new coffee. It gives me hope to think this adage might be true—or could be true anyway. Emerging on the subject is lots of new information to support what ancient cultures have always known—bone broth provides a solid foundation for good health.
   A healthy body requires specific nutrition that is difficult to find in one's diet otherwise. Broth made from bones is full of trace minerals, gelatin, collagen, marrow, cartilage and glycine. Those nutrients in a soup form are easily absorbed into our bodies because they are leached out into the liquid. We need these nutrients because our bodies are built of the same materials—like it or not. A slow-cooked bone broth is the traditional and easy way to get these essential nutrients into our bodies. Pressure cookers can assist in this process for those of us who need to make it quickly.

  Our American addiction to coffee and the considerable daily dose of caffeine this habit provides is a crutch that many of us use to fuel our insanely busy lives, and is generally considered harmless by most people. It is something that we laugh at in an offhand manner. "Don't even talk to me until I have had my coffee"—is our national mantra. It's a habit that supports a Starbucks or Pete's on every street corner and in every strip mall. Many people arrive at work with the large cup of coffee in hand, and then keep drinking it all day long. It's even worse that their coffee it is often spiked with lots of sugar or truly horrific artificial sweeteners. Our coffee is also doctored up with things like chemically-laden powdered creamers and artificial flavorings. Consider this—many of us already have stressed out adrenal glands and high cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. This causes a myriad of health problems and makes us more susceptible to insomnia, colds and flu, allergies, hair loss, belly fat and low sex drive. Our national addiction to coffee helps raise our already sky-high cortisol levels.

   If you are looking to change some bad habits this year, and have a healthier diet in 2015—giving up coffee as your daily kickstart might be something to consider. Have it occasionally, on your weekend perhaps, when you are really have the time to notice and enjoy that caffeine induced euphoria. I know I do.

   Bone broth is also great to have in your freezer to use as a base for your soups and sauces. I love Pho. The flavor of homemade broth makes this delicious soup so much better than packaged or canned broths, and you control the ingredients—like sodium—which is used to disguise the taste of inferior ingredients in commercial products. Choose good quality bones for your broth and fresh organic vegetables if you are able. Happy Cooking in 2015 and Mazel Broth!

Mark's Bone Broth

   It is really worth the time and effort to make your own broth for many reasons. First, you can control the quality of your ingredients. Second is cost. Good quality broth at my supermarket (and I'm not talking about the canned or boxed stuff) runs about eight dollars per quart, Also, you want to purchase good quality bones. I buy mine at Whole Foods Market, but there are small local butcher shops popping up around the country ( I have one in my town). These shops are returning to whole animal butchery and source their animals from small local ranches. This would be a likely spot to purchase not only good quality bones, but calves' feet which are an excellent source of the aforementioned gelatin.

Equipment:

A large roasting pan

A large stock pot— remember the famous words of Julia Child, "Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need."

Ingredients:

4 pounds of beef bones

4 ribs of celery cut into large dice

3 large carrots cut to 1/2 inch rounds

2 medium white onions plus skins, cut into large dice

8 cloves of garlic—crush but leave the skins on

1 cup unpacked parsley leaves

3-4 bay leaves

Dry or fresh thyme

1 Tbsp whole black pepper corns

Celtic sea salt

Filtered water

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

2. Add beef bones to a roasting pan large enough for them to be spread out to a single layer. Add onion skins, garlic cloves, half of one onion, one carrot, and one celery rib; all pre-cut. Add a small pinch or two of sea salt to the bones.

3. Place roasting pan with bones and vegetables into the oven for 30-40 minutes. Onion skins should char a bit and beef bones should show some browning. Note: the darker you let the bones get, the darker your stock will be. However, going too long can make your stock bitter.

4. When bones are roasted, place all roasting pan ingredients plus the bay leaves and peppercorns in the large stock pot and add 4 quarts of filtered water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a medium to slow boil once everything is bubbling.

The roasted bones and veggies.

5. For the next hour, remove scum and fat from the top layer of the stock.

6. At the end of one hour, add the rest of the carrots, onions, and celery plus the fresh parsley and the thyme. Stir and bring back to a moderate boil.

7. For the next 3 hours, allow the stock to boil gently and occasionally skim for fat that will rise to the top. You will lose some volume of water during this time. I like to add more pre-heated, filtered water to keep the volume constant. Pre-heating the water keeps the stock at a steady boil.

8. At the end of cooking, the vegetables will have given their all and the bones will look dry and porous when held up to the air. Turn off heat and allow the stock to sit for one half hour.

Deglazing the roasting pan with boiling water to capture all of the roasted flavor.

9. When the stock has cooled a bit, it is time to strain the broth into empty containers using a fine mesh sieve or a strainer lined with cheese cloth. I like to leave my stock in the refrigerator overnight to allow any remaining fat to separate and to rise to the top of the broth for easy removal.
10. Once cooled, the stock can be put into containers of your choice, or poured into ice cube trays. These can be frozen for use later and can keep up to six months for best flavor.

(This method involves roasted elements and fresh ingredients. The stock will take on the roasted flavors, but also have a clean, freshness that I also enjoy.)

Our frozen bone broth ready for breakfast or for making soup and stews.

Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib): At Home for the Holidays

by Linda

"The feeling of friendship is like that of being comfortably filled with roast beef; love, like being enlivened with champagne." ~ Samuel Johnson

The roasted and rested roast is ready to have the ribs removed. You can have your butcher
remove them and tie them back on, but this is an easy step to do at the end
(just before serving) and allows for a more moist and more flavorful roast.

   For many years I preferred to serve a Mexican fiesta-inpired meal on Christmas Day. It is still a great choice, and it is not only delicious, but economical if you are planning to serve for a large gathering. Last year was a game changer, though, and I decided it was time for me to cook my first prime rib roast ever. 

   In truth, I was alway a bit intimidated by cooking a standing rib roast. Prime rib has alway been one of my favorite meals to order when dining out, because I never made it at home. That all changed when I met Mark, who was a confident expert at cooking this King of Roasts.

   Prime rib refers to the king of beef cuts, the standing rib roast, “standing” because to cook it, you simply position the roast on its rib bones in the roasting pan, no need for a rack. 

Jordan and Mark in their Christmas morning hats… a present from moi!

Even the Aloe celebrated by blooming at Christmas!

Since my son Jordan was coming for Christmas and loves prime rib, I decided that we should have a go at serving it for dinner on Christmas Day. I purchased a beautiful three rib roast from my local Whole Foods Market. I think it is worth mentioning here, that it is important to know where your beef is coming from and how it is raised before it goes to market. Know your source.
   Most of the research that I have done, suggests purchasing at minimum three ribs. Otherwise, you are just cooking a very thick steak. A good rule of thumb is two servings per rib.

 A cozy fire blazes on Christmas morning.

My son Jordan, a wildland firefighter Captain in the Plumas National Forest, was finally getting some rest and relaxation after a very long fire season had come to an end.

   When the prime rib was cooked to perfection, and we served it up with uncut horseradish, which made Jordan a very happy man, since he thinks adulterated horseradish is an abomination. The sides were mashed potatoes and green beans. Jordan was so happy in fact, with this memorable feast, that he called Mark for the roasting instructions for Thanksgiving brunch at his home this year (dinner of course, was a turkey cooked by Grillmaster Steve and Nolan at their cabin in the woods that evening). Here you go, Jordan, with love from Mom and Mark… instructions at the ready for future celebrations tucked away in your virtual recipe box.

An orb spider gifted us with this beautiful web on our outdoor Christmas tree.

Standing Rib Roast: Prime Rib

Juicy and medium rare goodness… what a holiday treat!

Ingredients:

3 bone Prime Rib roast (aprox. 6+ lbs.)

fresh rosemary and thyme

4-5 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

olive oil

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 onion

2 bay leaves

1 cup red wine

Procedure:

Bring roast to room temperature (usually takes about 1 1/2 hours on kitchen counter)

Meanwhile, make a wet paste, or rub with the thyme, rosemary, and garlic and a small amount of olive oil. All chopped finely.

Liberally salt and pepper the roast while it is losing its chill. Apply rub all over the roast and cover in plastic wrap.

Mark made a rub from fresh minced garlic, chopped fresh rosemary and thyme. 
Salt and pepper the exterior well.

   While roast is coming up to temp, pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Chop the carrots, celery, and onions  in large dice and then add to a sauté pan over med-high heat with one tablespoon olive oil and the bay leaves. Sauté the vegetables until glossy and slightly cooked.  Put mixture into large roasting pan.

 

Chopped vegetables provided a base and added flavor for the roast.

   When meat is ready, put roast in the same roasting pan with the fat-side of the roast facing up. When the oven is hot, put the roast in and cook for 20 minutes to sear the outside of the roast. After 20 minutes turn the oven down to 325 degrees, and roast until the desired internal temperature is reached (see guide below). Cook roast for about 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer reads 120-130 degrees for medium rare. Cooking will carry over after removal from the oven. When at correct temperature, remove meat to carving board with a groove to catch any juices that run out.  Cover with foil and a bath towel and rest meat for 20-30 minutes.

   Meanwhile, pour the pan juices through a strainer and keep warm for serving. Check for salt and pepper before using.

   Carving the roast, which should be rosy and still very tender, will need a good carving fork and a long, sharpened carving knife.  Stand the roast with the bones pointing to the ceiling. While secured with the fork, carefully slice down and against the bones to remove them completely. Set aside for those who love to chew on the bones. Then, while slicing through the top, or fat-side, make slices to whatever thickness you desire. Serve with reserved pan juices.

Term (French) DescriptionTemperature range:
Extra-rare or Blue (bleu)very red and cold~ 115–120F
Rare (saignant) cold red center; soft~ 125–130F
Medium rare (à point) warm red center; firmer~ 130–140 °F
Medium (demi-anglais) pink and firm~ 140–150 °F
Medium well (cuit) small amount of pink in the center~ 150–155F
Well done (bien cuit) gray-brown throughout; firm~ 160–212 °F

Allow the roast to sit with foil and a bath towel (heavy weight and not pictured) for 20-25 minutes. This allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat and keeps the roast from getting cold.

The "rested" roasted is ready to be sliced. All side dishes should be finished and ready to go.

You will want to catch the juices to serve au jus alongside the roast.

Stand the roast up with the end of the rib bones pointing up. Slice down along the rib bones.

Set rib bones to the side and save for another use or for a guest who would 
like this serving on the bone.

Cut roast into desired width of slices and serve immediately. Don't forget the horseradish!

My Universalist-Unitarian views embrace all traditions. 

A toast to your health and Merry Christmas, Everyone!

A Fall Classic: Beef Bourguignon (Traditional and Gluten-Free)

by Michelle

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” ~ Julia Child, My Life in France

“To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and a love of creating.”
~ Julia Child, Particular Passions: Talks With Women Who Have Shaped Our Times

      After I prepared Beef Bourguignon for Christmas last year, my husband remarked that it was likely the best dinner he had ever eaten; in this life, and possibly the next. High praise from a man that is not profuse with his compliments. For a rustic stew born of French peasants, the dish has reached legendary status. Rightly so.

   I like to experiment in the kitchen, but after one or two failed starts early in my married life, I made an agreement many years ago with my husband that the first time I make a recipe, I will follow it as written. In this way I have a baseline of the flavor profile and technique. If I choose to make the recipe again, I am free to improvise to my heart's content and am able to compare and contrast and understand if my changes were favorable. So was the case with this classic recipe. Last December I followed Julia Child's recipe almost to the letter with the exception of adding a great big helping of my homemade demi-glacé. I felt Julia would surely approve of the addition, so I didn't sweat the decision to alter the recipe just a wee bit.

“You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces -
just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Child

   Not to get off track, but I am bursting at the seems to share with you that every time I think of Julia Child, I recall that Linda and I sat behind her in the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. Julia was indeed rather tall, even in old age, and her large head was in our view the entire movie. We could have reached out and touched Julia, but we politely kept our hands to ourselves. I don't know how we contained ourselves, but we did. The year was 2000. The movie: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Linda and I felt the film, even when considering the gorgeous cinematography, was overrated and that the general public loved it way more than the film deserved. We are fairly certain that Julia's date was her nephew. Julia didn't like the movie either, and at the end of it she looked at her nephew and with her famous high-pitched and quavery voice said, "Well, I didn't care for that at all, did you?"

“Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need.” ~ Julia Child

   For round two of this recipe, I did approach it a bit differently while also endeavoring to maintain the integrity of the classic dish. This time I quadrupled the recipe so that half would be served as a special family meal during Sistercation in Southern Arizona. In a bid towards advance holiday planning, the other half is frozen and then thawed for a hassle-free special meal on Christmas Eve.
    Besides making the mother lode of Bourguignon, I also made, on the same day, a gargantuan pot of pinto bean chili con carne. Since it's that time of year, to the chili I added fresh chilies from Hatch, New Mexico that I roasted on the grill. All in all, I cut and browned twelve pounds of meat for preparing the two dishes in volume. It was a long day in the kitchen but I felt the time and effort were worthwhile to do this type of cooking in advance before heading into the hectic holiday season. I always feel pressed for time during the last two months of the year. Hopefully, this strategic preparation of meals will provide a measure of inner peace when I am feeling the most stress. I also froze a portion of chili to pair with Sonoran Hot Dogs, a specialty of Tucson, also an advance meal plan for Sistercation.

“It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it.”
~ Julia Child, My Life in France

    To ease the preparation of both the Bourguignon and Chili, I oven-fried bacon and processed the garlic a day in advance. The pinto beans need to be soaked overnight. I also got a jump on cooking the sausage for the chili and making the Fuego spice rub for the pork. The following morning, I began by first throwing the pinto beans in a crockpot, covering with boiling water and cooking on high temperature, which reduces the cooking time to about six hours. Since the Bourguignon is prepared first on the stovetop and then baked in the oven, I prepped it next. After the Bourguignon was placed in the oven to bake for about three hours, I then began the chili.
   Both dishes were finished in time for dinner. My husband, his brother and friends arrived home from an afternoon of dove hunting to a heavily - or is that heavenly - scented kitchen and house. Our friend Ben remarked during dinner, "I sure was happy to see that big pot of chili."  They all looked longingly at the Beef Bourguignon, but as the French might remark, "C'est la vie." That's life. It is good to have something to look forward to, even if it is something as simple and elegant as Beef Bourguignon, the king of stews.

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to 
have a what-the-hell attitude.”~ Julia Child 

Beef Bourguignon (Traditional and Gluten-Free)

An Updated American Classic: Grilled Steak Diane

by Michelle

"... most bereaved souls crave nourishment more tangible than prayers: they want a steak. What is more, they need a steak. Preferably they need it rare, grilled, heavily salted, for that way it is most easily digested, and most quickly turned into the glandular whip their tired adrenals cry for."
                                                                                                     ~M.F.K. Fisher


   Preparing demi-glacé at home is an all day affair. Most of the time I don't attempt the feat in one day, preferring to stretch the preparation over two days. It is not an unpleasant task for the kitchen adventurer, but a time commitment nonetheless. I prefer to make demi-glacé at my convenience and then store frozen cubes of the savory goodness in my freezer. The alternative is to purchase demi-glacé at a specialty market or retailer such as Williams-Sonoma. Either way, luxurious demi-glacé is the "secret" ingredient that makes this sauce so very special. To see my recipe and procedure click here.  
   My maternal grandfather, Earl loved this dish and would speak of Steak Diane with a certain reverence in his voice. I can picture him in my mind's eye on a cruise ship, seated at dinner sipping a Manhattan, while a tuxedoed waiter dramatically prepares the entrée tableside in a chafing-dish, blue cooking flames lapping the shallow skillet. I too love Steak Diane and prepare it frequently at home for special occasions. Whenever I do, I lovingly recall my grandfather, whom we sisters called Papa.



Homemade demi-glacé spreads beautifully with a spoon.

   The traditional recipe is prepared with steaks that are suitable for flattening, such as strip, sirloin or club that are pounded with a mallet to 1/4-inch thick. The thin steaks are quickly seared in a skillet and the sauce is prepared while the steaks are resting. It's a classic supper club entrée - one that may have been enjoyed by Bogart and Bacall - that I've updated for the grill. The steaks we choose for this preparation have included both bone-in and boneless: New York, Filet Mignon, Chateaubriand, Flat Iron, just about any cut will do. Cook the steaks to your temperature preference on a gas or charcoal grill.
   The unfussy sauce is easy to prepare on the stove and it will happily keep warm, without breaking, over low heat. (You can also make it up to a week in advance.) Therefore, you can make the sauce before the steaks are placed on the grill, so there is no second guessing over whether the steaks and sauce will be ready at the same time. Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes, loosely covered, before plating individual portions. Spoon the sauce over whole or sliced steaks and serve. Pass additional sauce at the table.

Frozen cubes of homemade demi-glacé come in handy for making deeply 
flavored sauces at a moments notice.

   When I recently made Grilled Steak Diane as the grand finale dinner for Sistercation in Southern Arizona, there was also a collective cheer from our extended family when it was learned by all present that cheesy scalloped potatoes were on the menu. Since we were planning on spending the day at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, I made the potatoes a day ahead and refrigerated overnight. I let the prepared potatoes rest on the counter for about 30 minutes before I began reheating. In fact, I placed the potatoes in a cold oven and then turned on the heat. I am happy to report that the potatoes heated beautifully and the cheese sauce was silky. There was no harm at all from making the potatoes in advance and letting the hefty dish rest in the refrigerator. In fact, I think the flavor deepened. The steaks and the side dishes were ready in the 90 minutes it took for the potatoes to bubble and the bread crumb topping to crisp.

For a casual family dinner, I serve baked potatoes, sautéed mushrooms 
and French carrot salad as side dishes.



Grilled Steak Diane

Do You Know Demi-Glacé, Like I Know Demi-Glacé (Gluten-Free)

by Michelle

   "To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glacé, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living."  ~Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

   Have you had the pleasure of dining on Steak Diane? It is one of my favorite celebration dinners to prepare and the essential ingredient in the special sauce is demi-glacé. If you are not familiar with demi-glacé, it is simply a concentrated stock made from mushrooms, veal, beef or chicken. By concentrated I mean starting with 2-1/2 quarts of homemade stock and gently simmering until the liquid thickens and is reduced to 2-1/2 cups. That's a lot of evaporation resulting in deliciousness - that cannot be adequately described in words - and all it takes is time.
   Time you say? Who has an abundance of time to wait upon a simmering stock pot? Granted, one can purchase Demi-Glacé. A tried and trusted brand that I have used over the years can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma. It's not inexpensive (about $30.00 for 9.5-ouces), however the raw ingredients will probably cost about the same amount of money. Demi-glacé could certainly be considered an artisinal product if it is made properly, and while it is not difficult to make, time is a precious commodity and it does take time to make, although not much "hands on" time.
    If you are a multi-tasker like me, I choose to make the stock on a day that I will be at home focused on other activities. It's the gestation time, when the bones are roasting in the oven and then subsequently simmering on the stove with water, that consumes all the time. If you have a dependable stove, the attention needed is minimal when making stocks. You can be concentrating on other activities while taking a break now and then to check on the progress of the simmering brew.

   I'm old enough to remember when butchers would give bones away for free, or at least one at a time, as a good will gesture for the family's pet to enjoy. You may need to shop a bit, not all stores carry beef bones because not all stores do butchering.  Instead, butchering is done at a central location and packaged beef is distributed to markets. Whole Foods is a good source for bones, as is natural beef suppliers at a local farmers market. Some natural food stores will stock bones in the frozen foods section. Of course, good bones come from healthy cows, so being a wise consumer is knowing the quality of the beef you are buying, cooking and consuming.  

   What I like to do is divide the finished and cooled demi-glacé between ice cube trays and freeze. When the cubes are solid, I pop the two tablespoon sized cubes out of the trays and into a resealable freezer bag. I can then easily defrost the specific amount required for various recipes, including fortifying stocks for risotto, magnifying the flavor in a tomato sauce or quickly adding intense flavor to a pan sauce. I also swapped demi-glacé for the beef broth to make an incredible, to die for, Beef Bourguignon.
   Linda and I used to love eating at the now defunct Masami Italian Restaurant in Los Olivos, California. Often we would order the Pollo Parmigiana and revel in the dish's depth of flavor. Linda swore that Chef Max pumped up the flavor in the tomato sauce with demi-glacé. After I prepared an excellent Bolognese sauce for the first time at home, I was able to draw the same comparison as Linda. It's all about the intense flavors derived from a reduced stock. If you taste a sauce at a restaurant and wonder why it is so much better than sauces you make at home, the answer is most likely demi-glacé.
   The demi-glacé freezes well for up to six months, so if you make it now, you'll be in a good position to prepare incredible sauces in minimal time during the busy holiday season.

The sauce is so thick, it will hold a spoon upright.

Beef Demi-Glacé (Traditional and Gluten-Free)