After a fire had burned our ranch this summer we had to find a new home for the cattle. We sent some of our cattle to Eastern Oklahoma and I ended up making great friends with the ranch owner, a wonderful woman who shared a recipe with me from her Osage Native American culture. She didn’t actually give me the original recipe, but shared her delicious meat pies with me and I ad libbed when I got home. It was so funny, I actually began to crave them. Joan said she had grown up eating these. Her recipe called for kidney suet added to her ground beef, but I didn’t have any so just left it out. The only thing I added to the lean ground beef was salt and pepper.
Joan’s Modified Meat Pies
1/2 lb. (give or take) very lean ground beef (uncooked)
salt and pepper
1 tube biscuits or pre made biscuit dough
Divide biscuit dough tube in half. Press the dough into two circles. Form the uncooked ground beef into loaves that will fit on one side of the dough circle. Fold dough over the ground beef loaf and press seams closed. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until the ground beef is fully cooked in the center and the outside a crisp golden brown. This recipe could be altered in many ways: add minced onions, minced green pepper, shredded cheese, sausage, bits of bacon, tomato sauce etc. The list is endless. Just make sure to turn oven low enough not to burn the outside of the pie before the inside is fully cooked. Thanks Joan for sharing this scrumptious easy recipe with me.
Beef Bourguignon
My daughter, son-in-law, and their three kids moved home this past year to start a life of ranching. Up until then their married life had been spent on the east and west coast. They now reside on a ranch 20 plus miles from anywhere. We went over to work their cattle the other day. She served this wonderful, delicious dish which was rather long and drawn out, but worth every dirty dish it took to get it on the table. This was above and beyond anything they get when we’re working cattle at our place.
I think she was yearning for some fine dining…
Ingredients
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 medium pkg smoked bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup Cognac
1 medium bottle good dry red wine such as Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound frozen whole pearl onions/ or fresh…they just take longer to peel
1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
Serve over mashed potatoes or crusty sour dough bread
Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Sprinkle cubed meat with salt and pepper. Sear the beef in the hot oil for several minutes, Brown on all sides. After thoroughly cooking chuck remove it and add to the bacon.
Add the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add some of the hot liquid to the flour mixture before adding to the stew to keep it from cooking the flour. Stir til smooth then add. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread or mashed potatoes and sprinkle with parsley.
Ron’s Lunch
My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me over 15 years ago. She has Lebanese in-laws who are wonderful cooks, it came from them. It’s a great way to get a lot of veggies and add zip…(zinc, iron and protein) which comes from beef, to your diet.
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 envelope onion /mushroom soup mix divided
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped and drained
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Cup plain yogurt
1/2 Cup chopped green pepper
pocket pita bread or tortilla
Opt: Top with finely shredded carrots, thinly sliced lettuce, tomatoes, more mint, and parsley.
Crumble beef in skillet. Stir in 3 Tbsp soup mix and garlic. Cook covered til brown, drain and add tomatoes, 1/2 parsley, 1/2 mint and simmer again. For yogurt dressing combine remaining soup mix, yogurt, green pepper, remaining parsley and mint. Place meat in pita, top with yogurt dressing. These are easy and great tasting. Serve with garlic salad which consists of chopped garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, olive oil, and shredded lettuce.
Shepherd’s Pie
This dish is great and easy to fix. Don’t get hung up on following the directions exactly as it has many, many variations- I’m sure all delicious. It’s a great way to get rid of excess mashed potatoes. Add or omit any ingredients to fit your family’s taste buds.
1 lb lean ground beef (you may substitute 1/2 lb left-over roast, ground fine, and 1/2 lb fresh ground meat (lamb and veal, pork and lamb, or pork and beef) all are very nice combinations)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot chopped finely
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced, portabella is great
2 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
ΒΌ cup flour
1/3 – 1/2 cup chicken broth or meat stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup peas
Topping
Cook potatoes, then mash and whip ’til fluffy with heavy cream and butter – about 4 – 6 cups, depending on the size of your baking dish
1/2 cup favorite cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Saute onions, celery, and carrots in good oil, add garlic cook til transparent. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add mushrooms. Then on low heat add ground beef and cook til done. Pour off any excess oil or fat and return to heat. Add seasonings and flour and stir til mixed. Pour in chicken broth or stock, and stir ’til combined. Put in oven-proof baking dish or casserole.
Gently mound on the mashed potatoes, smoothing the top slightly. Sprinkle with grated cheese and parsley. Place in 400 F oven to brown crust.