Braised Beef with Shallots and Mushrooms

The saying “you can’t please everyone” applies to this recipe.  With that warning being issued, you may decide to stop reading this right now. 

Ingredients:

• 1 –1/2 lb Beef Chuck Roast, cut into serving sized pieces
• ¼ Cup Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ lb small Shallots
• 1 Cup Beef Stock
• 2 medium Tomatoes, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon packed Brown Sugar
• 2 large Carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 Cups Mushrooms, cut into quarters
• ¼ Cup chopped Parsley
• 2 Tablespoons grated Lemon Zest

Recipe From: Campbell’s Kitchen

Preparation:

Coat the Beef with Flour.  Heat the Butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the Beef and cook until it is well browned on all sides.  Remove the Beef from the skillet and pour off any fat.

Add the Shallots to the same skillet.  Cook them for 10 minutes until tender.  Stir in the Stock, Tomatoes, Vinegar and Brown Sugar and bring to a boil.  Return the Beef to the skillet and reduce the heat to low.  Cover the skillet and cook for an hour and a half.

Add the Carrots and Mushrooms to the skillet and cook for another 30 minutes.  Remove the Beef and vegetables from the skillet with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Increase the heat to high and cook the Stock until it has thickened, about 10 minutes.  Return the Beef the Beef and veggies to the skillet and heat through.  Season as desired and sprinkle with the Parsley and Lemon Zest.

 In all honesty two bites were all of this dish I could stand.  Aquaman dutifully ate his, but agreed that this was a recipe we need never revisit.  What a shame!  Plus the chopping took forever.  So sad.

Lemon and Shrimp Scampi Pasta

So, personally I’m not big on seafood, something that has irked Aquaman for years.  He has literally made me try just about every fish, crab and lobster known to man, to no avail.  At this point the only seafood I touch is shrimp and sushi (odd I know that I’ll eat raw fish, but not cooked).  Part of my mission in maintaining this blog is to broaden my own culinary tastes, so stay tuned, I may find the bravery to attempt seafood other than shrimp.

 Look how pretty those are!

I love, love, love this dish.  It reminds me of the Scampi Damian from Carrabba’s, which incidentally is unavailable in land-locked Indiana.  This recipe is a wonderful blend of the tartness of the lemon, the heat from the red pepper flakes and the pungent flavor of garlic.  I want it, want it, want it and so will you!!

Ingredients:

• 6 Cloves of Garlic, pressed or grated
• 2 Lemons, juiced and zested
• 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• ¾ Pound Medium Shrimp (21-25), peeled, deveined and butterflied (Reserve the shells)
• ¼ Onion, thickly chopped
• ¾ Pound Linguine
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 small bunch of Parsley, chopped

Source: www.foodnetwork.com

Preparation:

            In a bowl, combine the Garlic, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes, zest and juice of 1 Lemon and Salt and Pepper to taste.  Mix the ingredients and add the peeled, deveined and butterflied Shrimp, stir to coat and set aside.  **I would recommend stirring these occasionally to make sure all the Shrimp have their fair share in the marinade. 

            Next make your shrimp stock.  In a pot, over medium heat, add the Shrimp Shells and Onion.  Cover them with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Strain the pot into a bowl and throw out the Shrimp Shells and Onion.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the Linguine and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes less than package instructions.  Drain the Linguine and reserve ½ Cup of the cooking water.

            Now, heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and begin to caramelize, just about 3 minutes.  Remove the shrimp form the skillet to a plate and add the remaining marinade to the pan.  

Let the marinade cook for a few minutes and then add the reserved 1 Cup of Shrimp stock and the ½ Cup reserved Pasta water.  Continue to cook until the sauce reduces by half.  Add the zest and juice of the remaining Lemon, the Butter and the Parsley and stir to combine.  Taste and add Salt and Pepper as desired.  Add back in the Shrimp and Linguine and toss to combine.  Plate and serve immediately.

            This dish is just divine!  It combines some of my most favorite things and takes less than 30 minutes start to finish.  That makes me one very happy gal!

            By the way, I recently purchased a new kitchen tool that I highly recommend.  Did you get that?  I highly, highly recommend a garlic press.  It saves immeasurable amounts of time if you're a garlic fan and use it regularly.  

 One of the best gadgets ever!