Sweet and Sour Beef Stew

Preheat broiler at 500F.  Spray baking pan with the oil spray, such as PAM.  Place beef on the pan and sprinkle evenly with Peleg shawarma spice mix (sold at Garden Fresh, kosher spices section).  It could be a brisket or any kind of pot roast, such as Scotty roast or shoulder tip.  Broil for about 6 minutes on each side.  Broiling the beef creates a yummy crust and seals the moisture within. 

In the large dutch oven type of pot saute a sliced onion, sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Add  2 – 3 sliced carrots sprinked with paprika, saute for about 5 min.  Add a few pieces of crushed garlic, saute only 1-2 min.  Add a 48-oz can of tomato puree or plain tomato sauce, cook while the beef is broiling. 

Take out the beef, switch oven to convection bake at 300F or regular bake at 350F.  Add beef to the tomato sauce, pour over it ketchup and sweet-and-sour duck sauce (important ingredient, usually found in kosher isle of Jewel or Garden Fresh).

Bake for about 1hr 30min.  Cut up about 10oz white mushrooms and a green pepper.  Take the stew out of the over, pour top with more sauce and add mushrooms and pepper on top, don’t mix in, so it remains relatively firm.  Bake for another 1 ½ to 2 hours. 

Let the stew cool down, take out and slice the beef, then add back to the sauce. 

Enjoy!    

 

 

Vegetarian borscht.

I used to make a borscht with the soup bones meat, but since two of our close friends became vegetarian I’ve been making it as a vegetarian dish that can be eaten by carnivores and vegetarians alike. 

In a large pot cook broth out of root vegetables: 2 onions, 3 carrots, a parsley or celery root, one leak.  Leak is an expensive frenchy vegetable, but it really adds flavor to any soup, including a traditional chicken soup.   Cook for about an hour or longer.

Place 3 – 4 un-peeled beets in a 3-qt pot with cold water, cook for an hour.  When done, place beets under cold water and slip skin off the beets. 

Take the root vegetables out of the soup, squeeze the juice out of them with the slotted spoon and pour the juice back into the pot, throw away the used vegetables. 

Finely chop 2 smaller onions and 2 – 3 carrots and add to the soup.  Lighly sautee chopped onions and carrots, don’t overfry them.  When sauteeing onions, sprinkle them with salt and pepper to add flavor, and sprinkle carrots with paprika. 

Shred ½ cabbage head, 3 small or 2 medium potatoes and add to the soup.  Add 32 – 48 oz tomato juice into the soup.  Manually shred the cooked beets (too soft for electric shredder) and add to the soup.  Add 1 cup frozen peas.  Cook another 10 min.  Then add fresh minced cilantro and dill, add paprika, cumin, black pepper.  Taste the soup, add more salt and brown sugar if needed. 

 

Russian borscht

Classic Russian borscht.

The meat used for the borscht is usually the beef soup bones – a large slice of bone surrounded by some meat.  Place in the large 8-qt pot, sprinkle with coarse salt and add cold water up to the 4-qt mark.  Boil it and remove the scum / foam with the slotted spoon. 

Add root vegetables: 2 onions, 3 parsley roots or a celery root, 3 carrots, 2 leaks.  Add green parts of the leaks on top to absorb the remaining foam.  Cook on low flame for about 3 hours.

Place 3 – 4 un-peeled beets in a 3-qt pot with cold water, cook for 1 ½ hour.  When done, place beets under cold water and slip with skin off the beets. 

Take the root vegetables out of the soup, squeezed the juice out of them with the slotted spoon and pour the juice back into the pot, throw away the used vegetables.  Finely chop 2 smaller onions or a few shallots and 2 – 3 carrots and add to the soup.  Shred ½ cabbage head, 3 small or 2 medium potatoes and add to the soup.  Add 32 oz tomato juice and squeeze ½ lemon into the soup.  Shred the cooked beets and add to the soup.  Add 1 cup frozen peas.  Cook another 15 min.  Then add fresh minced cilantro and dill, add paprika, cumin, black pepper.  Taste the soup, add more salt and 1 or 2 teaspoons of brown sugar if needed. 

 

broiled wings

Quick Broiled Chicken Wings

Preheat broiler at 500F.  Spray baking pan with the oil spray, such as PAM.  Layout chicken wings on the pan and sprinkle evenly with shawarma spice mix.  Broil for 10 minutes.  In the meanwhile, slice an onion.  Take the pan out of the oven and flip the wings, sprinkle shawarma spice on the other side.  Place onion slices between the wings, broil for another 10 min.  Serve with rice or vegetables.