A Fairly Low-Fat Moussaka

 

Moussaka is a great Greek dish, of layered potatoes, fried eggplants and cooked meat, topped with a thick layer of either Béchamel sauce (milk based sauce, thickened with flour), or Mornay sauce (Béchamel sauce with cheese), creating a highly delectable and tasty combination.

Sloppy Joe

Sloppy Joe is a popular American sandwich, in which ground beef cooked in tomato sauce, is used as the filling.

Pan Fried Beef, Onion and Parsley Patties, with Agristada Sauce

I’ve posted the recipe for Agristada – a Sephardic lemony sauce – a few years ago. In that post, the sauce was served with fried fish. However, the sauce is traditionally also served with steamed vegetables (such as artichokes or leeks), or with meatballs. When I made the following pan fried meat patties, I’ve decided to serve this tasty sauce with them.

Beef and Chestnuts Stew

With cooking a stew, that will not be too heavy, in mind, I started looking at different ingredients I had at hand. The one that popped right away was a package of peeled chestnuts, which seemed to be a good ingredient to start with. As chestnuts pair so well with Asian flavoring, I quickly decided to go down this route.

Mushrooms and Red Wine Beef Ossobuco

Hearty and aromatic Ossobuco stew is an ultimate dish for serving on a cold day. The cross-cut shanks with the bone, are the base for the dish. They are first pan fried, and then cooked with different vegetables and liquids, depending on regional variations and personal taste.

Beef Stew with Okra and Herbs

As a fan of fresh okra dishes, I’m always delighted when they are in season again, and immediately start to use them in different dishes.  One of my most favorites is the Sephardic dish of braised okra (click HERE for recipe), which I make often. This time, I’ve decided to prepare a version of it, with the addition of beef and fresh herbs.

Braised Pot Roast with Pear Cider and Leek Gravy

After successfully using hard apple cider in a few dishes recently, I’ve found myself looking at a sparkling hard pear cider at the store, wondering if it will give a dish similar tasty results.

Baby Hakurei Turnip Soup

When I saw this beautiful bunch of fresh Hakurei turnips at the store, I immediately grabbed it, as they are not always available. These turnips are quite different from the more known ones: they have finer texture, a delicate sweetish peppery-mustardy flavor and milder aroma.

Shredded Braised Skirt Steak with Tomato-Parsley Rice

Skirt steak is one of the most flavorful beef cuts. The outer part is mostly suitable for pan-searing or grilling (see recipe HERE), while the inside part is more suitable for slow cooking, which is the method I used in the following recipe.

Beef Kebabs with Zhoug and Harissa Raw Onion Relish

Zhoug is an aromatic Yemenite hot pepper and cilantro paste, which is known all over the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean, especially in Israel. It is mostly used as a condiment, but it is also added to soups and other dishes. In the dish here, I’ve decided to use it to flavor a raw onion relish, along with sweet Harrisa, a spicy North African hot peppers paste, which was served with broiled beef kebabs.

Beef Ossobuco with Onions and Mushrooms

The following hearty dish, is perfect for a cold day. The Ossobuco steak (cross-cut beef shank, with the bone in the center), is one of the richest and tastiest cuts. Inspired by the traditional “ossobuco in bianco” (ossobuco in white sauce) dish, that originated around Milan, I’ve decided to cook it with smothered onions and mushrooms, beef stock, white wine, mustard, juniper berries and bay leaves. The result was a falling-of-the-bones tender meat and bone marrow, with rich and aromatic sauce.