Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Balsamic-Glazed Short Ribs

I found a three pound package of beef short ribs in the freezer that I decided to pull out as my next Operation Pantry Project meal. I then went looking for a slow cooker recipe thinking that would probably be the best way to cook the ribs. I found this recipe in The Italian Slow Cooker (via Eat Your Books) and though I didn't have the right amount of short ribs, thought that a balsamic glaze sounded good.

This dish tasted pretty good, though I did have a few problems. My short ribs didn't turn out as tender as I would have liked. That may have been because I used a large crock pot and I didn't have the right amount of beef ribs (I did make the entire amount of sauce though). My rosemary sprig completely fell apart during the cooking process so I had to strain the liquid before I reduced it. Alas, the strainer also retained much of the bits of garlic that had been in the sauce. Yes, I stood there trying to get little bits of garlic out of the strainer from among the rosemary leaves before realizing I probably looked like an idiot. I decided that whatever garlic was already in the sauce would have to work cuz pickin' the little bits out wasn't working for me. I don't think anyone noticed the lack of garlic bits in the finished sauce.

I never got the "glaze" the recipe was calling for. It took a good 20 minutes before I had a decent sauce. I think part of the problem was I didn't get as much of the fat off the sauce as I would have liked. Since I didn't allocate twenty minutes to make the sauce, I took some of the sauce out at the 10 minute mark of reducing to serve Mr. L and take photos (so the photo above has a very watery sauce compared to what I served).

Even with the problems, the sauce had a wonderful flavor. We used it over rice for one meal and over potatoes the next. Making extra sauce even though we didn't have the full amount of ribs called for turned out to be a great idea for leftovers too as it kept the short rib meat somewhat moist.

BALSAMIC-GLAZED SHORT RIBS
(The Italian Slow Cooker)

1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, well trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 3-inch fresh rosemary sprig

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry and add only as many pieces to the pan as will fit comfortably without crowding. Cook until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a large slow cooker and brown the remaining meat. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper to taste.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat and reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and vinegar and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan. Pour the liquid over the ribs and add the rosemary.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and discard the rosemary sprig and any loose bones. Cover the ribs and keep warm.

Skim the fat off the liquid. Pour the remaining sauce into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced and slightly thickened. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and serve hot.

Serves 6

Note: With my big crock pot, I would try to use the full amount of meat called for next time. Either that or use short ribs that probably haven't been in the freezer half a decade (okay, not that long, but I don't even remember when I bought them so they had been in there a bit).

Note: I would think about maybe putting the rosemary into a bit of cheesecloth before tossing it in so it wouldn't disintegrate in the sauce. Or maybe I needed to use a fresher piece of rosemary sprig? Not sure if that would make a difference in it falling apart during cooking.

Note: In retrospect, I may not have had the heat up enough to reduce the liquid. I would have liked more of a "glaze" than a sauce, though the sauce was excellent.

Even though this took more time than just dropping everything into the slow cooker (you have to brown the meat, saute the garlic and liquid beforehand and then spend the time reducing liquid after) I did like the flavor. Since we usually have beef short ribs in the freezer, I think this is a great recipe to have on hand.

 

T-Bone Steaks with Balsamic Onion Confit

When it comes to a good rib-eye or t-bone steak I usually don't do much to prep them. A bit of salt, some heat and the steak gets eaten. I'm not one to use dry rubs or marinades unless I'm working on a specific recipe. It's Mr. L who loves to play around with seasonings when it comes to meats. Though I've recently made some compound butters to put over steaks, more often than not, the steak on my plate gets eaten with few accompaniments.

Which is why when I saw this recipe, I was surprised that it demanded to be made. It's pretty simple, but the flavors of the onions and steak worked well together. I was also surprised by where the recipe came from. People Magazine. For quite a while now, they have been featuring recipes from celebrities and this recipe was featured as coming from A-Rod (or Alexander Rodriguez for those non baseball types). The cookbook People mentioned was Diamond Dishes: From the Kitchens of Baseball's Biggest Stars which was from the May 30, 2011 magazine. Can't say I'm going to run out and buy the cookbook, but it might be a nice gift for someone who likes baseball and likes to cook. I guess it's only appropriate to make this since baseball season is right around the corner (though truth be told, I'm not an A-Rod fan).

T-BONE STEAKS WITH BALSAMIC ONION CONFIT
(People Magazine May 30, 2011)

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 large onions, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. honey
4 (14-oz.) T-bone steaks
1/2 tsp. salt, plus a pinch
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

(2 cups water which is not in the ingredient list but is in the directions)

To make confit: Melt butter in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, pinch of salt and 1 cup water. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until water evaporates and onions are softened. Stir in another cup of water. Cook 20 minutes more, stirring often, until water evaporates and onions begin to brown.

Add vinegar and honey. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until onions caramelize.

Set charcoal or gas grill on high. Season steaks with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil grate. (If using a gas grill, turn heat to medium.) Place steaks on grill and cover. Grill 3 1/2 minutes on each side for medium rare.

Transfer each steak to a dinner plate. Top with onions. Serves 4

Note: A 14 ounce steak per person? Even with the bone, that's a whole lot of steak! We actually just used one nice big t-bone steak and then split it between the two of us.

Note: For some reason I had way to much liquid so I might think twice about adding that full second cup of water.

Note: Mr. L just grilled the steak on a grill pan inside.

Note: Since we only cooked one steak but made the entire batch of onion confit, we probably used more than normal with our steaks and still had some leftover to eat with some grilled chicken we had in the fridge.

Though maybe not this exact recipe, I think that making some sort of onion confit works wonders on a steak that is overcooked, tough, or not necessarily a tasty cut of meat.

 

T-Bone Steaks with Chipotle-Cilantro Butter

I've made a couple of things with t-bone steaks lately. T-bones aren't my favorite steaks, I prefer an aged rib-eye or a skirt steak. But the last T-bone I used in a recipe turned out great so I thought I'd give this recipe a try.

This recipe is mainly for the Chipotle-Cilantro butter. I forget that making a compound butter to put over steaks is such an easy thing to do. I loved the flavor of this butter and I think that the leftover butter I have will go well over some potatoes or rice...or any other cut of steak I happen to cook.

The only problem were the t-bone steaks I used. They just didn't have the flavor or tenderness I wanted and since we paid top dollar for them, I was disappointed. I definitely plan on making this butter again so I'll try it with a different cut (and I'll remember to make a double batch of the butter since there are so many other things I want to put it on!)

This was so simple to do. Make the butter on a Sunday and then you can use it over the next week. Or you can do like I did, make the butter as soon as you get home from work and then you just cook the steaks whenever you get hungry.

The recipe came from the Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone cookbook.

And did I mention the butter had tequila in it?

T-BONE STEAKS WITH CHIPOTLE-CILANTRO BUTTER
(Relaxed Cooking With Curtis Stone)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon tequila
Four 10- to 12-ounce T-bone steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the butter, chiles, cilantro, and tequila in a bowl to blend. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Spoon the chile butter onto the center of the plastic wrap and roll it into a cylinder. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Heat a barbecue grill to medium-high, or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and black pepper. Grill the steaks on one side for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the chile-butter log crosswise into 8 slices, and set aside.

Turn the steaks over and top each steak with 2 butter slices. Continue grilling for 5 minutes for medium-rare, or until the butter begins to melt. Transfer the steaks to plates, and serve.

Serves 4

NOTE: I used unsalted butter, so I added a bit more salt after the fact.

NOTE: I only used the required 1 tablespoon of tequila. I know you think I'd add more, but it really wouldn't have done much for the compound butter.

NOTE: I used a grill pan and cooked the steaks on the stove.

We actually split a rib eye so we had a ton of extra butter left. It really is good to use on mashed potatoes!

 

Halloween - October 8, 2011

This is another one of those simple ideas I found on Pinterest. The idea came from Go Diary Free here where she made Quinoa Stuffed Mini Jack-O'-Lanterns. I choose to make some stuffed bell peppers.

I found some orange bell peppers, cut out the face, stuffed them with a mixture of cooked ground beef, ground pork, quinoa, onions and mushrooms and a bit of shredded cheese (seasoned with some Tabasco, Worchestershire sauce, onion and garlic powder). Though I know there was about a pound of meat, I didn't measure any of the other ingredients. I just used leftovers I had in the fridge. I baked the stuffed peppers at 350 degrees* for about 35 minutes in a pan with a bit of water in the bottom and had a nice tasty dinner.

Obviously you can use any sort of stuffing you'd like. Cut a sliver off the bottom to make the bell pepper stand up (I had to lay it on it's side to get the full effect for the photo). Hopefully you'll  be able to cut a better mouth for your pepper, I kinda forgot to give him a bottom lip!

You could also make these in small Oz pumpkins, use small orange acorn squashes like Go Dairy Free...or just cook a big pumpkin that you serve your stuffing out of.

*I think next time I'd turn the heat up a bit or at least let the peppers cook longer. I didn't quite get the wrinkled look on the finished bell pepper as I wanted.

Mexican Manicotti

Not sure who originally cut out this recipe, me or my mom. At this point, I've kinda mixed her cut out recipes and mine so I never know who originally wanted to make a dish. I found this in my "need to make soon" stack which consists of clipped out recipes from magazines, newspapers, hand written little notes from family and friends and printed out blog recipes I hope to try soon. It in no way is associated with the stack of boxes (yes, that's boxes with an 's') of same said types of clippings I have in storage that are labeled "need to make at some point in my life" recipes. It's also not related to the stack of actual magazines that have recipes in them to try. Or my stack of boxes of cookbooks. Oh don't get me started....

A search on-line found that this recipe was in a Taste of Home publication...Mexican Manicotti was published in the Quick Cooking,  March/April 2000 issue.  You can find the recipe on-line here and also a photo (which is good to look at since mine looked nothing like theirs.)

This is actually pretty easy to make, though you do have to prep everything ahead of time. Once you fill the shells and pour the liquid over everything, it needs to set overnight in the fridge. It makes for a nice dinner that you just have to throw in the oven when you get home. I also liked that you don't have to cook the hamburger or the pasta first, you just mix the hamburger with the beans and spices and stuff it all into the dry shells.

I actually thought this casserole was a little bland, but everyone I gave some to try (The Assistant, my Mom, Mr. L) seemed to really like it. Mr. L said it tasted very "light"...not heavy and as if  there weren't a lot of calories. That can be misleading as this is far from diet food so be careful you don't eat half the dish!

Two things about this dish I want to point out. I thought there was too much liquid in the recipe. Way to much liquid. I would try only 2 cups at first and maybe even less. I know it  needed the liquid to soften and cook the manicotti, but I think there was just too much liquid at the end and it was somewhat mushy. Folks have had good luck using less liquid in the reviews I've read. I also don't think this holds up texture wise for reheating, the manicotti shells seem to disappear. That being said, it was leftovers that I gave to my Mom and The Assistant and they both raved.

MEXICAN MANICOTTI

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
2 1/2 cups water
1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1 cups (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican-blend cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Sliced ripe olives, optional

In a bowl, combine the uncooked beef, beans, chili powder and oregano. Spoon into uncooked manicotti shells; arrange in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine water and picante sauce; pour over shells. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover; spoon sour cream over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese, onions and olives if desired. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings

Note: I used 'lite' sour cream. I used reduced calorie four cheese mexican blend shredded cheese. I used "Pace" picante sauce. I did add the ripe olives.

Note: I thought about using non-fat refried beans in this to also bring calories down but didn't have any. I actually think that using full fat beans helped the flavor...and next time I might try this with full fat cheese and sour cream.

Note: I probably used a good two cups of cheese to top the dish.

Note: I put the bean/hamburger mixture in a ziploc bag, cut a hole in one end and used that to stuff the shells. Worked much better for me than trying to use a spoon. I admit I did at one point take my finger and push some of the mixture into the shells to pack it in a bit. I had at least a half cup of mixture left after filling the shells (I just put it around the shells with the sauce).

Again, the photo of the recipe they show looked nothing like the dish that I ended up taking out of the oven. And I didn't find this very "Mexican" tasting. Maybe next time I'll add some hot sauce to the meat mixture or mixed with the sour cream to spice it up. Or I'll use the refried beans with lime or jalapenos, add some chipotle chilies, green chilies? Something to punch it up a bit for me. But everyone else has requested I make this again, and soon.

 

 

 

 

Chili Kahlua

Since today is National Kahlua Day and yesterday was National Chili Day, I think a chili made with some Kahlua is the perfect choice. This recipe comes from the Kahlua Pamphlet.

I'm not sure if this is just a really good chili recipe that they put some Kahlua in or if this chili recipe is made better because there is Kahlua in it. Yes, it's a chili with beans in it. I like chili with beans. Sorry for the purists who say that chili is not chili if it has beans. I eat chili either way. Deal. This Chili Kahlua recipe is just simple to make and tastes really good.

Did I mention is was easy to make? Yah just kinda dump everything in and let it cook. We had this with some moist cornbread (not too sweet) and it was a great accompaniment. I served this with a small amount of cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top.

CHILI KAHLUA

 1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 bell pepper, chunked
1 lb. 12-oz. can tomatoes, semi-drained
1 tbs. tomato paste
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp. crushed marjoram
1 tsp. crushed oregano
1 tsp. crushed cumin
3 tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red cayenne pepper
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 1-lb. 11 oz. can red kidney beans, semi-drained
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Chopped Onion Garnish

In a 4-quart pot, heat oil, add onions, garlic and saute until soft. Add meat and brown. Add next 10 ingredients and mix well. Add Kahlua.

Increase heat until mixture simmers. Add beans, simmer partially covered for 45 minutes. Serve topped with cheese and onions. Serves 6. Yields 2 1.2 quarts.

I definitely would make this again.

Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter

Since Mr. L and I are huge fans of skirt steak, I'm always looking for simple sauces or seasonings that might go well with it. This recipe came from the January 2010 issue of Food & Wine magazine. The sauce is super simple to make and paired with the skirt steak, makes a very quick but delicious meal on a work night. Besides, I think skirt steak and butter are two of the major food groups right?

We cut the sauce recipe in half for this, even though we barely had two pounds of beef. The little extra sauce we had left worked well over some rice we served with the steak.

I know I've heard from some of you that skirt steak is not that easy to find in certain areas of the country. I'm sure this sauce would work with some other cuts of meat, but since skirt steak is one of the top five meats we prefer (along with aged rib eyes, rack of lamb, prime rib and corned beef) I doubt I'd ever find out! Seriously, if you can find skirt steak in your area, pick some up and give this simple dish a try.

SKIRT STEAK WITH PAPRIKA BUTTER

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
5 pounds skirt steaks
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
Freshly ground pepper

 Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt; keep warm.

Rub the skirt steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until nicely charred and medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steaks across the grain. Spoon the paprika butter over the steak and serve right away.

The paprika butter can stand at room temperature for up to 4 hours; reheat the butter gently.

Serves 10

Note: We cut the sauce recipe in half and used it on a bit less than two pounds of skirt steak.

Note: We used a grill pan.

Note: You will notice there are no garlic slivers in the above photo. This batch I made I didn't have any garlic (horrors!) so I used some crushed jarred stuff.

Note: Skirt steak gets really tough if cooked more than medium so do watch to make sure you don't overcook the meat.

We tend to always have a skirt steak in the freezer and the ingredients for the sauce in our pantry so this recipe is one that is a staple for a quick after work dinner.

Mushroom Meat Loaf

I admit, I was a bit afraid to chose something to cook from the A Man, A Can, A Plan cookbook. So being that I'm not "A Man" I gave the book to Mr. L and had him choose which recipe to make. He chose the Mushroom Meat Loaf. Which was found under the "veggies" section. Which called for canned mushrooms.

Now, except for my moms, I've never been a huge fan of meatloaf. Which is strange, because I think, now that my tastes have "grown up" so to speak, I'd quite enjoy many versions of the dish. But a version asking for canned mushrooms? Canned mushrooms? Slimy sickly canned mushrooms? Would I actually eat the stuff?

This was not the best version of meatloaf I've ever tasted. It also wasn't the worst. A bit dry (probably because of the extra lean ground beef) it lacked any real flavor. The Sloppy Joe sauce added more spice than just plain tomato sauce but I think the addition of some hotter spice, be it Tabasco, some red pepper mixed in or even some green chilies would have kicked the flavor up a bit. As for those canned mushrooms? Quite frankly, I didn't even notice them (and as an aside, I found it really hard to find canned mushrooms. My gourmet grocery didn't carry them :) And before someone else says it, yes, bacon would have enhanced the taste of this meatloaf considerably!

This was served with some sour cream, cream cheese, garlic mashed potatoes. Taking a bite of them together, really helped the meatloaf.

MUSHROOM MEAT LOAF

6-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained and chopped
15-ounce can original sloppy joe sauce
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1 cup quick oats
1 egg
1 tsp sodium-free Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dump 1/2 can of the sloppy joe sauce and all the other ingredients into a bowl and mix gently. Squish into a football shape on the foil-lined pan from your toaster oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Pour the remaining 1/2 can of sauce over the loaf. Bake for 30 minutes more, until the meat is no longer pink. (The secret to moist, juicy meatloaf is to handle the meat very gently).

Makes 6 servings. 281 calories per serving

Note: I used regular Italian Seasoning, not low sodium

Note:

Again, this wasn't horrible. And I've had some really horrible meatloaf. Just not something I'd make again. This dish did make me want to not only make some regular meatloaf (like my moms) but I now have a craving for some Sloppy Joes!

 

 

Grilled Marinated Sirloin Flap Steaks

While wandering the meat section of Costco the other day, we came across a package of "flap meat". It looked awesome and had all this nice marbling. Since it resembled our favorite cut of meat, the skirt steak, we decided to buy it and give it a try (I can't remember the price, but it was pretty inexpensive).  I then went looking for recipes to cook this cut of meat in my cookbooks. I knew there had to be some flap steak recipes in those cookbooks somewhere but I was unable to find any. I also knew there were probably some flap steak recipes in one of my myriad of cooking magazines, but I also had no luck locating any. That led me to do a search online.

That's when I came across this recipe from the Epicurious site. Originally printed in the October 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine, the recipe for Marinated Flap Steak seemed quick and easy. So quick and easy in fact, that I didn't expect much with the results. But I was wrong. The marinade gave such a wonderful flavor to the meat, and the flap meat itself was so tender, that Mr. L and I had to force ourselves to not eat the entire batch. What was left over became dinner the next night. And by dinner I mean Mr. L and I took the cut up pieces of steak and sat on the couch and ate them cold. Yeah, the flavor was that good.

Be careful when cooking flap meat as with skirt steak, cooked more than medium, it gets tough. You also need to make sure you cut across the grain for tender bites (there are videos online that will explain what that means). I have yet to see flap meat for sale at our regular or gourmet grocery stores, but I understand that you can find it at Costco and Sams Club. We're now converts of flap meat and if you like skirt steak at all, I think you'll like it too.

We let this marinade for almost half an hour, but I love the fact that it says the marinade only takes 15 minutes (or up to 8 hours). I also didn't bother with getting out my blender/food processor to make the marinade. I just threw all the ingredients in the bag. Nor did I grill this outside, we just used our cast iron grill pan on the stove. See, I told you it was quick, simple and easy!

Grilled Marinated Sirloin Flap Steaks
(from Gourmet June 2008)

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds sirloin flap steaks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Blend soy sauce, vinegar, syrup, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Toss steaks with mixture. Marinate at room temperature about 15 minutes.

Prepare a grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas).

Discard marinade and pat steaks dry.

Oil grill rack, then grill steaks, covered only if using a gas grill, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Let rest on a plate, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Note: We used a fairly inexpensive balsamic vinegar from Trader Joes. We used Traders Joes Organic Grade B Maple Syrup.

Note: I used crushed garlic from a jar.

Note: I had just over a pound and a fourth of flap meat. I'm sure you could use this marinade on skirt steak or flank steak.

Note: I didn't blend the marinade. I put it all in a bowl and whisked it to blend.

Note: We grilled this in our cast iron grill pan on the stove, but figure you could broil this too.

This again, was very tasty, super simple and really quick to make.  I'm also learning that steak, once it's cut in pieces like this isn't very photogenic. Next time I'll take a photo like they show on Epicurious, of the steak with just a piece cut off. You can get the recipe and see the photo here.

Kicked-Up Corned Beef Hash

I love corned beef hash. And you'd think the amount of times that we cook corned beef during the year that I'd have made the stuff from scratch at least once. Haven't. And didn't do it this time either.

In the "must use up foods that have been sitting in the pantry forever" resolution, I'd been looking for ways to use up some canned corned beef we have. It isn't my favorite brand of canned corn beef* so I was looking for a nice recipe that could add lots of flavor. Then I saw a brunch episode of Big Daddy's House  on the Food Network where he made some great looking corn beef hash. It looked so good I decided to give it a try.

Aaron (Big Daddy) used deli corned beef where I used canned. The flavor of the Kicked-Up Corned Beef Hash was okay, but I still think it needed some punch. I blame the canned corn beef. I'd love to try this at some point with some real stuff. The potatoes could have been cooked just a bit more. It seemed like way more potatoes than needed so maybe my "big" potatoes were more than necessary. Mr. L wanted an egg on top and quite frankly I think it would add immensely to the taste of this dish. There wasn't a lot of punch in my jalapeno either so maybe next time I'd add a dash of Tabasco or leave in the jalapeno seeds.

*For those that wonder why we even have canned corned beef on hand, be aware that we do have an "emergency" pantry where we stock foods in case the power goes out. Or the swine flu hits and we are unable to get out to buy fresh groceries. I'm assuming it's a hold over from the emergency bunker days I grew up with. Anyway we stock a few things like peanut butter, canned corned beef, canned milk, various types of nuts, bottled water etc., "just in case". Oh yeah and some Nutella. Because if need be I think one could live off Nutella for several weeks at least.

KICKED-UP CORNED BEEF HASH

2 large russet potatoes, diced small
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced small
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 jalapeno, minced
3/4 pound corned beef, diced small
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 cup, finely grated Swiss cheese
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low; and simmer for 1 minute making sure the potatoes are still firm. Drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside.

Heat a 10-inch skillet, over medium high. Add the butter and allow it to brown for 1 minute. Stir in the onions, garlic and jalapenos and cook for 5 minutes. Add the corned beef, horseradish, bouillon, potatoes, chives and Swiss cheese. Mix well, then remove from the heat. Spoon the hash into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. Put the ramekins on a quarter sheet tray and bake until nicely browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Cooks Note: Option: Crack an egg onto the hash before baking.

Note: I used canned corned beef. I used Better than Bouillon,chicken flavor.

Note: If cracking an egg on top, I might not do it until partway through the cooking time. Putting an egg on top and baking at 400 for even twelve minutes sounds like a really well done egg.

Note: I only found four ramekins so I just put the remainder of the mixture in a casserole dish and cooked that dish a few minutes longer.

I rarely make dishes I see on television, but this was one exception. It was actually one of the rare times I've watched Aaron and Big Daddy's House. The dish was not as good as I would have liked but I can't blame the recipe since I used canned corned beef.