Ingredient: leek, sliced

Smoky Beef Stew

To say beef is a versatile food is an understatement. There are at least 46 countries that enjoy eating beef with Canada being one of them. It can be prepared in many ways including grilled, fried, baked, roasted, slow-cooked and there are a lot of different cuts to choose from.

Beef is so versatile it can be the star of fancy dinners, quick lunches, simple stews, and more. No matter how beef is eaten, it can easily showcase worldwide flavors and culinary creativity.

When making roast beef cubes, tougher cuts that include chuck, brisket and round, where the high amount of collagen breaks down during a lengthy cooking process and transforms into gelatin, result in supple, succulent meat, lending a velvety richness to the braising liquid. I recommend chuck because it has a big, beefy flavor and good fat content, but brisket and round are also suitable.

In this recipe the beef is cubed instead of cooked whole, so each beef cube is coated in seasoning for an incredible flavor. The vegetables are cooked in beef broth then added to the smoky beef gravy along with the roasted beef cubes to make an amazing ‘beef stew’… true comfort food!

Print Recipe
 Smoky Beef Stew
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword smoky beef stew
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword smoky beef stew
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Meat
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Cut beef into bite sized pieces. Place in a plastic bag & add oil & Montreal Steak Spice. Shake to coat cubes evenly. Thread cubes onto skewers & place over a foil lined roasting pan.
  3. Roast meat for about 55 minutes or until cooked. Remove from oven & take meat off skewers. Set aside.
Veggies/Gravy
  1. In a saucepan, cook carrots & potatoes in some of the beef broth until Just tender. Pour into a bowl & set aside.
  2. In the saucepan, add 1 Tbsp oil & sauté leeks, garlic & mushrooms until tender. Place in bowl with carrots & potatoes.
  3. In the saucepan, melt butter & add flour stirring constantly to make a roux. Add remaining broth, whisking to make a smooth gravy (add broth from veggies if necessary). Add 2 tsp liquid smoke, whisk to combine.
  4. Once the gravy is cooked & smooth, add beef cubes & all the broth/veggies. Gently fold to combine.
  5. Nice to serve with focaccia bread.
Recipe Notes
  • The liquid smoke gives this stew such an unbelievable flavor!

Quiche Lorraine w/ Hash Brown Crust

Quiche seems like a springtime dish, but the truth is its an ‘any season’ dish in my opinion. This version skips the pastry and is built on a crispy, grated, potato hash brown crust.

Hash browns can always be counted on to add heartiness and can be made several different ways, incorporating a variety of ingredients, including leftovers or whatever happens to be on hand in the fridge. Although hash browns are credited as being from the USA, there are similar dishes elsewhere that likely contributed towards the hash browns of today, and should be mentioned:

  • Rösti of Switzerland – like a potato pancake
  • Latkes of the Jewish folks – also like a potato pancake, but with eggs
  • Tortilla de papas (or patatas) of Spain – like an omelet

The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into numerous other ideas such as puff pastry or hash brown crusts.

Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake.

The specialty quiche from Lorraine features gruyere cheese, onion, bacon as its primary flavors. The nice thing is, quiche is something that anyone can make and can be served as an entrée, for lunch, breakfast, or an evening snack.

Print Recipe
 Quiche Lorraine w/ Hash Brown Crust
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Brunch, Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword quiche Lorraine w/ hash brown crust
Servings
Ingredients
Potato Crust
Filling
Course Brunch, Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword quiche Lorraine w/ hash brown crust
Servings
Ingredients
Potato Crust
Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Potato Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Thaw & pat dry shredded hashbrowns on paper towels. Lightly toss with remaining crust ingredients. Press into the bottom & up the sides of a 9" quiche pan. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F.
Filling
  1. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp, 5-6 minutes; transfer to a paper towel lined plate & allow to cool.
  2. Wipe out skillet & heat oil. Add leeks & garlic; cook covered , stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until tender.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, heavy cream & smoked paprika. Stir in bacon, leeks & cheese. Spoon mixture into hashbrown crust. Slightly press sliced tomatoes , cut side up, into quiche. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper.
  4. Bake until set & golden brown about 20-25 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
  • To cut out a few calories, I use a low fat milk instead of the heavy cream. It just requires a little longer cooking time but still tastes great.