Quick Recipe: Mexican Spiced Roast Beef

I love writing recipes.  My computer programmer type brain loves listing out commands in specific order.  I envision putting the recipe into a cooking machine (or the hands of a good cook) and if my recipe is well written, precise & elegant (programmer speak), only great food can come from it.

My sister asked me about the Mexican Spiced Roast Beef I was making to turn into chile this week.   I typed this up with my thumbs, on my iPhone, as my husband drove us to Mammoth yesterday.  Can't think of a better way to kill drive time than writing recipes!

Mexican Spiced Roast Beef

Ingredients:

 5lb roast beef

2 TBSP oil,
1 TBSP each coriander, cumin, Mexican oregano & salt, some pepper.
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced.
1 Beer

Method:

Rub the roast with all the spices. 

Brown the roast in the hot oil in large Dutch Oven. 

Add the onion & garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 

Add the beer. 

Cover it & bake in oven at 325F for 3 hours. 

(I added carrots & potatoes for last 40 minutes. Yum!) 

Remove from oven. Let roast rest for 20 minutes, slice & serve with the jus from the pot.

My Sister's Potato Salad

It becomes clear that you know how to cook when someone can give you a list of a few ingredients and you know just what to do to create a delicious dish from them.

Yesterday I asked my sister for her potato salad recipe, which I tried recently and really liked. It is basic, but sometimes that is just what hits the spot, or rounds out the plate.

If you cook often, her text to me should be good enough for you too:

Red potatoes, onion, mustard, mayo, lots of egg, salt, pepper and paprika on top

Make sure you cut the potatoes in small cubes not big.

Damn good potato salad...

Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe

On busy nights when I need to get a quick dinner together for the boys I often rely on this simple tomato sauce recipe I learned in my professional baking class. The instructor made the sauce in front of us as we kneaded our pasta dough. By the end of the night we had homemade pasta with this lovely marinara to munch on before leaving.

Enjoy!

Simple Tomato Sauce

(enough for 1 lb of pasta)

Ingredients:

1/2 - 1 Onion, diced

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

pinch of red chile flakes

1 garlic clove minced

5-10 fresh basil leaves

1 28oz can of imported Italian Plum Tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute until tender (5-7 minutes). Chop the basil leaves into little strips. Open the can of tomatoes and use the sharp edge of the lid to cut up the tomatoes in the can. Add the garlic and chile flakes. Stir for one minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and basil. Break the tomatoes into bite size pieces. Bring to a boil and then turn down to lowest heat setting. Cook for about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Use as is, chunky, or cool for a few minutes and puree in a blender for a smooth sauce (more kid friendly).

Variations: Add more garlic or chile flakes to your taste. Add a 1/2 C of red wine when you add the tomatoes for a more rich sauce.