Manly Pot Roast

(or, Beer-Simmered Beef Roast in Wine Sauce)

1 medium rump roast (3-4 pounds)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 bottles of dark beer (I use Fat Tire)
1 whole bay leaf
1 cup sliced onion
2 cups baby carrots
2 cups chopped potatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped cabbage (optional)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 tablespoon cornstarch, more or less
1/2 cup red wine

Open the beer, and set it aside.

Mix the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley, marjoram, and savory together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Rinse the roast under cold water, then pat it dry. Place it on a cutting board, and cut a series of 1/2" deep slices into both sides of it with a sharp knife. (Make two sets of cuts in a criss-cross pattern, about 1/2" apart.) Rub the herb and salt mixture into the roast, working it into the slices. Wrap the entire roast tightly in plastic wrap, and set it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, remove the roast from the plastic wrap and place it in a crock pot. Pour the flat beer over the roast, add the bay leaf. Cover tightly and slow-cook for about 4 hours on high until the roast is fully-cooked but not quite fork-tender. (Add more beer if necessary to keep the roast covered.)

Discard the bay leaf. Add the onions, potatoes, celery, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. Cook on the "low" setting for 1 more hour or until all ingredients are tender. Carefully remove the roast and vegetables from the broth with a slotted spoon and arrange them in a serving bowl (I like to slice the beef and lay it over the veggies). Set aside.

Pour the broth into a 2-quart saucepan, and bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch with the red wine and wisk it slowly into the boiling broth (use more or less cornstarch to attain desired thickness). Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Pour the gravy over the meat and vegetables, and garnish with chopped green onion if desired. Serve immediately with fresh yeast rolls and lots of iced tea. If you would prefer a glass of wine with your dinner, I recommend red zinfandel.

Irish Food

Guess what tomorrow is? It's St. Patrick's Day! Time for the Wearin' O' the Green, the Reinforcin' O' the Stereotypes, and most importantly, the Eatin' O' the Irish Food!

Trav's Corned Beef and Cabbage

3-5 pound corned beef brisket, trimmed
2 or 3 cans of beer (Irish beer, if you are a snob)
1 large head of cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon mustard seed (whole)
1 teaspoon coriander seed (whole)
6 alspice berries, whole
6 whole peppercorns

Rinse the corned beef brisket, and place in a crock pot. Add the beer, mustard seed, coriander seed, peppercorns, and alspice. Cover tightly and cook on the "Low" setting for 6 hours or until the brisket is tender.

Add the sliced onion and cabbage wedges, and cook on the "High" setting until the vegetables reach the desired level of tenderness (30 minutes is usually good). Serve hot with homemade bread, three pints of Guiness, two black-and-tans, and a fifth of Bushmill's.

Hey. I'm part Irish, so don't give me any flack about the stereotypes. Bona na croin!

Valentine Brownies

I've decided that I would try to post a new recipe every week. I like to cook, I like to eat, and I like to write, so it really was only a matter of time.

This week's recipe? I baked these brownies as a Valentine's Day gift. So I'll call 'em Valentine Brownies. They are perfect for those special occasions when you need to give someone a nice gift, but are too broke to buy anything. (Because, hey...who doesn't like brownies?)

Valentine Brownies

3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine, divided use
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan, and dust with cocoa to prevent sticking.

2. Stir cocoa and baking soda together in large bowl, add 1/3 cup of the melted butter or margarine. Add the boiling water and stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs, and remaining butter, and stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla, and salt, and stir until blended. Add chocolate chips or walnuts if desired.

3. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake 30-40 minutes. Cool completely in the baking pan on a wire rack, then cut into squares. Makes about a dozen large brownies.

(Okay, I admit it...this is not my recipe. I straight-up boosted it off of Hershey's website.)

Leftover Pizza

I've been reheating leftover pizza for years, but I have been doing it all wrong. A microwave is the quickest and easiest method, but it makes the cheese hot enough to burn through plastic, and leaves the crust all rubbery and leathery. You could always reheat your pizza in a conventional oven, too, but it dries your pizza out, turning the crust into a concrete-like slab and shriveling your toppings up like so many shrinky-dinks. More often than not, I am content just to eat the pizza cold and call it good enough.

But no more. Today, I found the superior method for reheating pizza that leaves the toppings moist, the cheese gooey, and the crust crisp. Forget the microwave, forget the oven...just get out your non-stick skillet and rub it with a little bit of olive oil. Over medium heat, fry your slices of pizza with the cheese-side down for a few minutes, until the cheese is hot and bubbly (and maybe a little bit toasted...to each their own). Then flip it with a spatula and let the crust-side toast itself like a grilled cheese sandwich until the whole slice is piping hot. If you wish to add more cheese or toppings, now is the time.

Presto. Reheated pizza that is still edible. Bonus points for using a flavored oil (like garlic-basil, or red pepper oil). Sure, it takes a little bit more time than the microwave...but the finished product is a lot more enjoyable.

Wok Your Face Off

(Sorry, Kelly.)

I was mixing up a batch of stir-fry last weekend, and I came up with this pretty tasty sauce recipe that I thought I would share. I haven't tried it with seafood or tofu, but it tastes pretty good with beef and chicken.

Trav's Spicy Stir-Fry Sauce

1 cup broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
4 T cornstarch
4 T soy sauce
4 T sugar
4 T dry sherry
1 T cider vinegar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. ground red pepper*
1/4 t. ground black pepper

*This will make a "medium" sauce. For "hot," increase the red pepper to 1 teaspoon. For "mild," omit the ground red pepper altogether. And for "very hot," increase the ground red pepper to 1 teaspoon and add 1 tablespoon of hot pepper oil.

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Add to your favorite stir-fry, after the meats and veggies are all fully-cooked. Stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Serve over rice or noodles, and garnish with chopped almonds, cashews, or peanuts.