Meals for the Week: Beef Sandwiches, Acorn Squash Soup, and Barley Risoto.

I started helping in the kitchen as an older child: peeling, chopping, preparing the ingredients. But I always had to do the dishes, which I loathed more and more each year. Eventually my mother got tired of cooking meals, so we traded when I was a teenager. For each day of the week that I cooked supper, she would wash the dishes. And visa versa for the other days. I had to contribute to the planning and shopping, and I got to experiment and learn how to make things that my mother never had. I was able to incorporate the Kazak style of one-pot-meals with American ingredients.

In boarding school and college, I mostly ate from the cafeteria because it was easier. But I gained weight. So when I moved to Memphis, I was finally on my own and could cook for myself. But I was also very busy with school, more busy than I had ever been in my life. And I had to adjust my cooking style to cooking for 1 with lots of leftovers. I wanted to eat healthily, but fresh veggies would rot in my fridge before I could use them. So I started using lots of frozen veggies, and again the one-pot-meals.

And then I got married after being single for a very long time, and had to readjust to cooking for 2. Our levels of busy-ness have fluctuated. There was a time that we could make something fresh most nights of the week. But no more. So this is what we do:

1. Pick one day of the week for grocery shopping. 

(For us it's Saturday. Occasionally there will be an item that needs to be purchased later in the week for freshness sake)

2. Plan the nights/days that you will be cooking around your busy times. 

(For me, Tuesday afternoons and Wednesdays are "limited" to "no cooking" days. So I cook bigger batches on Mondays and Thursdays)

3. Plan your lunches ahead of time. 

(We don't like to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner multiple days in a row. So we plan for 1 or 2 large batches of hot food for lunches, or for sandwiches. Then we can eat leftovers for dinner that are different that the lunches)

4. Plan for alternate versions of leftovers. 

(I mostly don't like to eat the same thing over and over again. So I intentionally make the big batch as a "minimally adorned canvas." Then each time I eat it, I add something new)

5. Want to save money? 

Limit eating out to 1 time per week. (For us, it's date night or a gathering of friends)

Last Week's Meal Plan

Sunday: Make the Braised Slow Cooker Beef for the week's lunches
              Eat leftovers from previous week

Monday: Start Caramelized Onions in Slow Cooker
              Lunch: Beef Sandwiches on Rye Bread with Sriracha Mayo and Arugala, side of fruit.
              Dinner: Make and Eat Acorn Squash Soup with Pear Conserve

Tuesday Lunch: same as Monday
              Dinner: Acorn soup

Wednesday Lunch: Beef Sandwiches on Rye Bread with Caramelized Onions, Side of fruit.
              Dinner: Make and Eat Barley and Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Thursday Lunch: Beef sandwiches on Rye Bread with Caramelized Onions, Side of fruit.
              Dinner: Risotto and Brussel Sprouts

Friday Lunch: Make gravy from the slow cooker juices, pour over Beef Sandwiches.
              Dinner: Eat Out

Saturday Lunch: Annie's White Cheddar Shells with peas
              Dinner: Risotto with Sriracha Chicken Breasts.


The Recipes:

Braised Slow Cooker Beef

This is actually a modified version of a Cuban shredded beef recipe, Ropa Veija, from my brother-in-law's wife. Her recipe has veggies in it too, but I just wanted the beef.

Take a 2-3 pound Beef Chuck Roast. Salt and pepper both sides to your taste. Place in slow cooker. Pour in Apple Cider Vinegar so that it comes half way up the beef (in my case about 3/4 cup). Cover and turn slow cooker to low for about 6 hours without disturbing it.

Poke it with a fork. If it almost falls apart, then you're done. Reserve the liquid if you want to make gravy with it later. It will keep in a covered container in the fridge for about 1 week.
At this point, any fat that was around the meat will be very easy to remove. I threw that fat away. Let the beef cool on a plate/board on the counter, then transfer to a covered container in the fridge.

When you want to make a sandwich, cut a 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices (1-2 per person) from the short end of the meat. You can keep it as a relatively cohesive piece or break it up with your fingers (or 2 forks) so that it is more like Shredded Beef. I think it's easier to eat when shredded. Apply your condiments of choice, with the plan to put the whole thing in the toaster at work. Cause this is a sandwich that is best warm. I usually open it up so that the bread is on the bottom and the meat on the top, otherwise the center never gets warm enough.

Toppings

       Sriracha Mayo: 

       In a small bowl, mix mayo and sriracha to your taste. If you plan on using it multiple days in a row, then make a couple servings worth and keep it covered in the fridge.

       Caramelized Onions: 

       Clean out your slow cooker (after it cools completely). Slice sweet yellow onions into 1/4 inch   thick half-rings. Toss them so that they separate. (optional: toss with a little bit of oil, but I didn't).       Place them into the slow cooker, cover and set to low for 2-3 days. Stir twice daily. They are done       when they are darkened, soft, and sweet.

       Greens of any sort. 

      We like arugala and baby kale because they are tender enough to eat raw, but also taste good when heated. So they can stand up to the toaster oven. 

       Gravy. 

Take the braising liquid that you reserved. In a small sauce pan, melt 1 Tbsp butter (1 for every 1 cup of liquid). Make a roux by whisking in 2 Tbsp flour. Continuously stir until the roux is smooth and slightly darkening. Add half the liquid, stirring continuously. This will allow the roux to be evenly mixed into the liquid. Simmer on low, stirring almost constantly. Once it's smooth and slightly thickened, add the rest of the liquid and continue to simmer until you get your desired                consistency. I made a fairly thin gravy.

Squash Soup with Pear Conserve

This is Eugenia Bone's recipe from Well Preserved (see my post on Preserving Pears). Serves 4.

3 pounds Butternut Squash (or Acorn Squash). Peeled, seeded, and cubed.
1/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp light brown sugar (or honey)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 Tbsp butter
1 pint of Pear Conserve
Fresh thyme for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the cubed squash in a bowl with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the oven until very tender(pierce with a fork), about 40 minutes. Its great if the edges brown a bit. Remove squash from the oven.

Heat the remaining oil in a dutch oven style pan over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook about 5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chili powder and sugar/honey. Stir to coat. Add squash and stock.

Bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Puree with an immersion blender (or 1 cup at a time in a blender or food processor or in a food mill).

Return to the heat and add butter. Stir while simmering until butter melts. Add the conserve and stir until hot. (or you can add the conserve before you puree the soup so that it all will be the same texture. That's just personal preference)

Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme.

Baked Butternut Squash and Barley Risotto

The changes I made were small:
Hefeweizen beer instead of wine (cause I didn't have any wine).
Left out the spinach cause I was going to make brussel sprouts. I have made it with spinach and baby kale, both were great.

 Picture above: before baking

 picture above: after baking

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasting, grilling, and pan searing are the best ways to cook brussel sprouts, in my opinion. If you allow any liquid to touch them as they cook, its gonna get bitter. And that's gross. I would rather have them get slightly sweet and crispy.

Clean your brussel spouts if needed, allow to dry. Cut each one in half and then cut out the thick hull in a V shape. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet, and place in the oven(along side the risotto). Roast until softening and browned on the edges ( you can also eat them when they are firmer, but I like them slightly soft). Remove from the oven and serve along side your main dish.

Squash Seeds

Since you've got your oven going, turn it down to 350 when you're all done. Take the seeds of the squash you just cooked, pinching them to release them from the tangled mass of stringy squash-guts. Wash them off in water, even letting them soak in the water for a bit. Strain them out of the water, place on your rimmed baking sheet and toss with your preferred seasoning. I use Adobo usually. Make sure the seeds are spread out in an even layer, not clumped together. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for Butternut Squash (less if your seeds are very small like with Acorn Squash, more for pumpkin seeds). They should be completely dry and crunchy. Let cool before eating whole. Great source of FIBER!

(squash seeds soaking in water)

Coming to you next week:
Beef Goulash with Potatoes, Mushroom and Barley Soup, Polenta with Eggplant Ragu....