Sirloin and White Hominy Stew

I can be a very lazy cook sometimes.  This morning I grabbed a few packages of frozen bone in sirloin steak from the freezer and plopped them in the slow cooker.  I piled on a diced onion, some gelatin, some tomatoes and green chilies, a handful of salt and a small chunk of bacon grease.  (You just can't go wrong with the aroma of bacon.)  Nothing was measured.

I got curious and added a can of white hominy.  Never had it before, smells like a soggy tortilla.  I wanted to know if it would be good for power outage food.  After cooking on high for a couple hours, I checked for "pull apart."  Pull apart is when the meat just pulls off the bone and the bones are used for broth one more time, given to the dog (depends on the bone and the dog) or the chickens/garden.  It needed a little longer as not all the meat was submerged, so the top pieces were still clingy.  An hour or so later and the meat fell off  while I removed the bones with my tongs.

So hominy in this dish kind of reminds me of bland, mini gnocchi....more of a soft texture than a taste. The sirloin is butter tender, but less interesting after the tongue.  Ummm...and I over did it on the salt a tad, so corrected with a little sugar and cream of tartar and .....Bingo!  It all came together just right.

Hmmmm....I bet some pineapple would substitute just fine for the sugar/cream of tartar flavor wise......

Fat Tuesday
Scratch Cookin' Tuesday
Hearth and Soul Hop
Barn Hop
See Ya In the Gumbo
Hunk of Meat Monday
Gluten Free Wednesday

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

Can of pineapple
Beef Gelatin (1 TBS per 1/4 meat minimum)
Sugar/Cream of Tartar mix
Ketchup (glop or 2)
Vinegar (ACV, Rice or Coconut)
Sea Salt
Red pepper Flakes (optional)

Add the pineapple to the pan first.  Dissolve the desired amount of gelatin BEFORE you turn on the heat. Add the amount of sugar/COT mix desired.  (I usually start with equal parts gelatin and sugar and adjust the flavor from there.)  I had a few mostly empty bottles of ketchup collecting in the fridge, so I rinsed with some vinegar and added that for color. Salt and red pepper flakes to taste and add more sugar/COT and or vinegar as needed. Stir over medium/low heat until hot and gelatin is completely dissolved.

Apple Beef Green Curry Stew

I put up 4 cases of applesauce in the past week and had one jar that broke its seal the next day.  Rather than reprocess a single jar, I put it in the fridge for more immediate use.

Here's what I did with that jar...after a few nibbles, that is. ;)

1 pint of homemade beef broth
1 pint of water to rinse broth jar (or as needed)
about 6 potatoes, shredded
1 pound of beef, cut in small chunks
4 TBS Gelatin
1 can of crushed pineapple (optional)
1 can of coconut milk
1 pint of homemade applesauce
or fresh cut apples
1/2 jar Thai green curry paste
unrefined sea salt to taste

Pennywise Platter Thursday
Zero Waste Food Challenge
Fight Back Friday
Simply Lives Thursday 
Monday Mania

Thai Style Potato Soup

Thai Style Potato Soup
Potatoes and/or Sweet Potatoes 
Pineapple
Coconut Milk
Broth
Shrimp (optional)
Gelatin
Basil (optional)
Unrefined Salt
Green/Red Curry paste
Dried Mangoes (optional)
Sucanat/Rapadura (optional)
Cream of Tartar (optional)


Cut up the potatoes, place in pan and cooked covered in broth.  When potatoes are tender add pineapple, mangoes (if you have them, fresh or frozen would work too) coconut milk, salt and curry paste.  Be careful with the paste, a little goes a long way.  Add gelatin, basil and sweeten to taste.  Extra sugar will help cut the "burn" if you've added too much curry.  Use approximately 1/4 tsp of Cream of Tartar per tablespoon of sugar.  Add the shrimp at the very end, if you use it, when the burner is already turned off.  They will be done before you can fetch the bowls for serving.

Hearth and Soul Hop 
Gluten Free Wednesday 
Family Food Fridays 
Simple Lives Thursday 
Ultimate Soup Recipe List