Showing posts with label raisins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raisins. Show all posts

11/3/12

Saucy Stuffed Steak Rolls (Braciole)


This dish sounded so appetizing to me that I had to try it. Traditional Braciole (pronounced bra- jol) is an italian dish of stuffed tenderized beef, browned and then braised in tomato sauce. I decided to try to make a gluten free version with a veggie stuffing. Seems like a long list of ingredients, but it is only really about 3 steps.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb bottom or top round steak (you can use chicken breast or boneless pork instead)
  • 2 28oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 package chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1/4 c. raisins or currents
  • 3 tbsp shredded or grated parmesan
  • teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • pinch Splenda or Sugar
  • tbsp canola oil
  • optional: one package thicker rice noodles (like spaghetti or linguini style), to serve as a pasta in the sauce
Prep:
  1. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, nutmeg and oregano. Set aside.
  2. Prep onion, carrot, celery, spinach. Thaw and squeeze out the moisture from spinach. Grate carrot. Dice small 1/2 of onion and celery to go in the filling. Chop the remaining onion and celery larger for the chunky tomato sauce. Set aside.
  3. Place meat between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound the meat thin. If the piece of meat will be too large once stuffed, you might want to cut into 2 portions at this point, then prep two rolls.
Cook:
  1. Heat up dutch oven and add 1 tbsp oil. Saute small diced veggies, spinach and half of each the raisins and grated carrot til tender but veggies are still intact. Add 1/2 the garlic and large pinch of dry seasoning mix, saute 1 minute more. Do not burn garlic. Turn off heat, remove veggies into a bowl.
  2. Add all the parmesan to veggies. Mix together.
  3. Lay out the pounded meat flat. Put filling onto half of the meat (towards yourself). Do not worry if you have extra filling, it can be added to the sauce later.
  4. Slowly roll up the meat tightly, rolling in the ends a little to keep the filling in. Use butcher string to tie up the roll or use toothpicks to hold together. Season the outside of the roll with another large pinch of dry seasoning mix.
  5. Heat up pan, add a little more oil if necessary. Brown beef rolls on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
  6. Add remaining cut veggies, grated carrot and raisins to pan and saute for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands the whole tomatoes, leaving them chunky. Add all the liquid too. Also add in any remaining seasonings, splenda/sugar and any leftover stuffing mixture at this time.
  7. Put beef rolls into the sauce, push them into the sauce so they are covered. Cover the dutch oven and slow simmer for 30 minutes.
  8. At this time, prep noodles til al dente.
  9. When sauce is done, turn off heat and remove beef rolls. Let sit for 5 minutes, then slice rolls to about one inch thick.
  10. Add pasta to sauce and mix to coat. Let sit a couple minutes for sauce to absorb a bit into noodles.
  11. Serve pasta topped with sliced beef roll. Add a little sauce and perhaps a little more parmesan cheese.

9/9/12

Crock Pot Morrocan Chicken


The Ultimate Crock-Pot Crock-Star(tm) 1st Prize Winning Recipe.
Savory with a touch of sweetness, this dish has international flair while using ingredients found at your local grocery store. It is crock pot easy to boot. Set it up in the morning and let it cook all day, then come home to the heavenly smell and a warm dinner ready to serve.  


Ingredients:

4 medium carrots, sliced
1 large onion, halved and sliced
8 chicken thighs, skin removed
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups white wine or chicken broth
6-8oz tomato paste (1 can)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper


Directions:

Place carrots and onions in slow cooker first. Add chicken to slow cooker. Top with apricots and raisins. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, spices, garlic, lemon juice, tomato paste and wine. Whisk to combine. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve with rice.

Optional: chopped dates or figs would work well with or instead of the raisins and dried apricot.