BEEF: This is really easy to make and is healthy without heavy sauces or too much butter. Try serving it with whole wheat pasta.

SHORT RIBS PROVENCALE:

4 lbs. beef short ribs                                                   

2 large onions, cut into thin rounds

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped                  

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1½ tsp. dried               

1/3 cup olive oil or cooking oil

1 ½ tsp. salt + ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

cooked noodles

Put ribs in a large casserole and cover them with the onions, tomatoes, basil leaves and garlic. Add oil and salt and pepper. Toss mixture well together. Cover casserole and marinate ribs for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove and dry ribs with paper towels. Brown them either in hot oil in a skillet over medium-high heat or under a preheated broiler. Season ribs lightly with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Return browned ribs to the bed of vegetables in casserole. Cover and bake for 1 ½ -2 hours or until tender. Turn them over in the cooking liquid once during cooking.

Cook noodles in salted water according to instruction. Toss with a bit of butter; then serve hot with the ribs.

           

A photo of the "Burning Gas Crater" in Darvaza, Turkmenistan. This so-called "door to hell" was created as a result of a mining accident in 1971 when the drilling rig collapsed, generating poisonous gas that necessitated burning off whatever natural gas there was at the drilling site. But the gas source, presumed to be exhausted in a few days, ended up burning for 40 years and counting.

BEEF: This is another favourite that was served often in my student days in the UK. It is good for using up left-over beef from a roast beef dinner.

SHEPARD’S PIE:

1 lb. medium/lean ground beef or 2 cups cooked beef or lamb, coarsely chopped

6 potatoes, peeled and quartered                                

1 onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp. cooking oil                                                      

2 carrots, finely chopped

¼ cup milk + 2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. each dried thyme and sage                                

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 cup hot beef stock                                                   

1 ½ tbsp. all purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

seasoning for sauce

 

   1 tsp. Dijon mustard                                                            

   1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

   1 tsp sugar                                                               

    salt and pepper

Put potatoes in a large pot with enough slightly salted water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover pot and simmer potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Put potatoes in a bowl and add milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a fork or a potato masher until smooth and fluffy. Keep warm.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot and add onion, parsley, carrots, sage and thyme. Cook 4-5 minutes or until onion is soft. Add ground beef, stirring to break up meat and cook until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper to taste. If cooked meat is used, just stir it into onion mixture and heat through. Transfer beef mixture to an oven-proof casserole.

Add flour and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Increase heat to medium high or high and gradually whisk in stock. Stir constantly to mix in until smooth; and cooking for 5 minutes until sauce thickens. Add seasoning and salt and pepper to taste and mix in well. Pour sauce over beef and mix in well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Fit a pastry bag with ½-inch star nozzle attached with half of the mashed potatoes. Spread rest of potato in a smooth layer over beef mixture in the casserole. Pipe a layer of potato decoratively on top. Omit this step if preferred, and spread all the mashed potatoes over beef, swirling to decorate slightly. Transfer casserole to oven.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes are golden brown and filling is hot.

BEEF: When I was a student in the UK, salisbury steak was pretty much served all the time at canteens, and I thought I was eating "steaks". Making it at home, steaks can be used to substitute for ground beef.

SALISBURY STEAK:

1¾ to 2 lb. lean ground beef, or use sirloin steak and ground the meat                                   

Seasoning ingredients:

   2 tbsp. grated onions

   2 tbsp. grated green pepper                                      

   1 clove garlic, minced

   1½ tbsp. finely chopped chives                               

   1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

   1 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper                        

   pinch of paprika and thyme

flour & olive oil                                                          

sauce ingrdients:

   3 tbsp. butter, melted                                               

   1/3 cup tomato sauce

   1 tbsp. lemon juice                                      

   1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

   1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce                          

   dash Tabasco

   2 tbsp sherry                                                

   1 tsp. sugar or 1 tbsp. honey

   salt and pepper

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine ground beef with seasoning ingredients and mix well together with a fork. Shape mixture into 6 patties about ¾-inch thick. Sprinkle patties with flour and brush with olive oil.

Put patties on the broiler rack about 3-inches below the heat and broil them for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked. Alternately, cook patties on a BBQ over direct heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked but not overcooked.

Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer at reduced heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour sauce over meat to serve.

BEEF: When I first learned to cook, 40 years ago, I used this recipe from a package of soup mix. Since then, whenever I was rushing around to put dinner on the table, this recipe was used over and over again. It basically cooks by itself with not much preparation, and one can use an economic cut of beef to achieve reasonably good result. Hope you will try it out.

POT ROAST WITH VEGETABLES:

3 to 4 lbs blade or cross-rib roast                                

4 medium potatoes, quartered

4 carrots cut into 1-inch pieces                                   

½ lb mushrooms

4 onions, quartered                                                     

1 cup chopped celery                                                 

2 envelope onion-soup mix                                        

½ cup water

2 tsp. cornstarch, mixed with ½ cup water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a large baking pan with 2 pieces of heavy-duty aluminium foil large enough to hold all the ingredients. Sit beef in the middle. Scatter cut vegetables all round it. Mix onion-soup mix with water and pour it over the meat. Cook 2 to 2 ½ hours or until meat is tender.

To serve:  Carve beef and arrange slices on serving platter. Spoon vegetables out and arrange them around beef slices.  Remove the foil from pan. Bring liquid in pan to a boil and thicken the sauce with cornstarch solution 

The "1000"?? wooden-huts built on the hillside of this Miao Village in Guizhou, China

The "wind & rain" bridge crossing the river at the "1000 wooden-huts Miao Village" in GuiZhou, China

A Miao dance-performance being put on for the visitors at the "1000 wooden-huts Maio village" in Guizhou in 1009.

BEEF: Pepper Steaks are a family favourite. Adding sauce makes it even better.

PEPPER STEAKS WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE:

4 sirloin steaks                                                

2 tbsp. black peppercorns

salt to taste                                                                  

horseradish sauce:

   2 tbsp. brandy                                              

   3 tbsp. beef stock

   4 tbsp. 18% cream                           

   1 tbsp. grated horseradish

   ½ tsp sugar

Crack peppercorns in a spice grinder and use it to cover the steaks on both sides.

Cook steaks on a hot, lightly-oiled barbeque grill over direct heat for 5-10 minutes, or until cooked to taste. Add salt to taste after first side is cooked. Alternately, cook steaks in oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minute per side, depending on thickness of the steaks and preference for doneness. Add salt to taste to the steaks after cooking the first side. Keep warm.

Put brandy and beef stock in a small saucepan and bring it to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and add in horseradish, sugar and cream. Heat through but do not boil. Adjust seasoning. Serve sauce with steaks.

BEEF: This recipe is a change from the usual "grilled or pan-fried steaks" without sauce. Please try it.

PAN-SEARED STEAK WITH ONIONS:

1 lb. beef sirloin or other grilling steak           

cooking oil

2 tbsp. butter, divided                                     

2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced                                   

½ tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled

2 tbsp. all purpose flour                                  

1½ cups hot milk

2 tbsp. soy sauce                                            

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

chopped parsley

In a large heavy skillet, melt half the butter in 1-2 tbsp. oil over high heat. Add steaks and sear 2 minutes per side. Add salt and pepper as meat is browned. Transfer to a container and keep warm.

Heat skillet up again and melt remaining butter. Stir in garlic, onions and rosemary. Cover pot and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until onions are very soft and caramelized. Remove onions to serving platter.

Sprinkle in flour and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add mustard & mix in. Gradually whisk in hot milk; then soy sauce, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Turn heat to high, cover and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Adjust seasoning.

Return steaks and juices to sauce in pan, spooning sauce over beef. Simmer mixture together, turning steaks once, for about 3-5 minutes or until steak is the desired doneness. Keep sauce hot.

Transfer steaks to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak thinly across the grain and arrange them on serving platter. Add caramelized onions. Pour sauce over to serve, garnished with chopped parsley.