BEEF TWO
MORE RECIPES FOR REAL MEN

THE OTHER EASY WAY TO WELLINGTON

I hope you believe in the premise that you are more likely to do something special if it is easy.  This variation on the famed Beef Wellington saves you the most excruciating step - that of preparing puff pastry for the shell.  It also adds a flavoring step to the beef which will have people asking how in the world this tastes so good. 

THE COMPONENTS:

For each person:
1 filet mignon
1 square of frozen puff pastry or filo dough from your grocery's freezer section
1 slice of pate' de fois gras (or pate' of your choice from grocery selections)
dijon mustard

THE ASSEMBLY:

Spread out dough on lightly floured surface and roll into a perfect square. Brush dijon mustard over filet, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Spread top of filet with a generous portion of pate'. Place filet, pate' side down on the pastry.  Fold pastry around the filet, wetting your fingers with water and using it to "glue" the bundle together on the bottom.  Seal well. 

Using extra scraps of dough cut out shapes with small cookie cutters or freehand to make a nice design on top. Hearts are nice, or seasonal things but make them simple...puff pastry does change the look of things and isn't the best for complicated shapes. Leaves, Xmas trees, Shamrocks, Easter Egg Shapes (you can even titn the dough with a little food coloring paste), are all good.  Turning over the bundle to sit on its bottom on a cookie sheet, decorate the top with your little cut-outs wetting each with a finger dipped in water to adhere, being certain to create vent holes with a fork to allow the pastry to breathe and expand. 

Bake at 425 degrees with a meat thermometer inserted to desired doneness of meat.   Serve the one with the meat thermometer hole to yourself. Plan on about 30 minutes. Prepare one bundle per person. Serve with a green vegetable and baked potato.

THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD:  POT ROAST & DUMPLINGS EXTRAORDINAIRE

There is no way to beat this recipe in terms of sharing warmth and comfort on a cold winter day.  Pot roast alone could melt a man's heart but this recipe adds southern dumplings, combining the best of savory beef roast with a delicious sauce, roasted vegetables and that chicken-&-dumplings feeling...you just cannot do better by your family or guests, unless you are serving this at a mountaintop cabin in the deepest snow around a toasty warm fireplace by candle and firelight.

1 4-pound boneless chuck roast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 envelope Lipton dry onion soup mix
2 cans beef consomme' (or beef broth)
2 Tablespoons Worschestershire sauce
4 fresh thyme sprigs
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3 carrots, cut into edible sized chunks
3 parsnips, cut just like the carrots (TRY them! They really are good!)
1 Vidalia (or other sweet) Onion, cut into bite sized chunks
3 potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks (or use whole new potatoes) (Theoretically, these are not needed because the dumplings are your starch but in my family everyone likes the potatoes too)
2-3 Tablespoons (more) olive oil
freshly ground pepper & salt (to taste)
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2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons butter, cut up
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk

ROAST: Brown roast on all sides in hot olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add soup mix, consomme', worschestershire and thyme sprigs.   Bake, covered, for 1 hour at 325degrees.

VEGGIES:  Meanwhile, toss together prepared vegetables, olive oil and salt & pepper.  Add this mixture to the Dutch oven and bake 2 more hours or until veggies are tender.  Remove roast and veggies from sauce, and keep warm.

DUMPLINGS: Stir togetherthe flour, baking powder, salt and thyme leaves in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (as you would for a pie crust) until crumbly.  Whisk together the egg & milk til fluffy, then add most of it to the dry ingredients, stirring til moist, then adding more of the mixture if it is necessary to form a soft dough.  Meanwhile, bring the "sauce" from the meat and veggies to a boil. then reduce the heat to low.  Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into the drippings; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until done. (These dumplings are similar to those used for Pot of Gold Soup).

SERVING: Add the sauce & dumplings to the meat and veggies in a big tureen or all Meat, Veggie and Dumplings on a Platter with Sauce in a small tureen, and serve. Garnish with thyme sprigs if desired. 

	ITALIAN BEEF, CHICAGO"S FAVORITE SANDWICH
Italian Beef is to Chicago what Philly Steak is to Philadelphia, only it tastes better. :)  There is just no substitute for the hard rolls, the peppers simmered for hours and the tender beef with the special juice.  Try this recipe for the authentic dead-on taste you learned to love in the Windy City!  Also for a real taste treat, try these peppers on some grilled sausage too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 4-pound Sirloin Tip Roast
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
4 large green bell peppers, cored & seeded, cut into 1" strips lengthwise
2 medium-large sweet onions, sliced (I use Vidalias)
2 cups Beef Broth
1-1/2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

THE MEAT:  Season the meat with salt & pepper, oregano and thyme.   Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 2 hours or until the meat reaches 130 degrees in the center.  Remove the meat and allow it to cool.  Deglaze the roasting pan with some wine, and place the juices in a 6 quart pot. 

THE PEPPERS: Heat a large nonstick frying pan and add the oil, garlic, peppers and onion.  Saute' for 5 minutes and add to the big pot with the meat drippings.  You might have to do this in batches if your pan is too little. 

THE COMBINATION SIMMER: Meanwhile, slice the cooled meat very thinly across the grain with an electric slicer.  Place the meat into the pot with the veggies and juice.  Add the Beef and Chicken broth, the wine and parsley. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  (You will have to stir the pot occasionally and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper).  Let the stuff stay in the pot to rest, covered for 15 minutes more. 

To serve, split some good Italian hard rolls and dip them open into the juice then fill with the meat and veggies.  Buono Appetito!