Historical recipes and humorous introduction by Richard Lake, May 1984. Original beef and dinner-roll recipes retained.
(Editor’s Note: Richard Lake and his wife, Venita, have lived on the 5800 block of Waterman for ten years.
He is assistant professor of reading at Florissant Valley Community College.
Although many a great chef works in a less-than-inspirational setting, Richard’s super kitchen is certainly a contributing factor to his skill.) by Richard Lake I have spent the last three weeks trying to come up with an original and creative way to maintain the spirit of the preceding Macho Menu columns.
I have failed. Perhaps it is the gray skies and pervading damp or a lack of inspiration from the appropriate muse. Whatever the reason, I surrender.
Instead of a sparkling, intoxicating column I will have to settle for sharing two recipes which will, by their very quality, make up for the failure of the writer.
The first recipe is for Italian Braised Beef.
This recipe began life as a promotion recipe from a spice manufacturer.
It has undergone several changes over the years in order to make it easier and less expensive. Ingredients: 2 lbs, beef stew meat 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. minced dry onion (¼ cup fresh, minced) 1 beef bouillon cube 1 cup water 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce ¼ cup (more or less) dry red wine 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1/4 tsp. oregano ¼ tsp. basil Brown meat in 2-3 tbsp. oil (olive oil is nice but any oil will do) in a very large skillet or a Dutch oven.
When meat is browned, add all the remaining ingredients, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1½ to 3 hours.
If your family likes mushrooms (mine does), add ¼ lb. of sliced fresh mushrooms. Just before serving add one tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in cold water to thicken. Serve over hot cooked noodles. Serves 4-6 depending on appetite. Braised beef can be made with almost any cut of beef. I pick what is cheapest and cut my own stew meat.
I have used chuck roast, arm roast and even round steak (cut in 1/2″ x 3″ strips) with equal success. Also this recipe can be done in a crockpot or slow cooker. Brown the meat and then place it with the other ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on medium heat for 6-8 hours. Serve braised beef with broccoli, green salad, and a glass of good red wine. Good cooking deserves good wine.
A perfect addition to Italian Braised Beef is Italian Dinner Rolls.
These take a little time but homemade yeast rolls are worth the effort. Combine 1½ cups of flour, 2 packages dry yeast and 1½ tsp. Italian seasoning. Heat 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. margarine (or butter) and 1 tsp. garlic salt til warm (100-115 degrees). Add liquid and 2 eggs to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer 3 minutes at high speed. Add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. Stir in, by hand, 3-3½ cups of flour until a stiff dough forms. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2-4 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover, let rise until doubled in size (approx. 45 minutes on a slightly warm radiator). Punch down and shape into 16 equal balls, dip top of each ball in melted butter and then in grated parmesan cheese. (This is optional, the rolls are good even if you don’t dip.) Place balls in two greased 9-inch round pans. Cover, let rise 15-20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
This makes 16 extremely large rolls.
For those on a diet one roll probably exceeds the weekly allowance for bread but they are worth the time and the calories.
Original photograph caption
Richard Lake preparing Italian braised beef. Photo by King Schoenfeld. The Paper, May 1984, page 5.
Originally published in The Paper, May 1984.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1984_05.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
