Easy Steak Casserole

It's that time of year again when we can use our ovens a lot! That means lots of yummy casserole dishes to serve. When I am craving some beef for dinner but do not fancy going through all the trouble of making an elaborate beef burgundy (though it's always worth the effort, let me emphasize!) or I simply do not have much time to prepare it - this is my go to dish - a very simple yet flavorful Steak Casserole. You can prepare this in a matter of minutes (the only difficult part, if ever, is the cutting up of the steak but a very sharp knife would be tremendously helpful!). After a little browning of the beef, throw all the ingredients in a casserole dish and then to the oven and wait as the aroma of that delicious Steak cooking wafts through your house. Before you know it, it's time to sit down and enjoy your delicious meal!  

I used green peppers and celery here but feel free to experiment on your favorite veggies. Next time I'll replace one of the veggies with mushrooms or mix all three!

Ingredients

2-3 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp Butter

6 garlic cloves, crushed 

1 kilo/ 2.2 lbs chuck steak, cut into thin strips  (or bite size cubes)

1 1/2 Tbsp flour seasoned with salt (I use about 1 tsp) and pepper, to taste

2 Green bell peppers, cut into strips                                                        

3 Celery sticks, chopped diagonally

3/4-1 cup red wine (I love the deep red wine taste so I go for more!)

¼ cup water
8 oz Button Mushrooms, washed and sliced (optional but encouraged!)

Tip: For extra flavor and moisture, when the beef is already fork tender, add some 8 oz sliced mushrooms and bake again in the oven covered with foil for another 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and have released their juices! So good!

 

Procedure

Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease a casserole dish with a little oil. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Melt the butter in it.

In the meantime, coat the steak with the seasoned flour. Sauté the garlic in the pan briefly, just until aromatic, about a minute or less. Quickly brown the beef strips in butter.

Transfer the browned beef tips (and garlic) on the greased casserole. Place all the veggies on top. Pour in the wine and water.

Cover the casserole dish with foil (double the foil) and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes! Beef heaven!

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Thanksgiving and Global Cuisine - Recipe Round-up

Frikadelles (South African Braised Meatballs)

    Yesterday we had a celebration in our Manila Spoon Facebook Page featuring Thanksgiving and International Recipes. What a happy day it was for we received so many lovely recipes! I love all the Thanksgiving dishes and the exotic and delicious global cuisine samples we got. I am sure that some of you would like to see these lovely recipes again, perhaps to try them yourselves or to use them as inspiration to create your own dish but it can be quite difficult to access them on the Facebook page itself. It's certainly not going to be much fun scrolling down the page just to find the recipes you want so I thought I'd make a post of all the recipes we received with their corresponding photos and the links to the blogs they came from. I have posted these recipes according to the order I have received them. Hope you find this post helpful and do check out these lovely blogs. Many thanks again to all of you for making our Foodie Party a success!

Please note: To get the recipe, find the photo below of the yummy sweet treat you are looking for and then click on the link underneath. That should lead you to the recipe. This is a collection of recipes from our blog and other amazing food bloggers. 

Chicken Satay by My Love for Cooking 

Crock Pot Apple Crisp by Michelle's Tasty Creations 

Vegetarian Taco Bowls by Tickling Palates

Mediterranean Burgers and Beans by The Food Geek Diary

Moussaka by Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Apple Sour Cream Cake by A'lil Country Sugar

Mushroom Bruschetta by Foodie Fitness

Creamed Spinach by Food Done Light

Bread Pudding with Egg Nog Spiced Glaze

Upside Down Apple Pie by What's Cooking Love?

Pear Charlotte by Crepes Suzette

Apricot and Amaretti Semifreddo by Jams N Pans

Pumpkin Crunch Cake by Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Spicy Sweet Chinese Chicken by Love Bakes Good Cakes

Ondeh-Ondeh by Roti N Rice

Harissa Beef Brisket by Ally's Kitchen

Chicken Cornbread Dressing by Once a Mom Always a Cook

Black Bean Lasagna by Citronlimette

Chicken Biryani by Cup Cake Luvs

Old Fashioned Corn Pudding by Nibbles by Nic

Pork Sausage Dressing by My Recipe Round Up

Deviled Eggs by Pantry Dreams

Nyama Fried Meat by Foodie in the Desert

Indian Roasted Vegetables over Lentils

Beef Rouladen by Bibi's Culinary Journey

Sesame Seed Flatbread by Life Currents

Japchae - Korean Noodles by Eat Love and Be Merry

Pindi Chana by Cooking Thumb

Peanut Butter Cups by Within the Kitchen

Cosmopolitan Cranberries by Chin Deep

Chicken Biryani by Kuk's Kitchen



Bobotie by Joure's Rustic Kitchen



Very Berry Cranberry Sauce by From Valerie's Kitchen



Lasagna with Artichokes by Sunday at the Giacometti's



Individual Sour Cream Apple Pies by Donna Sawyer



Green Beans and Caramelized Onions by Play with Your Food



Apple Pie Biscuits by Tara Cooks

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Lumpiang Pabo - Turkey Spring Rolls

Since Thanksgiving is getting nearer I thought I'd share my Filipino recipe for Turkey Spring Rolls. This is a wonderful dish if you wish to do something different with your left-over Turkey. You can opt to fry it, as we would normally do, but if you want a healthier, lower-fat version then you can bake them too! As long as it's crispy, it's good! Also, I added some vegetables with the turkey so it's not an all-meat variety, unless that's what you prefer.

Without much ado, here's - Lumpiang Pabo (Filipino) or in English - Turkey Spring Rolls.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

3-4 cups cooked turkey, shredded

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium size onion, finely chopped

2 cups cabbage, chopped

1 cup carrots, finely chopped (Baby carrots are handy!)

1 cup bean sprouts

1 tub water chestnuts, chopped (optional)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

A few drops of Sesame oil (optional)
Lumpia Skin (Spring Roll Wrappers) - may be found at any Asian store (use the Filipino brand - the paper-thin variety, if you can find them)

For the Sauce to use for the Stir-Fry

Choices: Hoisin sauce (about 4 Tbsp or to taste), Soy Sauce (beging with 2 Tbsp), Oyster Sauce (begin with 1 Tbsp) or a Soy-Oyster combo. I usually eyeball the sauce so let this serve as a mere guide. Follow your taste buds!

I usually pre-cook all the ingredients before I fry or bake them but it’s not difficult to do so provided you’ve got all the ingredients ready.

Procedure

Heat the oil in a wok or a deep frying  pan in medium heat.

Season the oil by adding the garlic and frying it until aromatic, less than a minute. Add the onion and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Place the shredded turkey in the pan and stir-fry just until heated, 2 minutes more or less.

Raise the heat and add the vegetables and continue to stir-fry until tender, roughly 2-3 mins.

Add the sauce of your choice (I used the Hoisin sauce for this one because I wanted a sweeter flavor); stir until all the ingredients are glazed. Season with a little salt and pepper, to taste. Stir-fry until everything's coated and the sauce has dried up.

Once cooked, add a few drops of sesame oil (optional).


Set aside and cool down for a few minutes. Wait until it’s cool enough cause it will break the wrapper if it’s too hot. It should be pretty dry but if not, just drain. It shouldn't be wet.  


How to make the roll:

Completely thaw the lumpia wrappers before using. Note that the wrapper has the tendency to dry out so to avoid this, place a clean damp dish towel on top of the wrappers after thawing. Just lift up the towel everytime you get a new wrapper for rolling and then put it back in place to keep some moisture in.



Have a bowl of water ready. You will use it to seal the edges of the wrapper together.

Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the turkey filling on one of the corners of the wrapper as shown. Spread the filling to make it easier to roll them.

Start to roll, tucking the sides inward as you go.

Put a little water to seal the edges securely.





You may cook this right away or leave in the fridge and cook it the next day. You can even freeze these.

Now, you can either deep-fry it (recommended) but if you’re health conscious you may  bake it, too (which I tried to know if it would work). I must admit, the deep-fried ones taste better though baking is a good alternative.

Deep-fry in hot oil (about 350 F) until golden brown. Oil should just about cover the rolls. If the oil is hot enough it should not take long. Cook the lumpia in batches. Allow enough room for each to roll in the oil for an even browning.

Use tongs to lift the cooked lumpia and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil or place them in a sieve or strainer lined with paper towels too.     I normally line the rolls straight (vertically) on the strainer to allow the oil to drain better.  Below are the rolls after they've been cooked and drained. Don't they look gorgeously golden?

Alternatively, you can bake it in a 375F degree oven and bake until golden brown. Remember, it's already cooked, you just need to brown the skin or wrapper.  Don't forget to brush a little oil on the spring rolls before you bake them.

Of course, it’s not complete without the sauce or dip – choose either the sweet chili sauce or do your own Filipino sauce by combining vinegar, crushed garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Dip the rolls in the sauce! Yum!

Wonderful as appetizer or even as a main dish eaten with hot rice!

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