Pork and Potato Stew

     I wanted to make some creamy and delicious potato soup. Michael asked me if I was going to put any meat in it or anything, but I didn't have any plans to. I decided to do so, that way he would enjoy it a bit more. I thought about putting some crispy bacon in it to add some savory salty goodness, but I didn't have any on hand. (I know, I know. I don't keep bacon on hand.) Anyways, I did have pork. Soooo, I just cut up a piece of pork into bite-size pieces and it worked just fine. This would definitely be delicious with bacon, what isn't!? This soup is definitely hearty for dinner, but isn't so heavy you can't enjoy it for lunch the next day (which would be fabulous!)
 
     I did end up adding a few tablespoons of cornstarch with water to make this a bit thicker, because I did want a stew, more than I did a soup. Either way, it is delicious.

Potato-Pork Stew
Yields: 4 servings

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

½ lb. pork, cubed

1-1½ lbs. potatoes, cubed

1 medium carrot, julienned

1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, undrained

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

2 bouillon cubes (chicken, beef, vegetable)

3 cups water

 

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until translucent.

 

Add the garlic and stir continuously for 30 seconds, then add the pork and allow to brown a bit before stirring.

 

Allow the pork to brown on all sides before adding the potatoes and carrots. Once the potatoes and carrots have been added, allow them to cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Next, add the cumin, paprika, and bouillon.

 

Stir for 30 seconds and add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If you like your soup a bit thicker, you may need to add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water

 

 

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 375.9 
• Total Fat: 12.1 g    
• Cholesterol: 44.8 mg
• Sodium: 668.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 44.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.2 g
• Protein: 22.0 g

Ye Olde Goulash

     Yesterday morning, I got up, fed Pippy, made the bed, emptied the dishwasher, and took Pippy outside to use the bathroom. Every morning, it's the same; the only thing that changes is the meat I pull from the freezer to thaw for dinner.  Last night, the decision was between chicken breast, ground beef, or top round. We had chicken the night before, so I pulled out the top round and let it begin thawing. Once it was thawed (around 2pm) I put it in the refrigerator and then it hit me. I don't have enough time to make anything with this! 
     See, top round is a tougher cut of meat. This is because the area that this cut comes from is well exercised and contains a lot of connective tissue. It tends to be extremely tough if it isn't braised for a long period of time. So, at this point, I'm trying to figure out what I can cook in a short period of time. I won't be able to utilize my slow cooker unless I want to have dinner ready around 10:30 P.M. I had to improvise a bit and do something on the stove top that could cook low and slow for at least an hour and a half. 
     The recipe that I have written out is meant for ease and convenience (somewhat). I used a packaged rice that had beef seasonings, but you can also cook the rice in a separate 2-quart pot and add either 2 cubes of beef bouillon or 1 tablespoon of it. 

Ye Olde Goulash
Yields: 4 servings

2½ tbsp. butter, unsalted
1 lb. top round, 1" cubes
1 c. onion, chopped
1 lb. waxy potatoes, cubed
1 c. water
1½ c. beef broth
2 tsp. salt
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package of rice with beef seasonings, if desired

In a soup pot, melt the butter over high heat. Add the steak and onions brown on all sides. Resist the urge to continue stirring the meat! This will allow the meat to develop a nice color and this is where much of the flavor is!

 After about 6 to 8 minutes, add the potatoes, water, beef broth, and salt. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 1½hours, stirring occasionally.

At this point, add the tomatoes and the packaged rice (or boil separately), uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Note: This tastes GREAT the next day as well!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 713.8

• Total Fat: 25.7 g
• Cholesterol: 84.1 mg
• Sodium: 599.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 53.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 11.0 g
• Protein: 39.6 g

Beef Tips.

     Beef tips served over rice is one of my boyfriend's favorite meals. I happen to think the dish is pretty tasty as well. It's beefy, hearty, and loaded with flavor! I had made a dish similar to this one before, but it was baked in the oven, which I thought was strange. The meat was a little more tough with a lot less flavor. Delicious, nonetheless, just lacking something. This recipe is amazing and I can not wait to have it again! (: We'll just give it a few weeks so I can experiment elsewhere! 

Beef Tips

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1½ to 2 lbs. stew beef, 1-inch cubes

4 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)

2 c. water

¼ c. soy sauce

¼ c. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 (.75 oz.) packet dry brown gravy mix

1 c. water

Depending on your butcher, you may not have to do this step...I did, however. My stew beef was cut VERY roughly and very large - about 3-inch chunks. I prefer much smaller pieces, due to ease. I cut my meat into approximately 1-inch cubes.

In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Sauté the onion until almost translucent. 

    

Once onion has become slightly translucent, add the stew beef and brown on all sides on high heat. For me, this took about 3-4 minutes. At this point, I added about 4 ounces of sliced button mushrooms. I browned them for about 2 minutes. Then, pour 2 cups of water, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce in. Allow to return to a simmer. Once simmering, stir in garlic 

powder, salt, and pepper.

 

Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for approximately 2 hours. During this time, the meat will tenderize and literally begin to fall apart! (: It's delicious! About 5 minutes before the simmering time has completed, whisk together the dry gravy mix and 1 cup water thoroughly. Pour into the skillet and return to the boil. The sauce will thicken slightly. 

If you want the sauce to have a little less movement, you can do one of two things: 1) create a corn starch slurry with 1 tbsp. corn starch and 1-2 tbsp. water or 2) gently simmer and let it reduce down a little. I simply left mine to simmer while I cooked the rice I was serving it with and it worked just fine!

Happy Cooking!