Rouladin Meatball Gnocchi Beef Stew

Tonight I played with fusion between German and Italian, which makes it very American.

Let me go back.  I gave my husband the choice between chicken, pork and hamburger.  He chose hamburger.  The inspiration was not coming to me.  I was racking my brain for what to do with that hamburger.  I questioned him for any ideas.  He came back talking about hamburgers, which require pickles.  That got me thinking about rouladin.  I taught a very dear friend in Virginia how to make rouladin.  I advised her that it could even be made from hamburger, if that is what you had.  Yes, I know it is not traditional.  That being said, anyone who knows me knows that I can work with an empty pantry to make gourmet whatever.  So, I digress...

I did not fully feel like rouladin, so I thought I could make rouladin meatballs, and a tasty soup with noodles.  After formulating the flavors I decide on a meatball with the mustard and pickles and a beef broth with noodles, onions, mushrooms.  After debating the merits of diced potatoes, gnocci or egg noodles, I realized I was really looking for the flavor and texture of the gnocci.  That being said, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
     Meatballs:
1 lb hamburger
2 eggs
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1/2 c dill pickle relish or diced dill pickles
1/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/8 t nutmeg (because I can not cook german without it)
1 T stone ground mustard
1 T garic, minced
1 T Bacon Drippings or Grape Seed Oil

     Soup
1 red onion, thin sliced
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 lb gnocci
1 qt beef stock

DIRECTIONS
1). Put Onion and mushroom in 8 qt stock pot on high, stirring with regularity

2). Mix all meatball ingredients, except oil and let sit for 5 minutes

3). Heat saute pan and put oil in it.  Make meatballs into 1 T balls and cook.

4)  Add beef stock to onions and mushrooms and bring to boil and add gnocci.

5). Stir in meatballs

6). Bring to boil.

7). Dice 2 pickles to garnish

8). Garnish and serve!

Viola!!!

Steak and Spinach Salad

Recently Tomato Girl, a friend of mine, asked me to come up with a briney dressing to be served with a steak salad.  She also had the amazing idea to add some steak drippings to it.

So, off I went on my research tangent of different French small sauces and sauces that include red wine.  My idea at the time was based on my Balsamic Honey Mustard.  As I researched I looked at butter, like a buerre rouge.  Many of the sauces had tarragon and shallots.

I had formulated, then I started the trials.

I started with Balsamic, but did not find it briney.  So, I ended up mixing it half and half with red wine vinegar.  I also tried using butter to cook the steak, but the consistency wasn't quite right.  Enter the EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I really wanted to use that for the flavor.  After many trials, darn, steak again?  I came to this secret formula.  

For the steak for this salad I love a flat iron or london broil.  You could also use a cube steak or a fillet or any other good steak.  The thing is that it needs to be tender.  

This is probably the only time you will see me do something in single servings.

Ingredients for the dressing:

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

1 T Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 T Stone Ground Mustard

1 t Garlic, minced

1/2 t Shallots

1/2 t capers (include the brine)

1/2 t Tarragon, chopped

Ingredients for steak:

6 oz steak

1 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 t salt

3/4 t pepper

Ingredients for the Salad:

4 oz Spinach-prewashed

1 oz Blue Cheese

1 Carrot-sliced

2 Mushrooms-sliced

Directions:

Dressing 

just mix all of the ingredients and let it sit, UNTIL...

the Steak is done.  Once the steak is removed from the pan deglaze it with dressing and immediately pour onto salad.

Steak

Equally salt both sides of steak

I like to jaccard it after I season it, to make certain that it is seasoned inside and out and oh-so-tender.

Coat it in EVOO

Cook it to the correct doneness, let it rest then slice it against the grain.

Salad

Put the spinach on the plate, top with carrots and mushrooms then dressing.  Put the sliced steak on top then crumble the blue cheese on top and serve!

This salad is a full meal. 

Notes:

If you are using this dressing independent of this salad put 1/4 t salt and 1/2 t pepper into the dressing.  

It can also be used as a marinade for pork, beef or game.

If you are curious about a meat tenderizing Jaccard, they are inexpensive and definitely can make the cheapest of steaks tender.  And they are great for stress!  I love using them because it easily makes cheap steaks much better.  You can even use it on roasts.  Unless you have a dishwasher, get one with only a single row of blades.

Here is how to use one:

Here is one on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Flytt-Tenderizer-Stainless-Blades-Chicken/dp/B01MSSR3J1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1519426784&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=jaccard+meat+tenderizer&psc=1