Where’s the Beef?? (Part 2)

Before there was Beef Tenderloin with Jalapeño Sour Cream, there was my 100th recipe. I meant to write about it immediately, since it was not only a milestone number, but also a supremely delicious meal.  Yet somehow it always got put on the back burner… so to speak.  As I close in on the final four recipes in Magnolia Table, I can put it off no longer!  Without further ado, I present to you the story of #100 Mom’s Bulgogi.

Just look at it… Can’t you already taste the tender, flavorful beef and the sticky rice??  Smell the the mouthwatering aromas of the marinade with its brown sugar and soy sauce base, seasoned with fresh garlic and sesame oil?  I’m smacking my lips all over again thinking about it.  I started with a large leftover ribeye, which happened to be one of the cuts Jo suggested.  Using  good quality beef set me up for success, and all I had to do was slice it across the grain to ensure proper “chewability”.  My patience was tested when I saw that I had to let the meat marinate for 4-5 hours, but that disappointment was tempered by knowing that it would only cook on the grill for about 2-3 minutes per side.

This meal was FANTASTIC.  With no exaggeration, I can say it will enter the standard meal rotation in my home, because every one of us inhaled our portion and fought over the leftovers.  I lost that battle because someone beat me home… Embarrassingly, I must admit I was not psyched about making this.  For one thing, I had only eaten bulgogi once in my life before seeing it in Magnolia Table, and that was a “meh” experience.  Not bad, but not memorable.  It also seemed out of place among the other recipes, but it was the only one which paid homage to Jo’s Korean heritage.  She’d made a nod towards her Lebanese and Syrian roots, and those were not my favorites.  Thanks to this recipe opening my eyes, I can now say I have enjoyed Korean barbecue and even tried and loved *GASP* kimchi!!  Miracles never cease.

   

The next beefy entry into my log was #135 Beef Enchiladas.  I must be clear that I have never particularly liked enchiladas of any variety.  I think the fault lies with the fact that I don’t care for enchilada SAUCE, so the filling doesn’t really make a difference.  The one exception was when I worked my way through Ree Drummond’s Dinnertime cookbook, wherein she taught me how to make my own enchilada sauce from scratch.  Surprisingly, even though it was chock-full of ingredients I don’t like separately, the blended mixture was quite tasty.  Still, that was an additional process I did not undertake this go-round.  The second thing about enchiladas that I find irritating is they seem to cause an inordinate amount of kitchen disorder.  Frying up the corn tortillas (when I prefer flour!) means I have to clean the stove, an oily pan and surrounding countertops on the way to making what should essentially have been a one-dish casserole meal.  Then there’s the filling process: Pick up greasy tortilla; soak in yucky enchilada sauce; fill with seasoned ground beef; reach into a pile of cheese with sticky fingers and attempt to sprinkle; roll up the oozing mess and place in the pan.  What a pain!  Of course, if I loved enchiladas, I wouldn’t complain about any of this, so there’s that.  However, the family seemed to like them, and I thought it was a solid recipe, regardless of not being to my taste.          

On the other hand, #41 Beef Stew, was right up my alley!  There was nothing groundbreaking on her ingredients list, with the standard onions, carrots, peas and potatoes, but it culminated in a comforting, savory meal.  She added a slight twist with corn and diced tomatoes, which is not unheard of, but I docked her points for suggesting garlic powder instead of fresh minced garlic.  For shame.  All in all this is a great way to use up the raggedy veggies you might have lurking in your fridge, and you can get away with using cheaper stew meat.  I made this truly one-pot wonder last winter, and looking at it is making me wish the cooler days would get here faster so I can make it again!    

The final entries in the beef category were also made some time ago, but never made it into the blog.  #39 Sheet Pan Nachos featured wonderfully quick and easy prep, and “dinner”, such as it was, made it to the table in record time.  Possibly it’s more appropriate as an appetizer, but really all the elements are there: beef, fruits and vegetables in the form of lettuce, tomatoes and avocados, (olives if you live with someone who doesn’t hate them!) cheese, and carb-y tortilla chips.  It was basically a deconstructed tostada, and we loved it.  Only downside is you have to eat it all in one sitting, because reheating it is impossible.  #48 Sunday Dinner Beef Tips was everything I love about convenience-food cooking.  Dump cream-of-whatever soup into a slow cooker with stew meat and onion soup mix, throw in some mushrooms and carry on with your day.  Dinner will be ready at 6:00, and you’ll have nothing to do but cook some egg noodles and maybe open a can of vegetables while you’re at it.  We all need this kind of recipe in our arsenal!  

And so ends the “Dinner” chapter of this cookbook.  Inside its pages I found only nine recipes featuring my favorite protein, BEEF, but I can confidently report that six of them will make their way routinely to my dinner table in the future!