ground beef – Goboroot.com

Chili and Aged Cheddar Cheese Dill Scones

Years ago when I encountered a cheese and dill scone at one of my favourite cafes, Savary Island Pie Co. in West Vancouver, I fell in love with dill. The combination of a hint of buttery sweetness and the sharp edge from the cheese with the fresh distinctive aromatic greenness of the dill, had just created a delightful ménage à trois, the food kind. I picked up the scones on the way to Lighthouse Park, quickly photographed them in a moving car before we ate them and jotted down in a wish list in my journal about growing dill in my future garden. Then, we went off hiking at the park and years passed until I finally brought dill to my own little garden.

Now, I’m proud that my simple food daydreaming has become true and I can serve the special scones to my dear friends at a summer cabin trip. When I was delegated to be in charge of cooking at the cabin for friends who were arriving late at night, I had only this meal in mind. There is something sentimental about welcoming late arriving guests with a pot of warm chili and just-out-of-the-oven scones.

Chili with Ground Beef and Lentils

Serves 5-6

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces

2 large carrots, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 pound dried lentils, rinsed

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 cans (30-ounce) or freshly cooked red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1/3 cup chili powder, mild or hot according to your taste

4 teaspoons ground cumin

¼ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium high. Add the onions, green and red peppers, carrot, jalapeno, pepper and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are half way cooked.

Add the ground beef and cook with the vegetables until the meat changes colour.

Stir in 7 cups water, the lentils, tomato paste, and kidney beans. Stir to blend, adding the stewed tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and crushed red-pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and skim occasionally.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Or if time allows, set the oven to bake at 250F, place the pot inside and cook until slightly thickened for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Reserve in the oven until serving time. Just make sure to stir occasionally and add hot water as needed. I like cooking this chili recipe ahead of time in this way to enhance the flavour to its maximum.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Adapted from marthastewart.com.

Aged Cheddar Cheese Dill Scones

Makes about 15 pieces

3 cups unbleached white flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

3 eggs

¾ cup whipping cream

A bunch of fresh dill, stalks removed and torn in pieces

1 cup aged cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the pieces become the size of small peas.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir in the cream. Add the egg mixture, dill and cheese to the dry ingredients and combine until the mixture forms dough.

Dust a work surface with some flour and roll the dough into a 2-inch diameter log. Using a well sharpened knife, slice into 1 inch thick pieces.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper 2 inch apart. Bake for about 12- 15 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Serve immediately with a bowl of chili.

Adapted from Whitewater Cooks cookbook.

Chive Crêpes with Miso Flavoured Ground Beef

Having lived with a man of French descent for many years, crêpes are what we used to eat every Saturday morning. Ham and cheese with Béchamel sauce as a savoury breakfast, and ham and cheese generously drizzled with the best quality maple syrup as a sweet breakfast. I prefer the latter very much for each ingredient brings out the other’s flavour. But today, I’d like to introduce you to a Japanese twist to savoury crêpes. Or should I say, it’s a type of Japanese spring roll with a French flair… Either way, it’s delicious and fun to serve to your guests because they have to work in order to eat them!

A part of my job in this household is to be a creative cook, which entails using up what’s abundant in my garden. You might see a chive dish, a rhubarb dessert, and then another chive dish with a rhubarb dessert… until other produce finally matures in the garden. I transplanted lettuce, peas and onion seedlings a couple weeks ago but some lettuce plants have already disappeared due to attacks from pesky slugs! I ask myself the same question every day, “What can I cook with what I have in the garden for supper this evening?” The gobo leaves are lush. The tomato seedlings are only two inches high, and the spinach is only one inch tall with true leaves just emerging. My potatoes went in the ground last week but it’s been pouring outside so hard that I’m worried that they might get diseased. Luckily, I have a total of nine vigorously growing chive plants in the front and backyards…

Side note: chive flowers are edible. You can make pesto with flowers and leaves, the same way you do with basil, or simply toss with a salad to brighten up the colour and the flavour. It is also time for harvesting excess chives, which you can rinse, pat dry, and chop then use to fill ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen, transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bags and use when you don’t have any onion family plants growing in your garden. Add them to your soups, stir fries or crêpes. They are very convenient in winter months!

Chive Crêpes with Miso Flavoured Ground Beef

Makes about 12 pieces of 6 inch circles

Chive Crêpes

2 egg yolks

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups water

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups chives, finely chopped

Vegetable oil

A bunch of strings of chives for tying

For fillings

2 carrots, julienned

½ red onion, thinly sliced

A bunch of cilantro, rinsed, drained and torn in pieces

20 mushrooms or more, rinsed and sliced into ¼ inch pieces

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Pinch of salt

5 tablespoons Haccho miso (it is different from the typical red miso, with a much darker, richer and sweeter flavour)

5 tablespoons white wine, water or mixture of both

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

A small knob of ginger, finely chopped

1 lb lean ground beef, room temperature

Mix the egg yolks, flour, water, salt and chives in a large bowl and stir well until the mixture is smooth without lumps. Let sit in the refrigerator for about half an hour.

Prepare the carrots, red onion, and cilantro (if the temperature is really warm in the room, store in a container or if you are using a plate, use a piece of saran wrap to cover and keep cool in the refrigerator). Prepare the mushrooms and set aside.

Make the miso sauce. Set a small pan over medium heat and combine the miso, the white wine or water, the sugar and the soy sauce. When the mixture starts bubbling, turn the heat down. Stir steadily so as not to boil the miso sauce, for about 8 minutes.

Set a large pan over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes. When the mushrooms become soft and moist, add the sesame seeds, adjust with the salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Use the same pan over medium high heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, stir-fry the garlic and the ginger until nicely coloured. Add the ground beef and stir-fry until there is no bloody juice left. Add the miso mixture to the beef, stir well and let the beef absorb the sauce for a few minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Set a medium sized well-seasoned pan (preferably non-stick) on medium heat. Oil the pan if necessary and, when the pan is really warm, pour the crêpes mixture inside using a ladle. Quickly swirl the mixture to create a 6 inch circle. Bake for a few minutes or until the bottom looks nicely coloured. Flip to bake the other side. As you make crêpes, keep them warm in a tea towel. Repeat the process.

Serve the carrot, red onion, cilantro, mushrooms and beef in separate bowls along with the crêpes. Roll the crêpes as you eat or let a guest(s) experience the rolling. Place a crêpe on a plate and put the fillings on the end that’s the closest edge to you. Start rolling from where you placed the filling. Tuck both ends then roll to the other edge of the crêpe. Tie with a few strings of chives (see photographs). Enjoy!

Gyoza

It’s been springy for a few days, and then winter came back again with strong, cold winds and slushy rain. I have been reluctant to sow onion seeds in this weather or gardening at all for that matter. Although I picked up all my new seeds at West Coast Seeds last weekend, it looks like I will have to wait for a while to get active in the garden.

The only thing that is growing well now is the fall rye I sowed last November. The plants are as tall as 8 to 10 inches, and are waiting to be turned to help improve the soil for the new upcoming growing season. Weather like this makes me crave something homey, greasy and reminiscent of my childhood.

Making gyoza is a perfect way to spend the afternoon. This is a kind of dish around which all your family gathers and spends a good afternoon over a long conversation. I would very much enjoy making this dish with my sister, grandma, aunties and cousins, all women surrounding a table with some snacks to nibble and a cup of green tea… and that way, it is much quicker to finish. For now, I should stop drifting away into warm nostalgia and keep working because there are many more gyozas to wrap.

My dear friend Andrew suggested the wonderful idea to add some shredded carrot, which I had never tried. It turned out to be even tastier than my 15-year-old gyoza recipe. Thankfully, Pascal became a dough maker as usual, so the process went smoothly. Yes, this dish is also all about teamwork. Pascal never complains about being assigned this task, since he knows how tasty the hot, greasy, meaty, aromatic juice coming out of gyoza is when he first bites into it. It is so worth taking time to prepare this homemade gyoza. Freeze extras to enjoy later when you’re craving a quick treat.

*I have made the skins using a KitchenAid artisan stand mixer with pasta roller attachment for the best thickness. You may use a kitchen roller as my friend Andrew does, but it may require expertise. If you want to skip the dough process, go get dumpling skins from an Asian grocery store.

Gyoza

Makes about 50 pieces

Skin

2 cups white unbleached flour (Anita’s Organic)

3/4 to 1 cup icy cold water

Meat mixture

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground beef

1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons garlic chives, finely chopped (I use regular chives when garlic chives are out of season)

5 large shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 small carrot, shredded

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

Marinade

1 tablespoon sake or white wine

1 tablespoon miso

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon corn starch

For Frying

Vegetable oil

Sesame oil

Water

Dipping sauce

1/4 cup Japanese rice vinegar, or more to taste

1/4 cup soy sauce, or more to taste

Chili oil to desired heat

Make the dough first by mixing the flour and the water rapidly with 2 to 4 chopsticks in a large bowl. When well combined, use hands to knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes. The dough tends to be hard but this makes skin solid so that it doesn’t tear when the gyoza are fried and steamed. If the dough is too soft and sticky, add a little bit of flour. Keep the dough in an airtight bag and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the meat mixture. Combine the pork, the beef, the onion, the garlic chives, the shiitake, the ginger, the carrot and the cabbage using the back of a large folk or your hands. Set aside. Combine the marinade in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Drizzle the marinade over the meat mixture. Using the folk or hands, mix well and let sit for at least 10 minutes in the fridge.

Take the dough out of the fridge and divide into golf ball sized pieces. Start by flattening one piece, and put the flat dough through the pasta roller attachment using dial 2 to stretch the dough gently. Then, adjust the dial to 5, and again put the dough through the attachment. At last, adjust the dial to 7, and finish the last stretching. The dough should be thin enough to wrap around the meat mixture. Repeat for the rest.

Cut out a circle, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter, from the thin dough. If you pile the gyoza skin up, you need to sprinkle flour in-between to prevent them from sticking to each other. The secret to good gyoza is to have a solid skin without holes to keep the cooking juice inside.

Take out the meat mixture from the fridge. Prepare a small bowl of water for folding skins. Scoop out the meat mixture, about 1 tablespoon, and place on a skin, then fold the skin in half. Place a little bit of water inside of the edge of the skin and close the skin by making pleats (see the photograph). Place on a floured baking sheet. Sprinkle some flour in-between the gyoza to prevent them from sticking to each other. Repeat until you finish the mixture. If there is some dough left, you can wrap it around a cubed cheese and pan-fry until nicely browned. My grandma used to make this as an appetizer!

Heat a non-stick frying pan or well-seasoned frying pan with 2 tablespoons or so vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the oil starts sizzling, fill the frying pan with gyoza and fry until nicely browned. Add water up to a third of the height of the gyoza, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup, and put a lid on to steam them for about 8 minutes.

When the liquid starts bubbling and becomes starchy, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and swirl the frying pan to let the oil reach the bottom of the gyoza. Cook until they are crisp.

The best way to transfer the gyoza to a plate is to hold the frying pan on one hand, keep the lid on top with the other hand and flip the frying pan upside down so that the gyoza sit on the inside of the lid. Slide the gyoza onto a plate from the lid gently. This way, you can prevent tearing the precious skin. Way too much work, eh?

Serve while hot with the dipping sauce. A bowl of brown/ white rice makes an excellent accompaniment for this dish.