Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

I know you all have heard me say this before, but I love my slow cooker. I am still terrified of it, am still convinced that every siren screaming past my office window is headed for my house, but still am totally enamored by it.

By the way, I live 5 miles from my office, across a river, around a bay, and unless my entire neighborhood was aflame, there would be no possible way fire engines from a fire house near my office would be going to MY house!

But I digress – as I often do.

There really is nothing more comforting than coming home to dinner almost ready and the house filled with comforting aromas – just like every one else does every day in my house! I can see why they keep coming back! If I came home to that every day, I would never leave home either!

Winter into Spring in New York City is a very strange thing. One day it’s freezing, the next it’s hot, and some days manage to pack both into them. I wanted to squeeze this recipe in before it was too hot for this type of meal. The reality is, this is a good all year round recipe. This would be great for sandwiches.

The recipe in Everyday Food suggests serving this over pasta or polenta (which would be FAB-ulous), but I have mashed potato heads in my house, and I couldn’t imagine getting by serving this any other way. Wait, maybe over biscuits or with biscuits!

Okay, I lied! But still try this your tummies will thank you!

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 T tomato paste
• 3 T chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 3 t dried)
• 4 lb beef chuck, halved
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 C water
• 1 to 2 T red wine vinegar

NOTE: Cut as much fat away from the beef chuck as possible.  I used dried oregano.

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, stir together onion, garlic, tomato paste and oregano. Season roast with salt and pepper.

Place roast on top of onion mixture, add water. Cover and cook on high until meat is tender and can easily be pulled apart with a fork – about 4 1/2 hours on high or 9 hours on low.

Let cool for 10 minutes, then shred meat in slow cooker with 2 forks. Stir in vinegar to taste. Serves 6 and freezes beautifully.

NOTE: I used two tablespoons of vinegar. I liked the vinegary kick it gave the beef.

NOTE: One of my favorite parts about this slow cooker recipe is not having to actually saute or brown or cook anything before starting. for me, there’s nothing worse than standing bleary eyed in the morning, cooking things before I head off for work. I want to throw it all in and have magic happen while I am at work counting how many times my house burned down!

 

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions ~ A Tribute to Becky

I don’t remember when it started. I think it just always was. Right from the very first second.

To quote a line from Jerry Maguire - she had me at hello.

A little background. When the Food Network made their heart wrenching decision to close the chat forums (which they never moderated), I thought it a good idea to open a chat board dedicated to the Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten. It mostly was a good idea. I have made some wonderful friends there. I have also grown a very thick skin there.

I met Becky there. From the very beginning, Becky approached me and asked to help out. There was something gracious about her, something significant, something unwavering. She and I became instant friends. It was so easy. Our children are about the same age. We both love to cook. Love Fiesta. Love the occasional lovely cocktail. We are both innately curious.

Becky and I were also insomniacs. We would meet on AOL in the wee hours of the morning and talk for hours on end.

We talked about food, our husbands, food, dishes, food, people on the various boards, food, how to solve problems on them, and we talked about our children – ENDLESSLY. We laughed at them, we laughed with them, we cried for them and over them, we prayed for them, screamed about them, vented frustrations and absolutely adored each other’s children. I watched Abbey and Tori grow up into beautiful young women and she watched Tommy grown into the wonderful young man he is.

When Becky first found out about her illness, we discussed it. Her not getting better was not an option. We joked about the nuts and berries holistic approach she was taking at the beginning.

She was so brave – well, 90% of the time. Every once in a while she would break down – mostly by email – and say she was frightened or frustrated. When she started chemo and spending a lot of time at Vandy, I knit a blanket for her. It was pink and purple and very warm. The note I enclosed said that it was a hug. Whenever she used it, she wasn’t alone. I was there holding her hand and hugging her.

We were fortunate enough to meet in person. And she was as lovely and gracious in person as she always was online. FOr those of you who have dealt with crazies in the cyberworld, someone who was exactly the same in person as online is a rare thing.

I will never forget the morning I received Becky’s last email. I sat there staring at the screen – STUNNED. I answered her back immediately. I hope she was able to read it. I told her I loved her. I told her to be brave. I told her how much I appreciated her friendship. I told her dying was not an option – a mantra we had repeated incessantly from her initial diagnosis.

Sadly, less than 24 hours later she was gone – and I was, and still am, devastated by this loss.

I wanted – selfishly – the chance to tell her how much her friendship meant to me. We could talk on the phone, or online, or in email, or not for weeks on end and just naturally pick up where we were previously. She was trusting and honest, she was loyal beyond words (a very rare quality in people). She was always there to listen, to lend a hand, to brainstorm. I would have walked away and deleted Contessa’s Kitchen LONG ago had it not been for Becky and her optimism and faith that things would be okay.

One morning we were chatting about recipes. The recipe called for caramelized onions. My nemesis. Carmelized onions. Never made them – not ever once – without having to start them over. There were always burned parts. They were never evenly colored. Never achieved that golden color or deep flavor. Becky had said that she had read someplace that you could caramelize onions in a slow cooker. Off she went finding recipes to accomplish this, sending them to me as she found them. We both tried them, the outcome fabulous, and neither of us ever went without caramelized onions again!

As I have said previously - I will not mourn Becky’s death. I refuse. I will instead celebrate her life, our friendship, and raise a glass and toast her – Rebecca Louise Shauberger Turner, here is to you. You have touched my life and I am better for having known you and lucky to have you as my friend!

There really isn’t a recipe to this. Slow cookers come in all sizes and each manufacturer heats differently.

I have a KitchenAid 7 quart slow cooker. If I fill the slow cooker the onions take between 6 to 8 hours on high with the top off. The cover being off is what makes them brown. Some people’s slow cookers do a better job of this on medium or low. I tried that the first time and absolutely NOTHING was happening. You have to watch it and see if the onions are softening and gauge it that way.

So. Onions. Lots and lots of onions. I prefer using Vidalia onions.

Slice ‘em up. Plunk them into the slow cooker. A few pats of butter. A glug or 2 of olive oil. A pinch or 2 of salt. On high. Walk away.

I usually do this on a day I am going to be home the entire time. They need to be stirred and the top IS off – and those of you who know me already know I love my slow cooker but live in fear of it. The onions start to break down.

And stir. And wait. And stir. And wait.

And when they are browned and a complete shadow of their former selves, I add a bit of balsamic vinegar.

When they are brown and soft to your liking, let them cool.

Although I freeze most of my onions – in one cup portions so I can easily take 1/2 or a 1/4 or th entire thing depending on the recipe – I keep some out for sandwiches. The one above is toasted sourdough, roast beef, cheddar cheese and the onions. Yum!

So, back to the purpose – I will miss you, Miss Becky, and will always have an emptiness in my heart. Abbey and Tori, your Mom thought you 2 were the greatest things since sliced bread. She thought you both were so amazing. There is and always will be a special space in my heart and home for the 2 of you.

Slow-Cooker Bacon Jam

OK – now really – does it get better than this? The slow cooker AND bacon AND jam. All 3 words swoon inducing on their own, but put them all in the same recipe and the outcome could be lethal.

When I saw the Slow-Cooker Bacon Jam recipe in the December ’09 Everyday Food Magazine’s “mmmmmm … bacon” section, it got an instant flag. I thought a jar of this would be great tucked into my Christmas goodie baskets.

Doing this in the slow cooker had to make it simple, right? Well, almost simple. There is a lot of prep to be done before it hits the slow cooker.  That’s the part that’s annoying. Once it goes into the slow cooker the house fills with the most amazing smells of bacon and coffee and maple syrup … just wonderful.

And then it goes into a food processor after cooking. There is a LOT of clean-up after this one! You get about 3 cups from one batch. So, while delicious, it causes a lot of mumbling and cursing while this process and clean-up is going on.

This particular slow-cooker recipe calls for the cover to be off during cooking. I am BARELY comfortable with the slow-cooker being on while I am not home PERIOD, now you want me to go out and leave the cover off too! What will I have to endure for a recipe next? Juggling knives?

Anyway, off we go -

• 1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1″ pieces
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced small
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 C cider vinegar
• 1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 C pure maple syrup
• 3/4 C brewed coffee

NOTES: I don’t drink coffee and don’t have coffee in my house. I bought a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and used that.  I may switch next time to muscavado sugar in place of the dark brown sugar. It has a deeper, more molasses flavor. I used Oscar Mayer center cut bacon.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over a medium high flame, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.

NOTE: DO NOT eat all the bacon while it is sitting there. It is tempting to grab it by the handful, but don’t.

Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.

NOTE: Once all of these ingredients hit the pan, you are in for a real treat. The smells are just fantastic. Those smells still bring me back to being a little kid down in Breezy Point and waking up to the smells of coffee and bacon wafting up the stairs from the kitchen.

Add the cooked bacon and stir to combine.

Transfer mixture  to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high uncovered, until liquid is syrupy – about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool. refrigerate in airtight containers.

NOTE: Great on toast. Makes an amazing BLT! I am trying to think of other ways to use it – aside from just spooning it right out of the jar. I thought perhaps on top of sautéed chicken. I am open to suggestions! It is a little sweet for me. When I do this again, I am going to use moscavado sugar and perhaps a little less of it. Maybe espresso instead of coffee would cut the sweetness a little!