I’m sure by now you’ve noticed I’m a huge fan of throwing things in a pan and popping that in the oven to make an easy and (almost) quick dinner. Last night it probably took me about ten minutes to prep my ingredients (ie. cutting and mixing), another ten minutes to pan fry, and finally thirty minutes to bake the whole thing. I only had to use one skillet and one baking dish – Jay appreciated that haha.
Anyway, on to the recipe. This dish is a mixture of beef and vegetables and it turned out to be high on the comfort food list even though it did not have pasta or rice in it but the cheese and cream gave it that warm and comforting feeling. It’s perfect for dark, winter nights when you get home from work and you want dinner to be ready “now”.
Beef and Veggies with Blue Cheese Bake
Serves 2 (with second helpings)
approx 1 tbsp butter
1/2 bell pepper, chopped – I used yellow and red peppers
1/2 zucchini, quartered length-wise and then sliced
1/2 onion chopped
2 small potatoes, cubed
320g stir fry beef, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups broccoli
3/4 cup half and half cream
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup rolled oats
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a large skillet heat the first amount of butter on medium heat and then add the bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and potatoes. Cook for about ten minutes and then remove from the skillet and – here’s where I avoided dirtying more dishes – put the vegetables in the baking dish you’ll be using later (I used a loaf pan). Next, to the same skillet, add the beef and fry it until it’s brown. Add the broccoli and return the vegetables back into the skillet and mix well. Add the half and half, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and continue to stir until it starts to boil. Put everything into the baking dish and set aside. In a small bowl (okay I did use more dishes) mix together the flour and baking powder. Add the cold butter and blend it with a fork or knife until it looks crumbly. Add the blue cheese and rolled oats and then sprinkle over the beef and veggies. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for about thirty minutes and enjoy!
by Jane Price. I’ve tried several recipes from this book in the past and they, for the most part, have been amazing. Last night this book introduced me to a new way of cooking rice with chicken or meat without having to first cook the rice. Before you begin the whole cooking process you start by soaking the desired amount of rice in cold water for at least 30 mins. When you start cooking the onions, garlic, and meat or chicken, you drain and the rinse the rice and once the meat is browned you add it to the pot. Cook it for a couple of minutes and then add wet ingredients like broth and in this case, about 6 oz of diced tomatoes. Just enough liquid to cover the chicken and rice. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 mins or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Easy! Now I’m excited to try these steps with other types of meat and different spice combinations. Maybe some shrimp, rice, tomatoes, lots of garlic, and heavy cream.
