Rather shockingly, not every question can be answered by the interwebs. Or it can be answered, but with several startlingly different answers, some very wrong answers or some answers that don’t make any sense.
What’s a body to do? In many cases, the answer seems to be “ask Julie.” Since I really like answering questions (not math questions, mind you) that’s just fine with me.
Q: I got a bottom round roast in my meat share. What do I do with it, both as far as how to cook it and what to do with leftovers? It’s about 2.5 pounds which is a lot for two people.
A: Bottom round is pretty lean. You’ll see recommendations to braise it, but I always find that comes out shockingly dry for something covered in gravy. Your best bet is to make roast beef using the reverse sear technique below. (As a side note, avoid reverse sear recipes that tell you to do the final sear in the oven unless you like smoke.) I’d make roast beef & cheese empanadas for the freezer with the leftovers — future you will be so happy!
Reverse Sear Roast Beef
For rare roast beef, cook to 120 degrees in the oven step; 130 will get you medium. If you like beef well-done, choose a different cut — bottom round will be tough and dry if overcooked.
Ingredients:
1 bottom round beef roast
Olive oil, 1 Tbsp. per pound of beef
Kosher salt, 1 tsp. per pound of beef
(Fresh rosemary or thyme, minced, 1 tsp. per pound of beef)
Putting it together:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Mix olive oil, salt and herbs, if using. Coat roast in olive oil mixture and place in roasting pan, fat side up if there is any fat. Roast until meat reaches an internal temp of 120-130F, approximately 30 minutes per pound. Remove from oven.
Heat a large heavy skillet screamingly hot. If roast does not have a fat cap, add a splash of oil to the pan. Put roast in pan, fat cap down, and let cook undisturbed 2-3 minute until well browned. Rotate roast until all sides are nicely browned. Remove from pan, cover and let stand 15 minutes before carving.
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Q: I’m new to home-grown raspberries and currently living alone. They’re doing quite well. Daily harvest is too much for snacking (though I make a dent). I’ve started freezing extras for … jam? I’m not afraid to kick out some serious jams later in the season, but any other ideas on how to use these up? They’re large and fantastically delicious.
A: My favorite cobbler recipe is designed to use frozen fruit for exactly this purpose! I make up a batch of dry mix and label it with per serving instructions so I can whip up a cobbler to suit any size party anytime. I make mine with a majority of whole wheat flour because no one will notice, but you can use all white flour if that’s what you have on hand. If you don’t want to turn on the oven, a yogurt and berry fool is a delicious option.
Frozen Fruit Cobbler Batch Mix
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
½ cup ground walnuts (just whizz ‘em in the food processor)
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Putting it together:
Mix all ingredients together and store, tightly sealed, for up to 6 months. Since nut oil can go rancid quickly, it’s a good idea to store in the fridge if your house is warm.
Use a baking dish that is at least 2 cups per serving — so if you’re making a 4 person cobbler, you’ll need an 8 cup dish.
Frozen Fruit Cobbler
For each serving:
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup cobbler mix
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon baking powder
5 ounces of frozen fruit (about 2/3rds cup of berries or bite-sized fruit)
Putting it together:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in your cobbler dish. Mix together cobbler mix, milk and baking powder. Spoon into dish on top of melted butter. Scatter frozen fruit over top. Bake 45 minutes, until fruit has sunk to bottom and top is nicely browned.
Lemon Cream & Berry Fool
Serves four.
Ingredients.:
2 cups plain, non-fat yogurt
½ tsp. finely grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup berries, thawed if frozen
Putting it together:
Line a strainer with moistened cheesecloth. Mix yogurt with lemon rind and place in strainer. Put strainer over a bowl and refrigerate, at least three hours or overnight.
Mix drained yogurt with sugar and add fruit. If possible, chill for an additional hour. Save drained liquid for baking or smoothies.
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Q: The past couple years I’ve been making jam from the neighbors’ overgrown blackberries. Do you realize how much sugar goes into conventional jam?
Bags. Pounds. I tried the groovy low-sugar pectin type, but it lacks the flavor, even with a bunch of port added (a recipient reported it wasn’t good on a sandwich until he used Nutella instead of peanut butter). Not sure if a jam recipe exists which has more flavor and less sugar?
A: As a child of hippies, I feel strongly that jam for canning is better made with the proper ratio of sugar, both for taste and safe canning.
Q: Please make me a skillet dish with no dairy or pasta that keeps me full and doesn’t taste healthy.
A: But of course! You can increase this recipe if you like — it makes great lunch leftovers.
Chicken and Lime Skillet
Serves four.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 pound boneless chicken
12 new potatoes, cooked
2 summer squash
1 onion, finely sliced
1 bell pepper, finely sliced
1 cup corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 avocado, cubed
tortilla chips
(lime & cilantro)
Putting it together:
Mix together 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin and lime juice. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat a large skillet and add one teaspoon of olive oil. Add chicken and cook until barely done. Add one half of garlic-chili mixture and cook 1 minute.
Remove from pan. Cut potatoes into big slices or, if very small, quarter. Add remaining oil to skillet and heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Slice squash into bite-sized slices and add to skillet. Cook two minutes.
Add onions and bell peppers and cook until crisp tender, 4-5 minutes. Add corn kernels, chicken and the rest of the garlic-chili mixture and cover. Cook until just heated through, 1-2 minutes. Serve with tomatoes, avocado and tortilla chips. Lime wedges and chopped cilantro are nice but not essential additions.
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Q: Looking for healthy-ish dinner ideas that involve minimal dishes, and no stove or oven. Due to a kitchen remodel I’ll be limited to a crock pot, microwave, and washing dishes in a bathroom sink that just always drains slow. I probably shouldn’t eat out every night.
A: Can you set up an outdoor kitchen? You’ll be a lot happier if you have running water and space to work. You’ll need a couple of work height tables (you may be able to repurpose fixtures they’re taking out of your kitchen) a couple of dishpans, an extension cord and either the garden hose or a big water container with a spigot positioned to make getting water easier.
For the deluxe version, set up your camp stove and/or gas grill nearby.
You can carry hot water for dish washing from inside, heat it up on the grill or stove, or even plug in the Instant Pot or electric kettle. If you use a biodegradable soap you can probable empty the dish rinse water as well as the vegetable washing water on the nearest tree. You may want to carry the wash water in to your slow sink to avoid attracting wildlife to food smells.
Once you have a set up like this, you’re just fancy-camping. Throw a little protein on the grill, use your hose to wash vegetables for a salad and maybe microwave a baked potato. Make extra protein and washed greens and you can make lovely sandwiches the next night. Put together a pot of Cheater’s Chili in the Instant Pot or slow cooker to have dinner one night and chili dogs the next.
Cheater’s Chili
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oil
6 cups or 3 cans plain pinto or other beans
3 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon or more red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
dash of hot pepper sauce
Putting it together:
Drain and rinse beans under running water. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté onion and pepper until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beans, tomatoes and spices. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
All that being said, our restaurants can use the boost, so feel free to get as much take-out as you like.
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Q: When making my lemon poundcake I think using farm fresh eggs make the cake taste and look better. Is this a true statement?
A: I always think that fresh, local, pastured eggs bake up the best. There’s convincing evidence that they’re better for you as well – they have higher levels of beta carotene, flavonoid and carotenoid antioxidants as well as omega-3 fatty acids. It’s always nice when we can position cake as a health food, isn’t it?
Q: Simple but tasty gazpacho
A: Courtesy of my friend Melanie Madden
This is a very flexible recipe — substitute at will, always keeping the proportions about the same.
Mel’s Gazpacho
Ingredients:
2 ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
¼ cup fresh parsley, nicely chopped
salt to taste
Putting it together:
Peel the cucumber and onion. Remove seeds from the pepper. Dice one-half of each vegetable, and throw the other half in the blender or food processor. (Of course, you’ll cut it into chunks your machine can handle.) Puree the vegetables in the machine, and then mix all ingredients in large, non-reactive container. Let rest, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight. Serve chilled.
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Q: Is a solar oven a good investment?
A: You can easily make a solar oven – an internet search will produce all the plans you could ever want, many of them using salvaged or repurposed materials. You can also buy a ready-made version for under $100. Assuming you have a safe secure place to cook that gets hours of sunlight every day, a solar oven is a great choice – it’s low or no cost, the very model of energy efficient and doesn’t heat up your house.
Q: What are some fun non-alcoholic drinks I can easily make that won’t leave my sober friends feeling left out?
A: Here are several great choices:
Virgin Sangria: Brew 5 cups of a hibiscus based tea like Red Zinger. Add 3 cups or so of fruit, cut into slices or chunks if needed: berries, citrus, melon, stone fruit. Refrigerate 3-12 hours. Serve in tall glasses over ice, with some of the fruit speared on a skewer for garnish and snacking.
Iced Chai: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add several slices of fresh ginger (no need to peel), 6 cardamom pods, smashed, 4 cloves, smashed, 1 cinnamon stick and 6 peppercorns, smashed. Cook 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add 5 black tea bags. Let steep 3 minutes, then remove tea. Cool chai to room temperature, then strain. Serve over ice with almond milk, purchased or homemade.
Homemade Almond Milk
Ingredients:
½ cup whole skin on almonds
5 dates, pits removed
2 cups of ice
3-4 cups cold water
Pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Putting it together:
Put almonds, dates, ice and 1 cup water in a blender. Whizz until smooth, adding more water as needed. When smooth, add water until you reach the thickness you prefer, salt and vanilla. Keeps, chilled, 2-3 days.
Ginger Mule
Mix 2 parts strong ginger ale with one part homemade sour mix. Serve over ice with a sprig of mint.
Homemade Sour Mix
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh lemon and/or lime juice
Putting it together:
Stir water and sugar together in a heavy pot until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Let cool. Stir in citrus juice. Keeps, chilled, up to 5 days.
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Q: I need tips for making peach pie/cobbler with our super juicy peaches. I’ve bumped it up to 3 tablespoons of cornstarch but it’s still soupy!
A: Sounds like too much of a good thing! A couple of options: Try slicing & lightly sugaring your peaches, then letting them stand in a colander for half an hour or so. Save the resulting juice for smoothies. Or, cook your cobbler filling solo in an ovenproof on the stove top so the juices can reduce, then add your cornstarch and topping and pop into the oven.
— Have a question? Visit Julie on Facebook at The New Home Ec or email jacross@dcn.org.
