Beef Caldo with Spinach!!Mexican Food!!

Beef Caldo with Spinach!!Mexican Food!!

"This is a highly nutritious and wonderful Mexican soup, called a 'caldo.' It is too dense to be a soup, and is almost a stew, except the liquid hasn't been thickened. The flavors are deep and rich. I almost never use 'cubed beef' any more, unless it's truly necessary as I think these thin slices are far better. Try this caldo, and you'll see why!"

Ingredients

• vegetable oil for browning
• 1 pound beef round, thinly sliced then cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 4 new potatoes, quartered
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir meat until well browned on all sides, then transfer to a large stock pot. Cook and stir onions in the same skillet in the fat remaining from the meat. When lightly browned and tender, stir in tomatoes. Continue cooking until some of the tomato liquid has evaporated, then transfer to the stock pot with the meat.
2. In a separate skillet, brown the potatoes in a small amount of oil over medium-high heat, turning occasionally. Add the potatoes to the meat, along with the tomato puree, spinach, red wine, garlic, and oregano. Add just enough beef broth or water to cover meat and vegetables, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour.

Christmas Pancakes from Hungary!Red Wine - Reduction Gravy !Learn To Cook

Christmas Pancakes from Hungary

• Prepare: 90 minutes
• cook/bake: 25 minutes
• serves: 6

The batter:

5 eggs
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 /4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
cooking spray The cheese filling:
1 tbsp. butter
2 cups baker’s cheese, or 1 pint large-curd cottage cheese pressed through a fine sieve
2 eggs, separated
1 /2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 /2 cup seedless white (some call them “golden”) raisins, soaked in hot water for 1 hour and then drained
1 cup sour cream

1. Make the palacsinta first: In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Add the milk, sugar, and vanilla. Gradually add the sifted flour, beating until you have a smooth, thin batter.

2. Heat up a small frying pan or crêpe pan over medium heat. Coat the pan lightly with cooking spray. Pour in enough batter to cover the pan with a very thin layer, tilting the pan with a circular wrist motion so the mixture spreads evenly. The pancakes will cook very quickly, about 30 seconds on each side. To serve six, fix 12 pancakes.

3. Now it’s time to prepare the palacsinta filling: Preheat your oven to 350°F. (Do this while you’re making the pancakes.) With 1 tablespoon of butter, lightly grease an 8-inch-square ovenproof dish.

4. In a large bowl, mix the cheese, egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the lemon zest, and raisins. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold a small portion of the egg whites into the cheese mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

5. Place an equal portion of the filling on each palacsinta. Roll up the pancakes jelly roll fashion and place the rolls one next to another in the prepared dish.

6. Heat the sour cream in a small saucepan, gently stirring with a whisk until it liquefies. Pour half the sour cream over the palacsinta, then sprinkle them with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover with the remaining sour cream, and serve at once.

Red Wine - Reduction Gravy

Prepare: 2 minutes (really)
Cook: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8 3 tbsp.

The butter:

1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 /2 cup turkey drippings
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry red wine
1 /2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1. About 45 minutes before you plan to eat Christmas dinner, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and rosemary. Sauté for about 3 min utes, until soft.

2. Add the turkey drippings, which you can easily take from the pan in which the over high heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring regularly, for about 40 minutes, or until the gravy has thickened (you’ll be able to tell).

3. Serve warm over your Christmas turkey and dressing. Happy, gravy-laden christmas! "The right time to collect turkey drippings for gravy is about 25 to 30 minutes before the turkey itself is done.