Dinner With Julie

Beef & Sweet Potato Curry with Kale

Sometimes in between the making and the baking and the writing and the tweeting and the planning in the meetings a dinner squeaks by undocumented. This was one such meal; something I pulled together to satisfy a craving for beef, sweet potato and curry. I went and grabbed my camera before taking a bite when two of the four at our table (the other two being Mike and I) asked for the recipe.

This happens hardly ever.

(The little blip of green in the top left corner is that kale-Brussels sprout salad I was so enamoured with last month that I ate it every day for a week.)

So here it is.

Beef & Sweet Potato Curry with Kale

Adapted from BBC Good Food

canola or olive oil, for cooking
1/2-1 lb stewing beef or any kind of simmering steak, cubed
1 onion, sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2-3 tsp. curry paste
1 14 oz. (398 mL) can coconut milk
1 cup beef or chicken stock
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
a handful of chopped kale (ribs removed)
a big spoonful of peanut butter (if you want a sort of peanut saucy curry – if not leave it out)
juice of a lime (about 2 Tbsp.)

steamed rice
wedges of lime and chopped fresh cilantro

Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a large, heavy skillet set over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown it in batches, setting it aside in a bowl as you go. Add the onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until it softens and starts turning golden; add the garlic, jalapeno and ginger and cook for another minute.

Return the beef to the pan with the curry paste, coconut milk and stock; reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until the meat is very tender. Add the sweet potato and cook for another 20 minutes minutes, until it’s tender too.

Stir in the kale and peanut butter, if you’re using it, and cook for a few more minutes, until the kale wilts. Add a squeeze of lime and serve over rice, with lime wedges and cilantro, if you like. Serves 4-6.

April 22 2013 | beef and one dish | 4 Comments »

Baking Sheet Mac & Cheese

It’s about time for our mac & cheese of the month, isn’t it?

I’m away this weekend, in Toronto and then Hockley, at the very first Food Bloggers of Canada conference, and so in my absence I left some frozen meatballs and a casserole for the boys (which I fully expect to find in the fridge on Sunday), and I’m leaving this mac and cheese for you.

My sister texted it to me, having seen it on Food52… she knows there’s a good chance that if she texts me something, it will show up on the dinner table. (See: Shakshuka.) She always comes up with good finds – I should have her curate DwJ on the side.

The genius of this particular mac & cheese, besides the fact that there’s no cheese sauce to make, is that it’s baked on a rimmed baking sheet (read: all surface area), making it all crunchy top, no soft innards. If you’re all about the cheesy, crispy bits, you’ll want to make this.

In short, it’s perfect for leaving on the stovetop and picking at. Which is pretty much what we did.

Baking Sheet Mac & Cheese

adapted from Food52

butter
4-5 cups grated old cheddar
3/4 lb. macaroni or other small pasta
salt and pepper
3/4 cup half & half

Preheat the oven to 450F and generously butter a large rimmed baking sheet – I buy half bun pans at the restaurant supply store. Combine the grated cheeses and set aside 2 generous cups for topping.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until tender but still slightly firm; it will spend more time in the oven, so you don’t want it mushy.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking sheet and pour the milk over the surface. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top, dot with another tablespoon or two of butter and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Serves 6ish.

April 11 2013 | cheese and one dish and pasta | 8 Comments »