Skirt and Green Beans

This dish is not for the days when you want to cook nicely :-)
Most people don't even know this cut and that's a shame because the meat tastes great, really intensely like beef. You have to chew it a little harder, but it really can't be described as tough.

Preparation You'll need: A large pan for the meat A medium pan for the beans
Ingredients (for 2 persons) Ca. 400 g skirt steak A large jar of green beans (around 300 g drained weight) - I prefer the flavour of beans from the jar to frozen beans. Something potato-based like rösti, duchess potatoes, fries, ...
The side dish and the meat If you want to add a frozen product (fries...), you should see how long it takes (and the oven also needs to be preheated). Accordingly, you should probably start with the beans and meat a little later, as this will certainly take no longer than 15 minutes. Tip the beans through a sieve and put to one side. Heat 1-2 Tbsp butter in a medium frying pan. Add the beans and fry over a slightly higher heat (6-7), turning regularly, until they start to brown slightly. Transfer to a bowl and place in the oven at 100℃. The skirt steak is very thin and should not be cooked all the way through, so only start when the beans are ready. Heat the pan to a high heat and sear the meat with a little butter or oil until well browned, then turn. Should only take a few minutes. Add salt and pepper when serving.

 

Fondue

A recipe for fondue. Why a recipe? You just take meat, cut it into cubes, heat the fat and that's it.☺
I have often been asked what side dishes I make with fondue. And that's exactly what this is about. How to prepare the meat (which meat at all?) itself is not really the issue here. That's up to everyone and, above all, everyone has their own traditional opinion. Some do it in meat stock, some in vegetable shortening (such as Biskin/Crisco) and some in oil. And when it comes to meat - I actually only like it with beef fillet, which would apparently cause horror in France. And how do you heat it? Here there's the electricity faction and the gas faction - I have a pot that takes electricity to it, but actually find gas more sympathetic.

Attention: Preparation time min. 3 hours for the Baguettes!

Preparation You'll need: A fondue pot (gas, electric) Several small bowls and dishes, plus, if you want to make baguettes with it, the necessary equipment.
Ingredients (for 2 persons) Fillet of beef - if you do my full programme of side dishes, then approx. 500-550 g, otherwise simply a little more. 1 litre of fondue oil - I always buy this in France: it's a litre bottle with oil and a bunch of herbs (including thyme, rosemary, bay leaf).
Side dish 1 - Carrot cream 2 medium carrots approx. 150-200 g Turkish or Greek yoghurt (10% fat) 2 cloves of garlic 1-2 pinches of salt Olive oil and a little bit Italian parsley
Side dish 2 - Greek farmer salad 7 each black and green olives, preferably without stone 1 Tbsp chopped onion 1 clove of garlic 50 g feta cheese 2-3 small tomatoes 1/4 red bell-pepper 2 EL white wine vinegar 6-7 Tbsp good olive oil Salt, some ground pepper
Side dish 3 - Garlic cream 2 Tbsp mayonaisse 2 Tbsp Miracle Whip 3-5 cloves of garlic Fresh thyme, if at hand
Side dish 4 - Baguettes (have the recipe ready for this, I'm not writing anything about the preparation here) 345 mL tepid water 17 g yeast 430 g wheat flour or a mixture of 375 g normal and, for example, 55 g wholemeal flour 13 g salt
Preparation of the yoghurt-carrot cream Thinly slice 2 medium carrots (if using thick carrots, first cut them in half lengthwise) and fry in plain olive oil in a pan over a good medium heat (6) until dark brown - this will take some time (40 to 50 minutes). While the carrots are slowly roasting (stir often!): Whisk 150-200 g yoghurt, add 2 cloves of garlic (sliced), add 1-2 pinches of salt. Mix well and cover and put in the fridge. Prepare the Greek farmer salad Prepare the garlic cream Once the carrots are ready, spoon them into the prepared yoghurt, sprinkle with some chopped parsley and cover and refrigerate.
Preparation of the farmer salad To mix all ingredients, taka a large bowl: Break the feta cheese into small pieces. Cut the rest into small pieces - if you want, you can cut the olives, too (I don't). Add all the ingredients to the bowl with the feta cheese. Pour the vinegar and the olive oil over it, mix it well with a spoon, then add salt and pepper to your liking. Put the salad into the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.
Preparation of the garlic cream In a small bowl, place 2 Tbsp mayonnaise and Miracle Whip and 3-5 finely chopped garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Stir well and place in the refrigerator.
Preparation of the Baguettes As I said, use the corresponding recipe! ATTENTION: You must start 3 hours beforehand!

 

Tartare

 

 

Suitable side dish: baguette or French fries

Preparation You'll need: A good large knife to mince the fillet.
Ingredients (for 2 persons) Approx. 450 g beef fillet 2 or 3 egg yolks (just put the third one in a litte bowl on the table, maybe someone wants more egg yolk). 1-2 Tbsp. chopped capers 3 French Cornichons 3 Tbsp. very finely chopped onion (1 small onion) 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley Additional condiments, to put on the table: Regular salt or Fleur de Sel, pepper, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco
Preparation Chop the capers, cornichons and the parsley. Chop the onion as finely as possible. Arrange everything separately on a large dinner plate. One can get the fillet minced from the butcher, but then one has to eat it on the same day. Besides, the right consistency can only be achieved by cutting, not with a meat grinder. ChezTeddy Tip: With a good knife, you can get the meat small quite well and reasonably quickly. I do it like this: First put the meat in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, then it is easier to cut. Now cut the meat into thin slices first, about 2-3 mm thick. Then cut these slices into thin strips, preferably so that the shape of the slice is retained. Turn the cutting board 90° and cut the strips into small pieces. Now press the meat firmly onto the board with the flat blade and chop the meat, first evenly with parallel cuts in one direction, then turned 90° in the other direction. Press the flat blade firmly onto the board again. Repeat this until the meat looks like it came straight from the mincer. But the trick is that our hand-cut meat has a much better consistency. Now divide the meat into two portions and arrange on dinner plates, forming the minced meat into the shape of a thick slice and making a dent in the center. Just before serving, separate the eggs and put 1 yolk per plate in this dent. Place the third in a little bowl on the table in case someone wants more yolks. Served, everyone can add the ingredients one likes to one's own taste. Mix well. Personally, for example, I do not like onion with it, but I like to add Tabasco, which Carinne doesn't like so much.

 

Carpaccio (Updated - v2)

Ingredients (for 2 persons) The amount is for eating this as a main course, not as an appetizier (in that case, divide by four). 350 to 400 g beef fillet in very thin slices approx. 125-150 g arugula 100 g Parmesan Good olive oil (and, if you want, lemon juice) Salt

Preparation Since the meat is going to be eaten raw, the 'preparation' is pretty easy: Simply prepare everything nicely on a plate ☺. It is best to start with a bed of rocket, then place the meat on top. Salt it a little with sea salt or, even better, fleur de sel. Then put some more rocket and lots of Parmesan on top and then some good olive oil. I would put the salt and olive oil on the table with it, so that one can add to it if one wants to. As a side dish, some farmhouse bread, Greek flatbread or baguette.

Cheeseburger (Updated - v2)

 

Something quick... certainly also available as Hamburger ☺

Preparation time approx. 35-40 minutes

Preparation You'll need: Food processor with suitable hook for the minced meat
Ingredients (for 4 Cheeseburgers) 4 hamburger buns 500-600 g of minced meat (from beef) Just under 1 tsp. salt, some pepper 4 tsp. Worcester sauce 4 tsp. soy sauce 2 to 3 small tomatoes 1-2 gherkins A small onion Some iceberg lettuce 8 slices of cheese (e.g. KRAFT Toast) mayo, ketchup, mustard If you like, Tabasco sauce ☺ (a MUST for me) and/or bacon or you could also fry a few onion rings in the pan.
Preparation Put the minced meat in a bowl. Add just under 1 tsp. salt and a little pepper, as well as 4 tsp. Worcester sauce and soy sauce each. Then knead well with a K-hook for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, cut the tomatoes and gherkins into thin slices, slice the onion into rings and shred the iceberg lettuce leaves a little. With 4 burgers for 2 people I do this in two shifts: Melt a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan and shape the minced meat into two flat slices - these should be much larger in diameter than the buns as they will contract during frying. Fry them well until they darken. Just before the end, place two slices of cheese on top and cover the pan with a lid. Put the hamburger buns briefly in the preheated oven. Fry the meat for another 1 or 2 minutes until the cheese begins to melt. Then take it out of the pan and park it on a paper towel to remove some of the fat. Then simply put everything together, arrange with ketchup, mayo, mustard, one or two leaves of iceberg lettuce, one or two slices of tomato, one or two onion rings and half a gherkin (cut into thin slices) - that's it. I also always spice it vigorously with Tabasco sauce.

Gaisburger Marsch (Updated - v2)

 

A real Swabian dish, even with a little story behind it.

Important! Preparation time around 2 hours!

Preparation You'll need: A medium to rather large pot, with lid A small pan A large bowl Everything you need to do Spätzle.
Ingredients (for 2 persons) A large piece of beef, around 350 to 380 g - I ask for Tafelspitz 3 marrowbones 1 small to medium leek 2 small to medium carrots Some celeriac (around 150 g) 2 small onions 2 cloves 1 bay leaf 250 g potatoes Spätzle (recipe) With 2 eggs and approx. 110 g flour 1 Tbsp. butter Some nutmeg Some parsley Salted water (1.25 litres water and 1½ tsp. salt)
First Steps (add everything immediately to the water when processed) Bring 1.25 litres salt water to boil (with 1½ tsp. of salt) Cut the vegetables (leek, carrots, celery) into coarse cubes and slices. Peel 1 onion, spike with 2 cloves. Rinse meat and bones.
Cook everything Now put 1 bay leaf in the pot and simmer gently, covered, over a low heat for 2 hours. After 1 hour, peel the potatoes, cut into not too small pieces and add them. In the meantime, prepare the Spätzle dough according to the recipe, and later fry the diced onion...
The final steps Shortly before the 2 hours are up, roast the diced onions in 1 Tbsp. of butter until they are nice and dark brown and the spaetzle are cooking. Then remove the meat from the pot and cut into small cubes and add back with the roasted onions. Season with nutmeg and possibly a little salt. Simmer for a further 10 minutes. Then add the spaetzle and bring to the boil again briefly. To serve, sprinkle with the chopped parsley leaves and remove the bones if necessary.

 

Swabian Zwiebelrostbraten (Updated - v2)

 

Preparation time around 1 hour!

Swabian Zwiebelrostbraten needs handmade Spätzle

Preparation You'll need: A non-coated steak pan . (if you don't have one, you can also do everything in just one big pan, first the meat, then put it on the side, then the onions - but then it takes a good bit longer). A large non-stick pan for the onions
Ingredients (for 2 or 3 persons) 2 or 3 slices , ea. around 250-300 grams either (classic) roastbeef or I love to buy dry-aged entrecôte. 3-4 large vegetable onions (I always take only the large rings, and the middle parts go on the side). 1 Tbsp tomato paste 750 ml beef stock Some concentrated butter Salt, pepper, flour For this you definitely need Spätzle and/or good fresh bread (such as farmhouse bread)
First steps First of all, because it takes the longest: Cut the onions into large rings. Then put the rings in the coated pan with 1-2 Tbsp butaris and fry over a good medium heat until light brown to very dark, depending on your taste. I prefer them almost black. This may well take about 30 minutes. In the meantime... For classic roast beef: Lightly pat the slices of meat with your hand and cut the fat around the edge several times. Season a little with salt and pepper and coat in flour. If you also make spaetzle, now would be the time to make the dough.
Fry the meat Heat a little fat (max. 1 Tbsp. Butaris) and fry the meat over a rather high heat for approx. 3 minutes on each side until brown. Remove from the pan and put to one side. I have a special steak pan, for really great grilled steaks, but this (non-coated) does not get on with the onions. In the meantime (if spaetzle are on the menu) you can heat the large pot of water for spaetzle.
Final steps Deglaze the onions with the beef stock, add 1 Tbsp tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and then tip into the steak pan. Put the slices of roast beef in and simmer on a low heat for five minutes. If you also make spaetzle: It's now or never! If you have done everything right, the meat should be nice and soft, still slightly pink inside, and it should not taste cooked.

Roulades with Spätzle (Updated - v2)

 

Attention! Preparation time around 2 hours!

Since this is a Swabian recipe, it goes with Spätzle

Preparation You'll need: One medium pot with lid A non-stick pan (or a sensible stew pot instead of a pot and pan ;-)
Ingredients (for 2 persons) You could also make 4 (double everything) and then save 2 of them in the sauce for 2 days later. Requires only a little extra effort. 2 thin large slices of beef (the topside, I think is the right word) for the Roulades 4-6 thin slices of smoked ham 2 gherkins 2 small onions 1 medium carrot 2 celery stalks around 2 tsp. spicy mustard (in Germany that would be Löwensenf Extra or Dijon mustard) some flour 2 Tbsp. oil 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 150 mL red wine 500 mL beef stock Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper 6 toothpicks (wood) The ingredients for Spätzle (2 eggs, 100-120 g flour, salt)
Preparation of the ingredients For the sauce: Cut 1 medium carrot, 1 of the 2 medium onions and 2 celery stalks in small pieces, set all aside in a plate. For the roulades: Slice or dice the gherkins, finely chop the second onion. Set in a second plate aside.
Preparing the Roulades Take one slice of beef, put it on a board salt and pepper it lightly spread mustard on it put 2-3 slices of ham on it Now put some of the onions and the gherkins on top.
Roll and fix the Roulades Now fold the sides of the meat a bit and roll it carefully up. Fix it with 3 toothpicks, so that it will not open again, and doesn't loose the filling. Now cover the Roulade with some flour. Repeat all that with the other Roulade.
Frying the roulades and the veggies Heat up oil in the non-stick pan. Fry the Roulades on high heat until they are nicely brown on the outside. Salt and pepper them a bit and place them in the pot. Now fry the rest of the onions, the carrot and the celery on medium heat in the pan. Then add 2 Tbsp. tomato paste and 150 mL wine. Let it boil well for a moment before adding 500 mL beef stock.
The sauce Mix well and pour over the roulades in the pot. The pot has the right size when the Roulades are covered by the sauce just so. Now cover the pot with its lid and let it simmer for aroun 70 minutes. Now you could do the Spätzle dough.
The final steps After 70 minutes you will have one fantastic smelling and tasting sauce. Remove the Roulades again and add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to the sauce to your liking. Let it boil up again and stir well. Now put the Roulades back in and let them simmer for another 10 minutes. That's it. Cook the Spätzle during these last 10 Minutes.

Beef Fillet under a Truffles Crust

 

 

Attention! Please note below "First Steps", there are some points that have to be made before the actual cooking. The rest takes about 20 minutes. The herb butter should be done one day in advance.

Preparation You'll need: A good pan, best would be a wrought-iron pan or a grill pan (such as a Le Creuset) A medium bowl A casserole dish
Ingredients (for 2 people) 4 slices of beef fillet, not too large in diameter (each approx. 120-140 g) 1 plain bread roll, 2 days old and very hard, to grate 40 g truffle butter 1 egg yolk 3-4 tablespoons truffle oil (depending on how dry the roll is)
First Steps If you want to make your own truffle butter, it is best to do it the day before: Mix 40 g soft butter, 10 g truffles (finely diced), a little salt and pepper, a dash of lemon juice in a small, lockable bowl and place in the fridge. Take the steaks and truffle butter out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking starts.
Preparation Basically, prepare the steaks the way you want them to be, but remove them from the pan a little earlier because they will be put in the oven for a short time. Place on its side in aluminium foil for 5 minutes. Preheat the stove (200℃, convection grill or top heat), continue with the rest. Grate the bread roll into not too fine crumbs in a medium bowl. Add 40 g truffle butter (very soft, almost liquid), 1 egg yolk and 2 Tbsp. truffle oil. Mix well. Now place the steaks in a casserole dish, spread the breadcrumbs on top and put them in the oven. Leave in the oven until the crust has a dark brown colour (2 to 3 minutes). As a side dish I recommend Rösti, potato gratin, green asparagus (fried) or tomatoes (halved or whole to be baked in the oven).