Text 4025, 101 rader
Skriven 2006-08-02 21:34:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av FRED BALL
Ärende: How To Boil Water
=========================
 FA> I have placed a digital thermomitor in mine after 5 hours and all it
 FA> read was 206 degreesF. and that was on high.  Maybe i need a new
 FA> one??
 
Definitely defective. Ship it to me pre-paid and I will dispose of it
safely for you. [G]

The older models really were slow cookers; they weren't suppose to come
to a full boil, just the barest simmer. Newer ones run hotter, perhaps
because the paranoid food germ kopz got involved. Hang onto that
treasure and treat it gently; it is irreplaceable!

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Stracotto Di Manzo Al Ginepro
Categories: Italian, Beef, Crockpot
  Servings: 8

      2 TB extra virgin olive oil
      2    to 3 medium onions, thinly
           sliced crosswise
      4 lb beef chuck, cut in 2 pieces
           to comfortably fit in the
           pot
      1 ts juniper berries, crushed
      3 TB balsamic or red wine
           vinegar
      1 ts salt
      1 ts freshly ground black pepper

Slow-Cooked Beef with Juniper

This is a dish that my northern Italian grandmother did for the
holidays. She served it over slices of a basic polenta. Usually, there
were winter vegetables with it; squashes and some members of the cabbage
family.

Five ingredients (and a little salt and pepper - so, ok, seven
ingredients) go into a pot. Cover and turn on the heat very low.  Sit
back and let it go. Two hours later, look inside and everything will
have transformed into an extraordinary dish that gets even better the
second or third day.

Put the olive oil and the sliced onions in a heavy-bottomed pot and set
the meat on top. Add the juniper berries and vinegar, and season with
salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium low and put the lid on. When
you hear bubbling, adjust the heat so that meat cooks at a very gentle
simmer. Simmer for about two hours, or until the meat is extremely
tender when prodded with a fork. You can begin checking it after an hour
and a half. When the meat is done the sauce should be thick enough to
coat a spoon. If it is too thin, remove the meat and raise the heat a
bit until it has reduced to suit you.

As an alternative or additional step, you may thicken the pan liquid
with a corn starch or flour slurry (Technical term: mixture of water or
any other water-based liquid with any starch). Take the meat out of the
pot and hold aside. Take 1/2 cup or more of the liquid out of the pot
and let it cool for a minute or two, stir in two or three tablespoons
starch or flour and stir it back into the pot while it simmers. Stir it
through and cook until it thickens. If you'd like it thicker still,

repeat the procedure, conservatively estimating how much additional
starch to use.

NOTES:

1) Juniper berries - to crush, put them on a cutting board or counter
and press on them with a heavy pot, or put them into a zipper bag and
gently hit them with a meat hammer.

2) If you can't find juniper berries, two tablespoons of gin will work
as well. Or you can leave them out entirely.

3) Crockpot - This can be done in a crockpot set to a temperature that
will let the juices very gently simmer.

4) This stracotto may be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and
reheated over gentle heat with a few tablespoons of water or red wine.

5) Variations - Add tablespoon of tomato paste added after removing the
meat, stirring it into the pan liquids; add a few sliced, sauteed
mushrooms to the pot for the additional flavor; use a boneless leg of
lamb or a game meat roast instead of beef.

from my family history.

From: Bob Pastorio To: Foodwine
 
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

Cheers

Jim, in Yellowknife




... These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion.
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