Grilled and Stuffed Polenta

Ingredients:

Polenta:
1 and 1/2 cups cornmeal
5 cups water
salt and black pepper

Filling:
300g mozzarella, grated
100g fried bacon

Sauce:
1 tbsp onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cans of peeled tomatoes (blended on the mix)
200g ground beef
Basil, salt and black pepper

Directions:

Polenta:
Bring water to a boil in a large heavy pot. Add salt and reduce heat until water is simmering. Take cornmeal by the handful and add to water very slowly, controlling the flow to a thin stream through your fingers. To avoid lumps, stir quickly with a long handled wooden spoon while adding cornmeal. If necessary, stop adding cornmeal from time to time and beat mixture vigorously. Cook, stirring constantly, 20 to 30 minutes. Polenta will become very thick while cooking. It is done when it comes away cleanly from the sides of the pot.

Spread half the polenta in an dish. Smooth out polenta evenly. Cover the polenta with the mozzarella and bacon. Add the rest of the polenta on top, smooshing it out as best you can. Let cool until polenta solidifies.

Sauce:
In the same pan that you fried the bacon, fry the onion and garlic. Add the ground beef and the tomatoes and let it boil for 30 minutes. Season with basil, salt and pepper.

Grill:
Cut polenta into squares. Brush both sides with olive oil. Place on grill; cover grill. Grill until polenta is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve hot and with tomato sauce.

Classic Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 cup of finely chopped onion
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 carrot, chopped fine
1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (can substitute onion)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp Worscestershire sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck
3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten slightly
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and scallions in butter, over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occassionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 a cup of ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute.
In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup.
Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour.
Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches.

Rolled Beef – Not Rolled

Ingredients:

1 kg of beef cubs (I used topside, but you can use the one that you prefer)
250g of bacon cubs
1 big quartered onion
1 medium green pepper, in cubs
1 big carrot, in cubs
1 red chili, chopped
1 can of tomato paste (340g)
3 cans (the tomato paste one) of water
1 tbsp salt
1 pinch black pepper

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into a pressure cooker, and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes, or until beed is tender.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

450g filet mignon (cut in cubes or strips)
400g catchup
300g single cream
1 cup Paris Mushroom sliced
1/3 cup cognac
150g water

Directions:

Put oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Increase the heat to high/med-high and add the beef.

You want to cook the beef quickly, browning on each side, so the temperature needs to be high enough to brown the beef, but not so high as to burn the butter.

Pour the Cognac over the beef with any juices. Immediately set alight and shake the pan until the alcohol has burnt itself out.

Add the catchup and the water, let it boil for a couple of minutes and the add the mushrooms.

Let it boil again for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat. Stir in the single cream.

Serve immediately with white rice and shoestring potato.