Braised Beef, Taco Tuesday, and How To Switch Gears — A Month of Meat, Week One
This was the first week of my ButcherBox so there were MANY frozen treasures to choose from.
We had some broccoli that needed cooking, and there was about a cup of ground polenta malingering in the pantry that needed to go. So knowing all this, here’s how our week played out:
Sunday: I’ve been really drawn to Japanese and Korean home cooking lately so I got everything needed for a Korean-inspired braised beef (recipe below). While it simmered, I made meatballs with half of the ground pork sausage meat from my ButcherBox. They’re small — about ½-ounce apiece, so they’d do well simmered in chicken stock with some noodles and greens for a simple soup, or I could cook them in tomato sauce and serve over polenta or a big pile of greens.
Either way, this time they got frozen onto a sheet pan. Once hard, I transferred to a container, labeled and dated, then returned to the freezer. The other half of the pork got earmarked for taco meat on Tuesday.
Monday: We always do Meatless Monday around here so I roasted the wilty broccoli at 425° to get it nice and crisp at the edges, made some soft polenta, and topped each serving with a soft-boiled egg. A shower of Parmigiano and a sprinkle of dried pepper flakes for those who want it — I love this simple, quick, comforting meal.
Tuesday: Tacos never get old. I cooked the rest of the pork in a skillet with lots of garlic, cumin, and tomato paste. I added water and a minced chipotle pepper toward the end and let it simmer until the rest of the toppings were ready. Right before serving I balanced out all those rich umami flavors with a generous squirt of lime juice.
Wednesday was a solo night so I pulled my ButcherBox bacon from the freezer in the morning and we had breakfast for dinner — rye pancakes topped with plain yogurt, bowls of fruit for spooning over the top, and bacon cooked in the oven to minimize my stovetop mess.
Thursday we had friends over and I made a great deal of nori rolls with all sorts of fillings. I pulled the pork meatballs from the freezer and stuck them in the fridge while we cleaned up from dinner.
Friday: I forgot to thaw chicken stock for pork and noodle soup, so I switched gears. I set water on for blanched greens and pasta and made an ultra-quick tomato sauce with a chopped onion and a can of crushed tomatoes.
