Vegetable Archives - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini

A green handled Bowl of Beef Stew with Ditalini pasta and a spoon.

The Best Beef Stew

You won’t be able to deny this stew, it’s that good. It’s very similar to a recipe I posted a few years ago but this really packs that stick to your ribs punch. I’m talking about comfort food that makes you feel so warm and cozy inside that you melt with each bite. As you can see by the title, I’ve also added a small italian soup noodle called “Ditalini” to make this recipe a little more filling and you’re going to love it. I’m telling you, Beef Stew can’t get much better.

Cooking the Beef and Vegetables

The most important thing to understand, in this recipe, is that everything must be seared. Sear the chopped onion, potatoes, carrots and certainly the beef. Also, be sure to season everything as you go with Kosher Salt and Pepper. The Beef is braised so it gets a dusting of all purpose flour, as well.

The fresh herbs I use in the video are slightly different than the written recipe, however, but it’s not a big enough difference to make a stink about. It’s just going to be up to your personal preference and how you like your Beef Stew to taste. In the video, I use 4 different fresh herbs, Bay leaf, Oregano, Thyme & Rosemary. In the written recipe, I only use 2 dry ingredients, Parsley & Thyme.

My wife claims to like the written recipe better, though, if it’s any consolation. You might even want to look into trying my Pork Loin and Hominy Stew. It’s delicious.

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini Ingredients:

3 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 lb Beef Chuck, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/4 cup flour (all purpose), for the beef
1 Onion, Chopped 1/2″ pieces
2 tbsp Butter
2 Large Russet Potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 Large Carrots, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 qt Beef Broth
1/2 cup Spaghetti Sauce/Ragu
1 tbsp Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 cup Water
1 cup Ditalini pasta

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautee the chopped Onion in butter for 5 minutes and season
with salt and Pepper. Add the Potato and Carrot, cook 10 minutes
and season again with salt and pepper, Parsley and Thyme.

Pre-season the cut beef with Kosher Salt and Pepper and mix
with the flour until fully coated. Remove the vegetables from the
pot, place in a bowl, add the Olive oil and meat to the pot and
sear the meat on all sides for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Add the vegetables back to the pot and stir everything together.
Add the Beef Broth, Ragu and 1 cup of water. Stir and bring the
soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours,
stirring occasionally. After 2 hours add 1 more cup of water and the
Ditalini pasta. Simmer, covered, for one 1/2 hour, then serve.

Watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this delicious Roast Beef Stew with Ditalini recipe.

Roasted Salsa Verde

The Best Salsa Verde

If you’re a fan of Mexican food and you love a good salsa, you have got try this Roasted Salsa Verde recipe. It’s made with fresh Tomatillos, Anaheim, Jalapeno and Poblano Peppers, some onion and roasted garlic that is blended together with a few other spices to really make it pop. It pairs well with practically any meat, for tacos and burritos, and tastes great over eggs or nachos.

Two other recipes I posted in the past, that are similar to this one, is my Green Enchilada Sauce and my Pork Chili Verde. My Fire Roasted Salsa is probably the most popular though. Anyone who’s tried these recipes raved about the finished product so, I highly suggest you move into those posts if you fancy this recipe.

3 Tomatillos, 6 Anaheim peppers, 1 Jalapeno, 2 Poblano peppers, 1 onion cut in half, and 4 garlic cloves on a perforated pizza pan. Also 2 Roma tomatoes and 1 bunch of Cilantro.

How to make Roasted Salsa Verde video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Fire Roasted Chili Salsa Verde Ingredients: 5 cups, 40 oz.

6 Anaheim Peppers, fire roasted
3 Poblano Peppers, fire roasted
1/2 Large Onion, fire roasted
2 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 bunch Cilantro
5 Cloves Garlic, large
1 Lime, squeezed

1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Knorr Chicken Bouillon
1/2 tsp Turmeric

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste (several pinches)

Watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how easy it is to make this Roasted Salsa Verde recipe.

Chili Rellenos

5 Poblano Chili Peppers stacked on a butcher block counter top.

The Best Chili Rellenos

One of my favorite recipes to prepare, serve and eat has got to be stuffed peppers. They come in all shapes and sizes, prepared differently all around the world including Asian, Indian and European cultures. The Germans have great stuffed Bell Pepper recipes and so do the Cajun’s, here in the United States.

I’ve seen and tried recipes stuffed with meats varying from ground pork, veal, beef, lamb, chicken and even shrimp. Also rice, legumes, potatoes and quite often the addition of cheese. One of the most famous stuffed pepper recipes in the world, however, is the Chili Relleno made with Poblano Chili Peppers and, if you don’t know already, it comes from Pueblo Mexico.

2 Roasted Poblano Chili Peppers, sitting on a paper towel with black blistered skins, ready to be peeled.

Why this Recipe intimidates People

Making Chili Rellenos can be quite tedious, especially if you’re making them for the first time it can be difficult and seem intimidating. That’s why I waited so long to share this recipe with you. I spent a lot of time over the years trying to come up with a fool proof method that will make anyone feel comfortable making this dish and it all starts with roasting the Chili’s until the skin blisters up, evenly around the whole body of the pepper.

One roasted and peeled Poblano Chili Pepper, with a table knife, on a white flower printed plate.

Once the Chili Peppers have been roasted they’re placed in a bag or bowl where they can be covered and steamed with their own heat. This helps the flesh of the pepper lift and blister, for easy removal, as the pepper continues to cook and soften a bit more.

After 10 minutes or so, the skin is removed. this can be done by peeling with your fingers, rubbing or pulling with a paper towel but I find that it works best using the small serrated edges of a table knife by gently scraping the scorched skin off. Realize these peppers are getting soft so, if you don’t want to rip and tear your Chili Rellenos before they’re even made, be careful.

Grated Monterey Jack, Colby Jack and Queso Fresca Cheese.

The next step to making perfect Chili Rellenos is creating a small incision down the side of each roasted and skinned Poblano Pepper. You can, at this point, choose to remove the seeds, if you so desire, but it really isn’t necessary. Besides, it’s just another opportunity to rip and tear a perfectly good pepper so, why risk it. Now, just stuff the Pepper with grated Monterey Jack cheese, seal the incision back together, temporarily, with tooth picks and roll each one in flower.

2 stuffed, roasted, skinned Poblano Peppers, sealed with tooth picks and rolled in all purpose flour.

Rolling the Poblanos in flour is a very crucial step. In fact it’s one of the reasons why the skin is removed; it helps the flour stick and adhere to the pepper better which in turn, like most frying, grasps the egg wash batter for deep frying.

What’s the other reason the skin is removed, you say? I believe that it gives the peppers an unpleasing texture like trying to eat the outside layers of a cooked unpeeled onion. I’ve tried it this way before, out of pure laziness, and it left one to be desired so, roast, peel and flour your stuffed Chili Relleno Peppers.

One smothered Chili Rellenos Pepper, with Colby Jack Cheese, Chili Sauce and Pico De Gallo.

My Chili Rellenos

As far as I’m concerned, you can do what ever you want with this dish as far as the filling goes. It doesn’t have to be stuffed with just cheese. You can fill these Poblanos with meat or any of the other ingredients I mentioned above. I’ve seen sautéed onions and mushrooms and even tomatoes on the inside of these peppers with cheese.

According to the history of the original recipe, that dates back to the 1850’s, Nun’s were absolutely stuffing their Chili’s with meat so, go crazy if you want to. In it’s simplest form, however, I cook my Chili Rellenos stuffed with Monterey Jack, then bake under a broiler in a Red Chili Sauce with Colby Jack, then I top it off with cold Pico De Gallo and crumbled Queso Fresca.

YouTube video tutorial on How to make Chili Rellenos by PoorMansGourmet.

Chili Rellenos Ingredients: Makes 8 to 12

Chili Relleno’s Ingredients:

8 to 12 Poblano Chili’s, roasted
1 lbs Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1 lbs Colby Jack Cheese, grated
1/2 lbs Queso Fresca Cheese, crumbled
2 cups Pico De Gallo
2 cups Red Chili Sauce

6 to 8 eggs
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt

Oil for frying

Just follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make these wonderful Chili Rellenos.