In a Flash Spiced African Beef Stew

I'm a comfort food-aholic and PROUD. But one thing I can't stand is having to wait when I am hungry. Which is why this recipe is wonderful. You get all the wonderful warm feelings of a nice hot stew, without having to slave over the stove. This is a great meal for those on the go and warms up wonderfully for lunches the next day. The spices in it take you away from the Dente-Moore type stew many people think of when stew is mentioned and it's a great way to improve on your stew skills for when you make that Guiness Stew! Plus I can break out the Tagine with this one too!

Quick African Beef Stew:
1 pound stew beef lean (I cut the pieces up smaller as well, I like bite size pieces verse hunks)
1 onion sliced
1/2 pound of baby carrots
1/2 bag of frozen peas
2 diced up almost tender already boiled potatoes if you'd like (i typically serve this over whole wheat couscous, so I forgo them as well as they add some time to this recipe because you want to boil them until almost tender)
1 can of beef Broth (15ish oz)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of Cayenne
1 tablespoon of flour
Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the meat and in a hot largeish pot add 1 tablespoon of oil until it is almost smoking. Add Meat and let cook until your desired doneness (Medium is about 2 minutes). Take meat from pan and put on a plate to the side. Add other tablespoon of oil and add the onions and and carrots and let them cook for about 3 minutes. Add all the spices and stir the veggies around. Sprinkle the flour in and stir the veggies in it. Add the Beef Broth and bring to a boil and let boil for about 2-3 minutes and then bring it to a simmer. Add already cooked potatoes, frozen peas and beef back to the pot and let cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

I do about a cup over the couscous.

I love Cheese...

Baked Ziti. The Cheesey mother of all American inspired Italian cooking. And no I did not take this picture. Like a Genius I left my charger in San Diego. (Image from: http://www.digsmagazine.com/nourish/nourish_bakedziti.htm)

But I SWEAR my Ziti Looked just as tasty. And I was even able to use my all purpose pot/pan/stew pot again-- like with the enchiladas.

And I must stop now before I get into the cheese and pasta and sauce and apologize. I didn't forget about this blog, I've been busy and cooking just hasn't been around much lately-- I've been cooking but it's been boring and I'm tired so I just go to bed rather than posting. BUT I PROMISE TO POST MORE.

Ok back to the Ziti. Since I'm a not-so-Single chef, I like to cook one or two meals a week and use the left over to either make new meals or just eat at something until it's gone. This week, with Bikram Yoga sucking the cooking soul out of me, I decided to cook once and make it last. This is a great idea for those out there that don't have much time to cook. Just add a nice salad or steamed veggies to this and you're ready to dine.

Plus you get to use your wonderful meatball skills you learned earlier again! Wohoo!

Gin's Baked Ziti with Meaty Balls:
1lb ziti
32oz of Ricotta (I used Part Skim, while I am a health nut, I also know that fat free can curdle and no one likes that.)
2 cups of gooooood Mozerella Cheese (Spend the extra money- trust me!)
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
2 cans diced tomatos (Italian if available)
1 8oz can sauce
2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
splash of milk
hot sauce
4 tablespoons garlic
1 onion diced

Oven to 350

Pasta:
Cook Pasta until al dente! Drain and then cover to keep moisture in. Dry pasta does not take the sauce well.

Sauce:
a bit of oil in your sauce pan, add 1/2 the onions and 1 pinch of red pepper flakes and saute until almost translucent and then add 2 tablespoons of garlic. Add two cans of diced tomatoes and let cook for about 1 minute, then add sauce and bring to a boil, once it has reached a boil add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and bring to a simmer. and pull from stove to "cool"-- about 15 minutes. Add Ricotta to Sauce and mix well.

Meatballs:
Season Meat in a bowl. Add breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, hot sauce, pepper flakes, other half of onion and other 2 tablespoons of garlic. Mix together and form balls. In a hot pan place meatballs and turn to brown on 2-3 sides-- you want them juicy and a bit soft. put on plate.

Put pasta and meatballs in the sauce and mix well. Put mixture into a large 9x13 pan and put mozzarella on top (if you have some great Parm, add it too!)

Bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly brown on top.


A nice green or greek salad, some wine and you've got yourself a good meal!