beef – Gastography

Weeknight Beef Stew

August 2, 2025RecipesLeave a Comment

Slow cooked style beef stew – on a Monday – a quick sautée, a sear & a bath in the Instant Pot. What more could you want out of your meat box subscription beef cubes?

gluten-free, paleo, low carb

Weeknight Beef Stew

4 cloves minced garlic

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 Tbsp oil of choice

1 pound cubed beef (stew meat or top sirloin cut into 1-inch pieces)

1 large or 2 medium potatoes, chopped (optional but gives body to the dish if you’re not serving with a side of carbs)

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

1/4 c caramelized onions (optional but a good flavor boost)

4 cups beef broth (I use stock starter)

¼ cup worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp mushroom powder (optional but gives an extra umami kick)

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, cumin & sweet paprika

2-3 tsp salt – or to taste, keeping in mind you’ll probably want to finish with flake salt

¼ cup cold water

3 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch

20 grinds black pepper

Optional serving: precooked rice, mashed potatoes, sautéed cabbage strips or egg noodles

Prep your veggies and set aside.

Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add the oil.

Sauté the garlic & onions until you get a little color. Remove. Add the beef and sear.

Add all the ingredients but the starch + water and your optional side and set to cook for 45 minutes.

When done and the pot has de-pressurized, remove the stew from the pot, keeping the liquid back.

Make a slurry out of the starch + water. Add to the pot and set to sauté. Stir until the broth is thicker. Add back to your stew and serve.

Serves 4-6 depending upon whether you serve with a side

Instant Pot Sous Vide Steak

May 31, 2025RecipesLeave a Comment

I *finally* bit the bullet and after 7+ years, bought another Instant Pot. It’s not like I haven’t missed mine – I have – but it just wasn’t available here for years and I found workarounds.

I’m so happy I have an Instant Pot again – and un upgrades at that! We opted for the Duo – mainly because we already have an air fryer and this model has a Sous vide function.

This past week I hit a sale on tenderloin – under $10 a kilo! After doing a little dance, what else was there but to christen my Sous vide?

gluten-free, paleo, keto

Instant Pot Sous Vide Steak

Steaks – I used roughly an inch thick tenderloin slices but other steaks would work the same

Seasoning – I used a combo of Lowry’s Seasoning Salt and Worcestershire Sauce

Fat of choice – I happened to have bacon fat, which was amazing

Portion your steaks, season as desired, and place into baggies with the air squeezed out (or vacuum seal bags).

Fill the Instant Pot halfway full with water, place the steamer trivet in the bottom as a precaution, and lay your steaks in the bath.

Set the Instant Pot to Sous Vide and set to 2 hours. Close and let go.

When done, remove from the bath and sear with a little fat for a little extra color & taste.

Serves however many steaks you make, but I found 3 steaks to be the max amount for my pot

Steak Salad with Spicy Mango Dressing

April 15, 2023April 14, 2023RecipesLeave a Comment

This is a fantastic lunch – or dinner – salad. It’s quick to make, bright and fresh, and with a hit of protein.

gluten-free, paleo

Steak Salad with Spicy Mango Dressing

Dressing:

1 mango

1 thumb ginger

4 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp orange juice

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Sprinkle red chili flakes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp hot & sweet sauce from Indifoods

Juice of 2 limes

Salt & pepper

Salad:

Leftover cooked steak

~ 1/2 c radish, sliced thin

3 small cucumber, sliced into thin half moons

1/3 – 1/2 c frozen peas, thawed

500g baby spinach

10-20 cherry tomatoes, halved

Assemble all dressing ingredients in a blender. Whiz to combine.

In a large bowl, assemble all salad ingredients and toss.

Toss with dressing and serve – I top with my favorite seedy salad topper mix.

Serves 3-ish if you’re having a big lunch salad

Air Fryer Steak

February 4, 2023January 31, 2023Picture of the Day, RecipesLeave a Comment

We’ve been eating one of these steaks most nights we have been home these last few months – DH has perfected his method to a science. I just tried it and smoked the damn house out (again) 😂🙄🤷‍♀️.

gluten-free, paleo, keto

Air Fryer Steak

A steak – preferably ribeye or strip of about 12 – 14 ounces and an inch thick

A little butter

Your favorite seasoning (we use Lowry’s Seasoning Salt)

Preheat your air fryer on 400F for 3 minutes.

Season 1 side of your steak, add to the basket of the air fryer seasoning side down and season the other.

Let cook 3 minutes.

While that’s cooking, get a pan ripping hot. When DH does this, he uses the center burner of our stove – which apparently doesn’t get as hot as my favorite burner, which smoked the house out.

Cook 1:30 per side.

Remove from the heat, pop your little bit of butter on, and let rest a few minutes.

We slice ours into bite-sized pieces because we are heathens and have been having great fun with ‘kitchen steak’. Seats are for sides. 😆

Serves 2

(Nearly) Weeknight Wellington

December 17, 2022December 13, 2022RecipesLeave a Comment

I tried every which way from Sunday to screw this dish up. I let the meat thaw too long, wrapped it halfway and let it sit for a day, took little care in the actual cooking, and then added insult to injury by not eating it for a day after.

And it was still damn delicious, despite the disrespect.

healthy-ish

(Nearly) Weeknight Wellington

3-ish pound beef tenderloin

Package filo or puff pastry dough

250g mixed mushrooms

2 tsp beef stock starter

1/2 tsp dry thyme

1 tsp soy sauce

Bourbon

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

1 package proscuitto

Chinese hot mustard

1 egg

Preheat your oven to 400F/200C.

Rub your tenderloin with oil, salt & pepper generously. Put on a roasting pan and bake 10 minutes to brown a bit.

While the beef is working, chop the mushrooms very fine.

Sauté in 1 Tbsp olive oil until softened. Add 2 tsp beef stock starter, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp soy sauce, a splash of bourbon and 1/3 cup water. Let cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed.

When the beef is finished, remove and let cool completely.

Remove the mushrooms from the heat and let cool as well.

Lay some Saran Wrap down (or a layer of aluminum foil + a layer of baking paper if you, like me, didn’t get your ish together). Layer the prosciutto over top in a single layer with no gaps showing.

Spread the mushrooms over top in a thinish layer to almost the edges.

Slater the top of the beef generously with the mustard and lay down over the mushrooms mustard side down.

Roll the ham around the beef, using the wrapping to do so, tightly. Chill at least :30 (I let mine go overnight and it was fine).

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven again to 400F/200C.

Prepare a baking sheet. Roll the dough over the sheet into a flat rectangle.

Unwrap the beef roll and place onto the edge of the dough. Wrap the beef in the dough, ending up seam side down.

Brush the seam with the egg (beaten) to seal. Tuck the ends under as well to make a package.

Make some small slashes in the top to let steam escape. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake :30 for rare-mid rare; longer for more doneness.

Serves 4? 5? 6? You decide how far you want to stretch it

Flank Steak with Salsa

November 26, 2022November 22, 2022RecipesLeave a Comment

This is a fantastic – and quick – weeknight main.

gluten-free, paleo

Flank Steak with Salsa

1 lb. flank or flap steak

1 large tomato

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and salted

1 green chili, minced

1/4 c parsley, chopped

1-2 tsp fresh thyme, picked and chopped

1/4 c smoked almonds, chopped

4 Tbsp flavored vinegar (I used ume plum but sherry would be good here)

2 anchovies

Salt, pepper & oil

First, make your salsa & sauce by adding half of the following to a blender & half to a bowl: chopped tomatoes, parsley, thyme and almonds; sliced and salted garlic, and vinegar. Add the sardines to the blender only.

Blend half the mix and toss the other. Set aside.

Heat a pan over high heat, and add a bit of high smoke point oil. Salt & pepper the steak and brush some of the blended sauce over. Sear on one side, flip, re-sauce and let cook a couple minutes (about halfway done). Flip again and sauce. Continue cooking until your desired doneness is reached. Re-sauce and let rest.

To serve, layer slices of steak over a bit of the blended sauce and top with the chunky salsa.

Serves 3-4

Pomegranate Beef Meatballs

October 9, 2021September 10, 2021RecipesLeave a Comment

Another Middle Eastern-inspired meatball recipe, this time with beef. Do you see a trend here? I’ve got a lamb version coming soon (hopefully – if my idea works out).

gluten-free, paleo

Pomegranate Beef Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef

1/3 c. slivered almonds

3 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp. pomegranate arils

3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1/2 small onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. turmeric

2 Tbsp. fish sauce or Worcestershire (check labels if paleo or gf)

Salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 200C/375F and prepare a baking sheet.

Combine all ingredients with your hands, mixing well.

Form into meatballs – mine were roughly golf ball shaped.

Bake about 15 minutes.

Great alongside last week’s recipe for Pomegranate & Fig Salad.

Makes enough to serve 4

Peachy Keen Steak Bowl

July 11, 2020July 4, 2020RecipesLeave a Comment

This dish *started* as a riff on a Mediterranean steak bowl … and then my local grocery had nice peaches. So we went a different way. FYI, hummus pairs quite well with peaches.

gluten-free

Peachy Keen Steak Bowl

Steak:

1kg. flank steak or something similar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

Liberal cracked black pepper.

First, combine all steak ingredients in a bag or vessel of some sort and marinate at least an hour and up to over night. When it’s time to cook, remove the steak to a prepared baking sheet. Toss the marinade.

Salady bit:

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2 red onion, fairly thinly sliced

1-2 peaches, sliced into quarters or eighths

1 small cucumber, chopped

Splash rice vinegar

Splash oil

Salt & pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (I halved and roasted mine along with the veggies)

Set your oven to broil. Add the cherry tomatoes, halved lemons, peach wedges and onion slices to the prepared sheet with the steak.

Pop into the oven for 4 minutes, flip the steak, and back into the oven for 2 more for rare (if your steak is thin); more for not-rare. When the steak is cooked to your liking, remove and let sit 4 – 10 minutes to rest. Slice thinly against the grain with rested.

While the steak and veggies are broiling, make the dressing.

When the tomatoes are blistered and the peaches have some color, add to a large bowl with the cucumber (chopped). Add the rest of the ingredients, toss, and taste for salt and acid.

Dressing:

1/2 cup yogurt (I was lucky enough to find plain soy yogurt this week)

1 Tbsp. neutral oil

The other half lemons’ juice

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. salt

A little black pepper

Stir all dressing ingredients to combine. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Bowl:

Hummus

Microgreens (optional, I used radish)

Toasted pepitas (Optional)

Chives or green onions (would also be lovely)

To assemble the bowl, lay a Tablespoon or a few of hummus down. Top with greens if you’re using and some salad. Lay the steak on top, top with dressing, and sprinkle with the optional garnishes. Hit with a few grinds pepper & an extra sprinkle salt.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch

Indian Spiced Burgers

May 23, 2020May 2, 2020RecipesLeave a Comment

Our little Monday night burger night needed a little kick in the pants. We’ve been doing whatever fake meats our local market has on hand (our favorites so far have been the Beyond Burgers and the Quorn Southern Fried “chicken” patties)j, and it’s been going really well. This week they happened to be out of good (non-lentil, non-bean) options, so I went for something a little different.

It was a big hit with me; with DH, not so much. He’s much more of a traditionalist when it comes to “staple” kid-friendly foods and has to be in the right mood for anything too far off the beaten path.

gluten-free, paleo

Indian Spiced Burgers

500g ground beef

1 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste (I used prepared)

3/4 small bunch cilantro

2 small green chilis

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. curry powder (your favorite mix)

Juice & zest of 1 lime

1 tsp. red chili powder (I used cayenne)

Mince your cilantro and chili. Add with the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix until combined well, but not gluey.

Divvy into 4 burger patties and fry until your desired done ness has been reached.

I served mine with Kewpie mayonnaise and a generous dollop of Bombay Sandwich Chutney on a soft bun. DH added cheese to his.

Serves 4

Chapaguri/Ramdon (aka that ramen noodle dish from the movie Parasite)

March 21, 2020March 21, 2020RecipesLeave a Comment

Sorry I’ve been AWOL from recipe posting lately – I’ve put my pantry cleanse on hold (or actually have restocked it even fuller in recent weeks), and have been making nothing terribly new or inspiring. Tasty things from staples, but not exactly balanced Internet-friendly dishes.

When it was in theaters, DH and I saw Parasite – which was fantastic – and were just as curious as to what the mixed ramen noodle dish with steak was. We heard it was delicious, and were having friends over for game night – so we decided to make a whole Korean-themed meal.

For sides, we had 4 banchan (vegetable side dishes): spicy cucumbers, sauteed spinach, lightly blanched and seasoned bean sprouts and kimchi. This dish was our main, and the recipe is only slightly augmented from the official recipe(s) listed here. When I made this a second time for just the two of us, I couldn’t help but add a little seasoning to the steak and some green veg.

Ram-don (Chapaguri)

1 package Chapaghetti

1 package Neoguri (combo pack for the two on Amazon)

200g good steak

2 tsp. neutral oil

2 tsp. butter

1/2c. frozen spinach

2 green onions

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Boil a large pot of water.

While the water is working, add the neutral oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Add the steak bits, hit with salt, pepper & garlic powder and sautee until your desired doneness is reached.

While the steak and water are working, thinly slice your green onions.

About halfway through cooking, add the sliced green onions and hit a second time with seasoning.

Add the butter and toss until melted. Set aside.

Add the noodles and dehydrated veggies from both packages to the boiling water.

Boil 4:30, adding the frozen spinach in the last minute or so.

Strain, keeping enough water so the mixture is nice and wet still – not swimming, but not dry. The directions say to keep 150ml, but my American non-metric self had no idea what this looked like with noodles so I guessed.

Turn off the heat and add the strained noodles back to the pot. Add the seasoning packet from the green package (the green packet that looks like beef bouillon). Add the oil from the green package and half the spicy looking seasoning (all if you like spicy) from the red package. Stir to combine.

Divide between 2 bowls (can easily stretch to 3 or even 4 if you serve with banchan), and top with steak.

Serves 2 – 3

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