Meatball & Sauce - Ilona Borodics Medina

For Sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 2 small cans of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp or so Corn oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp. Salt & ¼ tsp. pepper
• Large non-stick pot with lid

For Meatballs

• 1 lb. beef only chop meat
• 1 egg
• ½ cup or so Plain bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. Grated Romano cheese
• Parsley flakes
• ¼ tsp. Salt & ¼ tsp. pepper
• Large bowl for mixing

Combine all ingredients for meatballs in bowl and shape into meatballs. Brown the meatballs either in the microwave or in a frying pan (no oil). 

For sauce………line bottom of non-stick pot with oil and heat. While oil is heating chop up onion and garlic until fine. Put it in pot and sauté. Garlic should only be browned slightly. 

Put in 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of tomato paste, stir. Now fill the tomato sauce can with water and pour into tomato paste can, stir. I do this so I can get all the sauce and paste out. Repeat with other tomato sauce can. Fill tomato paste can again with water. You should have a total of 3 cans of water from the tomato past cans. The sauce should be a saucy consistency, not watery. Drop in the meatballs, lower heat immediately and stir. Add salt and pepper. Cover with lid and stir every 15 minutes or so, making sure it doesn’t stick to bottom. 

Tomato sauce cooks very hot and burns easily, heat should be as low as possible – you should only see a slight bubble when cooking. Cook for about 1-1/2 – 2 hrs. The oil will rise to the top of the sauce when finished, you can scoop it off if you like. Because you cook it for a long amount of time, the sauce will lose it’s tomato taste and taste more beefy.

Reni's Fricadellen - Patricia Lessard

Side note- When my late husband Nick was very ill before he had to give up eating and have tube feeding- this was one of the last things he could still swallow.

This is like German "sliders" .

• 1 1/2 lb ground meat,
• 1 egg, 
• salt & paper to taste, 
• 1 small onion diced, 
• breadcrumbs

Mix all the ingredients and form into patties and then fry in a skillet.

I altered this by adding fresh parsley and sautéing the onions before adding them to the mixture to make them softer for my late husband.

You can make them small like sliders or large patties- either works. Simple but delicious.

Stuffed Peppers - Michael Fleyzor

• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 4 medium bell peppers, green, red or yellow 
• 3/4 cup chopped onion 
• 1/4 cup regular white rice, uncooked 
• 4 tablespoons ketchup 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and ribs.

In large bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, rice, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Spoon equal amount of filling into each pepper. Put in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish, making sure the peppers fit snugly but easily.

For the sauce: Combine the stewed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon ketchup. Pour the sauce over the peppers. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the peppers are tender and the beef is cooked through.

Puerto Rican Style Beef Stew - Lee Chico

• 1 1/2 lbs stew beef cut into medium size cubes about an inch size each
• approx 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 leaves fresh culantro rinsed and ripped to pieces (culantro NOT Cilantro)
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic (from a jar)
• 1/4 cup GOYA RECAITO
• 1 1/2 Knorr beef cubes
• 2-3 potatoes peeled and cubed (about half the quantity of the stew beef)
• 1/2 c tomato sauce ( can use jarred spaghetti sauce instead)

In a 5 qt pot brown the stew beef with the vinegar on low heat covered stirrring often, add tomato sauce, culantro, cumin garlic recaito Knorr beef cubes and sautee abt 2 mins. or till cubes break down, stir well and add potatoes sautee stirring constantly another minute or so or until it starts to get thick, add approx 30 oz of water and bring to a low boil let boil about a min, then put on low and cover. Let simmer at least 45 min stirring occasionally.

Variations: 

a can of chick peas with liquid and bring to low boil before adding the water Or diced carrots and peas.

Serve over white rice with a slice of avocado and or fried plantains.

NOTE: I do not measure so these are all approximate, taste test as you go along and adjust the recaito, cumin garlic to your taste. If you dont have fresh Culantro just add more recaito. Recao is culantro and goya recaito is a mixture of this with garlic onions peppers etc. Culantro is a long oval shaped leaf while cilantro resembles parsley. I always use the Goya Recaito but since I now have easy access to the fresh culantro leaves I like to add them in, ummmm you can smell it cooking.

Mom's Vegetable Beef Soup - Susan Wolf Shelton

My mother made this soup throughout my childhood in the 1950's. This is not a soup for the faint of heart. There is time and work involved. It was made in a 12 qt pot. I still make the same amount and freeze in portions. In this soup the vegetables are put through a grinder. She had an old metal grinder that attached to the kitchen table with a vice. Today I use a food processor.

Mother's Vegetable Beef Soup

• 3 pounds of boneless chuck.
• 2 pounds of shin with a marrow bone
• 6 marrow bones
• 1 1/2 pounds of carrots
• 2 large leek
• 2 bunches of scallions
• 3 onions
• 1 1/2 pounds of green beans
• 1 parsnip
• 1 white turnip
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4-28 ounce whole tomatoes
• 3/4 bunch celery
• 1 10 ounce box of green peas
• 1 10 ounce box succotash
• water
• V-8 juice
• 1 tabsp salt
• 1 tabsp sugar
• Pepper

First make stock-Place all meat and bones in pot. Just cover with water.
Cook till meat is soft, skimming occasionally. Remove meat from pot

While stock is cooking, grind all vegetables except box veggies.
When stock is done and meat is removed from broth, add all the ground vegetables, tomatoes, and V-8. The amount of V-8 is according how thick or thin you like it.
Cook slowly for 2 hours. After the 2 hours curt up the meat and add to pot with the box vegetables.
Cook for another 30 minutes.

The fresh green beans are essential here. 

This soup will have a wonderful beefy fresh vegetable flavor. She always made it 2 days ahead and refrigerated it. She would then skim any fat that had collected at the top

Bill's FireHouse Chili - William Szemcsak

This Recipe is dedicated to my Sons, Billy; the firefighter and Michael; the Police Officer....
Billy will make it at the Firehouse and Michael can stop by for Dinner!

Ingredients

• Chopped Green Peppers
• Chopped Onions
• 3 lbs of ground Chuck
• 3 Large Cans of Kidney Beans
• 3 Large Bottles of Spaghetti Sauce (Ragu Mushroom or Sausage)
• 1 small can of mushroom slices
• Chili Power
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Black Pepper

In a LARGE pot, Brown Ground Chuck, breaking up Chuck with a spoon to small pieces. While browning the Chuck, add Chopped Onions and Green Peppers. Also add 1 tsp. each of Garlic Power and Chile Power to Chuck. Add a pinch of Black Pepper and Salt to Chuck. Open can of mushrooms and place into Chuck.

As meat mixture is cooking, open and DRAIN Kidney Beans, place on the side for now.

After meat is brown, onions are transparent, add Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, mixing it all together, add Kidney Beans… Now the IMPORTANT PART; as the Chili is cooking on medium heat, stirring often; add 1 tsp. of Garlic Powder; and START with 1 tsp. of Chili Powder, add more if needed during the cooking of chili, don’t rush it. If you like it THICKER, add small can of Tomato Paste, but if you do; you may have to add a little more Chili Powder. After about 60 minutes, place heat on low for 1 ½  - 2 hours.

Things to remember during cooking of the Chili, if a alarm comes in, TURN OFF STOVE!, Second; STIR OFTEN!, Third; TASTE OFTEN, Fourth; Don’t add a lot of Chili Powder, or the Chili will become a 3 alarmer, and some people don’t like it HOT and you can always add “Hot Sauce” to your own portion.

This Chili is great on a Cold Damp Day/Night and should be served with; Oyster Crackers, Sour Cream and or Shredded Cheddar Cheese. 

Remember 343! 

Kitchen Sink AKA Sloppy Joe Recipe - Ginny Moravek

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs lean chopped 2 T olive oil1 large white onion chopped 3 or more stalks of celery finely chopped 5 or more cloves garlic finely chopped

• 1 large can crushed tomatoes2 C water..you may have to use more½ bottle of chili sauce 1 C or less of tomato ketchup (use more as you like) ½ C mustard ( I use Dijon)

• 1 and ½ cups pepper (green, red, yellow comb) diced5 small jalapeno peppers finely chopped with ribs and seeds removed
• 3 small carrots grated2 ears fresh corn cooked and removed from cob1 C finely chopped parsley and cilantro combined

• 2 T sweet relish1 T apple cider vinegar1 T or more of Molasses ( yes….molasses…you’ll see)Add more for taste Black pepper and salt to taste..you can also use hot pepper flakes for heat.

• Several good quality hard roles or potato rolls.

Saute onions and celery in oil until transparent then add garlic for about 30 seconds.. Transfer this to a very large pot or cast iron pot.

Brown the chopped meat in remaining oil.  Add to the pot.

Then begin to add the remaining ingredients.

First the wet ones: Add tomatoes and the chili sauce and catsup. Add water to cover the meat. You will need the water to cook the sauce and cook down the meat. If there are large chunks try to smash them. Then add the vegetables and finally the herbs and spices. I always add the molasses last just in case I need more of something else.

Cook about one hour or more to remove most of the water.Serve on hard rolls with cole slaw and fresh pickles.

Hope you enjoy this.  This is my first authentic recipe.

Ginny Moravek

Slow Cooker Venison Stew - Peggy Konopka Martinez

Ingredients

• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds venison stew meat
• salt and pepper to taste
• dried oregano to taste
• dried basil to taste
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Place the celery, onion, garlic, and parsley in the bottom of a slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the venison well in two batches, and add to the slow cooker.
2. Season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Pour in the tomato sauce, red wine, and water. Cook on Low for 7 to 10 hours.