{"id":1148,"date":"2011-05-31T17:43:34","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T17:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=1148"},"modified":"2011-05-31T17:43:34","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T17:43:34","slug":"spring-beef-and-onions-with-rhubarb-gratin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/spring-beef-and-onions-with-rhubarb-gratin\/","title":{"rendered":"Recipe:  Beef and Onion Saute with Rhubarb Gratin"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span style=\"color:#b03a3c;\">Discover the Savory Side of Rhubarb<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<dl class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<dt class=\"wp-caption-dt\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/Rhubarb_Gratin.jpg\" alt=\"Rhubarb Gratin Picture\" width=\"350\" height=\"315\" \/><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<p>Accustomed to seeing rhubarb in fruit desserts, it may come as a surprise to learn that it is actually a vegetable.\u00a0 This is good news, however, as it presents a whole raft of additional uses for this exotically red food that is so abundant in spring when the foodscape is dominated by simple leafy greens.\u00a0 In this dish, for instance, rhubarb is lightly sauteed with breadcrumbs and a bit of agave nectar to make a crunchy, tart-sweet topping for tender beef and onions.<\/p>\n<p>In spring, it&#8217;s always handy to have a stash of &#8220;betwixt and between&#8221; dishes for spring days that bounce between warm and cool.\u00a0 This dish fills that bill, with the warmth and heartiness of a cool-weather stew combined with the\u00a0 vibrant flavors of fresh herbs and lime, topped off with the unmistakably spring flavor of tart rhubarb.<\/p>\n<p>In a further nod to seasonality, note that rhubarb, parsley and mint are all in their prime in the spring garden, as mentioned in <a title=\"What\u2019s So Great About Seasonal\u00a0Eating?\" href=\"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/2011\/05\/31\/whats-so-great-about-seasonal-eating\/\">the previous post on the joys of seasonal eating<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color:#008000;\">Beef and Onion Saute with Rhubarb Gratin<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color:#333333;\"><strong>Step 1\u00a0 Make Mushroom Broth<\/strong><strong> (in the Morning) <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1\/3 cup dried shitake mushrooms (or a combination of shitake and other wild mushrooms)<\/li>\n<li>2 cups water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><strong><\/strong>Combine mushrooms and water in a small saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, while browning beef.\u00a0 Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon (keep for another use), then use broth as directed below.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#333333;\"><strong>Step 2\u00a0 Brown Beef and Slow Cook<\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"color:#333333;\"> (in the Morning)<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 Tbsp. olive oil<\/li>\n<li>1 lb. high quality, lean stew meat cut into small, 1\u201d square cubes<\/li>\n<li>Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><strong><\/strong><strong> <\/strong>Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed saute pan until hot but not smoking.\u00a0 While oil heats, gently squeeze blood from beef cubes, if any, then spread cubes across a plate, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.\u00a0 When oil is hot, carefully lay beef cubes across pan in a single layer.\u00a0 With heat on medium high, brown sides of cubes quickly, turning with a fork to brown two or three sides of each.\u00a0 As soon as a cube is browned, drop into slow cooker, before it has a chance to cook much further than the surface level.<br \/>\nUse 1 \u00bd cups of mushroom broth to deglaze browning pan, then pour into slow cooker.\u00a0 Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours, until tender.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#333333;\"><strong>Step 3\u00a0 Saute Onions (at Dinnertime)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 Tbsp. olive oil<\/li>\n<li>4 med.\u00a0 or 2 lrg. yellow onions, diced into large pieces, about 1\u201d square<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp. turmeric<\/li>\n<li>2 Tbsp. tomato paste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><strong><\/strong>In a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-proof saute pan, heat oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking.\u00a0 Add onions and saute about 10-15 minutes until browned and sweet tasting.\u00a0\u00a0 Add turmeric and saute another 2 minutes, stirring a couple times.\u00a0 Add tomato paste and stewed meat from slow cooker, stirring until everything is well-combined.\u00a0 Reduce heat to low and simmer while preparing the rest of dish, stirring occasionally and allowing most of liquid to evaporate.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#333333;\"><strong>Step 4\u00a0 Make Fresh Herb Sauce<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4 cups loosely packed fresh parsley<\/li>\n<li>1 cup loosely packed fresh mint<\/li>\n<li>2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><strong><\/strong>Place parsley and mint in food processor, removing any very large stems.\u00a0 Add lime and remaining \u00bd cup mushroom broth and process until fairly smooth but with some texture remaining.\u00a0 Stir into onion-meat mixture, then cover pan and remove from heat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 5\u00a0 Make Rhubarb Gratin\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2 cups rhubarb, cut in \u00bc to \u00bd\u201d dice (about \u00bd to \u00be lb. stems)<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd Tbsp. olive oil<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc tsp. nutmeg<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd cup whole grain (not plain white) breadcrumbs, preferably made from a crusty bread<\/li>\n<li>1 Tbsp. agave nectar (or 2 tsp. sugar)<\/li>\n<li>Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left:30px;\"><strong><\/strong>Preheat oven to 450 (F).\u00a0 In a second, large, heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat oil over medium heat until quite warm.\u00a0 Add rhubarb and saute just 2 to 4 minutes, until it softens slightly.\u00a0 Stir in nutmeg, then breadcrumbs and saute another 1-2 minutes.\u00a0 Stir in agave nectar, then season to taste with salt and pepper.\u00a0 Sprinkle mixture evenly over onion-beef mixture, then place in oven and bake about 10 minutes, until gratin begins to brown slightly.\u00a0 Remove and allow to sit for 5 or 10 minutes, if possible, before serving.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#008000;\">Accompaniments:\u00a0<\/span> For a light dinner, serve with just a simple salad of spring greens and carrots.\u00a0 For a heartier meal, serve with brown rice \u2013or buckwheat for something even more adventurous.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#008000;\">Time Saver:<\/span>\u00a0 Substitute ready made mushroom or beef broth for the homemade mushroom broth<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#008000;\">No Ovenproof Saute Pan?<\/span>\u00a0 Pour the beef saute into an oiled casserole dish just before topping with gratin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the Savory Side of Rhubarb Accustomed to seeing rhubarb in fruit desserts, it may come as a surprise to learn that it is actually a vegetable.\u00a0 This is good news, however, as it presents a whole raft of additional uses for this exotically red food that is so abundant in spring when the foodscape &#8230; <a title=\"Recipe:  Beef and Onion Saute with Rhubarb Gratin\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/spring-beef-and-onions-with-rhubarb-gratin\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2,13,23],"tags":[485,486,487,512],"class_list":["post-1148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-make-vegetables-taste-good","category-healthy-cooking-basics","category-local-and-sustainable-eating","category-seasonal-eating","tag-rhubarb-casserole","tag-rhubarb-savory-flavors","tag-rhubarb-stew","tag-savory-gratin","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1148\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}