Secret Recipe Club: Beef & Pork Keema

It's Secret Recipe Club time again!  What is Secret Recipe Club?  Well, it's the coolest thing to hit the internet since Google originated, that's what!  It's basically a monthly "secret santa" among food bloggers.  You get assigned a food blogger, and you get to tackle one (or more!) of their recipes to post on reveal day (which is, of course, TODAY!)

I was really excited to be assigned Dana from Dana's Food For Thought.  Why?!  Well, Dana was assigned my blog for the first Secret Recipe Club that I participated in!  So it was so great to return the favor!

Dana's blog is full of amazing recipes, it was definitely hard to choose.  Recently engaged herself, Dana and I are very similar (as she said in her post when she was assigned my blog!).  She's got everything from Morel Mushroom and Brie Tart to Lime Chicken Empanadas with Ranchero Ranch Dressing!  Do I have your mouth watering yet?!

As I was perusing through Dana's blog, something really caught my eye - the Turkey Keema.  It had all of the Indian flavors that Andy and I both love, but still remained somewhat "normal" when in comes to "Americanized-Ethnic" food.  Andy was definitely surprised at how much he liked it - because looking at the ingredients, he was definitely weary... but I told him to trust me.  And I'm glad he did!  Because this was awesome - and I definitely will be taking Dana's suggestion of putting the filling into sandwiches, because I'm sure it'll be incredible!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Dana's Food For Thought's recipe

1 & 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 & 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
about 5 red potatoes, diced
6 oz plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup frozen vegetables medley (peas, corn, carrots, green beans)
juice from 1 lemon
small handful cilantro, chopped

In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute longer. Add the ground beef and pork and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  Remove any extra fat.


Stir in the coriander, cumin, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the potatoes, yogurt, and milk. Bring just to a boil. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Stir in the frozen vegetable medley and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the vegetables are just done, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.  Serve with warm naan bread.


This was absolutely amazing.  It definitely exceeded every expectation and I can totally understand why Dana included it in her 7 Links Challenge as the 'Post That Didn't Get The Attention It Deserved'.

So I'm glad I got a chance to see why Dana thought this!  

I'm glad I got a chance at one of Dana's recipes, and I can't wait to experiment with others!  

If you want to join in on the fun of the Secret Recipe Club - feel free to check it out here!

Pork Stir-Fry

For the past couple of Sunday's, I've been experimenting with Food & Wine's May 2009 issue of stir fries. Stir Fries are definitely something that can be quick, tasty, and most importantly... versatile. You can put practically anything in a wok and call it a stir fry. Protein, vegetables, tasty sauce, and you have stir fry! The possibilities are endless.

So for today's recipe, I've got a really simple, but quite tasty Pork Stir-Fry.

Ingredients: (adapted from Food & Wine May 2009 - Pork-and-Tofu Stir Fry)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb. pork loin, cut into 1 & 1/2-by-1/4 inch strips
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves of garlic
large pinch of crushed red pepper
1 large leek, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces (the grocery was out of leeks, so I substituted an onion and did a rough chop)
1 cup chicken stock or low sodium broth
1/2 lb firm tofu cut into 1 in. cubes (I omitted the tofu)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (I used sherry wine instead, less acidity, but still a flavor boost)
1/2 teaspoon asian sesame oil

And although this seems hypocritical, because I'm pretty much the poster child for trying everything once and appreciating ALL foods, I just can't bring myself to love tofu. No, it's never even been close to my mouth or my lips, and frankly, I don't plan on it doing so. I know, I know, I should be the last person to turn something down without trying it first, but honestly, it gives me the heebie jeebies. And I'm cooking the meal and I can put what I want it. But if you like tofu, more power to you, and that's why I kept it in the list of ingredients!

And so after that derailment of a rant, on to the quick and easy preparation...

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add pork and cook until done, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick you cut your pork. I went a little meaty with my strips, but thinner strips would take less time. Transfer pork to a plate and set aside.

Add remainder of vegetable oil in skillet. Add garlic and red pepper to oil and heat for about 1 minute. This allows the oil to get a crisp garlic flavor and a little bit of heat from the pepper. Add leek (or onion, in my case), 1/4 cup of stock, and cover until leek or onion is cooked and soft, about 2-5 minutes.

Add remainder of stock and bring to simmer. Add tofu (we also contemplated substituting the tofu for chicken, but we had a ton of pork to begin with and didn't want to waste all that meat). Also add pork back in and stir in hoisin sauce, vinegar (or wine), and sesame oil.

And you're done! We served ours on a bed of brown rice and it was just the thing to soak up the extra sauce on the plate. It was tasty, easy, and great the next day for lunch! Enjoy!