Meatball Curry (Kofta Curry)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

5 onions, chopped finely

2 tablespoons garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

2 tablespoons Garam Masala (can be purchased at any Indian store)

3 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3 tablespoons Cooking Oil

1 tablespoon ginger paste

2 tablespoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala (for gravy)

4 large tomatoes, cubed

Instructions:

1) Put the ground beef, 2 of the chopped onions, 2 tablespoons garlic paste, 1 tablespoon ginger paste, 2 tablespoons garam masala, tomato ketchup and cilantro leaves in a large bowl and mix well.

2) Form the mixture into equal sized balls and place on a plate.

3) Heat oil in a pan and add the remaining onions. Fry till light brown then add the remaining ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.

4) Add all the powdered spices- coriander, cumin, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric- and fry for 3 minutes.

5) Add the tomatoes and mix well. Fry the masala till the oil begins to separate from it.

6) Add 2 cups of warm water to the masala and season with salt to taste. Gently add the meatballs now. Do not stir for the first 5 minutes.

7) Stir gently to make sure the meatballs don't break.

8) Cook uncovered till the meatballs are done. The gravy can be as thick as you like so add or dry up the water as required, I prefer it slightly thick.

Beef Stew (Nihari)

Ingredients:

2 pounds Beef (with bone)

3 medium Onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 small piece Dry Ginger

2 Small White Cardamoms

2 Bay Leaves

1 Cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons Garam Masala Powder

2 tablespoons Aniseeds

1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder

2 pinches of Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Garlic paste

1 tablespoon Ginger paste

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup Cooking Oil

Ingredients for garnishing:

1 medium onion (sliced, fried to golden and dried) or 1 cup of ready-friend onions

3 green chillies (chopped)

1 (2 inch piece) Ginger Root, cut into strips

A handful of fresh Cilantro leaves (chopped)

Instructions:

1) In a pot, heat the cooking oil. Once the oil gets heated add in the 3 sliced onions, turn the stove down to medium. Fry the onions to a golden brown, remove from oil and place on a paper towl to absorb any excess oil. Crush the onions by hand.

2) Add the meat and garam masala powder, yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, bay leaves, cinnamon and turmeric powder, continuously fry by stirring until the oil separates.

3) Add in the nutmeg, cardamoms, and aniseeds. Stir, add in enough water to cover the meat and cook on a low heat covered for 2 to 3 hours.

4) Once the meat is cooked and tender, add in the flour and cook on low heat for about another 10 minutes.

5) Garnish with cilantro leaves, fried onions, green chillies and ginger strips.

Beef Seekh Kebabs

Ingredients:

2 pounds Ground Beef

1 medium Onion (grounded)

Another medium Onion (chopped)

4 Green chilies

1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder

1 bunch of Fresh Cilantro leaves (chopped)

8 Cardamom Pods

1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)

1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

4 tablespoon chick pea flour (freshly ground)

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Instructions:

1) In a bowl combine ground beef with all ingredients excluding oil, and mix well. Knead with hands for about 5 to 10 minutes. (It is very important to knead it because the ingredients must be mixed well in order to make the kebabs soft). Set aside for 2 hours.

2) Knead once again. Take a small portion of the mixture in hands and put on a barbecue skewer. These kebabs can also be roasted directly on a flame for a minute and later fried with a little oil in a frying pan.

*Makes 4 servings*

Beef Samosa's

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, peeled

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 bay leaf, crushed

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped green chili peppers

1 quart oil for deep frying

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough

Instructions:

1) Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in potatoes and peas. Cook until potatoes are tender but still firm (about 15 minutes). Drain, mash together and set aside.

2) In a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil. Brown cumin seeds and bay leaf. Mix in onions and ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly brown and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and fresh ginger root. Season with black pepper, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir in the mashed potato mixture. Remove from heat and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, or until cooled.

3) Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat.

4) Mix cilantro and green chili peppers into the potato and beef mixture. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto each phyllo sheet. Fold sheets into triangles, pressing edges together with moistened fingers.

5) In small batches, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

*Makes 18 servings*

Patty Melt with Grilled Onion

Ingredients:

8 (1/8-inch-thick) slices Vidalia or other sweet onion (for sharper onion taste, use white or red onions)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Cooking Spray

1 pound extralean ground beef

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons creamy mustard blend (such as Dijonnaise)

8 (1-ounce) slices rye bread

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Jarlsberg cheese

Instructions:

1) Arrange onion slices on a plate. Drizzle vinegar over onion slices. Heat a large grill pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.

2) Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle patties evenly with salt and pepper. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.

3) Spread about 1 teaspoon mustard blend over 4 bread slices; layer each slice with 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 patty, 2 onion slices, and 2 tablespoons cheese. Spread about 1 teaspoon mustard blend over remaining bread slices; place, mustard side down, on top of sandwiches.

4) Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook).

*Makes 4 servings* (Serving size: 1 sandwich)

Toasts with Herb-Garlic Cream and Beef on top

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/4 pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed

Cooking Spray

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

30 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette, toasted

10 tablespoons Herb-Garlic Cream

30 baby spinach leaves

5 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2) Place tenderloin on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 475 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees (do not remove tenderloin from the oven); bake an additional 20 minutes or until medium-rare (when thermometer reads 145 degrees) or until desired degree of doneness. Cover tenderloin with foil; let stand for 10 minutes. Cut tenderloin across grain into very thin slices.

3) Spread each baguette slice with 1 teaspoon Herb-Garlic Cream; top each with 1 spinach leaf. Divide beef evenly among bread slices; sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon cheese.

Herb-Garlic Cream:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup fat-free sour cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; cover and chill. (Makes 1 cup)

*Makes about 30 appetizers* (Serving size: 1 toast each)

Marinated London Broil

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (2-pound) boneless top round steak, trimmed
Cooking Spray
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
1) Combine first 8 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Pierce steak with a fork. Add steak to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
2) Preheat broiler.
3) Remove steak from the bag; discard marinade. Scrape shallots and garlic from steak; discard shallots and garlic. Place steak on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle steak evenly with salt and pepper. Broil 4 inches from heat for 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

*Makes about 8 servings*