Greek Beef Orzo Pasta

This recipe takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to cook. It’s not a quick meal you throw together on a weeknight. It could be done in a crockpot but I prefer to use the stovetop and the oven like it says. My Mimi would have loved this recipe because most of the time is hands off so you can do what you want in between steps. This is a recipe that gets better over time as well and the leftovers just taste better and better. It’s impressive!

Ingredients

2 pounds beef chuck roast or stew meat cut into cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground allspice

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup orzo pasta

2 cups beef broth

Instructions: Sear the beef in a large Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Remove batches of seared beef and prepare the sauce in the same pot. Sauté the chopped onion, garlic, and tomato paste. Add can of crushed tomatoes cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and ground allspice. Mix well. Return the beef to the pot and bring mixture to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours on the stovetop. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add orzo and beef broth and mix. Place pot in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. To serve remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Garnish with fresh parsley.

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Buttermilk Pancakes

Spending the night with Mimi meant you got pancakes the next morning. She made them from scratch and would cut up strawberries and top them with whip cream. I remember when she had fallen and broken her hip. We woke up in the hospital the next morning and she asked me and the nurse if we wanted pancakes. She was deep in the throws of dementia and thought she could. It helped my heart that she remembered that spend the night parties like we had that night meant breakfast. Mimi always made our time together special.

We didn’t have any strawberries this morning but maple syrup is a good substitute. Remembering Mimi this morning.

4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups buttermilk at room temperature

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Mix the wet ingredients with a whisk. Add dry ingredients. And whisk until combined. There will be small lumps, be sure not to overmix. Rest for 5-10 minutes. Heat a lightly oiled skillet to medium-high heat. Scoop 1/4 cup batter into skillet and flip after about two minutes or until the top is set and bubbles cover the top. Flip the pancake and cook the bottom for an additional 1 minute or two. Pancakes should be golden brown. Serve with strawberries and whip cream or maple syrup, whatever you like.

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