I swear – sometimes I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I see headlines like that while visually trudging down the back lanes of the Foodernet. But they come up regularly. And they’re usually a waste of a serious cook’s time…
But not always. Like the one I’m showcasing here today. And there’s a good reason for it. Simply, it’s because, if you dredge up that many Ground Beef recipes to fill a big space on your ‘listicles’ website, there have to be at least one or two that are truly memorable, and different enough to interest a serious cook.
A numbers game
True… It’s a numbers game. But the persistent plodder will usually win. Take, for example, this morning’s garnering of ground beef goodies.
Mostly repeats and rehashes
That’s the ugly truth behind most of the recipe lists behind the deceptively enthusiastic headlines. Thus it was with the ‘99 GB Recipes‘ post I skimmed just now. In some cases the dishes – mainly casseroles, predictably – varied substantially only in the wording of their names. What essentially proved to be essentially the same dish showed up as many as 8 or ten times over the span of the scroll.
But there were a few odd or surprising ones that caught my eye…
Korean Beef With Rice
Pedestrian sounding at best, but this one turned out to be that tasty Korean BBQ specialty Bulgogi, using ground beef scramble instead of he traditional thinly-sliced, marinated steak.
It’s relatively inexpensive and quick to make. And it also affords the newcomer to Asian (especially Korean) cooking the opportunity to take full control of the spice/heat level, to suit their own prefer-ences. A sweet-savoury (‘swavoury’?) delight to tempt anybody’s tired palate. The author notes, it can also be made meatless, using Tofu in place of animal protein. Or just stir-fried Asian veggies, if you prefer.
Greek Sloppy Joes
Again, it sounds pretty middle of the road. But that’s a deceptive assumption. The main ingredients are ground beef and tomato sauce. But the prevailing overtones are definitely Greek: Red Onion, Garlic, Greek Oregano, crumbled Feta Cheese and a sprinkling of Ground Nutmeg (this last, my suggestion).
The ‘recipe’ doesn’t call for basil, either. But I’ve always thought that a Greek recipe without Basil is like a Greek day without… Kalamata Olives!
Stovetop Asian Chili
Not Chili, as such. Though I did, at first sight, think – from the mouth-watering photo – it used broken up pieces of Cantonese Vermacelli instead of rice or conventional Asian Noodles.
Nevertheless, “This easy stovetop chili recipe is similar to traditional Tex-Mex chili with beef and beans, but with a few twists like the addition of rice, corn and olives,” the author claims. I recom-mend leaving out the olives and concentrating on the garlic, scallions and rice. Of particular interest, the rice goes right in the mixture; is not served as a base or a side. Makes a world of difference in the overall character or the dish!
Savoury Beef & Cabbage Supper
I’ve passed along to you over the years a number of braised and baked cabbage supper stews and casseroles. But this one is different. And, to my mind and taste buds, maybe the best such expression of the sublime marriage of ground beef, cabbage and savoury flavours I’ve had the privilege to re-commend yet.
Along with aromatic onion, garlic and carrots, there’s a medley of ‘swavoury’ carroway, allspice and cloves. The big surprise ingredient is the 1/2 cup of ketchup, along with the ‘by the way’-sounding two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar – which is, nonetheless, essential to the overall success of the dish!
My take
Now, I’m torn. Should I make a point of scouring all such mega-recipe lists in future, in search of the few nuggets at the bottom of an alleged gold-bearing stream? Or pass up such pedantic, repetitive and on-the-whole disappointing experiences?
I’m forced to confess… There’s no way to tell how to handle them, now that I’ve found success panning-out today’s example. You’ll have to stick around with me and see!
*WINK*
~ Maggie J.