Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Friday, January 14, 2011

Feeding Six on a Pound of Hamburger

I never know what is for dinner most days .. until mid-day .. or a family member calls at 4PM to ask, 'what's for dinner tonight .. I'm starved' .. There are so many things to weigh (LOL).  What green to serve (salad, slaw, broccoli, green beans .. and what have we already eaten this week .. have to mix it up) .. what veggie .. what starch .. what meat.  I try not to serve heavy meat dishes but once a week .. that means the other dinners will be in the form of soups, stews, pasta, rice or potato casseroles .. salads .. or even breakfast in the form of omelets, waffles .. etc.  Last night I made .. let me think what to call it .. humm ..??  Sauteed mushroom/ground steak gravy .. served over mashed potatoes .. with a side of fresh garden corn on the cob (plucked from the freezer), and a delicious tangy coleslaw with vinaigrette dressing.  Hummm .. HOBO gravy .. nah .. Steak gravy .. nah .. How about:  Mrs. Mac's Meaty Mushroom Gravy?

I swear .. the family thought they had died and gone to heaven with this dish.  Tasted as good as a Sunday afternoon pot roast meal .. at about 1/4 the cost and time to make.
 
Mrs. Mac's Meaty Mushroom Gravy

1 pound ground beef (ya know the kind .. grass fed and local;)
1/2 cup dehydrated mushrooms (soaked in 1 cup of water .. save the water) .. or substitute a cup of fresh mushrooms .. sliced or diced as you like
1/2 cup diced yellow or white onion
salt, pepper .. dash of soy sauce if you wish .. few drops of Kitchen Bouquet for color if you have it on hand
2-3 cups beef stock or mushroom water or a mix
2-3 tablespoons organic corn starch

Directions:

In a large hot cast iron skillet .. put a pat of butter and add the mushrooms .. let them sit a bit to brown before stirring them .. then add the onion and saute them for a minute.  Push the mushrooms and onions to the sides and add the ground beef .. searing it before stirring .. you want it to brown up to give the gravy good flavor and color.  Mix well with the mushrooms and onions.  Really break up the meat to a fine consistency. If the meat has a lot of fat .. drain off all but about 1-2 tablespoons.  Mix the 2-3 cups liquid with the corn starch in a shaker jar.  Slowly add it to the browned beef and stir it well .. it will start to thicken.  You may need to add more liquid. Stir well.  Add/taste/adjust the seasonings.  Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. 

8 comments:

Maria Stahl said...

Good idea! Warm... filling... flavorful.

Anonymous said...

Husband was in the Navy - he'd call it Fancy SOS. No matter what the name, I'm sure it was delicious.

Lynda said...

Sounds delicious!

LynnS said...

People love gravy and sauces. There's usually a nice flavor and those thickened gravies can really satisfy an appetite.

I swear you're the biggest food tease!!

(So when's dinner?)

Sandy said...

Oh, this sounds like something my
three men would just love. I'll fix
it tomorrow night! Thanks for sharing.

Pat said...

We had almost the exact dinner last night only I had green beans.
I called it Salisbury Steak LOL!

Wendy said...

yum that sounds delicious. I'd mix it all together. :)

Moonwaves said...

That sounds very like what we used to have regularly as kids and for us, it was just called 'mince'. We didn't add mushroms though.