Making the most of tender rib-eye

Open with classic roast beef, then a hearty shepherd’s pie

December 30, 2009

The classic pairing of roast beef and potatoes can go from Sunday night supper to something special - depending on the cut of meat you use. For a New Year’s Eve celebration, a rib-eye roast, which has plenty of flavor for a relatively moderate price ($7.50 per pound at my local supermarket), makes a nice presentation. “The Joy of Cooking’’ refers to this and other tender cuts as “Sunday dinner roast beef.’’ Turn your elegant leftovers into a hearty shepherd’s pie.

Rib-eye comes from the area along the animal’s spine that doesn’t get much of a workout, hence its tenderness. A little marbling contributes to the good taste. Rub the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika a few hours before roasting, and baste the roast with tomato or vegetable juice, which mixes with the pan juices and cooks into a light but meaty sauce with none of the fuss of thickening. For the potatoes, make a creamy cloud of golden mash; add steamed green beans or broccoli tossed with a little butter and lemon juice as a side dish.

The extra pound of meat in the roasting pan, more potatoes then you need in the mash, and lots of veggies in the steamer are ideal for shepherd’s pie. This meat and potato casserole, traditionally made with lamb, is the perfect comforting, hot dish to feed your bleary-eyed New Year’s guests.

RECIPES

Roast beef

Serves 6 with leftover

1	boneless beef rib-eye roast (5 pounds)
2	teaspoons kosher salt
1/2	teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2	teaspoons paprika
1	large onion, thinly sliced
2	carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
2	stalks celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
3	cans (8 ounces each) vegetable or tomato juice
1	cup water

1. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

2. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Have on hand a small roasting pan.

3. Rub the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika. Sprinkle half the onion in the pan with the carrots and celery. Spread the remaining onion on top of the roast.

4. In a bowl, mix the vegetable or tomato juice and water. Pour 1/2 cup over the meat and 2 cups over the vegetables in the pan.

5. Roast the meat in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Spoon the juices in the pan over the meat.

6. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 130 degrees for medium-rare meat, 140 degrees for medium, 170 degrees for well done. (Total cooking time is 2 to 2 1/2 hours.) During roasting, if the pan seems dry, add the remaining tomato mixture.

7. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.

8. Strain the roasting juices into a saucepan (save the onions, carrots, and celery for the pie); taste the juices for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Reheat the juices and let them simmer gently to thicken slightly. Cut the meat into 1/4-inch slices and spoon the cooking juices over the meat.

Shepherd's Pie - Serves 6

	Olive oil (for the pan)
2	tablespoons olive oil
2	cups cooked vegetables, coarsely chopped
	Onions, carrots, and celery from roasting the beef, coarsely chopped
4	cups cooked roast beef, coarsely chopped
2	teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2	tablespoons ketchup
1	teaspoon dried thyme
	Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2	to 1 cup leftover cooking juices, or more if you have some
3	cups mashed potatoes
2	tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Cook all the vegetables, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the beef, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

3. Add the cooking juices (up to 1 cup) and turn the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Transfer to the baking dish.

4. With a rubber spatula spread the mashed potatoes over the meat to cover it completely. Dot with butter.

5. Bake the pie for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and the meat mixture is bubbling at the edges

Navigating a veritable sea of tuna salads

February 3, 2010

For many people, tuna salad is the ultimate lunch, spread between hearty slices of toast, tucked inside a sub roll, or scooped onto shredded lettuce. It’s filling and deliciously old-fashioned.

Eight people tasted prepared tuna salads from the deli departments of four supermarkets and one delicatessen. Of the five sampled, only Barry’s Village Deli in Newton is made daily on the premises. Roche Bros.’s prepared tuna salad is made in Haverhill and delivered four times a week; Whole Foods Market delivers six days a week from their commissary in Everett; Shaw’s does a cross-county trip from Oregon three times a week; Stop & Shop did not answer calls to tell us where theirs was made.

Textures range from chunky to pureed. “I like chunks of tuna,’’ one taster said. It turned out she was eating Buck’s tuna from Whole Foods. Stop & Shop offers a creamy puree. Tasters found Barry’s sweet, Roche Bros. zesty. A constant in all the salads is mayo and celery, but after that each entry is different. They include pickle relish and onions. An unexpected add-in is matzoh meal. What’s matzoh meal doing in tuna? Stabilizing, probably.

Colors range from shades of white to pinky tan. Barry’s, Roche Bros., and Whole Foods Market use white albacore; Shaw’s and Stop & Shop use light tuna.

Roche Bros. was the winner. It’s made by food purveyor Hans Kissle in Haverhill. Barry’s was a close second. “We sell at least 200 pounds of the stuff a week,’’ says Barry’s manager Scotti Leslie. It’s a popular item elsewhere too. “It’s one of our top sellers in prepared foods,’’ says Robin Rehfield of Whole Foods Market North Atlantic region.

Each of the candidates got at least one favorite vote; Shaw’s got three. When all the tasting was done, the crew topped whole wheat bread with their favorite spread, added tomato and lettuce and sat down for a classic lunch, sweet pickles and chips on the side.

Barry’s Village Deli

$8.99 a pound

If you like your tuna on the sweet side you’ll love his version. Some tasters didn’t: “Very sweet and relishy - not a big fan. The tuna flavor is mild and consistency is OK.’’ Then: “Sweet! I love it! You can feel the freshness.’’ “What’s that seasoning? Sugar? Spice? Something nice,’’ another wrote. (In fact, it’s sweet pickle relish.) “Pleasant taste and smell, grainy texture but a distinctive flavor.’’ “Low mayo ratio,’’ said another. Scotti Leslie of Barry’s says the shop uses a high-quality low-fat mayonnaise. Several noted the texture, “I like the chunky tuna in this one, tastes fresher, but a bit too sweet.’’

Shaw’s

$6.99 a pound

The creamiest of the lot. “The tuna is so pureed it is practically a spread. A very smooth texture and noticeably light color; you can definitely taste the mayonnaise in this one.’’ “Run of the mill, ’’ announced another. “Tastes a bit processed. Not enough lemon or onion.’’ “Salty and not appetizing.’’

Stop & Shop

$5.99 a pound

The other creamy entry. This is the salad that lists matzoh meal in the ingredients. “Looks like flesh-colored mayonnaise. Too creamy and mushy feeling. Slight fishy taste.’’ “Tuna puree is more like it,’’ said another. “Far too processed. No lemon, no onion, just sugar.’’ One thought the consistency was a plus: “Very creamy but with a nice addition of pickles. Distinct shiny color and perfect for spreading.’’ Another: “Looks gooey, pinkish, and tastes good.’’

Roche Bros. Winner!

$6.99 a pound

This is the salad that the tasters found most balanced and interesting, without sweetness. Ingredients include white tuna, celery, mayonnaise, garlic salt, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. “Good taste, texture, and the balance between tuna and onion is good. Perhaps a bit more lemon would be good.’’ “This one tastes the most fresh! Not too sweet.’’ “Good honest tuna salad. Just crunchy enough, not sweet, like homemade.’’ “Smooth texture, with nice crunchy bites mingling with the tuna.’’ The lone detractor said, “No imagination, not particularly snazzy, but you know, it’s fish.’’

Whole Foods Market’s Buck’s Tuna Salad

$7.99 a pound

A Whole Foods team member named Buck submitted her favorite recipe for an in-house contest and Buck’s tuna became a favorite among many consumers. It’s simple: albacore tuna, mayo, red onion, and celery. Many noted that onion taste: “Lots of red onion and lemon (not sure about that), but slightly dry. Strong fishy smell and taste, which is not nice.’’ “Onion?’’ was the single comment from another. Several noted the size of the tuna chunks: “Very creamy in both taste and texture, the large-ish pieces of the tuna still manage to feel dry. I don’t find any flavor.’’ (The store uses dry-pack albacore.) “You can actually taste tuna meat in here, not tuna puree like most others. Problem is there is no other flavor.’’ “Tastes OK, but very dense mouth feel.’’ “I like the chunks in this one, tastes fresh.’’