Recipes The Return of the Trumpet by Randy Baran

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Randy has been cooking for decades. He’s decided -- with his family’s encouragement -- to share his favorite recipes with you.

Pot Roast Italian Style

Boneless chuck roast, seven blade roast, whatever you think is best. I used a 2-1/4 lb. roast for this recipe. Brown the meat in peanut oil, season with garlic powder (find one without salt or additives), minced dry onion (perfect for browning meat -- no moisture), and lots of oregano. When meat is well-browned, remove from pan. Clean the pan or use a Dutch oven, and then add 3/4 inch of beef stock, 1/2 of a red onion (it's Italian!), 1 medium green bell pepper sliced, put the meat in, a couple of carrots, 1 leek or the tops of three green onions, a small bunch of fresh dill, a bay leaf, 2 large red or white potatoes (chop, but leave the skin on), a good splash of Chianti, black pepper, couple a cloves of garlic, more oregano. Simmer, simmer, simmer, 2 hours is good, till the meat is soft but not dry. Test! Cut off a bit and taste. Don't let it dry out, but make sure it's tender! Add green beans and a sprinkle of savory. I also like some chopped zucchini and mushrooms, but add both at the end for only 5 or 10 minutes. Serve with a green salad and some Chianti or red wine. Whew! Delish!

Pot Roast, take two:

The pot roast in the photo was done similarly to the recipe above, but as follows: Season the meat with oregano & black pepper, but rub and press a clove of garlic into the meat before browning in a skillet or large saute pan (1 tbsp. peanut oil). Add to a roasting pan: beef stock, red wine, a few sun-dried tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, 2 stalks of celery, 1/4 wedge of a lemon (chopped, you can use a little zest instead), dill, parsley, 1 coarsely chopped red onion, 4 medium red potatoes (rinsed and quartered), 1 tbsp. brown mustard, 1 turnip, 1 green pepper, 1 tsp. French thyme. Roast for 2 hours @ 400 degrees, add several halved mushrooms and whole frozen green beans at the end of cooking. Salt is not needed in this dish. There is enough flavor from the stock, the wine, lemon and mustard to more than compensate.

Burgers with Tarragon

Don't need to go much further -- everyone knows how to make burgers. A little tarragon makes the difference. Start with a good pound or more of ground sirloin (Kosher is great if you can get it but watch the fat), put it in a big bowl and add a tablespoon of whole wheat flour, a large egg white, plus a little of the yolk, a teaspoon of crushed tarragon leaves, minced onion, garlic powder, a bit of coarse ground black pepper, a tablespoon of brown mustard, a teaspoon of peanut oil and that's about it. If you want to add salt, wait until you're ready to eat. Adding salt during cooking bleeds the juices from the meat. I made 6 medium burgers and broiled them. Happy 4th of July!

Beans, Dogs & Polenta

I used a can of organic kidney beans and turkey hot dogs. Rinse the dogs in cold water. Start with 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water in a large saute pan. Black pepper, ground fennel, garlic powder, minced onion. I'm trying to stay away from salt as much as possible, so if you use it, take care. Let it come to a boil, then turn the heat down to high simmer. Add 1/2 chopped red bell pepper and 1/2 chopped green bell pepper, a clove of garlic. Slice up 2 or 3 dogs into 1 inch pieces, throw them in the pan. Add the beans, plus a few mushrooms. A tablespoon of any kind of wet mustard is good. Add 1 cup of polenta (corn meal). A little wine doesn't hurt, red or white. Top with 2 raw eggs. Stir a lot because the polenta will soak up the moisture quick. I added some organic, pre-cooked potato wedges to our dinner and it all came out fine. Top with olive oil and serve over spinach or lettuce with balsamic vinaigrette.

Minestrone

This was a great way to celebrate my Italian next door neighbor's 91st birthday. Soak a little over a cup of dry northern white beans (canellini) the night before. Simmer till tender in a few cups of chicken stock and water, bay leaf, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion flakes. While the beans are cooking, fry a little bacon (Canadian is my fav), or ham, or sliced or ground beef, chicken, whatever you wish. This time, I used pork tenderloin, as I had a small piece on hand. Use only a couple of ounces of meat for flavor. Clean the pan, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and fast fry a medium red onion (diced), 1/2 cup sliced celery, 2 garlic cloves, a shaved carrot. Add meat and veggies to a large stock pot. Add 5 cups of chicken stock to pot. When the beans are done, puree them, add to pot. Simmer. Add a 16 oz. can of your favorite crushed tomatoes, or whole tomatoes in puree. Add a 1/4 cup of red wine, 1 tsp. of marjoram, 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped Italian parsley, 2 cups of diced red potatoes (rinse them a lot after dicing), salt and black pepper. Simmer an hour. In the last 15 minutes, add a cup of chopped zucchini, at least a cup of chopped kale, 4 or 5 mushrooms, some cooked ziti (digitali is also good), and a can of organic pinto beans. When soup is ready, top with home made croutons, garlic powder, a splash of olive oil and cheese. Parmesan is standard, but I sliced some smoked mozzarella and fontinella.

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