Woogie Words - Roast Beef Shoulder with Broccoli Rabe
This newsletter is part of a series from Judith Jones' cookbook, Love me, Feed me. These are recipes she cooks for herself and shares with her precious Mabon. Watch an interview here>
This recipe couldn’t be easier. It reminds me of Sunday. Any time a roast is in the oven, it reminds me of Sunday. I guess I grew up with a lot of roasts on Sunday.
This recipe will make enough for one person and two small dogs. But it’s easy to multiply the ingredients if you are feeding more.
Only a handful of ingredients – a small piece of beef shoulder, new potatoes, broccoli rabe, garlic, ginger, and a little pepper.
Judith suggests using broccoli rabe because you can buy smaller portions of it and won’t have much if any left over.
I’m not 100% sure my pups Trebuchet and Vector are going to go for the broccoli rabe but we’ll see. I know they’ll love the meat and potatoes though.
I’m also wondering how they’ll like the ginger. But then again, they love ginger snaps and ginger bread so I’m sure they’ll be asking for the recipe after!
Ginger is one of those old, storied roots that seems to have been around forever and you can find in everything from cold remedies to love potions. Looks like it was first “found” about 5,000 years in Southeast Asia, though it was and is cultivated all around the world.
It’s often used to treat stomach and digestive issues. It’s hugely popular and is an ingredient in about 50 percent of all traditional herbal remedies. Even Confucius used it. He wrote as far back as 500 B.C. that he was never without it when he ate. Hummm. Kind of makes you wonder what he was eating!
Between 50 and 70 A.D. a five volume series entitled De Materia Medica (Latin for “On Medical Material”) was written. It’s a work describing about 600 herbs/plants, and the medicines that can be obtained from them. It was written by a Roman physician of Greek origin by the name of Pedanius Dioscorides. What is your nickname if your name is Pedanius? Maybe... “Doctor?” Anyway... Under the Emperor Nero, he was a surgeon with the Roman Army. This gave him the opportunity to travel extensively and learn all about new plants. This book had some staying power too. It was the “go to” answer book for over 1,500 years. So extensive, complete and meaningful, it never left circulation during that entire time!
Certainly no surprise, the De Materia Medica listed ginger saying that it “warms and softens the stomach.”
Of course here we’re going to use it as a spice but it’s also one that can be beneficial to your stomach as well as your dog’s.
Now what about the broccoli rabe? Broccoli rabe apparently has an identity crisis. It’s also known as Rapini – and Broccoli Raab, which is pronounced “broccoli rob” or “broccoli robbie.” Technically, it’s not a type of broccoli but it is in the same brassica family (cabbage family). Those in the know say broccoli rabe is closer to a turnip than to broccoli. Broccoli rabe is more bitter than broccoli, so if you’re not lovin’ ole Broccoli Rob then just substitute broccoli or broccolini (also known as baby broccoli).
Today I’m making this recipe from our home in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Ruidoso has many wonderful things to offer, but it turns out, broccoli rabe is not one of them. So I’m using regular ole broccoli.
AND NOW HERE’S THE RECIPE.
Ingredients: The Rub 1 fat garlic clove, smashed, peeled, then minced with a little salt A shake of pepper 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger from a ginger root (note: you can peel the ginger root using a spoon because the skin is that easy to take off. You really don’t even need to peel it but you can if you want.)
Ingredients: The Rest 1 small piece of beef shoulder (about 1.25 lbs) 3 or 4 new potatoes (peeled and sliced into 3 or 4 lengthwise pieces) 1 bunch of broccoli rabe
Directions Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the Rub ingredients together and rub it all over the beef. Toss that meat into your roasting pan (try to find the best one to fit. It’s a small piece of meat so no need to get out the turkey roaster). Place the sliced potatoes and broccoli rabe all around the meat. Cover and roast for 30 minutes, turning the meat and veggies over at least once.
Okay, they loved it. Trebuchet even ate the veggies. I’m really surprised by this because she doesn’t normally eat anything remotely looking, tasting or smelling like a veggie.
I tried some too. It was quite tasty. The ginger really added a nice flavor to it. The roast shoulder was very tough though. If I were making this for humans, (especially any guest), I would definitely upgrade the meat choice.
Day Two Vector ate every ounce. Trebuchet picked out the meat and left the broccoli and most of the potato. No worries though, Vector came along and finished it all up.
All in all, I’m giving this recipe two paws up!
Leftover ginger Since you’ll likely have some of the ginger root left over here are a few things you can do with it.
Ginger Shrub Cocktail
Ginger Juice Shrub Ingredients: ginger root 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup sugar
To make your cocktail: 2 oz vodka or tequila ½ oz shrub 1.2 oz mixer (juice or soda) lemon or lime wedge
A shrub is a blend of fruit or vegetables, vinegar and a sweetener. It’s a nice concoction of sweet and tart. To make a ginger shrub…
First make some ginger juice by taking your left-over ginger and putting it into a food processor or blender with water (at least 1/2 cup) to make it a smooth mixture. Strain the liquid thru a mesh strainer or cheese cloth and you’ll have pure ginger juice. You need 1/2 cup of ginger juice for the shrub so be sure you have at least that much water with your ginger.
To make the shrub — put 1/2 cup of your ginger juice plus 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and up to 1/3 cup of sugar into a jar. Shake it well. At first the vinegar may seem tart but give it a little rest and it will mellow and take on a sweet flavor as well as the heat of the ginger.
I tried mine with vodka, shrub, tonic and added a lemon wedge.
Agave Ginger-Rita
I found this recipe atwww.liquor.com. The ginger gives this margarita some kick.
Ingredients: salt for the rim of your glass 1 oz tequila (they recommend Don Julio Blanco Tequila) ¼ oz Grand Marnier 1 oz lime juice ¾ oz ginger root simple syrup 1 egg white 1 lime wheel 1 high ball glass
To make the Ginger Root Simple Syrup 1 cup water 2 cups sugar 1 large piece of fresh ginger; peeled and finely chopped
In a small to medium sauce pan, boil the water. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Place the chopped ginger in mesh strainer positioned over a bowl/container. Pour the syrup over the ginger while muddling the ginger.
Note: The ginger root simple syrup will last forever and it’s a good thing since you only need ¼ oz for the drink! Save it in the fridge and you can make several more Ginger-Ritas. In fact, you’ll be able to make 31 more drinks with it (one cup of syrup = 8 oz. ¼ oz per drink = 32 total ounces out of one cup)
To Make the Ginger-Rita
Coat the rim of your high ball glass with salt. Fill the glass with ice. Add ingredients into a shaker: 1 oz tequila (they recommend Don Julio Blanco Tequila) ¼ oz Grand Marnier 1 oz lime juice ¾ oz ginger root simple syrup 1 egg white
Add ice to the shaker and... shake. Strain the mixture into your already prepared high ball glass, garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy.
These drinks will pair well with the meal above... that is, if your pets are sharing their roast dinner with you. If not, then you can enjoy your drink while you watch them eat.
And after supper, a fun activity is to play with your Woogie Whomper. Please share your #woogiewhomper pics :-)
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