Fiesta Meatloaf

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 cups picante sauce, divided
1 1/2 cup oats
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (3.8 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan or a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

Combine ground beef, 1/2 cup picante sauce, oats, taco seasoning and garlic powder; mix well. Press into prepared baking pan.

Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups picante sauce, cheese, olives and chiles. Mix well. Pour sauce mixture over top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is no longer pink.

Makes 10 servings.

East Indian Lamb Curry

2 pounds lean lamb, cubed
1/4 cup flour 
3 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup chopped instant onions
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon MSG
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
4 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tart apple, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons grated or flaked coconut
2 tablespoons seedless raisins or dried currants
Dash of nutmeg

Dredge meat in flour and brown on all sides in hot shortening. Add onions to skillet; sauté a few minutes but do not brown. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. For a mild curry, decrease amount of curry powder used. For hot curry, increase the amount of curry powder used. Cover. Simmer 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve with rice and an assortment of condiments.

Serves 4.

Basque Barbecue Leg of Lamb

1 (6 to 7 pound) leg of lamb or 1 whole lamb

Marinade
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large lemons, juiced

The day before serving, mix all marinade ingredients. Place in a pint jar and shake well.

Remove excess fat from lamb without breaking the parchment-like fell, leaving a little fat in order to enhance flavor. Using a small brush, spread surface of meat well with marinade. Place lamb in a large pan, cover, refrigerate overnight or for 24 hours. Baste occasionally with marinade.

The following day, remove meat from refrigerator at least 40 minutes before cooking time, in order to bring to room temperature. Heat coals. Either lay leg of lamb on grill or place on a spit. Turn meat over every 15 minutes. Cook to desired doneness. Transfer meat to a pan and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. (Resting meat makes it firm and easier to carve.) Total cooking time: approximately 2 1/2 hours.

Serves 8 to 10.

Serve with Chenin Blanc wine.

African Lamb Curry

This is an unusual, flavorful buffet dish — very elegant with a rice ring. Serve with chutney, chopped hardboiled eggs and coconut.

2 pounds lean lamb, cubed
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 5 ounces dried apples, chopped
2 to 3 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon freshly-grated lemon rind
Salt, to taste
Freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup seedless raisins, plumped
    in Madeira wine to cover
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Brown meat in butter in a skillet; sprinkle with flour, thyme, ginger and curry. Stir well and add onion, garlic and apples. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Gradually add 2 cups of the stock; cook and stir until slightly thickened and smooth. Add lemon rind, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, adding more stock if needed, until meat is tender.

Stir in walnuts, raisins, soaking liquid and coconut. Simmer for 30 minutes to heat thoroughly.

Mennonite Old-Fashion Beef Pot Pie

2 pounds stewing beef
6 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 medium size potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk or water
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 teaspoon minced parsley

Cook meat in salt water until it is tender. Remove meat from broth; add minced onion and parsley to broth. Bring to the boiling point and add alternate layers of cubed potatoes and squares of dough.

To make dough, beat egg and add milk. Add flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out paper thin and cut into 1-inch squares. Keep broth boiling while adding dough squares in order to keep them from packing together. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, adding more water if needed. Add meat and stir through pot pie.

Serves 6 to 8.

Mennonite Meat Balls (Fleischbälle)

3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped finely
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup rice, soaked in water
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup catsup or tomato sauce

Mix all but the catsup and form into balls; brown balls in a pan, put in an oven dish and cover with blended catsup and 1 quart of boiling water. Let simmer in oven for 3 to 4 hours, making sure the balls haven’t gone dry.

Tail on Fire Oxtail Stew (Rabo Encendido — Cuba)

4 pounds oxtails, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups homemade or canned beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Few sprigs of parsley (for garnish)

Rinse oxtail pieces under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Mix together the flour and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge the oxtails in the seasoned flour. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the oxtails in 3 batches in the oil, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. When they have browned, remove them to a large plate.

Return all the oxtails to the pot with the beef broth, wine, bell pepper, minced onions, garlic, tomato paste, thyme and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oxtails are very tender, about 3 hours. Skim off the fat with a ladle. Taste and correct seasonings.

Transfer oxtails with a slotted spoon to a large serving bowl and keep warm. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce it until it is thick, about 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the sauce over the oxtails, then garnish with parsley.

Serve at once with steamed white rice.

Vaca Frita (Cuba)

1 (2 1/2 pound) flank steak, cut in half
    (or chuck steak or roast)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half and each half thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Place the beef and bay leaf in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, and cook over low heat, covered, until the meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (chuck roast may take a little longer). Remove the meat from the stock and allow to cool at room temperature (save the stock for another use).

When the meat is cool, cut into 2-inch chunks, shred it using your fingers, and place in a nonreactive bowl. Add the citrus juices, garlic, salt, and pepper, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Remove the meat from the marinade and squeeze out the excess liquid. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until fragrant and cook the beef shreds, stirring 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onions and cook until the beef is crisp, another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve over white rice.

Puerto Rican Beef Stew

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds beef top round, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup tomato sauce
3 bay leaves
Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1/2 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives
1/4 cup (60 ml) raisins

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot over moderate heat and brown the meat. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, oregano, tomato sauce, bay leaves, salt and pepper and simmer covered for 1 hour.

Add the carrots and potatoes and simmer 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer an additional 15 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

Sancocho (Dominican Republic)

2 tablespoons extra light virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 or 3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
1 or 2 whole chickens, washed, skinned, and cut up
2 to 3 teaspoons oregano
2 to 3 teaspoons garlic salt
2 to 3 teaspoons herb garlic seasoning
1 1/2 quarts water
2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 or 4 ears of field or yellow corn, cut in half or thirds.
3 to 5 cilantro leaves
Couple chunks of otoe or malanga, peeled and washed
Nice size piece of zapallo or calabasa, peeled and washed
Nice size piece of ñame, peeled and washed
Couple chunks of yuca, peeled and washed

In large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, and celery. Sauté for several minutes. Add chicken and about 1 or 2 cups of the water. Sprinkle oregano, garlic salt, and herb garlic seasoning. Cover and let flavors mix for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 to 3 cups of water at a time, keeping the mixture at a slow boil until all water has been added. Add chicken bouillon cubes. Add corn. Cook on slow boil for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Peel the vegetables. Cut up in 2- to 3-inch pieces. Soak in water.

Skim gray foam from top of cooked chicken broth. Add cilantro leaves. Drain water from vegetables and add vegetables to chicken broth, except the zapallo (or calabasa). Stir gently. Allow soup to boil slowly. Add zapallo 5 minutes later. Allow zapallo to cook on top of mixture. Allow to boil slowly for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce to taste.

NOTE: Frozen sancocho vegetables may be purchased in many grocery stores. Substitute frozen vegetables, if desired, rather than purchasing fresh vegetables.

For a clear broth, once the vegetables are tender, carefully remove them from the soup; place in covered container.

For a thicker broth, allow the vegetables to continue cooking; vegetables become very soft and break apart. Zapallo will break apart very fast.

If additional broth is needed, add a can or two of chicken broth plus one cilantro leaf.