Recipe and Rumination, by Lisa

Recipes—I can’t leave a recipe alone. I almost never follow a recipe exactly. What if I don’t have honey but I do have corn syrup? Or I need to use up the last little bit of frozen okra before freezer burn sets in and I’m making vegetable stew? I mean, waste not, want not, right? And let me tell you, beer is a very good substitute for beef broth, in case you were wondering. For the most part, I don’t even measure anymore, I just eyeball the quantities of ingredients. There is one exception—baking, except for bread. Bread is pretty forgiving, a little more or less flour, water, yeast, and salt, and it still turns out beautifully. Everything else—why get measuring cups and spoons dirty when you can use your hands? Jo and I decided to write about recipes, so here’s one from me on this cold, rainy, icy, windy, Groundhog’s Day Eve. As I wrote out the recipe, I had to smile at the memory of my beloved grandmother, Adeline, who wrote “delicious” at the top of each recipe given to her by someone else. As my mom would say, she was a national treasure. I should blog about her sometime.

Pepperoncini Beef in the slow cooker

This is great topped with the onions and pepperoncini and some provolone, then toasted in the toaster oven to crisp the roll and melt the cheese. You can even make a gravy from the broth with flour or cornstarch if you want. It’s got a little kick from the pepperoncini—delicious!

A 3 pound chuck roast or your favorite cut of beef roast

2 sliced onions

1 bottle of beer (Duvel is too bitter)

Some diced garlic

A 16 oz jar of pepperoncini

Provolone and rolls for sandwiches

Salt and pepper to taste

Place roast in slow cooker and surround with sliced onions, throw in some diced garlic (up to 4 cloves worth), pour the jar of pepperoncini with liquid over it, and pour in beer. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Allow to cool enough to shred the beef, then serve with the onions, pepperoncini (remove the stems, they come right off), and top with provolone. Toast in toaster oven or microwave for a few seconds to melt the cheese.