Michael Symons Chicago Style Italian Beef Recipes

Steps:

• Place a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the meat and a large pinch of salt and cook, breaking up any lumps, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, celery, carrots, onions and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and toast it until it looks rusty, a few minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the sauce has thickened and all the liquid is reduced, at least 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme bundle.
• Before serving, stir in some freshly grated Parmesan. To serve, grate more Parmesan over top.

Steps:

• For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ribs and brown evenly, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and cook until translucent, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until everything is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine, stirring to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes along with the oregano, red pepper flakes if using, bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting and continue to cook until reduced by about a third, for up to 8 hours.
• Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove the bay leaf. If not using right away, let the sauce cool, and then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. Makes about 2 quarts.
• For the meatballs and sauce: In a small saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, the garlic and shallots and sweat until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Soak the bread in the milk in a medium bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the beef with the ricotta, basil, parsley, Parmesan, salt, egg and the cooked shallots and garlic. After the bread has soaked up the milk, remove it from the bowl and ring out the remaining liquid. Thoroughly mix the bread into the meat mixture.
• Form the meat mixture into 2-inch balls using about 1/4 cup for each. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan and add the meatballs. Cook until golden on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Place Yia Yia's Neapolitan Sauce in a large saucepan and add the meatballs. (Keep the frying pan for finishing the pasta.) Bring to a simmer and simmer about 30 minutes.
• For the spaghetti: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti al dente, according to the package directions.
• Add a cup or two of the sauce to the empty meatball pan over medium heat. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the pan, along with the basil leaves, Parmesan and butter. Toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter, top with the meatballs and ribs from Yia Yia's Neapolitan Sauce and serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

Steps:

• For the Sirloin: Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Combine the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, thyme, extra virgin olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Split mixture in half. Rub half of the mixture all over the sirloin tip. Marinate at least 30 minutes. Combine the remaining half of the mixture with a quart of water.
• Place on roasting pan and transfer to oven, roasting for 20 minutes.
• Pour the rub-water mixture into the bottom of the pan. Reduce head to 350°F Return to oven and roast for another 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads rare - 130°F.
• Transfer to a cutting board to rest and skim fat from the broth.
• Very thinly slice the meat, against the grain. Place the sliced meat into the broth. Assemble sandwiches by piling meat onto the buns, topped with giardiniera. Dip in broth before serving.
• For the Giardiniera: Combine all ingredients, mix well, and marinate for 24 hours at room temperature.

Steps:

• For Yia Yia's Sunday sauce: Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the beef bones. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 2 minutes. Add the salt and garlic and cook until everything is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Squeeze the tomatoes one by one into the pan, pulverizing them by hand, and pour in their juice, too. Add the wine, oregano, red pepper flakes, if using, black pepper and bay leaf. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting, and continue to cook for 8 hours. The sauce should reduce by about one-third. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove the bones and bay leaf. Set aside 2 cups. If not using the remaining sauce right away, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. Yield: 8 cups.
• For the braised beef with root vegetables: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and pepper as much as 1 day in advance. (Cover and refrigerate it if doing so and take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is on the verge of smoking, sear the meat for about 2 minutes per side. Move the meat to the side (or remove it from the pot altogether if necessary), and add the carrots, celery root and onions. Brown the vegetables for about 3 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Add Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce, 1 cup water and the bay leaves (and the pot roast if you removed it). Bring the liquid to a simmer and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 3 hours, basting the meat occasionally during cooking time. When almost ready to serve, make the rigatoni, if using. Boil in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and slice into bite-size pieces, or shred with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot of sauce along with the drained rigatoni. Toss to coat, and serve.

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients in crock. Cook on low for 6 hours or until the meat is tender. Put in bread and drool! :).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Sprinkle the roast with garlic powder, oregano and pepper, then cook roast, uncovered, in a shallow roasting pan, about 30 minutes per pound.
• Roast will be very rare-- don't overcook it!
• Let cool slightly, then thinly slice.
• Add to the roast's pan drippings: the boiling water, bouillon cubes, oregano, thyme, pepper, Tabasco sauce, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
• Simmer for 20 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
• Taste for salt and add some if you wish.
• Add the sliced beef; cover and marinate in da gravy overnight.
• Reheat the next day and serve in crusty Italian sandwich rolls.