Cottage Pie

 Derived from https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-shepherds-pie/

Meat Filling Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
• 2 tsp dried parsley leaves
• 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

Potato Topping Ingredients

• 1½ - 2 lb russet potatoes (about 2 large potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1/3 cup half & half
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Potato Topping Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Let rest for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
4. Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash potatoes and stir well.
5. Add parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.

Meat Filling Procedure

1. Add oil to large skillet and heat over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add ground beef and break apart with a wooden spoon. Add parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
3. Add Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
5. Add broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Casserole Assembly Procedure

1. Oven should be preheated to 400 degrees F.
2. Pour meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and spread evenly.

1. If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Baby Back Ribs

 Adapted from https://www.askchefdennis.com/easy-oven-baked-baby-back-ribs/

Ingredients

• 1 rack baby back pork ribs (2-2½ lbs per rack) - each person eats about 1/2lb
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Procedure 

(A rack of ribs fits nicely in the toaster oven. Reduce oven heat 25 degrees for convection. Using toaster oven, the roasting had browned the ribs enough and they fell off the bone. No broiling was needed.)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees F.

2. Rinse and pat the dry the ribs with a paper towel. Remove any silver skin or membrane from the ribs.

3. Split the racks in half (1 lb portions)

4. Rub mustard into the top of the ribs

5. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

6. Wrap the ribs in foil, sealing the edges of the foil, making sealed packets.

7. Place the ribs on a baking sheet, bone side down.

8. Place the ribs on a rack in the center of the oven. Cook the ribs for 2½ hours.

9. Fold back the foil to expose the ribs. Liberally coat the ribs with barbecue sauce and leave foil open.

10. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (no need to wait for it to preheat). Place the ribs back in the oven for 25 minutes.

11. For fall of the bone ribs, the internal temperature needs to be 190 -205 degrees.

12. If not browned to your liking, set the oven to broil. When hot, place the baking tray under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Repeat with an additional layer of bbq sauce, if desired. Serve the ribs.

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas With Peppers and Tomatoes

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020381-crispy-spiced-chickpeas-with-peppers-and-tomatoes

Note: I did not have the combination of spices, fresh herbs, jalapenos, and pomegranate seeds listed below, so I used Trader Joe's Za'ater blend on the chickpeas instead and it worked great! I would try roasting the chickpeas for longer next time, as they weren't quite crisp.

Ingredients 

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers (or a combination), stems and seeds removed, sliced lengthwise ¼-inch thick
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 2 jalapeños, stem and seeds removed, sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or mashed to a paste
• 1 cup fresh herbs (any combination of parsley, cilantro, mint or dill)
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• Couscous or rice, for serving (optional)

Procedure

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees and arrange racks on the top and bottom thirds of the oven.

2. In a large bowl, toss chickpeas with 2 tablespoons oil, the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and ½ teaspoon salt until evenly coated. Spread onto a rimmed sheet pan in a single layer and top with 3 thyme sprigs.

3. On a second sheet pan, combine bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños and remaining thyme sprigs with 2 tablespoons oil and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Spread vegetables into one layer.

4. Place chickpea pan on the bottom rack and vegetables on the top rack and roast for 10 minutes. Switch pan positions. Roast chickpeas until crisped but still tender, about 5 minutes, and roast vegetables until golden brown, about 10 minutes. If the vegetables are tender but not browned, place the pan under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes to caramelize. Discard thyme sprigs.

5. While the chickpeas and vegetables roast, whisk lemon juice, garlic and remaining ¼ cup oil in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste.

6. Arrange vegetables on a large platter and drizzle with half the dressing, then top with crispy chickpeas, fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle remaining dressing over everything. Serve with couscous or rice, if you like.

Skillet Barbecue Beans

Adapted from https://rachaelray.com/blogs/recipes/skillet-barbecue-beans-recipe

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Two (15oz) cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed (1 cup or 0.5 lb dried beans)
• Enough barbecue sauce to cover beans, about 1/2 cup
• Chopped scallions, for topping

Procedure

• Render bacon for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Add onions, season lightly with salt and heavily with coarse black pepper, and soften a few minutes
• Add garlic and stir a minute. 
• Add beans. 
• Add enough barbecue sauce to coat beans.
• Garnish with scallions.

BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

 Ingredients

• Chicken drumsticks
• Paprika
• Oregano
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Kosher Salt
• BBQ Sauce

Procedure

1. Cut 1-2 slits in each drumstick for faster cooking.
2. Combine the herbs, spices, and salt and rub thoroughly onto the meat.
3. Allow to marinate overnight, if possible.
4. Preheat convection oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Bake for 25 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and brush BBQ sauce all over. 
7. Flip to the side that hasn't been on top and bake for another 20 minutes (but check at the 15-minute mark).

Notes: 9 drumsticks fit well in our convection toaster oven.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Cannellini Bean Salad

Source: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/cannellini-bean-salad/ 

Ingredients

• 1 can of 15 oz cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp minced or grated garlic
• 1/8 cup sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 1/8 cup pinenuts
• 1/8 cup fresh basil, loosely packed and slices
• 3/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt + more to taste
• 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp oil from jar of sun dried tomatoes
• 1 oz feta, crumbled (optional)

Procedure

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. 
• For best flavor, cover and let marinate in fridge for about 30 minutes.

Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry (黑椒牛柳)

 Sourced from: https://redhousespice.com/black-pepper-beef-stir-fry/

I tried making this with 1 lb of meat, and it ended up being too much for two people. 12 oz looks about right. I cooked the onions for a few minutes longer before adding the beef with some extra Shaoxing wine. I also forgot to add ginger to the marinade, but the dish was really delicious. May be worthwhile experimenting with reducing the cornstarch, but since I was using 1 lb of meat, I rounded up to 1.5 tsp (instead of 1.33 tsp) cornstarch for both the marinade and the sauce, and that may have led it to feel extra gluey. However, it seems weird to add cornstarch two separate times - maybe experiment with only having it in the marinade.

INGREDIENTS

For the marinade

• 12 oz flank or skirt steak, 12oz 
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ginger, julienned

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp water

You also need

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 onion, julienned
• ½ red bell pepper, julienned

INSTRUCTIONS

• Slice the beef into strips (against the grain). Mix with the ingredients for the marinade. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients for the sauce then set aside.
• Heat up the oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the marinated beef until it turns brown (should still be pink inside). Transfer it to a separate plate.
• Add onion and pepper to the remaining oil in the wok. Cook for a minute or so.
• Put the beef back into the wok. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until the beef is fully cooked.
• Pour in the sauce. Stir until it becomes thick enough to coat the beef and vegetables nicely.
• Sprinkle more ground black pepper for more intense flavour (optional). Serve hot with steamed rice.