PRIME RIB ROAST BAKED IN ROCK SALT ASHTON STYLE (#56)

     I've been asked many times: are you sure the roast is not going to be salty? One would think so considering it is covered in rock salt.  The truth though is: it is not salty at all! In addition, the meat will be tender and juicy. ( its the best)   The only drawback is that there is no sauce using this method of cooking.  You can make an ajus sauce using the recipe below this recipe. Also, you might wish to try cooking a boneless beef roast, a whole chicken or a whole fish with the same excellent results! One usually serves ajus sauce and yorkshire pudding with this roast.  Each will have to be made separate from this rock salt roast. (see recipes below)

pre heat oven to 400 degrees
INGREDIENTS:
     4, 6, 8, lb or more prime rib roast
     a bottle of hot, sweet, brown mustard
     a bag of rock salt (yes the same rock salt you put on your driveway)

DIRECTIONS:
    1.  in a 13" by 17" by 3" high metal pan, pour about 2 "of rock salt to totally cover the bottom of the pan
    2. place the rib roast in the middle of the pan and cover the roast completely and generously with the Dijon mustard
    3. now cover the mustard covered roast totally with rock salt; ( you will have to over cover the roast as the rock salt will not stay readily and so be persistent (save the rest for winter!)
   4. place a meat thermometer deep in the center of the roast and bake for some 3 hours until the thermometer registers 150 degrees for slightly rarer and 160 degrees for one more well done
  5. when the roast is done break the rock salt off the roast (it is easy, make sure all the salt is reomoved
      as most will come off in chunks; again there will be no salty taste left in the meat!)   
6. a 4 pound roast will serve 8 adults, depending on how thick you cut the slice, a 6 pound roast will serve 10 or so, and an 8 pound roast will serve at least 14 adults ENJOY

          
AJUS SAUCE
     INGREDIENTS:
          2  (1/2 cups) of virgin olive oil
          4 to 5 browned beef bones (see cooking method) or 16 oz of boxed beef broth
          4 or 5 stalks of celery rough cut
          2 medium onions peeled, and rough cut
          4 tab of worcestershire sauce
          2 tab of  Kitchen Bouquet
          3 tab of Millers Beef soup base
          1/2 can of Contadina tomato paste
          1 tsp coarse ground pepper
          1 tab of grandulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:
       1. put the one 1/2 cup of virgin olive oil in a large fry pan
          over moderate heat
       2. if you are using beef bones put them in the oil and
           fry until well browned then add 16 oz of water and
            3 tab of  Millers Beef Soup Base and stir until incorporated (set aside)
       2. take the other 1/2 cup of oil and put into a lg fry pan
           when oil is hot add the onions and celery and fry until
           slightly brown
      3. add the 1/2 6oz can Contadina tomato paste and stir into
          the onions and celery (about 5 minutes)
      4. either strain the bones then add either the beef broth from the box
          or bones, worcestershire sauce Kitchen Bouquet, and stir until
          incorporated in the vegtables
      5. cook on the stove at low heat for about an hour or so and taste
          for flavor. (don't over cook as it might get salty)
      6. strain into a gravy boat for serving

YORKSHIRE PUDDING:
INGREDIENTS:
     3 jumbo eggs
     1 1/2 cups flour
     1 1/2 cups milk
     1 tsp salt
     1 1/2 cups juice from the roasting pan
     (if necessary add some wine and water
     to replace what you took out

DIRECTIONS:

PRE HEAT THE OVEN TO 400 DEGREES
     1. in one bowl mix the eggs and milk
         until well mixed
     2. in another bowl mix the flour and salt
         until well mixed
     3. in a large bowl pour the eggs and milk in
        and then slowly add the dry ingredients until
        all the ingredients are incorporated    
.    4.heat up juices from the pan and pour
         into the 13 by 17 by 3 inch  heavy roasting pan
     5. pour the mixed ingredients into the hot juices and
         bake for at least 30 minutes until the yorkshire pudding
         is brown and firm.
     6. place the yorkshire pudding on a large platter and pour
         some of the ajus on or cut into serving sizes and put on
         each plate with meat and have each person pour some
         on the meat and pudding


    

* FRANK ASHTONS FAMOUS BBQ SAUCE-- TRULY EXCEPTIONAL! -- ASHTON STYLE (#55)

VEGETARIAN RECIPE;
   Some years ago I was asked to cook barbeque chicken for about 400 people.  I never had been satisfied with commercial BBQ sauce so I decided to make my own variation.  I knew what I wanted and what I did not want in such a sauce.  I did not want the sauce to be hot but certainly one could put more heat in the recipe that follows such as tabasco or additional hot peppers such as habanera.  I did want the sauce to be more sweet than not. In terms of ingredients there were two that make this recipe more unique.  The first is grape jelly and the second is red sparkling wine (I prefer Runinte Red Sparkling wine but any red sparkling wine will do). I have had many people ask for this recipe so please try it and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS:

7 bottles (138 oz) of commercial (store bought

   sauce such as Hienz or Krafts BBQ Sauce)

10 oz bottle of Teriyaki sauce
16 oz of grape jelly
6 oz of molasses
1 oz of liquid smoke
1/2 oz of tabasco sauce (more if you want the sauce to be hot)
3/4 liter of  sparkling red wine (Ruinite Red is very good)

OPTIONAL:
6 cloves of minced garlic
3 tab of soy sauce
3 tab of hoisin sauce
3 tab of grated ginger

DIRECTIONS:
mix all the above ingredients and cook at least 2 hrs in a large soup pot with a defuser in between the
pot and the burner.  A defuser is a semi flat round metal defuser about 6 inches in diameter with holes in it on both sides. I use this for spaghetti sauce and it works wonders.  Many larger hardware stores might carry it.
Don't use a solid metal one as its a waste of money. If you can't find a defuser cook on very low heat and stir often so you do not burn the sauce.

PRIME RIB OF BEEF IN A PORT WINE REDUCTION SAUCE ASHTON STYLE (# 54)

         I had the opportunity to cook a dinner for some friends of mine, Mary Lou McCracken and her husband Al Sharon who also were hosting three additional guests in their home for a few days. They had become friends on a cruise and invited them to visit. My wife and I invited all of them to come over to our home for dinner. One of the guests included a 92 year old former Lieutenant General, "MN Batra of India". Besides being a general, Min" as his friends call him, also wrote a book "In The Middle" about his career.  On the back cover is a photo of him with Indira Gandhi.  The book is not only informative about his long military history but also funny and certainly very interesting to read about the various exploits he has encountered.
       This is the recipe for a 7 pound prime rib that I made for them and who all three could not say enough about how much they enjoyed it. I have cooked prime rib various ways including incasing it in rock salt.  The following recipe is different than the rock salt method.  But it is another delicious way of cooking this great roast! Usually it is cooked first on a high heat 400-450 degrees for about a half hour and then the heat is reduced down to 350 degrees and cooked for about an hour. This should give you a roast that is rarer in the center and well done on the outside. You usually serve ajus sauce with this roast but for this recipe it is made in a Port reduction sauce.
This means the ajus sauce will have a port wine flavor to it. One also usually makes Yorkshire pudding to sevrve with this beef roast. (see both recipes below)

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees
INGREDIENTS:
     a 5 to 6lb or more rib roast with 3 to 4 ribs or moe, or a 5 to 6 lb boneless rib roast tied with butcher
     string from your butcher (ask him or her for a 10 ft piece and they don't charge you)
     6 cloves of garlic cut in half
     6 oz of dried parsley
     3 lg onions peeled and cut in half and then into slices
    1/2 cup of virgin olive oil
    1/2 can of Contadina tomato paste
    5 carrots peeled and cut in two
    4 stalks of celery cut in half
    1 (750 ml good port wine)
    10 to 15 small "boiler" onions
    10 to 15 small new potatoes
    1 tsp coarse pepper
    1 slight handful of peppercorns
    3 tab Millers (or equiv) beef soup base
    2 tab of flour or arrowroot
   

DIRECTIONS:
     1. take the pieces of garlic and cut into the meat and put the garlic with a good pinch of parsley into the             hole. do this all over the roast until all 12 pieces are used
    2. put the olive oil in a large fry pan over moderate heat and brown all sides of the roast place the roast in
        a roasting pan about 11inches by 13 inches by 2 1/2 inches high (depending the the size of the roast)
    3. in the same fry pan brown the onions
    4. put the 1/2 can of tomato paste in the fry pan with the onions and stir until incorporated and place                 them around the roast
    5. pour about 3/4s of the port wine into the roasting pan (add more if needed0
    6. add the beef base  around the roast and stir
    7. add the peppercorns around the roast
    8. put the roast in the 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes then reduce temp to 350
    9. place meat thermometer in the middle of the roast and bake until the temp is either
        150 degrees for slightly rare or 160 degrees for one less rare (about 2 hrs or so)
   10. the last hour remove about 2 cups of juices for ajus sauce and put the vegtables
         in including the carrots, small onions, small potatoes around the roast (make sure
         there is enough liquid left and add more wine or even water so that the liquid is
         about an inch high around the roast.
   11. check for taste

AJUS SAUCE RECIPE
 INGREDIENTS:
     2 onions peeled and rough cut
     4 stalks of celery rough cut
     4 tab of worcetershire sauce
     2 tab of Millers or equiv beef base
     16 oz of the port wine pan juices
     from the beef roast
     1/2 (6oz can) Contadina tomato paste
     1 tsp coarse ground pepper
     1 tab granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:
     1. put a 1/2 cup of virgin olive oil in a lg
         fry pan over moderate heat
     2. when the oil is hot add the onions and
         the celery and fry until slightly brown
     3. add the tomato paste to the vegtables
         and stir in until totally incorporated
     4. add the 16 oz of pan juices from the
         roast
     5. add worstershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet,
         Millers or equiv beef base, sugar and stir
         until all is incorporated
     6. taste, if to strong or salty, add water and
         stir until your satisfied on the taste.  don't
         over cook as it tends to get too salty
     7. strain into a gravy boat to serve

MAMA'S LASAGNA (#53)

Lasagna is one of those Italian dishes that could be great or medicore at best!  My feeling is if your going to go through all the trouble (steps) in making it, why not make it as good as it can be.  The following recipe is one my mother has used for many years (she is almost 93).  I would not be giving you it if I didn't believe it was a great recipe!  The only way to find out if I am right is to try it and let me know how you liked it.  Now,
understand that my mother has always cooked by the hand method-(a handful of this, a handful of that, a slight handful, a small handful, a really small handful, about a tablespoon in the hand, a smaller tsp in the hand,
or yes even a pinch.  Anyway use your own judgement. The sauce is a combination of hers and mine to make a rich Italian style sauce-(she doesn't hardly use onions).  When I was small she had to swear that there were no onions in the chili as I would throw up if there were.  Well, now I put onions in everything except ice cream! ENJOY

INGREDIENTS:

     1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

     16 oz of ricotta cheese (drained if wet)

     16 oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
       8 oz of parmesan cheese

     1 1/2 cans of  Contadina crushed tomatoes

     3 hard boiled eggs

     3 raw eggs whipped

     2 medium onions peeled, cut in half and sliced
     5 cloves garlic smashed,  peeled, and rough cut
     8 oz of dry red wine
     8 oz virgin olive oil
      16 oz box lasagna noodles
       2oz of sugar
     1 tab dried oregano

     2 tab dried basil

     1 tsp salt
     1 tsp pepper
     
DIRECTIONS: (PRE HEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES)
     1. in a large fry pan add 5 oz of the virgin olive oil
         over moderate heat

     2. when the oil is hot add the onions, oregano, basil,

         salt and pepper keep stiring until onions are well carmelized

     3. add the tomato paste and stir until all is incorporated
     4. add the garlic and 4 oz of  parmesean cheese and cook
         an additonal 5 minutes until all is incorporated

     5. add the 1 1/2 cans of Contadina crushed tomatos, sugar

         and the red wine and continue stiring until the

         sauce is incorporated (about 15 minutes) pour

         into a large soup pot and place on a defuser low

         on low heat to simmer 2 hours.

     6. in a separate fry pan add the 3 oz of virgin olive
         and then the ground meat and fry until slightly
         brown and set aside
     7. boil the lasagna noodles according to the box
         until they are al dente; rinse and keep in 3qts
         fresh water so they remain soft

     8. usng a  9" by 13" (preferably pyrex glass)  by about 2" high

         brush the 3 oz of virgin olive oil on the bottom and
         sides

     9. .next, add enough of the tomato sauce  

         on the bottom of the glass pan until the bottom is about

         covered (about a 1/2 inch)

    11. place the cooked lasagna noodles side by side over the

         tomato sauce until the pan is filled (long way)

    12. add another 1/2 inch of the tomato sauce on the noodles

    13. sprinkle about a generous handful of the ground meat over

         the tomato sauce evenly

    14. mix the ricotta cheese with the 3 whipped eggs

          and sprinkle a slight handful over the tomato sauce

    15. sprinkle a third of the hard boiled eggs over the ricotta mixture

    16. mix the other 4 oz parmesan and 16 oz of mozzarella
         cheeses together and sprinkle a handful over the hard boiled
         eggs
    17. put another layer of  lasagna noodles over the cheeses
    18. now repeat the tomato sauce, ground meat, handful of ricotta and
          mozzarella cheeses and slight handful of hard boiled eggs
    19. put the last layer of lasagna noodles over the hard boiled eggs

    20. now repeat the last of the ground meat, ricotta

         and hard boiled eggs and finish with the tomato sauce and

         cheeses on top

    21. put the finished lasagna in the oven on a foil covered

          cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hr to 1hour and 15 minutes (put

          aluminum foil over the the lasagna without touching

          the last 30 minutes. (I would be careful of not overdoing the

          amount of the sauce.  If you have some left over after making the dish

          save it rather then putting too much in the dish ENJOY
       
    
        
    
    

ITALIAN BEEF BRACIOLA ASHTON STYLE (#52)

Italian Braciola is a rolled up stuffed thin sliced sirloin or flank steak. Once made each role up is cooked in with the meatballs and neck bones in the pasta sauce.  When served it can be cut into slices and put on the plate with the meatballs and pasta. It has a slightly sweet taste and adds to the pasta dish. To prepare the meat,  put each slice  in a large plastic food bag (1 or 2 gallon size).  Using a food mallet or a flat bottom bottle pound the meat even thinner and cut in half (about 4 inches each). 
INGREDIENTS:
     2 slices of  thin cut sirloin or flank steak from your butcher
     2 cups bread crumbs, add 1 tsp ea.  parsley, oregano, and basil
     1 medium onion peeled and minced
     5 slices of  Genoa or hard salami cut into small pieces
     3 hard boiled eggs
     1 hand full of raisins
     2 raw eggs

DIRECTIONS:
     1. pound the meat very thin and cut into 4 inch pieces for stuffing
     2. in a large bowl mix the bread crumbs, spices, minced onion,
         hard boiled eggs, salami pieces, raisins and 2 fresh eggs until
         all the ingredients are incorperated.
     3. put about a half cup of the ingredients on the sliced meat and
         fold over until all the stuffing is covered.  using toothpicks stick
         them through the meat to keep the stuffing in.
     4. you are now ready to add them to the pasta sauce and cook
         in the sauce until all is cooked.
     5. each person can either get a a half or whole brachiola
     6. this dish will serve about 6 to 8 persons ENJOY