Side Dish Monthly Recipe
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick, Dec. 2024: Bolognese Tomato Sauce
Recipe by Chef Eric Brenner at Red Gravy. In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Ingredients
1 yellow onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
2 lbs. Callicrate ground beef
3 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 ½ oz. tomato paste
12 oz. water
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 pinch grated nutmeg
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 ½ Tbsp. dry oregano
¼ C. sugar
¼ C. chiffonade of fresh basil
Preparation:
Puree onion, celery and carrot in a food processor until smooth. In a large stock pot, sauté the puréed vegetables and garlic in the olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is cooked through. Use the back of a slotted spoon or potato masher to ensure no chunks.
Add all the tomato products, salt, pepper, nutmeg, rosemary, granulated garlic and oregano in a 6-quart blender or use a container and immersion blender and purée. Add tomato and spice mix to the pot with the veggies and beef.
Reduce heat and simmer the sauce until reduced by about 2-3” (usually about 1 hour) — stirring constantly. It’s impossible to stir this dish too much. Keep it moving so the solids don’t settle to the bottom of the pot and burn.
When the sauce is thoroughly cooked, remove from the heat and add in the sugar and fresh basil at the very end. Enjoy this sauce over pasta; use it as a base to make lasagna (which requires more ground beef to thicken the sauce); or use in any other baked pasta application. At Red Gravy, we make a Bucatini Bolognese and a baked lasagna with this sauce, both beloved by our guests.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick, Nov. 2024: Goat Patch Red Ale Bratwurst and Brie Flatbread with Fig Jam and Caramelized Onions
Recipe by Chef Andrew Borek, Chef at Odyssey Gastropub and Nacho Matrix. In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Brats
1 quart Goat Patch Brewing Red Ale
3 Ranch Foods Direct Bratwurst
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 garlic clove
Add all ingredients to sauce pot and bring to a simmer for about 12 minutes or until brats are cooked through. Finish brats on grill or cast iron pan to get a good sear on them. Let cool and thinly slice.
Whiskey Caramelized Onions
2 yellow onions
½ C. whiskey of choice
2 Tbsp. neutral oil or Ranch Foods Direct beef tallow
Salt to taste
In a stock pot add oil and onions on medium heat. Once Onions cook down and are translucent add whiskey and let reduce to until most liquid is evaporated.
Flatbread
2 tsp. dry active yeast
¾ C. warm water
3 C. AP flour
1 Tbsp. salt
4 Tbsp. softened butter
In a mixing bowl add yeast and warm water, and let sit for 5 minutes or until mixture starts to have air bubbles. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. On floured workspace, knead dough until it forms a smooth ball. Roll out as thin as possible, in whatever shape fits you like, and cook on medium heat in a cast iron pan or on a griddle until flatbread gets golden brown.
To assemble:
Add sliced brie, caramelized onions, fig jam, and sliced brats to flatbread and cook in oven at 450 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick, Oct. 2024: Traditional German Pork Jägerschnitzel with Spätzle
Recipe by Chef John Kuespert, Area Chef for SSA Group, who operates food services for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Flame Cafe and Royal Gorge Bridge. In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Schnitzel
4-6 oz. Ranch Foods Direct pork tenderloin, pounded
2 oz. AP Flour
2 oz. egg wash
2 oz. panko
2 C. Ranch Foods Direct Beef Tallow
Procedure
Cut 4 oz. portions of pork tenderloin and cover with plastic wrap, this prevents splatter. Pound with a meat mallet until ¼ inch in thickness. Bread in flour, egg wash, then panko, in that order. Heat up beef tallow in a high walled pan, and fry at 350F for about 3 minutes, until golden, brown and crispy. Internal temperature shoulder read 145F. Lay on paper towel to let excess oil run off.
Spätzle
4 eggs
1/3 C. milk
2 tsp. salt
2 C. all purpose flour
Procedure
Mix together wet and dry ingredients separately, then add the wet to the dry and mix well with a whisk. Dough should be a little sticky. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with salt. If you have a spaetzle maker: load the hopper with dough and slide back and forth over boiling water. Cook spaetzle for 2-3 minutes, season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. If you lack a spaetzle maker, use a colander: pour spaetzle dough into colander and position over pot of boiling water. Press dough through holes with a rubber spatula until all dough is in the water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, season with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Jäger Sauce
12 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. shallots, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
½ tsp. fresh thyme, minced
½ C. white wine
1 quart demi glace (Make your own utilizing Ranch Foods Direct beef bones or save time and start with RFD concentrated beef stock; recipe for both below.)
1 C. heavy cream
Procedure
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add some cooking oil, mushrooms, shallots, thyme, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned and mushrooms are tender. Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce until au sec (almost dry). Add heavy cream and stir, reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add demi glace and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Demi Glace
5 pounds beef bones
1-2 C. tomato paste
1 C. celery - rough chop
1 C. carrot - rough chop
1 C. yellow onion - rough chop
3 bunches fresh thyme
1 tbsp. whole black peppercorn
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 C. sherry or red wine
Procedure
Rub beef bones in tomato paste until evenly covered. Roast at 450F for 1 hour. Put bones in pot, add aromatics and cover in water. Ensure bones are covered in water by at least 2-3 inches. Reduce liquid by half. Strain solids out. Reduce red wine in a clean pot until au sec, then add beef stock. Reduce by half again. Continue to reduce until liquid gets thick and coats the back of a spoon. Serve.
RFD Beef Stock Concentrate Method
If you don’t have the time to create a batch of demi glace from scratch at home, allow RFD to do some of the hard work for you and use their concentrated beef stock. This will cut out 6-8 prep hours for this dish.
Ingredients
1 C. RFD Beef Stock Concentrate
.5 tsp. fresh thyme
1 each garlic clove
.25 tsp. black peppercorn
Corn starch slurry — as needed
Procedure
Steep aromatics in beef stock for 10-15 minutes. Create corn starch slurry and add until desired thickness is reached.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick, Sept. 2024: Lengua al Pipian
Recipe by Chef Fernando Trancoso of Inefable and Tepex. In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
For Tongue:
2 Callicrate beef tongues (about 4 lbs.)
1 white onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
2 tbsp. marjoram
2 tbsp. thyme
5 bay leaves
salt
For Pipian:
20 tomatillos
5 serrano peppers
1 C. toasted pumpkin seeds
1 bunch cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
2 C. chicken broth
3 corn tortillas
salt to taste
Directions:
Place beef tongue in a stockpot and top with all seasonings, herbs and vegetables. Cover with water and cook at low heat for 7 hours.
Boil tomatillos and serranos until fully cooked. Place serranos and tomatillos and ¼ of the boiling liquid in a blender, add garlic and salt, and blend until very smooth.
In a large saucepan, heat up some oil (or tallow) and add your sauce along with 1 cup of chicken broth.
Blend pumpkin seeds, tortillas, cilantro and 1 cup of chicken broth until very smooth. Add to your sauce and continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Peel the thick membrane from the outside of the tongue and cut into slices. Finish cooking in your sauce for 20 minutes or until the sauce has a beautiful thickness.
Serve with Arroz Mejicano. (Find any Mexican rice recipe online.)
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick, August 2024: Top Sirloin Beef Bulgogi
Recipe by Chef Supansa Banker of Chef’s Roots. In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Ingredients:
¼ C. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. dry sake
1 tsp. sesame oil
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. teaspoon salt
3 oz. chopped onion
3 oz. chopped green apple
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 lb. thinly sliced Callicrate top sirloin
Preparation:
1. Add all of the ingredients except the beef in a food processor and purée.
2. Pour the marinade on the beef and stir well to combine. Let it marinate for at least one hour, or overnight.
3. To cook the beef, evenly space it on a very hot pan with Ranch Foods Direct tallow and stir until cooked through. Served with steamed rice and any Korean side dishes you wish. (You can buy some premade at import markets or find recipes online to make your own by searching “banchan recipes.”) The top sirloin bulgogi serves two.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick for July 2024: Seared Berkshire Pork Chop with Ancho Honey Mustard Sauce
Recipe by Executive Chef Dustin Archuleta of Choice Restaurant Concepts (District Elleven/T-Byrd’s Tacos & Tequila/Bird Tree Cafe). In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Ingredients:
6 Callicrate Berkshire pork chops
2 T Whole coriander, for seasoning
½ C White wine vinegar
½ C Honey
1 T Whole grain mustard
1 t Ancho powder
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1½ T Cilantro, fine chop
1 T Shallot, fine mince
Pinch of salt
Ranch Foods Direct tallow for searing (or oil of choice)
Roasted and salted peanuts, chopped for garnish
Procedure:
1. Start by warming a pan on medium-high heat. Toast the whole coriander, moving constantly to prevent burning, until fragrant. Set aside until completely cool, then use a spice grinder to grind to semi fine powder. If you don’t have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, you can use ground coriander.
2. Score the fat cap in a diamond pattern to keep the meat laying flat in the pan while cooking. Preferably the night before, season all sides of the chops with salt and the coriander. (You may have coriander left over after seasoning. If you can’t salt your chops the night before, do it at least 30 minutes before cooking.)
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F and warm a small sauce pot on medium-low. Once hot, add a small amount of tallow or oil and the garlic, and sweat until fragrant. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the white wine vinegar, honey, mustard, ancho powder and a scant pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce by ⅓, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl then add the cilantro and shallot. Let cool to room temperature for best flavor.
4. Warm a thick skillet or cast iron pan on medium-high heat. Pat your chops dry with a paper towel, and add enough tallow or oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, sear your chops for 2 minutes on each side then for 2 minutes on the fat cap, using tongs to keep them upright. Reserve them on a baking sheet. Once you’ve seared all your chops, place them in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, roughly 6-8 minutes. Top with some of your sauce and rest for 10 minutes. (Grilling instructions below if you’d rather grill.)
5. Remove the meat from the bone and slice. Top with a generous amount of the ancho mustard sauce and a small amount of chopped peanuts and serve with cilantro lime rice or charred green beans.
Grilling instructions: Create two heat zones on your grill: high (1-2 inches from the coals) and low (3-4 inches from the coals). Pat chops dry and coat with olive oil. Grill in a high heat zone for 1½ minutes, rotate 45 degrees and cook for an additional 1½ minutes. Repeat on the other side then transfer to the low zone and cook for an additional 10 minutes, turning every two minutes. Top with some of the ancho mustard sauce and rest for 10 minutes.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick for June 2024: Reverse Seared Tomahawk Steak
Recipe by Chef Jason Miller, co-founder of Season Two Taste food blog and a culinary instructor at The French Kitchen. In collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Ingredients
Ranch Foods Direct Callicrate tomahawk ribeye - 3 ½ lb.
Ranch Foods Direct tallow - 3 oz.
Grey Sea Salt (available at The French Kitchen) - 2 Tbsp.
Fresh ground black pepper - 1 tsp.
Procedure
Pull steak from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature. Let it warm until the thickest part of the meat registers 50 to 60 degrees using a probe thermometer, (about 2 to 3 hours for the size in this recipe; time will vary depending on size).
Set a smoker/bbq to 225 F, (or use an oven if you would rather not use a smoker).
Rub the entire steak liberally with the salt and pepper
Place the steak into the smoker on the top rack, cooking until the interior reaches the desired temperature: 110 for rare, 120 for medium rare, 130 for medium, 140 for medium well, 150 for well done.
When the meat achieves the appropriate temp, heat a large skillet (cast iron is best) over high heat for at least 4 minutes. It should be extremely hot because of the size of the steak.
Working quickly, melt the tallow in the pan, and sear each side of the steak until a deep brown crust is formed.
Remove the steak from the skillet and set aside on a wire rack to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Carve the steak away from the bone, slice into desired thickness slices to serve.
Upgrade Options
Steak Rub Seasoning: Add the following ingredients to the salt and pepper
Coriander seed, cracked - ½ tsp.
Pink peppercorns - ¼ tsp.
Dry rosemary - ¼ tsp.
Granulated garlic - ¼ tsp.
Pan Sauce: After the sear of the steak, prepare a butter sauce.
Ingredients
Juice and zest of one large lemon
Worcestershire sauce - 2 Tbsp.
Unsalted European butter (available at The French Kitchen) - 4 oz.
Flat leaf parsley, minced - 1 Tbsp.
Procedure
Pour off the tallow, and reduce heat to medium high.
Place the fresh herbs into the pan.
Add the lemon juice and the Worcestershire sauce to deglaze the meat drippings.
Add the lemon zest.
Reduce the heat to medium low, and add the cold butter a little at a time to create a pan sauce; remove the pan from the heat.
Add the parsley last.
Pour the sauce over each steak portion.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick for May 2024: Seco de Carne (Peruvian Beef in Cilantro Sauce)
Recipe by Chef Luis Pagan at The French Kitchen, in collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Ingredients:
Beef Marinate:
2 lbs. Callicrate Beef chuck roast
2 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. panka pepper paste (available at import markets)
½ C. chicha de Jora (available at import markets)
Sofrito:
¼ C. vegetable oil (or Ranch Foods Direct tallow)
1 large red onion in brunoise
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tomatoes cut into small dice
6 oz. aji mirasol pepper paste
1 tsp. turmeric
1 bunch cilantro
½ C. beef broth
½ C. dark beer (Modelo Negra)
Garnish:
1 C. green peas
¼ red bell cut in medium dice
Sides:
White rice
Mayocoba beans
Preparation:
Marinate
1. Cut the chuck roast beef into 2 inch cubes and season with salt, black pepper, cumin, garlic, panka pepper paste, and the chicha de jora. (This is better done the night before).
Sofrito
1. In a pot add the oil and caramelize the onions.
2. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the mirasol pepper paste, and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Add the turmeric, and integrate.
6. In a blender add the cilantro with ½ cup of water and make a paste.
7. Add the cilantro paste to the pot, and cook for another 15 minutes (we want to cook the water off and be left with the flavors of all the ingredients).
8. Add the beef broth, marinated beef and bring to a boil first, then down to a simmer for 1.5 hours or until the beef is tender enough to cut with a fork.
9. After 1.5 hours add the dark beer, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
10. In a separate small pot, bring water and salt to boil and blanch the peas and red bell pepper for 5 minutes.
11. Refresh the peas, and red bell peppers in cool water, reserve until serving.
12. Serve the stew with white rice and Mayocoba beans as an optional side.
Ranch Foods Direct Schnip’s Pick for April 2024: Beef Liver & Mushroom Spring Sliders with Pickled Onions and Carrots
Recipe by Chef Brent Beavers at The Carter Payne, in collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct and Side Dish with Schniper.
Ingredients:
For the pickled things:
1 C. diced yellow onion
1 C. diced carrot
10 oz. water
8 oz. cider vinegar
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. brown sugar
5 juniper berries
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. black peppercorn
1 tsp. ground turmeric powder
pinch of salt
For the liver:
1.5 lbs. Callicrate beef liver, trimmed and cleaned of all veins
8 oz. butter milk
1 tbs. butter
1 tbs. oil (or Ranch Foods Direct tallow) for searing
salt and pepper to season
For the mushrooms:
10 oz. mushrooms
3 oz. butter
2 oz. white wine
I tbs. garlic
For the sauce:
2 tbs. whole grain mustard
¼ C. fresh chopped herbs of choice or pea shoots
¼ C. cider vinegar
½ C. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Day before
• Bring water, vinegar, spices and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chopped carrots and onions, let cool and refrigerate overnight.
• Clean and trim liver of all veins. Cut into two 3-oz. pieces. Soak in buttermilk overnight. (Prep time 10 minutes each.)
Day of
• Sauté mushrooms with butter, white wine and chopped garlic. Cook over low heat until fully cooked. Pulse in food processor, set aside. (Prep time 5 minutes, cook time 10 minutes.)
• While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl, set aside. (Prep time 5 minutes.)
• To cook the liver: pat liver dry. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, heat oil (or tallow) and butter. Once oil is hot, sear liver pieces until desired doneness. (I like medium, about 3 minutes per side.)
• Grill or toast slider bun of choice.
• Assemble sliders by stacking liver, mushrooms and pickled items tossed in sauce; garnish with extra sauce to taste. Enjoy! (Makes 8 sliders.)