Menu Wednesday Lucky #13 - Italian Beef Sandwiches and Minestrone

This Wednesday is lucky Menu #13 and it's a big winner! Not only do we have delicious sandwiches . . . AND a fabulous soup . . . but ALSO a healthy wintertime salad too. The possibilities are there for several combo meals - soup and sandwich, soup and salad, sandwich and salad, or the soup, salad, sandwich trifecta!

And not only do we have three great combos, but they can all be prepared ahead of time, making them perfect for busy families, working moms or dads who cook, big family gatherings, pot lucks, or casual company dinners. I just love a dish or a menu that can multi-task!

I've used various recipes for Italian beef through the years, but this is my latest favorite. Different cuts of roast will work, although you may need to cut the meat into a couple of pieces to fit smaller slow cookers.

The bonus for making Italian Beef is having a pot full of savory juices and bits of meat left at the bottom that can be transformed into a hearty Italian Minestrone with the addition of some vegetables, beans and pasta. If you want to serve this with the Italian Beef sandwiches, just start a day ahead of time to cook the Italian Beef. Reserve some of the juices to pour over the sandwiches (they taste so good when they're a little sloppy) and use the rest of the juices, and a few bits of beef, for the soup base. With a big enough slow-cooker, you could even double the liquids and you'd have plenty left for a big pot of Minestrone.

The combination of oranges and fennel is classic for a winter salad. I add the cherries (or craisins, if you like) and nuts for a little sweetness and crunch. It is just so fresh and fruity - a perfect balance with heartier winter dishes, in my humble opinion. If you don't care for fennel, or can't find it in your market, there are still enough healthy components here to make it a worthy wintertime treat. Try the fennel and oranges together with the tart dressing for a match made in heaven.

SLOW-COOKER ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES
1 rump roast (3 – 4 lbs.)
10 garlic cloves, crushed
1 jar pepperoncini peppers with juice
1 can beer
32 oz. beef broth
Hoagie rolls
Additional pepperoncini for garnish

Brown the rump roast on all sides in a skillet and place in the slow-cooker. Add garlic cloves, pepperoncini peppers, beer, and beef broth. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours, until the meat falls apart. Shred meat with a fork. To serve, spoon shredded beef onto toasted hoagie rolls. Serve with additional warm beef juices from the slow-cooker and more pepperoncini peppers. NOTE: Save any liquid and bits of beef to make Minestrone Soup – recipe below.

MINESTRONE SOUP FROM LEFTOVER ITALIAN BEEF
This is a great soup to make with leftover meats and vegetables, or whatever you have on hand. As with most great soups, there is no exact recipe, so this is merely a suggestion of ingredients I add to the Italian Beef broth left in the pot.

Italian Beef Broth leftover from sandwiches
Corn - canned, fresh or frozen
Beans - canned or pre-cooked
Tomatoes - canned, fresh or frozen
Spinach - chopped fresh or frozen
Onion - chopped
Potato - fresh or frozen, diced
Carrots - fresh or frozen, sliced
Spaghetti, cooked, broken in 2-in. pieces
Parmesan cheese, grated

Place Italian Beef Broth and any leftover shreds of beef in a large stockpot. Add vegetables and spaghetti to stock. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 45 mins., or until potato is tender. Add Parmesan cheese about 5 minutes before serving. Soup may be thickened with mashed beans, mashed potatoes or pureed vegetables, if desired.

WINTER SALAD WITH ORANGES, FENNEL, DRIED CHERRIES & PECANS
big bunch mixed lettuces – iceberg, romaine, endive, etc.
1 bulb fresh fennel
2 oranges (use blood oranges when in season during late winter)
1/3 c. dried cherries
1/3 c. spiced or toasted pecans, chopped
1/4 c. red onion, very thinly sliced (optional)
1/3 c. good olive oil
1/3 c. good vinegar – balsamic, port wine, red wine, champagne, white wine, rice wine, etc.
sugar - optional
salt & pepper to taste

Wash, spin dry and chop lettuces. Slice or shave white part of fennel bulb in half from top to bottom. Place each half, flat-side down, and cut across to make very, very thin slices. Cut small slice off top and bottom of oranges. Cut from top to bottom to remove peel and white pith from oranges. The cut orange into segments - cutting close to the membrane on each side - leaving you with sliced crescent shaped segments with no membrane or peel. In a small bowl, mix olive oil and vinegar of your choice; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add just a pinch or two of sugar if salad dressing or fruits are too tart. Toss a small amount of dressing with chilled lettuces. Salad may be plated for individual servings or placed in a large bowl. For either serving style: place lettuce mix first and then arrange fennel slices, orange slices, cherries and toasted pecans over lettuce mix.

SHOPPING LIST for Menu Wednesday #13
Italian Beef Sandwiches
Italian Beef Soup
Winter Salad with Oranges, Fennel, Dried Cherries & Pecans

Produce
Garlic – 10 cloves or 1 bulb
Onion – 1 medium or 1 small bag frozen chopped
Potato – 2 fresh
Carrots – 3 or 4 or 1 small bag frozen
Spinach – fresh or 1 box frozen chopped
Lettuces – 8 c. mix of your choice (iceberg, romaine, leaf, endive, butterhead, etc.)
Fennel – 1 bulb
Oranges – 2
Red onion - 1

Pantry
Pepperoncini peppers – 1 jar (additional for garnish)
Beer – 1 can
Beef broth – 32 oz.
Beans – 1 can or dried (cook before adding to soup)
Corn – 1 can or 1 small bag frozen
Spaghetti – 1 box (only using partial box)
Dried cherries – 1/3 c.
Pecans – 1/3 c. whole
Olive oil
Vinegar – 1/3 c. (choice balsamic, red wine, champagne, etc.)
Sugar – 1 tsp.
Salt & Pepper

Bakery
Hoagie Rolls

Dairy
Parmesan Cheese - 1 c.