“Un-Propa” Eats: Macaroni and Beef
I’m one of those cooks that does not measure. A sprinkle of this, a pinch of that; until my ancestors tell me, “That’s enough, child.
My grandmother and my father were my greatest food influencers. But, everytime I asked them how to make something, they’d tell me things like, “Put half a pot spoon of sugar,” and, “Let it brown good, but doh let it burn, eh.” If you’ve been taught how to cook by your elders then I’m sure you can relate!
Throughout the years, I’ve continued that way of cooking. I’ve been asked to make YouTube videos and publish recipes and I’ve tried and failed at blogs solely because I just cannot measure. It never works out for me. But, I’m totally willing to share the framework for some of my favourite quick and easy dishes. These aren’t recipes in the traditional sense. Rather, ideas that you can follow and make your own. Something we like to call ‘Unpropa Eats’.
My father used to frequently cook macaroni and liver while I was growing up. Yuck. Liver.
I’m older now and can eat liver any which way you give it to me. I still make it with macaroni on occasion but I mostly substitute with beef to satisfy the palates of my non-liver-loving husband and my picky 5-year-old.
So here’s my faux-recipe for macaroni and beef. Make it your own. Use liver, use chicken, use pork, use beef, use tofu or soy, if you’re not a carnivore. Use any kind of pasta you like. Make it spicy or not. Throw in some veggies, or not. But make it. It’s quick, it’s easy, it can feed the masses for very little, and it’s a crowd (and kid) pleaser. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade
- Protein of your choice
- Green seasoning
- Powdered seasoning
- Ketchup
- Oil
- Sugar (brown or white—whichever)
- Chopped onions
- Chopped pimentos
- A few sprigs of thyme
- Macaroni (I love using penne or bow ties. Elbows or any short cut pasta is fine, too. If you’re using traditional Trini macaroni or spaghetti just break it up into smaller pieces.)
- Hot pepper (optional)
- Golden Ray (optional)
Directions
- Wash and season meat as you like with powdered and green seasonings. Add some ketchup.
- Add a bit of oil and some sugar to a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Once the sugar starts to caramelize and froth up, dump in your seasoned meat. Add the onions, pimentos and thyme.
- Cook on medium low. If using beef, you may have to add a bit of water to the pot to cook until tender. Chicken, of course, cooks faster and springs it’s own water, so you most likely won’t need to add any. If using veggies, add to the pot when meat is almost cooked.
- In the meantime, boil the macaroni until it’s tender but be careful not to overcook as it will cook some more when you add it to the stewed meat.
- Make sure there’s some liquid in your meat pot and once the meat is fully cooked and tender, add in the macaroni, a piece of Golden Ray butter, and a few squirts of ketchup.
- Mix well and let it cook together for about 5 minutes so the flavors can marry.
- Serve and fall in love with this perfect mess with absolutely no official measurements.
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