The Voices in My Head

Allow me to invite you into my head for a bit.  No, it’s ok.  Come closer.

Closer.

Scared yet?

So, I just thought I’d share a bit of the ‘journey’ I go through in coming up with a recipe.  Or a meal plan.  Whatever.

I’d say by and large my meal planning comes from either a recipe (or recipes) I’ve run across, or by pulling from old standards.  But there are times when I have this vague notion of what I’m looking for, and that’s usually when the voices in my head lead me down a meandering path.

Sunday I decided that I wanted to keep things pretty basic – steak and potatoes.  So there I was, clipping coupons (my Sunday afternoon ritual) and watching The Cooking Channel.

Cue the brain voices:

“So…  steak and potatoes.  But something more exciting than just mashed potatoes.  Maybe a root veggie mash?  Mmm, that would be tasty.  Oh, my gosh.  Is it REALLY almost March?  What the hell happened to FEBRUARY??  St. Patrick’s Day…  maybe a colcannon/root veggie mash?  Kale.  I really need to try kale.  I should make spinach more often.  Only 25¢ off on toilet paper?  Seriously??  Do these idiots have any idea what a package of toilet paper costs these days?  Oooh, what’s in the basket?  I could seriously compete on Chopped.  Well, unless they gave me cow’s tongue.  Not touching that stuff with a ten-foot pole.  Coconut, huh?  Wonder if I have coconut milk?  Hmm…  something a bit spicy in a sauce over steak.  With spinach.  I should try a root veggie mash with coconut milk.  Do I have any sweet potatoes?  I’m sure I don’t.  Ok, rice it is.”

And thus my steak and potatoes became a garlic/ginger marinated steak with sautéed spinach and garlic and a coconut sauce over coconut ginger rice.

The voices made me do it.

Garlic and Ginger Marinated Flank Steak

1 flank steak, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbs canola oil
½ cup soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper

Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon sized freezer bag.  Add steak and turn until covered in marinade.  Close bag and allow to sit in fridge for about an hour.  Remove and allow to come to room temperature.  Cook as desired (I cooked mine on the stove with my cast iron grill pan).  Allow to rest before cutting across the grain into strips.

Spicy Coconut Sauce

1 Tbs canola oil
1 shallot, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced (leave seeds in for extra heat if you’d like)
½ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp turmeric
1 cup coconut milk (use the rest of the can in your rice)
2 Tbs soy sauce
½ cup chicken stock
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional – found these in the spice aisle)

Heat oil over medium heat.  Add the shallot, garlic and peppers.  Sauté just until shallot and pepper are cooked through.  Add turmeric and continue to cook and stir another minute.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a simmer and allow to cook about 5 to 10 minutes until mixture begins to thicken slightly.  Serve immediately.

* * *
I have a feeling I may have posted this recipe before.  And I swear, every time I make it, it’s like I have an epiphany that says, “Why don’t I make this more often”.  Obviously, it’s crazy good for you, takes almost no time to make, and is delicious.  Color me forgetful.

Garlicky Spinach

1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
6 cups fresh baby spinach (I used a 10 oz bag)
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 Tbs soy sauce

Heat oils over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced garlic and sauté just until the garlic turns golden.  Add all of the spinach.  Using a pair of tongs, cook and turn the spinach until it is almost wilted.  Add the soy sauce and season with black pepper.

Chocolate Craze

I don’t know why I’ve had such a writing block with this post. Maybe it’s because every time I think about our chocolate dinner, I go into a post-hypnotic stupor just thinking about it.

Or maybe I’m just being lazy.

I will have to say that I think that Carley and I need to come up with a more creative term for the ‘Dinner of the Month’ thing we do (Carley is the Artist Formerly Known as ‘C’ or ‘Chip’). We’re just enjoying ourselves too much to not give it a better moniker. I’m also thinking we should start inviting people to partake since we seem to make a TON of food between us, and it’s generally only being enjoyed by four people.

While the name thing is floating around waiting to be resolved, I’ll move along to the food. Being February, we opted to go with a chocolate theme. In other words, everything had to have chocolate in it. And while I knew it wouldn’t be a far stretch coming up with main dishes (such as this molé), what I didn’t realize was how difficult it would be to come up with the SIDES.

But ultimately, I think we did pretty well.

And no, we didn’t sit down to Oreos and Hershey bars.

I won’t share all of the recipes here, but everything was delicious. Every dish had chocolate in some form but you didn’t get hit over the head with it (other than the desserts, of course, which were no-holds-barred in-your-face chocolate delights). I once heard someone say that if you can get past thinking of chocolate as a candy or dessert and think of it as another spice, then it’s easy to make the transition from sweet to savory.

This was the lineup…


Carley’s Menu (from "Enlightened Chocolate" by Camilla V. Saulsbury)

Cocoa Rubbed Chicken
Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Shrimp and Rice Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette
Zinfully Chocolate Mousse Cakes (which I don't have photos of, sorry - SOOO good, though!)

Carri’s Menu

Braised Italian Pot Roast
Cocoa Dusted Roasted Potatoes
Butternut Squash with Cacao Nib Vinaigrette
Chocolate Meringues with Nutella and Frangelico Buttercreams (we’ll call this one ‘in development’, so no recipes for now)

OK, first up is the vinaigrette recipe that Carley used to dress this shrimp and rice salad. 

Chocolate Vinaigrette

1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 ½ Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp water
1 ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp paprika
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine.

** Carley tossed this mixture with some cooked shrimp, which she then added to some rice with chopped cucumber, red pepper and mango.

So good!

The chicken was the first thing my eyes gravitated to.  So pretty, and the smell was just amazing!

Cocoa Rubbed Chicken

½ cup chile powder
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 7-lb roasting chicken

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine spices thoroughly in a small bowl. Rub all over chicken, coating well.

Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature of oven to 375° and cook for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh reads 180°.

Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest 10 - 15 minutes before serving.


Zinfully Chocolate Mousse Cakes

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
2 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 ¼ cups sugar, divided
¾ cup Zinfandel
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray 10 4-oz ramekins with cooking spray and place in a 9 x 13” pan. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine cocoa powder, flour, salt and ¾ cup of sugar. Add wine, whisking to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Place chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Pour liquid mixture over chocolate; stir until chocolate melts. Stir in vanilla.

In a medium bowl add eggs, egg white and remaining ½ cup of sugar. Beat with a mixer at high speed 6 minutes. Gently fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Divide batter between prepared ramekins.

Bake mousse cakes 23 - 25 minutes or until puffy and set. Serve warm.



Kind of the Italian version of a molé



















Braised Italian Pot Roast


About 2 ½ lbs beef pot roast
1/2 bottle of a robust Italian red wine
Clove of garlic
Sprig of rosemary
Cinnamon stick
2 cloves
A few juniper berries
Black peppercorns
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
salt
Beef broth
oil
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (90% cacao) or a heaping tsp of unsweetened cocoa

The night before put the wine in a bowl with the garlic and spices. Add the meat and marinate at least 12 hours.

Pour a little olive oil in a casserole and brown the meat on all sides. Remove from pan and add carrot and leek. Sauté until softened and then add the meat. Filter the solids from the wine and add to pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 2 ½ hours, adding a little stock if the liquid evaporates too much. Remove from oven and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat and allow the liquid to reduce (about 30 minutes).

Add chocolate and blend with immersion blender.

Cocoa Dusted Roasted Potatoes

1 Tbs cocoa powder
3/4 Tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
3/4 Tbs coarsely ground Kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes
Olive oil to coat

Heat oven to 400º.  Wash potatoes and remove any blemishes.  Dry on paper towels and place on foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over potatoes and toss.

Place in oven and cook about 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cacao Nib Vinaigrette

1 4-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" slices
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1½ tsp cacao nibs, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, finely minced
3 oz thinly sliced pancetta, cooked until crisp and drained
Freshly cut Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 450º.   Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Lay squash on baking sheet and drizzle with oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and soft

Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk briskly to combine.  Add cacao nibs and shallot.  Stir to combine.

Pour mixture evenly over squash, tossing gently to coat.  Sprinkle with cooked pancetta and parsley.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steak and Biscuits

I'm generally not a big fan of sandwiches.  Nothing against them, per se, they're just not very... exciting.  But it was Friday night, and I was just in the mood for a sandwich.  On a biscuit.

Don't ask me.

And since it makes no sense to get all giddy over massive grocery savings if you let the stuff sit around and go bad, I thought I'd start with a package of 'cubed steaks' I had gotten for pennies.

Biscuits, gravy and chicken fried steak (which I would have normally made with this) kind of evolved into something a bit different.

The Pioneer Woman site gave me a good starting point.  Her 'Cowboy Food' section offered up a couple of items (using tenderized round steak), and I combined the two, added a bit of my own and came up with what I think I would consider the best use for this particular cut of meat.

This wasn't, by the way, easy to eat.  At least not in sandwich form.  The biscuits, hot out of the oven, were too flaky to hold up well (not that that's a bad thing).  So on round two (and yes, there was a round two), I went for an open faced application and used a fork.

Round Steak Sandwiches

1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb tenderized round steaks
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter, divided
1 small red onion, cut into slices
1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, cut into slices
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs Sherry (you could also use bourbon, brandy or another kind of whiskey)

Combine flour, garlic powder, peppers and salt on a shallow dish or plate.  Dredge the steaks in the mixture and allow to sit while heating a frying pan (I used cast iron) on medium.  Add olive oil and 1 Tbs butter.  When butter melts and begins to sizzle, add steaks to the pan.  Cook until browned, about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip over and brown the other side.  Remove to a plate.

Add onion and the remaining Tbs of butter to the pan.  Cook until onions begin to soften, then add mushrooms.  Continue to cook and stir until the mushrooms begin to brown.  Meanwhile, cut steaks against the grain into strips.

Add steak strips to pan with onions and mushrooms and top with Worcestershire sauce and Sherry.  Cook just long enough for liquid to evaporate somewhat.


Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits
Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe

2 cups flour, plus more for dusting board
1 Tbs baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 Tbs (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 425º.


Place flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry cutter until the butter is the size of peas.  Stir in cheese.

Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. Add to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened and the dough begins to come together.
Dump out onto a floured surface and knead lightly about 6 times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 10 by 5 inches. With a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise in half and then across about every 2 - 3", making rectangles. Transfer to a sheet pan.  If desired, brush with a bit more buttermilk and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (although I don't think mine took this long to bake, but oops, I forgot to set the timer), until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.

One Sandwich, Two Ways

To go along with my cool tropical breeze kinda drink, I wanted to make something quick, meaty and low maintenance (one pan). And as you can see by my choice of dinnerware here, I go all out when it comes to pampering myself.

And sparing myself dishwashing.

I have two ceramic coated cast iron cooking pans. I absolutely love both of them. For this I used the grill pan, which I’m finding is fantastic for cooking burgers and steaks (as well as flatbread). It even comes with a handy panini press.

Anyway… I whipped these up on Friday night and since there were leftovers, I reinvented them for lunch the next day (because I have a notoriously short attention span and well, wouldn’t have wanted a repeat).

These would be tasty using a variety of cuts of beef. My current ‘go to’ cut is a tri-tip. But flank or skirt would also work fabulously.

Pan-fried steak sliders with grilled peppers

½ lb. tri-tip steak
1 tsp salt (I used a course ground kosher)
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ancho chili powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp brown sugar

Olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp horseradish sauce
¼ cup light sour cream or mayo
Pepper

Slider buns or potato rolls

In a flat-bottomed dish, add all of the seasonings. Mix well. Coat steaks with mixture, turning several times and gently pushing the seasoning into the steaks. Allow to sit.

Place pan over medium-high heat and allow to become hot. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil onto it and then add onions and peppers. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften and then add garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until onions and peppers are slightly charred. Remove to a plate and add steaks. Cook about 4 minutes per side (adjust depending on how well you want your steak cooked). Remove steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest.

Meanwhile, combine sour cream and horseradish sauce. Season with pepper. Spread on rolls and add onion/pepper mixture (I also used a smoked gouda).

Cut steak into strips going against the grain. Pile onto sandwich.

**Variation:  For my sandwich the next day, I used an Asiago French bread, added a little steak sauce, piled on the leftover steak and veggies, and topped with some Fontina cheese.  Placed under the broiler until the cheese was melted and just turning golden.