Rib Eye Steak with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce & Potato-Parsnip Latkes

My primary reason for leaving the house on what turned into an eight kilometre journey was to get groceries for this evening's meal. There wasn't anything on our menu that required a special trip, but we hiked over to a distant grocer in order to pass Duchess, my favorite bakery. After loading up on raspberry-chocolate brioche, I was ready to tackle our remaining errands. What a rough life. 

The parsnip latke recipe was the first discovery of the morning and sent me on a search for a beef dish of some kind to accompany it. Once I found the steak with burgundy-mushroom sauce, I opted for sauteed spinach to round out the meal. 

As far as preparing the spinach is concerned, simply sauté 1 tablespoon of minced garlic or about two cloves in a soup pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for two minutes. Add a bag of baby spinach and stir well to coat the oil and garlic mixture over all of the greens. Once softened, removed from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Thumbs up with respect to this threesome. 

http://eclecticrecipes.com

Rib-Eye Steak with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 Rib-eye steaks
• 1 small container sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cup red wine (Burgundy or a Cab will do)
• 2 T butter
• 2 - 3 T olive oil
• kosher or sea salt and pepper, or steak seasoning to taste 

Method

Bring steaks to room temperature on the counter. Preheat a large skillet. Season steaks with salt and pepper or steak seasoning. Drizzle pan with olive oil and add steaks to pan.

Brown steaks on each side, cooking just shy of desired doneness. Turn heat to low. Remove steaks from pan and add mushrooms, butter and garlic. Saute until mushrooms have softened. Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce by half. Add a splash more of wine and add steaks back in to pan turning and covering in sauce. Serve immediately.

http://smittenkitchen.com

Potato-Parsnip Latkes with Horseradish and Dill

Yield: About 18 latkes

Pancakes

• 1/2 pound (about 1 large) Russet potato
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 pound parsnips (about 2 large or 4 medium)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 T chopped fresh dill
• 1 t table salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for frying

Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t table salt
• 1 T freshly grated or prepared horseradish
• 1 T chopped dill

Method

Preheat: Oven to 250 degrees. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with foil and leave them in the oven until needed.Peel vegetables and grate them on the large holes of a box grater or (my preferred method) using the shredding blade of a food processor. If using the food processor, I like to lay the vegetables sideways in the chute, in an attempt to get the longest strands of vegetables. This creates latkes that look like little piles of mops, which is my goal.Transfer shredded vegetables to a lint-free dishtowel or square of cheesecloth, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Let stand for two minutes, then wring again. Wetness is the enemy of crisp, light latkes, so we want to get rid of as much as possible.

Transfer wrung-out vegetables to a large bowl. Add lemon juice. In a tiny dish, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and any herbs or additional seasonings and toss with vegetables, evenly coating the strands. In the same tiny dish, whisk your eggs and then stir this into the vegetable-flour mixture, evenly coating the strands.

Heat a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Once skillet is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil and heat oil until shimmering. If you’re unsure, you can flick a droplet of water onto the oil; if it hisses and sputters, you’re good to go. Using a fork or your fingertips gather spoonful-sized mounds of battered vegetables and drop them onto the heated skillet. When golden underneath, 3 to 4 minutes later, flip pancakes. Cook on the other side until nicely bronzed underneath, another 2-3 minutes, and transfer to paper towels briefly to drain pancakes, before transferring them again to a tray in warm oven. If latkes cook too quickly or slowly on the stove, adjust the heat accordingly. Add more oil if needed (you want to keep the pan at that 3 tablespoon level), being sure it is heated before adding more pancakes to the skillet. Repeat with remaining batter. I like to keep the latkes in the oven for at least 10 minutes to ensure they’ve cooked through before serving them. Mix sauce ingredients in a small dish.  Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve: Warm with a dollop of the sauce.

Meat-Free Middle Eastern Feast

I am officially meated out. Over the last two weeks, we've indulged in too many meat-laden meals. I need a break from steak.

On occasion I crave meatless dishes, especially after the holidays when meat appears only to be served with heavy sauces and sides. After a spring cleaning session, I pulled out a March issue of Canadian House & Home and found the solution to my cravings: North African and Israeli-inspired salads and entrees. The kinds of dishes we prepared tonight call for quality produce. I had farm carrots, beets and onions, so our salads felt clean and tasted crisp and new. 

The Shakshuka, a simple egg dish on a layer of cooked tomatoes was lovely, but lacked the punch that great tomatoes can contribute. All I could find at the grocer today were stacks of tired-looking romas, which I reluctantly used. In a case such as mine, you may want to wait for better quality tomatoes or experiment with canned as the recipe suggests.  You'll notice in the photo above, the large plate with the carrot salad and Shakshuka also has a slice of grilled eggplant with a chunk of Appenzeller cheese on top. The eggplant is simply sliced in 1/2 inch sections, brushed with olive oil and baked at 375F for 15 mins or so. I typically add whatever leftover cheese I have to each slice's surface once grilled and throw it back in the oven for 10 minutes tops. Tonight I just threw a piece on the hot eggplant and let it melt on its own. 

From: Canadian House & Home March 2011. pp. 116 & 118.

Shakshuka
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 10 large ripe tomatoes
• 1T flour
• 2 t sugar
• 3 T olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley

Method

Slice off the very top of each tomato then, using the largest holes on a box grater, grate tomatoes until only the peel is left (I lost bits of my hand doing this so be careful). Discard peels. If you cannot find serviceable fresh tomatoes, use canned whole ones in a pinch; just use a few more and squeeze out a bit of the excess juice. In a deep cast-iron skillet or pan, stir together tomatoes, flour, sugar and olive oil and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 30-40 minutes, or until sauce is a rich, deep red and has cooked own significantly. Season with salt and pepper.

A few minutes before serving, reduce temperature to low, make 8 wells and crack an egg into each. Cover pan with a lid or tinfoil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to your liking. Top with a little more salt and chopped parsley. Serve hot with warm pita or lavash bread.

Orange & Carrot Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 large carrots
• 4 large seedless navel oranges
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 T honey
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted in a fry pan (I used pumpkin seeds)
• Sea salt to taste
• Pinch of chili flakes

Method

Peel carrots and discard peel. Using the same carrot peeler, make "ribbons" out of each carrot, peeling away until you get down to the woody core. Discard the cores. Cut tops and bottoms from oranges, slice off peel, then cut sections of oranges out from between the membranes. In a serving bowl, mix lemon juice with honey. Add carrot ribbons, orange sections and red onion. Gently toss with lemon-honey dressing. Tear up mint leaves and toss into salad. Scatter toasted pine nuts over top and sprinkle with salt and chili flakes, then toss once more before serving.

Beet & Pomegranate Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 whole medium beets, washed
• 2 t Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup good-quality olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 bunch watercress ( I used two cups of baby spinach)

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Trim the rough root and green leafy tops from the beets (save the greens...if you've learned anything from this blog you will SAVE THE GREENS!!!). Wrap beets tightly in foil-like swan and roast 1-1.5 hours, depending on size. When done, let cool until you are able to handle them, then pop off skins over the sink. Cut beets into 1" cubes and set aside.

To make vinaigrette, in a small bowl whisk together mustard, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a salad bowl, toss prepared beets with pomegranate seeds and vinaigrette and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Just before guests arrive, toss with watercress (aka spinach). Taste for seasoning and adjust if need be. 

Chicken with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce

You'll be seeing other Thai-inspired meals shortly, but since I've now made this dish twice in the last month it was time to post it. Ruedi and I prepared this dish for extended family and their neighbours without any knowledge of food preferences. Luckily their weren't any allergies to consider, but we felt pretty confident they would love the meal. They did!


Adapted from: http://tastykitchen.com/


The Sauce:

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1 T Thai red curry paste
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 t toasted sesame oil
• 1 t honey
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch cinnamon

The Chicken:

• 1 t canola oil
• 1/2 cups diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup chopped asparagus

Garnishes: cilantro, toasted peanuts, green onion and/or toasted coconut flakes.

Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, honey and spices to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.

Chicken: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened. Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally for even cooking. Stir sauce into the chicken. Partially cover and simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavours combine. Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time.

Serve with garnishes mentioned above.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

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• In the interest of using up the canned pumpkin from my pumpkin pudding experiment, I threw it into a pot with some oats, spices etc. and savoured every bite of it. I discovered this idea last year when surfing for other pumpkin recipes and thought this was marvellous. Chopped up walnuts, hazelnuts and dried fruit would spice this recipe up even more.
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•     ·      1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

·      3/4 cup water, or as needed

·      2 T milk 

·      1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

·      1/2 t cinnamon

·      1/4 t cardamom

·      1/4 t ground ginger

·      1/4 t nutmeg

·      2 T maple syrup

·      Handful of nuts (I used almonds)

·      Yoghurt to top

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• Mix the oats and water in a pot on medium heat letting the oats absorb the water. Add the pumpkin puree, spices, nuts and syrup, stirring well. If dry, add a the two tablespoons of milk to moisten the mixture. Top with yoghurt and a few more nuts.
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Chinese Braised Beef with Carrots

I love stews and injecting a little Asian influence into a classic reinvents this Western dish. Although I have access to a number of great Asian markets, I opted not to make the trip and used like-ingredients such as sherry in lieu of the Chinese cooking wine and five individual spices instead of the Chinese five spice blend. If you cut the beef into smaller cubes and adjust the cooking time down a few minutes, your beef will absorb more of the surrounding flavour.

Adapted From: http://eatlittlebird.com

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef chuck steak, cut into large cubes
• olive oil for frying
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 5-6 green onions, thinly sliced and separated into white and green parts
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 3-4 cm (1-2 inches) piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 t Chinese five-spice powder (fennel, anise, cloves, cinnamon, pepper)
• 3 T Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry (you better believe I went with the sherry)
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 3 T soy sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 t light brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 1 yellow pepper
• 3 large carrots, sliced thickly
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, oven-proof pan (such as a Le Creuset pot) over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches and remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add more oil between batches if necessary.

Once you have finished browning all of the meat, add to the pan the garlic, white part of the spring onions, chilli, ginger and Chinese five-spice powder. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Pour in the Shaoxing rice wine and let it bubble away for about a minute, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to make sure that any bits which have stuck to the pan are dissolved in the wine.

Return the meat to the pan, together with any juices which have collected while it has been resting. Sprinkle over the flour and stir everything together until the flour is dissolved and the liquid in the pan starts to thicken.

Pour in the beef stock and soy sauce. Add the sugar, pepper and carrots. Mix everything together well. Place the lid on the pan and put the pan into the oven for about 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. Alternatively, you can cook this on the stove-top over low heat, making sure that you stir regularly.

The beef is done when it is soft and easily falls apart when pierced with a fork. Taste the sauce for seasoning and see if you want to add more soy sauce. If you would like to have more sauce, you can add some boiling water to the stew, though you might have to thicken it with some cornflour if the sauce is too thin.

I like to serve this stew with a good sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro, green spring onions (scallions) and some finely sliced red chillies for more kick. Serve with steamed Jasmine rice and some steamed green veggies, such as broccoli, on the side.

Cider Roasted Carrots & Apples

I did it again! I managed to make a meal from odds and ends around the house! Man, this should become a reality show cooking challenge. I am on to something.


I am a meal planner and enjoy looking forward to my next meal. Perhaps this is a little unhealthy at times, but this is my thing. Last night I couldn't think of what to eat or where to go to eat if all else failed. I just wasn't inspired. We had a little leftover chicken, some salami, a few old vegetables and some herbs remaining from past menus. My leftover cabbage was sautéed with butter, a few greens onions, salt and ground pepper. The chicken was cut into smaller pieces and thrown in our cast iron skillet with slices of salami to spice things up. The carrots I forgot to take to lunch this week were tossed with apple slices in a mix of olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, rosemary and roasted to round out the meal. They were a delicious and modernized take on the orange-glazed carrots my mom used to make for us as kids. Hooray for scraps!


From: http://munchinwithmunchkin.com

• 1 lb baby carrots, peeled and tops removed
• 1 apple, cored and sliced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t fresh rosemary
• ¼ cup apple cider
• 1 T honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F

In a large bowl toss carrots and apples in olive oil and rosemary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer carrots and apples to a medium roasting dish and pour apple cider over top. Cover with foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove foil and drizzle carrots with honey. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, until carrots are tender and liquid has reduced. Serve warm, drizzled with sauce.

Fennel & Parmesan Salad

If a recipe calls for rice and doesn't specify that it should be cooked, do you assume you need to cook the rice? I didn't and ended up with a charred casserole. Despite adding a few cups of stock to the mix before putting it in the oven, the rice won over and took the casserole to its death. Man, it was a good one too. We'll shoot for version 2.0 of it next week. In the meantime, this light and lovely salad was to go with it. Score on the salad. 

From: http://simplyrecipes.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb, shaved paper thin with a mandoline or meat slicer
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 t of chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 T chopped flat-leafed parsley
• 2 T shaved Parmesan cheese