Tag Archives: Beef

My First Time Cooking Steak

Posted on by
Reply

Believe it or not, I’ve never cooked a steak.

We found pair of porterhouse steaks in our half-share of beef from Thousand Hills Cattle Company and I didn’t know how to prepare them. Growing up, my family cooked proteins to the well-done state, and sometimes past. Burgers, kabobs and Omaha Steaks-brand filet mignons wrapped in bacon all arrived at the same fate and I used to think I disliked them all. Now that I’m an adult, I prefer a rosy medium-rare.

My classmate mentioned her favorite steak marinade was a simple mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha hot sauce. I added minced garlic, ground ginger, black pepper, and grated Asian pear to mine. After the steaks soaked in the marinade for a few hours, I allowed them to come to room temperature and seared them on both sides. Then, I placed the whole skillet in the oven at 325 until they were cooked to our liking.

On my first go around, the steak was too chewy so I bashed the heck out of the second one with a textured meat cleaver before I tried again, later.

The steaks dripped with richly flavored juices. We even chewed the flavor from the gristle and nibbled the melting fat. I may have unwittingly committed a steak felony or two during these first attempts, but we enjoyed the steaks anyway.

After all, cooking at home is fun because anything goes. We can all be the kings and queens of our own kitchens.

Coming To Terms With The Pioneer Woman: Dr. Pepper In My Pot Roast

Posted on by
Reply

I was a hesitant Pioneer Woman fan.

There was just something about her television show that annoyed me. Everything about Ree Drummond seemed too perky and too pristine. Her delivery was so deliberate. I much preferred the other new Food Network babe, Trisha Yearwood. She seemed like she’d be fun to grab a beer with.

Then I saw the hand cookies.

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, I watched the Pioneer Woman prepare refreshments for her daughter’s sleepover party. Together, they traced shapes of their own hands onto sugar cookie dough. When they finished baking, they showered them with icing and sparkles.

“Darn,” I thought. I felt a sudden longing to make hand cookies with my mom. I made a mental note to make hand cookies with my daughter someday. And then, the Pioneer Woman didn’t seem so bad. In fact, I kind of liked her.

My husband and I recently picked up part of a beef share that came with a few roasts. The last time I attempted to make pot roast was in college and the result was dismal. Since then, I’ve also ruined a few other roasts and have been hesitant to cook large pieces of meat. I shared my pot roast woes with a coworker who recommended her foolproof crock-pot method. It involved Dr. Pepper, chipotle peppers, and The Pioneer Woman.

I stayed true to her recipe for Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork, keeping the chipotle peppers and soda. However, I added my own twists by substituting beef for pork and perching it on top of a full mess of mirepoix in a crock-pot. Finally, I turned the braising liquid into a silky, red winey gravy lightly thickened with roux.

Crock-Pot Pot Roast In Dr. Pepper, Chipotle & Red Wine Gravy

Ingredients:
Beef roast with plenty of marbling. I used a blade roast that weighed about three pounds.
Oil
Salt
Black pepper
Mirepoix: Roughly chopped carrots, onions, and celery. Enough to cover the bottom of the crock pot.
Dr. Pepper, about half an inch or 12 oz.
Chipotle peppers and sauce. I used about 2/3 of a small can. I have a high heat tolerance and would use the whole can next time.

Sauce:
Braising liquid
Roux: Butter and flour
Red Wine
Soy sauce or tamari
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:
Place roughly chopped vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Brown all sides of the roast in a hot pan with some vegetable oil. Place the roast on top of the vegetables. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Pour Dr. Pepper and chipotle peppers and sauce over the roast. Cover and cook on low. My roast cooked for seven hours while I was at school.

Remove the roast from the pot and set aside. Strain the drippings into a small sauce pan. Press the cooked vegetables to collect all of the braising liquid. Skim the fat from the top of the liquid with a ladle, or let sit it in a cold place for a little while. The fat will congeal near the top and can easily be scraped away.

Add enough red wine to balance the sweet and spiciness of the soda and peppers. Season with herbs or spices, salt, and pepper. I added a little soy sauce for some umami and more of the chipotle pepper sauce. Reduce a little.

To make the roux, melt about half a stick of butter in a small pan. Gradually whisk in flour until the texture resembles wet sand. Try to coat every grain of flour with the fat. Cook until the roux smells toasty but do not burn. Set aside.

Once the sauce is heated, slowly whisk in one spoonful of roux at a time. Give the sauce time to thicken between spoonfuls of roux. Once you like the texture, stop. Add a little garlic. Check the sauce for seasoning and return to the crock-pot.

Roughly pull the beef into large pieces and return to the sauce. Set crock-pot to warm or low if the roast needs more tenderness. I served our pot roast along with leftover mashed potatoes from culinary school, sauteed mushrooms, and cabbage steamed in chicken stock.

From Our Beef Share: Stuffed & Baked Pasta Shells

Posted on by
Reply

Last month, we received a share of a beef share.

Our Fargo friends invited us into a greater beef share in which their friend had coordinated the distribution of an entire, grassfed cow from Thousand Hills Cattle Company, located in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The meat cost much less than it would have been to purchase the same cuts from a store. Especially considering that single-pound packages of Thousand Hills beef typically sell for eight dollars a pound in Fargo-Moorhead stores.

The half share included ground beef and a few other cuts including stew meat, blade roast, and roundsteak. Just the right amount to fit into our small freezer a leave enough room for ice cream and a frozen pizza or two.

I got home early from school one afternoon and whipped up an easy version of pasta shells stuffed with our Thousand Hills beef, and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. I served the pasta with a side of mushrooms and cabbage sauteed in a little butter and olive oil until caramelized and de-glazed with sherry.

Stuffed Pasta Shells
One pound of ground beef created enough stuffing to fill a 9 X 13 baking dish of pasta shells. This equalled about half a box of pasta shells.

Add whatever vegetables are in your pantry to the meat stuffing. If I had ricotta or marscapone cheese, I would have mixed a couple spoonfuls into the meat stuffing. I often purchase cheap jars of tomato-basil sauce and boost them with fresh ingredients like sauteed onion, garlic, and red wine. The Bertolli brand is particularly decent. 

Ingredients:
Large pasta shells (I used about half a box)
1 lb of ground beef
A few large button mushrooms
1 small onion, finely diced
Salt
Black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 handfuls of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed until dry (can substitute fresh spinach)
Soy sauce
Drizzle of honey
Grated Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Herbs, fresh or dried

Sauce:
1 jar of tomato sauce (I use whatever is on sale)
1/2 onion diced
1 clove of garlic minced
Splash of red wine

Instructions:
To prepare the pasta, cook in salted, boiling water until pliable. They should be a slightly firmer than al dente. Rinse in cool water and set aside.

Brown the ground beef. Remove excess fat. When the beef is partially cooked, add the diced vegetables and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. You could also cook the meat and vegetables separately. Place in a bowl.

Add spinach, and cheeses. Season the meat stuffing with soy sauce, more black pepper, and your choice of herbs. I sprinkled in dried basil, marjoram and thyme. Add a little honey to round out the flavor.

Add enough sauce to the baking dish to cover the bottom.

Using a spoon, stuff the pasta shells with meat filling. Place in the baking dish.

Top shells with the remaining tomato sauce.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place a little mozzarella on each pasta shell.

Cover and bake until heated through and the cheese is melted. Covering will help steam the pasta shells. Uncover and bake or broil until the cheese is as bubbly as you wish.

Highs And Lows At Basies

Posted on by
Reply

On date night, we got in a fight about Chili’s.

When I get hungry, I get mad. For as long as I can remember, anger and hunger have always walked hand in hand. The whole world splinters into obstacles that stand between me and food. And all I can think is “why are you preventing me from eating?”

This is why I stared at Jake with curiosity when he, not I, became angry-hungry. Normally, he is the even-keeled one, but on this evening, he became angry-hungry just short of a Hulk smash. Or tears.

We headed towards the West Acres mall with Jake fuming behind the wheel. As we drove past the  usual chain restaurants, we observed full parking lots and people waiting for tables on benches outside in the cold. I didn’t want to pick the restaurant until he started veering towards Chili’s. Then I started to care.

I really didn’t want to eat at Chili’s. I’ve only been there twice. The first time was bad while the second time was fine, albeit completely deep fried. I whined and pouted. I threatened to walk to a different restaurant. Jake was just hungry. He used to eat at Chili’s with his family growing up and thought I was entering food snob territory. Then, we both felt bad and he veered into Basies Restaurant and Lounge. I’m still now sure how we went from Chili’s to Basies, but at least we were seated immediately.

Basies is located in the Ramada Plaza Hotel. Jake once enjoyed a meal here with coworkers. At first glance, the restaurant’s appeared banquet hall-ish and a live band was performing a mix of country, blue grass and lounge music. The music was loud, but just short of drowning out conversation.

We don’t frequently dine at restaurants that sell food a la carte. This is why I agonized over my dinner selection and became stuck between an $8 salad or a $7 vegetable side. All I wanted was some protein and a small side of vegetables. There weren’t many options that combined both, besides pasta, a dinner salad or a three course meal that included a dessert I didn’t particularly want. I ordered the appetizer of bacon wrapped scallops, $15, with the side of asparagus and Hollandaise sauce, $7. Jake chose the three course dinner option, $48, that included his choice of a house salad, an entree of fillet mignon with asparagus and mashed potatoes, and his choice of dessert, creme brulee.

Jake ordered artichoke dip to start.

The large ramekin of dip was served with plenty of grilled bread. The flavor of the dip tasted well-balanced, even with the melted cheese, and we enjoyed it’s slight kick of heat.

Our server walked by with a bowl of creamed spinach. He said there was a kitchen mix-up and asked if we wanted it for free, adding he hated wasting food. We gladly accepted.  I’ve never eaten traditional steakhouse creamed spinach and this version seemed a little different. It was more like sauteed spinach in cream, rather than the thicker, casserole-like variety. I often saute spinach like this at home, so I enjoyed the dish. It was nicely seasoned and the cream tasted of garlic, though I could have done with less of the sauce. Still, it was free and generous of our server to offer it to us.

After the dip, our server brought us a bread basket. The warm rolls were crusty and came with honey butter. We didn’t dig too deeply into the basket so we could leave room for the entrees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My scallops were large and tasted fresh. They were cooked nicely and free of grit. I scraped most of the mustard-caper sauce from the scallops. It didn’t taste bad, but struck me as heavy and I really just wanted to taste the scallops.

I also scraped most of the Hollandaise sauce from the asparagus. Again, it wasn’t that the sauce tasted bad, but it just seemed too rich. Between the artichoke dip, creamed spinach, and creamy sauce on the scallops, I had reached my threshold.  I yearned for some lemon.

The asparagus spears may have been steamed. The were a little dry, unseasoned, and the bottom of the stems were woody. I felt annoyed that the kitchen forgot or didn’t know they were supposed to remove the woody ends from a seven dollar side of asparagus.

On the other hand, Jake’s asparagus fared much better.

The asparagus spears accompanying his steak were seasoned, lightly grilled, and free of woody stems.

His steak was cooked to the requested medium rare. It was tender, nicely seasoned, and scented by the cedar plank on which it sat. We really enjoyed the garlicky mashed potatoes which struck a nice balance in texture and seasoning.

The creme brulee struck me as odd.

Our server asked if we would like the bottom of the creme brulee heated or cool. He also offered us a choice of plain, raspberry, lime, or blueberry-flavored sugars to be bruleed table side. We chose half plain and half raspberry.

After he bruleed the ramekin with a tiny torch, the sugar still glowed. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to let the sugar continue to burn. I blew them out and extinguished the rest of the glowing embers with my finger tip. Unfortunately, the sugar didn’t exactly melt. One of the best parts of eating creme brulee is cracking the thin, glassy sheet of sugar that forms after it’s torched. The sugar on this creme brulee was too course to melt. It remained in crunchy, burnt granules. The custard didn’t taste bad, but its texture was firmer than I like.

In summary, the dinner ranged from hits to misses. The artichoke satisfied any guilty pleasure cravings, and Basies can clearly cook a steak. Despite the number of hits, there were enough inconsistencies to make me question the value of our meal.

How often does an a la carte restaurant actually deliver on a $10 Caesar salad? Or a $7 side of mixed vegetables?  What’s the true value of a $48 three course meal if the dessert is badly executed? If a restaurant charges $8-10 for vegetable sides, they’d better be close to perfect. Otherwise, maybe the restaurant should just serve some veggies with the entrees.

The service was pleasant and the live music was fun. Between sets, the band sat down to enjoy dinner with who appeared to be their families. I wouldn’t turn down an invitation to return to Basies, especially on someone else’s dime, though I wouldn’t rush back for dinner. However, it could be a pleasant spot to enjoy live music, spend a happy hour, or share appetizers.

Not Chicken Teriyaki Boy’s Glazed Beef Patties and Chicken Thighs

Posted on by
Reply

When I hear the word “teriyaki,” I think of Larry David’s Chicken Teriyaki Boy or that goopy, cloyingly sweet sauce also known as teriyaki.

My experiences with teriyaki sauces have been limited to that awful stuff that often slimes airplane chicken meals or sad stir fries.

However, my view of teriyaki changed as I flipped through Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking and Harumi’s Japanese Cooking, written by Harumi Kurihara.  Although I borrowed these books from the library months ago, they inspired me by making Japanese cooking approachable and accessible.  I drooled over Harumi’s recipe for petite beef patties that glistened with a simple teriyaki sauce made from mostly soy sauce and mirin.

Instead of incorporating bread crumbs into my ground beef, I used ground, instant oats.  This resulted in meat patties that reminded me of baked, Lebanese kibbe.

I have glazed turkey burgers with reduced soy and mirin with delicious results.  This was no exception. I created this recipe as I cooked so my best advice is to taste as you go, following the recipe as basic guidelines.  Since I cooked with small quantities of meat, double the recipes as needed.

Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs trimmed of excess fat (I used bone-in, but boneless would be fine)
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 pound ground beef (or turkey)
Oil or butter
1/2 onion, minced
3 button mushrooms, minced
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 egg
Wocestershire sauce, 2 dashes
1 small squirt of ketchup
1/2-3/4 cup instant oats, pulverized in a blender of food processor

Teriyaki Glaze
Soy sauce
Mirin
Sugar
Grated ginger
Spritz of fresh lemon juice
Optional: Cayenne or other hot pepper

Directions:

To prepare the teriyaki sauce
In a small saucepan, reduce equal parts of soy sauce and mirin.  Add a little grated ginger.  Gradually add more sugar until the sauce is not too salty.  Gently reduce until the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon.

If the sauce seems to salty, add more mirin, sugar, or water.  If it seems to sweet, add more soy sauce.  Spritz in some fresh lemon juice for brightness.

To prepare the chicken
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Preheat a skillet with oil to medium-high.

Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry.  Trim off the extra skin.

Season the skin-side of the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the preheated pan, skin-side down.  Let the chicken cook until the skin renders to golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a lightly oiled baking dish, on top of the sliced onions, skin-side up.

Bake for about an hour or until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink.  As the chicken cooks, baste with the teriyaki sauce and pan juices.

To prepare the beef patties
In a pan over medium heat, saute the minced onion and mushrooms, seasoning with salt and pepper.  As the vegetables cook, grate in ginger and stir.  When the vegetables are translucent and the ginger is fragrant, remove from heat.  Grate in the garlic, stir, and allow to lightly cook.

Roughly pulverize the oats in a blender or food processor.

In a bowl, incorporate the ground meat, sauteed vegetables/ginger/garlic, egg, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt, and pepper.  Add the ground oats until the patties hold together.  Test the seasoning by sauteing a small amount of the meat.

Form the mixture into patties and sear over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat and baste with the teriyaki sauce as the patties cook through.  Add a little water to the bottom of the pan, as needed so the teriyaki sauce does not scorch.  Cover the patties with a lid for faster cooking.

I served my glazed meats alongside Thai sticky rice, sauteed mushrooms, and green peas.

Too Asian: Yes, I Am Cooking More Asian Food & Yes, It’s Short Ribs

Posted on by
Reply

“Bev, I just want to make sure that the whole thing is not too Asian, ’cause that’s not my style.” 

Those who followed this past season of Top Chef will remember the infamous moment when Heather sternly forbade Beverly from cooking “too Asian.”  Despite the fact that Heather only cooked “rustic American food.”  And that Sarah mostly cooked Italian food.  Or Italian food gone anti-griddle wack.

Sarah also scolded Beverly, steering her away from cooking those damn short ribs again.

I’m more like Beverly that I’d like to admit.  I’m kind of awkward.  I’m Korean.  I cook and eat a lot of Asian food.  I run into walls.  I drop things.  I have a tendency to be spacey.  And I have an announcement.

Things are about to get all Asian up in here.  And they’re going to involve short ribs.  

Traditionaly cut galbi short ribs don’t grow on trees in this neck of the woods.  In the fall, I found frozen Korean short ribs at the Everyday Mart for $40 a box.  For my budget, they were pricey, but turned out as good as versions I’ve tried in Korean restaurants.

This weekend, I had a $6 package of non-korean short ribs in my freezer and I was determined them into galbi.  Fortunately, their long soak in galbi marinade rendered them silky and succulent.

Because this cut of meat is usually slow-cooked, I cut them into slices and soaked them for 18 hours in galbi marinade, to break down its connective tissue.

I served the short ribs along with lettuce for wrapping, scallions, julianned carrots, tart kimchee, gochujang, and Thai sticky rice.

Thai rice is usually steamed in a traditional metal pot and basket set.  Sticky rice is a delightful treat for a tired palate.  Plus, it’s a fun, moldable tool to transport food to mouth.  A pot and steamer basket will run about $10.

Both are available at the Asian & American Market in Fargo, ND for $13.  Look for glutenous or sweet rice from Thailand.  I found several varieties at the Asian & American Market ranging from $6-14.

This meal is definately slow food.  Plan to marinate your kalbi overnight and soak your rice the morning of.

Marinating Your Galbi
I used the same galbi marinade recipe from my post Flipping Amazing Galbi, reducing the quantity for my short ribs.  Feel free to vary from the recipe and, as always, add more or less ingredients to taste.  This time around, I reduced the sugar, honey and soda and added two, thinly sliced Thai chilis.  The Asian pear is essential to tenderizing the meat.

Ingredients:
1/2-1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 Asian pear, grated with juices (available at Hornbachers)
2 Tablespoons of minced garlic
1/2 onion, peeled and grated, with juices
1 Tablespoon of grated ginger (you can leave the skin)
2 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon of honey
2 1/2 Tablespoons of sesame oil
1 Tablespoon of ground cayenne pepper or fresh chilis
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Lemon-lime soda, about 20 ounces

Simply, mix the ingredients together and add the short ribs.  Marinate in the regrigerator, covered, overnight.

To cook, drip off the extra marinade and cook on a hot grill or pan until the meat reaches your desired level of doneness.

Serve with Thai sticky rice, julianned vegetables, gochujang, kimchee, and lettuce for wrapping.

To Make Thai Sticky Rice
Pour as much sticky rice as you need into a large bowl.  Rinse until the water is mostly clear.  Swish the rice around in the water and gently pour out the water, repeating a few times.

Allow the rice to soak in the clear water for at least four hours.  Since I hadn’t made sticky rice for years, I enjoyed this refresher from Blazing Hot Wok whose author recommends soaking while at work.

Fill the pot with a few inches of water and heat to medium-high.

Drain the rice and pour into the steamer basket.  Place the basket over the pot and cover with a lid.

Steam the rice for about 10-15 minutes after the water starts to boil.  Gently shake the basket and try to flip the ball of rice so the other side can steam evenly.  Keep tasting the rice until its texture is tender but not mushy.

When its finished, place in a bowl and cover with a towel.  You can also buy a traditional basket for holding cooked rice.

P.S.  The oldest 27-year old is now on Twitter.  You can follow me @JeniEats.