RSS

Category Archives: Dinner

Have Your Beer and Eat it Too – Beer-Brined Chicken

While I am not a huge beer drinker by any means, I do enjoy having a good beer now and then. While I am particularly partial to having a Guinness, I try to keep an open mind and do drink several other different craft beers. I appreciate that not everyone enjoys having beer is there beverage of choice, but making use of beer in cooking can be quite tasty. Not only is it great to use in batters for things like fish or shrimp, I have also found a few different recipes that make use of beer in both the brine that is used for additional flavoring and in the braising or roasting. That is just what this particular recipe has to offer that I found at New York Times Cooking for beer-brined roast chicken. The original recipe comes from Red Rooster Harlem, a well-known restaurant here in New York. The recipe itself is pretty simple, though you do need to plan a little bit ahead so that you can brine the chicken and have it ready to go for roasting.

Beer-Brined Roast Chicken

For the Brine:

1 cup kosher salt

⅔ cup packed light brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

1 leek (white and light green part), quartered

5 sprigs thyme

7 sprigs sage

2 shallots, halved and peeled

3 (12-ounce) bottles lager-style beer

For the Chicken and Vegetables:

1 whole chicken (4 to 4 1/2 pounds)

1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

1 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes (or other small potato), cut in half lengthwise

2 cups whole peeled pearl onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 sprigs sage

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 (12-ounce) bottle lager-style beer

To prepare the brine, in a large pot combine 8 cups of water, the salt and the sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, stirring to help dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the garlic, leek, thyme, sage and shallots; let the brine cool to room temperature.

Place the chicken in a deep container large enough to hold it and the brine. Pour the cooled brine over the chicken. Pour in the 3 bottles of beer until the chicken is submerged; cover the chicken and refrigerate it overnight.

To prepare the chicken and vegetables, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the Brussels sprouts, potatoes, onions, chopped sage and lemon zest in a large bowl. Drizzle the vegetables with vegetable oil and season them with salt and pepper; toss the vegetables to evenly coat them.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat the skin dry with paper towels. Place about half of the vegetables in the bottom of a roasting pan or large sauté pan and set the chicken on top of the vegetables. Rub the butter evenly over the top of the chicken to coat it well. Pour the bottle of beer into the pan and arrange the sage sprigs in the pan around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes with the liquid in the pan.

Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Spread the remaining vegetables on a baking sheet and place them on a low rack or the bottom of the oven. Cook everything until the chicken skin is golden brown and crisp and the vegetables are just tender and slightly charred, 20 to 30 more minutes, stirring the vegetables and basting the chicken once halfway through.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Plate chicken with a mix of roasted veggies and the vegetables from the pan. Spoon the reduced cooking liquid from the pan over the top.

This is a pretty basic roast chicken recipe with vegetables that lets you do most of the work all in one pan. I love roasting this way because you get to use just one pan and you get a great melding of flavors as the chicken juices run onto the vegetables and everything tastes great. I actually poured out the juices from the vegetables once the chicken was done and thickened all of the juices up as a gravy in a separate pan. It was great flavor that came from the beer, the chicken and vegetables. I used a Samuel Adams beer, actually their Maple Ale that is part of their seasonal beers that are out right now and it added a very nice flavor to the sauce and the chicken, but you could certainly use any beer that you enjoy the most. The vegetables were all roasted very nicely and had great flavor also. You can use a mix of any root vegetables you really like here to make the dish your own, but I love roasted Brussels sprouts myself. Throw in some carrots with the potatoes and you have everything to go. I actually made some of our favorite biscuits to go with everything to make the meal complete.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on September 27, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Poultry, Uncategorized

Tags: beer-brined chicken, beer-brined roast chicken, New York Times Cooking, Red Rooster Harlem Beer brined chicken, roast chicken, roast chicken recipe, Samuel Adams Maple Ale

To Have and Have Again – Ernest Hemingway’s Meatloaf Burger

26 Sep

I have been pretty swamped with work lately, which means I do not have a lot of free time to do any type of blogging of my own. This happens now and again and is just part of the business of being a freelance writer. There are times where the work is nonstop and then there are others where things slow down and I have plenty of time to pick up the slack around the house and do other things. It also means I have less time to devote to trying out different recipes for things to post on the blog. However, I have been able to come across a few great quick and easy meals that are perfect for all the busy weeknights when you have lots of work to do, school has started, afterschool activities are taking over and everyone is going in different directions. The latest issue of Cook’s Country came a little bit ago and one of the recipes that caught my eye right away was for meatloaf burgers. The recipe they use is an adaptation of the one that Ernest Hemingway apparently used quite a bit when he was cooking for himself. While the article indicates that Hemingway basically used whatever he could find in the pantry or refrigerator and included it in his recipe, the one that they actually used seems a bit more reasonable. I decided it looked and sounded good enough where it was worth giving a try.

Meatloaf Burgers, Ernest Hemingway Style

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

6 tablespoons ketchup

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 large egg

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds 80-85% lean ground beef

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

4 hamburger buns, toasted

Combine the Panko breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl until the breadcrumbs are thoroughly moistened. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the ketchup, the parsley, egg, mustard, onion powder, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Add the ground beef and knead the mixture with your hands until it is just combined.

Shape the beef mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties, about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Press the center of each patty down with your fingertips until the depression is about 1/2 inch thick, creating a slight divot in the patty. At this point, the patties can be covered and refrigerated for up to twenty-four hours.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°. Set a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat until the oil is just smoking. Transfer the patties to the skillet and cook them without moving them until they are browned on the first side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the patties and cook them without moving them until they are browned on the second side, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer the patties to the prepared wire rack and bake them until the meat registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each patty, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the remaining 1/4 cup of ketchup together in a medium bowl until the ingredients are well blended.

Transfer the burgers to a plate and allow them to rest for five minutes. Serve the burgers on the toasted hamburger buns with the sauce on the side.

I have to admit that the burgers certainly do have a meatloaf texture and quality to them, making them much more filling than the traditional burgers I make all of the time. That being said, I did enjoy the taste that the Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, ketchup and mustard lent to the burger. The sauce was very much like what you might traditionally think of as a Thousand Islands dressing and while I enjoyed it, Sean and Michelle both opted out of it. I did offer up some cheddar cheese on the burgers I made for Sean and Michelle and since they like cheeseburgers and I also made some bacon to top the burgers with, which rounded things off nicely for us since I very often make meatloaf with bacon on it. I would certainly make these again for something a little bit different as far as burgers go. Of course, serving these with tater tots, French fries, coleslaw or potato salad is always a good option.

That is all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on September 26, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner

Tags: burger recipes, Cook's Country, Cook's Country meatloaf burgers, Ernest Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway meatloaf burgers recipe, hamburger recipes, meatloaf burgers

Kitchen Pantry Cooking Essentials – Key Ingredients and Recipes – Food.com

16 Sep

The key to good cooking and easy cooking is having some basics in your pantry all of the time. When you have the right ingredients around you can put together a meal in no time at all. Food.com has a list for you of the 50 most common cooking essentials you want in your pantry so you can do anything at any time. Check it out!

Source: Kitchen Pantry Cooking Essentials – Key Ingredients and Recipes – Food.com

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on September 16, 2016 in Beans, Condiments, Cooking, Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Fruit, Herbs, Leftovers, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Pantry, Pasta, Picnic Fare, Pizza, Produce, Rice, Sandwiches, Sauce, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups & Stews, Spices, Vegetables

Tags: 50 kitchen pantry essentials, Food.com, Food.com 50 pantry essentials, kitchen pantry cooking essentials, pantry essentials, stocking your pantry, what you need in your pantry

A Comfort Food Classic for Cooler Weather – Beef Stroganoff

13 Sep

The weather has started to become noticeably cooler the last few days. While the temperature has stayed in the 70s or so during the day around here, it is going down to fifty at night, making it great to open up the windows and get some fresh air for a change instead of using the air conditioner. Once the weather starts to get this way, I tend to start to think more about making different comfort foods. Comfort foods in the fall naturally seem to gravitate towards things like soups, stews, roasts and the like. I decided yesterday seemed like a good day to try something I have not made a very long time – beef stroganoff. Traditionally, stroganoff is made with beef tenderloin. However, tenderloin is not something I buy usually more than once a year, and even then it is usually around the holidays. There are plenty of good substitutes that you can use to make stroganoff instead of spending a high price you might for tenderloin. You can use sirloin steak, London broil or even stew beef if you cut it thin enough. I decided to try this classic beef stroganoff recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, which simplifies the recipes so that you can make a great meal in about twenty or thirty minutes.

Classic Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and have if small, quartered if medium, cut into sixths if large

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound beef (tenderloin, sirloin steak, London broil or stew beef), cut into 1/2-inch long, 1/8-inch wide strips

1/2 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon butter

one small onion, minced (1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup sour cream

8 ounces egg noodles, cooked in salted water, drained, and tossed with 2 tablespoons of butter

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed large skillet set over medium-high heat until the oil is hot and shimmering, but not smoking, about 2 to 3 minutes; swirl the oil to coat the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat without stirring for about thirty seconds. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and continue to cook them, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer the mushrooms to a medium bowl.

Return the skillet to high heat, and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil; swirl the oil to coat the pan. Place the beef strips in the skillet. Using tongs, spread the meat into a single layer, making sure that the strips do not touch, and cook the meat without turning until it is well browned on the first side, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the beef strips and cooked them on the second side until they are well-browned, about 1 to 2 minutes longer. Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste and transfer the beef to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Add the beef broth to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; simmer the broth until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the beef broth to the bowl with the mushrooms and the beef, scraping the skillet clean with a rubber spatula.

Return the skillet to medium low heat and add the butter; when the butter foams, add the onion, tomato paste and dark brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is lightly browned and softened, about 6 to 7 minutes; stir in the flour until it is well incorporated. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and white wine; increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture until it has thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the liquid from the mushrooms and beef into the sauce and simmer it to incorporate all the liquid. Stir about 1/2 cup of the warm sauce in the pan into the sour cream, then stir this mixture back into the sauce in the pan. Add the mushrooms and beef back into the pan; heat everything to warm it through about 1 to 2 minutes longer. Adjust the seasonings with salt-and-pepper to taste and serve the stroganoff over the buttered egg noodles.

This recipe seemed a bit easier than some of the other side take a look at and allowed you to use more of ingredients you likely have on hand at home. Browning everything in the same pan as you go along with each step helps to build more layers of flavor from the dish. If you do not have any white wine available or do not like to use wine when you are cooking, you can always substitute more chicken broth or water. Mixing the sour cream with the hot sauce before you put it into the pan is a lot like tempering eggs, sour cream is likely to curdle if you edit directly to a hot liquid. To prevent this from happening, mixing it with a little hot liquid before you edit into the pan will help you to create a much better sauce. I thought the flavors of the dish were excellent and the meat came out nice and tender and very tasty. I simply used some stew beef that I had on hand, but I think a sirloin steak would work very well for this particular recipe. Stroganoff is traditionally served with noodles and I roasted some broccoli and cauliflower to go along with it to round out the meal.

That is all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on September 13, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner

Tags: beef stroganoff, beef stroganoff recipe, classic beef stroganoff, comfort food dinner, cook's illustrated, Cook's Illustrated classic beef stroganoff

School Has Started! Time to Find Easy Dinners – Sheet Pan Sausage Supper

12 Sep

School started here last week for us so it was pretty busy as every tried to get back onto their routines of getting up early and starting the day, especially Sean. It is no easy task getting a 15-year old up and out of bed before 6 AM to get ready for school, but so far it has worked out just fine. Just as Sean gets back into his routine, it means that I have to try to get back into one myself. It means trying to get all my work done in the early part of the day so I can have more time to do things around the house, including getting dinner prepared each day. That’s why September (or really any month of the school year) is a great time to start pulling out those one dish meals. I have been making a lot of sheet pan suppers lately. They are easy to do, give you everything you want all in one pan, and make clean up a real breeze so I don’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning afterwards. Sheet pan suppers are ideal for just about anything – beef, chicken, fish, pork, turkey or even just vegetables – and it really all is a matter of timing everything right and chopping everything to a uniform size so all the ingredients cook at the same rate and are done at the same time. I came across this recipe from Food Network for a sausage sheet pan supper from Ree Drummond and thought I would give it a try.

Sheet Pan Sausage Dinner

1 pound trimmed whole Brussels sprouts
3 parsnips, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
2 red onions, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Sprinkle of kosher salt
Sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
12 Italian sausages

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the Brussels sprouts, parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions to a baking sheet. Add the olive oil, sage, salt and pepper and toss all of the vegetables together so they are well coated with the oil and the spices. Prick the sausages with a fork and then put the sausages in and around the vegetables on the sheet pan.
Bake the mixture in the oven until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are tender and nicely roasted, about 40 to 45 minutes, turning the sausages about half way through the cooking process. Serve together on a platter.

That’s all there is to this recipe. I find pricking the sausages works well so that they don’t burst in the casings and let some of the fat run out to flavor the vegetables a bit more. While turning them half way through cooking might seem unnecessary, I like to do it so the sausages get nicely browned all over. You can also mix up the vegetables a bit at the same time you turn the sausages so you can get more even browning on them as well. Roasting vegetables is my favorite way to prepare them since I think they get better flavor this way. You can vary the mix of vegetables if you like, but you may want to stick to items that are a little bit thicker if you are cooking everything together so that the vegetables do not overcook and burn before the meat is done. Carrots would work pretty well here, along with vegetables like cauliflower, squash, fennel or beets.I actually used a couple of carrots in my recipe.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on September 12, 2016 in Dinner, One Pot Meals, Produce, Sausage, Vegetables

Tags: food network, one pan sausage and vegetables, one pot meal, Ree Drummond, Ree Drummond sheet pan sausage dinner, sheet pan dinners, sheet pan sausage supper

A Picture- Less Posting of Recipes – Fried Shrimp and Sweet Potato Oven Fries

06 Sep

After taking a nice long break for the Labor Day weekend, I am ready to get back to posting some recipes. There are times where I try out and cooked different recipes and just get caught up in the moment or daily life and forget to take pictures of whatever it is that I have made that day. This leaves me with a bunch of recipes that I do not have pictures for but that I have actually tried. I do not really like to post recipes without posting a picture that goes along with them, even though most of the pictures that I take are hardly what I would call “professional grade” and probably do not make that much of a difference. However I do like to show pictures of that people reading do know that I have actually tried out the recipe being posted so they can see what it looks like when I do it. That being said I do have some recent recipes I have tried that I either failed to take pictures of or, since I recently had to reset my iPhone, have lost pictures along the way because they were still on my phone before I could transfer them over to the computer. Two such recipes are those that I have tried from New York Times Cooking from Mark Bittman and Jonathan Reynolds. They are recipes for oven baked sweet potato fries and for a very basic fried shrimp. Both are very simple to make and allowed me to have a very quick dinner one night when we were scrambling around trying to find something to do.

Oven Sweet Potato Fries

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the olive oil.

Mix the garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread the sweet potatoes out on 2 rimmed baking sheets lines with parchment paper.

Bake the sweet potatoes until they are brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip the potatoes and cook them until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes longer. Serve the potatoes hot.

This was a very easy recipe to follow and do and provides you with a perfect alternative to actually frying the potatoes. All they needed was that little bit of olive oil to really make them come out crisp and tasty. They were the perfect accompaniment to a fast fried shrimp recipe.

Basic Fried Shrimp

1/4 cup vegetable or peanut oil for frying

2 pounds small, large or jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails intact

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 cup cracker meal, breadcrumbs (fresh or store-bought) or 1 cup of crushed crackers

In a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 365 degrees on an instant-read thermometer or candy thermometer inserted into the oil.

Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Mix the milk and eggs in a glass measuring cup with a fork until they are well blended and pour the mixture over the shrimp. Toss the shrimp until they are well coated and drain the shrimp in a colander.

Roll the shrimp in the cracker meal or breadcrumbs and shake off any excess.

Fry the shrimp in the oil until they are golden in color, turning the shrimp as necessary, about 1 to 2 minutes total. Remove the shrimp from the pan with a strainer or Chinese spider (also called a skimmer) and shake off the excess oil. Serve the shrimp with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce, if desired.

You could always spice up the shrimp a bit by adding some other spices like paprika, chili powder, Old Bay seasoning or any other spices that you might like. Mix the spices in with the breadcrumbs and they will pick up the flavor nicely. The shrimp take no time at all to cook and you may have to do them in batches if you make the full two pounds so you do not overcrowd the pan. They go very well with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce and would even be perfect to have in a po’boy sandwich or even over a salad or with a steak. I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures of them; they came out quite nicely, with a nice golden brown color and great flavor to them since I had purchased some Wild American shrimp and used them for the recipe.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on September 6, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes, Seafood

Tags: basic fried shrimp, fried shrimp, fried shrimp recipe, Jonathan Reynolds, Mark Bittman sweet potato fries, new york times, New York Times Cooking, oven baked sweet potato fries, sweet potato fries

The Best Biscuits! Believe It! Southern Style Biscuits

01 Sep

If you have spent any time on my blog you’ll see that there are a number of different biscuit recipes on here. I like to make biscuits because they can be good for so many things. They are great for breakfast to use as breakfast sandwiches with sausage, bacon, egg and cheese, They can fill in in a pinch for lunch if you want a small sandwich to tide you over and they are great with dinners to soak up gravy, dip in soup or just have to go along with a hearty meal. Needless to say we are biscuit lovers in this house, which means I am always interested when a recipe comes along. A while back I saw this recipe from Tasting Table for southern-style biscuits and they sounded very good. It is, by far, the best biscuit recipe I have tried to date and is certainly one you want to look into.

Southern-Style Biscuits

10 tablespoons butter, frozen

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup chilled buttermilk

¼ cup chilled heavy cream

Flaky salt, for sprinkling

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Grate the frozen butter using the large side of a box grater. Transfer the butter to a bowl and place the bowl in the freezer to keep it chilled.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in the salt. Using a fork, stir in the grated, chilled butter and then make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the buttermilk and cream and stir until the dough begins to clump and become shaggy.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Working quickly, gently press and fold the dough 4 to 5 times (try not to knead or squeeze the dough), then form it into a rectangle. Pat the dough down to a uniform thickness of about ¾ inch.

Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down through the dough, without twisting. Gather and pat down the scraps if needed to make more cuts. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that they are just touching and chill the biscuits in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle each biscuit with flaky salt and bake the biscuits until they are golden on top, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly before serving.

These biscuits never seem to last very long. I get about 10 to 12 biscuits out of the dough and I would say at least half are gone if we make them with dinner and by the next day they have all been used. You can make this dough ahead of time and cut the biscuits out and then freeze the dough to use the biscuits when you want them. You want to make sure all of the dairy you use in this recipe – the butter, buttermilk and cream – is all very cold as it is a key to making the biscuits come out as great as they do. Getting those solid pieces of butter in the dough to be there while the biscuits cook give great flavor to the final results. The biscuits are fluffy, moist and have just a that hint of crisp exterior that you will love. My family loves this recipe over any others I have made before and it is pretty much the only one I use now. The picture below shows the biscuits with some sausage gravy and eggs that we had one night as a breakfast for dinner, but I also regularly make them with anything that we are having gravy with – chicken, turkey, meatloaf, pot roast – or any time I make stew or soup. They are just plain delicious.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

6 Comments

Posted by MikeG on September 1, 2016 in Biscuits, Breakfast, Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes

Tags: best biscuits recipe, biscuits and sausage gravy, biscuits recipe, southern-style biscuits, Tasting Table southern-style biscuits

Say it With Steak – Pan Grilled Sirloin Steak with Ancho Chile-Coffee Rub

31 Aug

Finding different things to do with steak when you don’t have the option of grilling outside can be difficult sometimes. There is nothing quite like getting a steak nicely grilled, grill marks and all, and having the smell of the steak on your barbecue permeating the backyard. For those of us that do not have the grilling option, finding a good way to get flavor, grill marks and more out of a steak you make indoors is what you have to make the best of. For me, it usually means making use of a grill pan, finding a really good rub to put on the steak and doing some careful cooking to make sure the steak gets done correctly. There is nothing worse than overcooking a good piece of steak, considering how much they cost today. You can save a little bit if you can get yourself a nice sirloin steak, which I managed to do recently at our local farmers’ market. I got steak from Bishop Farms, a farm that promises no hormones, GMOs or antibiotics in the meat they sell. It was then a matter of finding a good way to cook it, so I decided to make use of part of this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for a grilled steak with ancho chile-coffee rubs and adapt for indoor use.

Pan Grilled Sirloin Steak with Ancho-Chile Coffee Rub

For the Steak:

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 ( 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pound) boneless sirloin steaks, about 1-inch thick

For the Spice Rub:

1 dried ancho chile. stemmed, seeded and flesh torn into 1/2-inch pieces

4 teaspoons cumin seeds

4 teaspoons coriander seeds

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground coffee

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

Vegetable oil spray

For the steak, combine the tomato paste, fish sauce, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, cut 1/16-inch-deep slits on both sides of steaks, spaced about a ½ inch apart, in a crosshatch pattern. Rub the salt mixture evenly on both sides of the steaks. Place the steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet; let the steaks stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

For the spice rub, toast the ancho chile, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns in a medium skillet set over medium-low heat, stirring the spices frequently, until they are just beginning to smoke, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the spices to a plate to cool for about 5 minutes. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or in a mortar with pestle until they are coarsely ground. Transfer the spices to a bowl and stir in the sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder.

Sprinkle about half of the spice rub evenly over 1 side of the steaks and press down to adhere until the spice rub is fully moistened. Lightly spray the rubbed side of the steak with vegetable oil spray for about 3 seconds. Flip the steaks and repeat the process of sprinkling with the spice rub and coating with vegetable oil spray on the second side.

Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Drop a few drops of water on the pan and if it sizzles loudly when it hits the pan, the pan should be hot enough for your steaks. Place the steaks in the hot pan and sear the steaks on one side for 5 minutes without moving the steaks. Flip the steaks and cook them on the other side for another five minutes without moving them for a doneness of medium-rare. If you prefer the steaks medium, add one to two minutes to your cooking time to desired doneness. Remove the steaks and allow them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing them thinly against the grain and serving.

If you didn’t want to go through the effort of toasting the spices and then grinding them you could certainly use spices that are already ground, but the toasting does add a different flavor to the spice mixture and it works well. You get a much deeper flavor this way. I really liked having two different rubs on there as the combination of the tomato paste, fish sauce, salt, onion and garlic really adds something special to the steaks and then it gets topped off by the coffee and chile spice rub for a really good finish. Spraying the steaks with vegetable spray serves a couple of purposes as it will help you to keep the steaks from sticking to the pan but it also helps to bloom the spices a bit more so you don’t get a raw spice flavor. I think the rub will work well on any cut of steak you want to make, something expensive or inexpensive, and still give you great taste. I only made one large steak for the three of us for this meal but if you make the two steaks indoors you will need to cook them in batches so you can make sure you get a nice sear and don’t overcrowd the pan so the steaks steam. Of course, if you have a gas or charcoal grill you could always cook them outdoors and get great results as well. Any steak goes well with roasted potatoes and roasted vegetables, and I made some roasted broccoli and beets to go with the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on August 31, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Herbs, Spices

Tags: ancho chile-coffee rub, cook's illustrated, Cook's Illustrated grilled steak with ancho chile-coffee rub, grilled steak with ancho chile-coffee rub, pan grilled sirloin steak, pan grilled sirloin steak with ancho chile-coffee rub, sirloin steak, sirloin steak recipe

What Would the Colonel Think? Is This Really the KFC Fried Chicken Recipe?

29 Aug

Okay, I know I just posted a fried chicken recipe recently on the blog, but when I saw the recent story about how the original “secret” recipe to KFC’s 11 herbs and spices may have been accidentally leaked to the public in an interview with the Colonel’s nephew, I figured I would check it out. Granted, I am not a big eater of KFC chicken myself. I have nothing against KFC; I just think there are better recipes out there for fried chicken to try. That being said, I wanted to check it out and see just how close it actually was to what you get at KFC. The spices all seemed like they would make up a good mix for the coating for the chicken and other than that the recipe that the Chicago Tribune tried to imitate KFC chicken seemed pretty basic, so I cut up a chicken and set to work on it.

Perhaps the KFC Fried Chicken Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon celery salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried mustard

4 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons ground white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1 chicken, cut up, the breast pieces cut in half for more even frying

Canola oil, for frying

Mix the flour in a bowl with all of the dried herbs and spices; set aside the spice mixture.

Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a separate large bowl until they are combined. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk mixture at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, allowing any excess to drip off. Dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture to coat all sides of the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess. Allow the chicken to sit on a rack set over a baking sheet for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat about 3 inches of the oil in a large Dutch oven or similar heavy cast iron pot with high sides over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees on an instant-read thermometer or candy thermometer. When the correct temperature is reached, lower the heat to medium to maintain it at 350 degrees. Fry 3 or 4 pieces of the chicken at a time, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry the chicken until it is medium golden brown, turning each piece once, about 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer the chicken pieces to a baking sheet covered with paper towels. Allow the oil in the pot to return to the right temperature before adding more chicken pieces. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken.

Okay, a couple of things about this recipe. First, as is indicated in the article, KFC adds MSG to their chicken to give it added flavor. If you want to add it, you can purchase it as Accent or other like brads in the store. Personally, I do not use MSG or have it in the house, so I left it out. The article indicates they only sprinkled a little on each piece before it was eaten and it seemed to help mimic the proper flavor, but I think it was fine without it. Secondly, KFC uses pressure frying to make their chicken so they can cook it faster. Whether or not this has an actual effect on the product that you eat versus what you can make at home I am not sure of, but for my purposes I just fried the pieces in my cast iron pan. Here’s what I think – it’s a good recipe, giving you nice, crunchy coating that has some good spice flavor. To me, it’s about as labor intensive as other fried chicken recipes I have made before. The spice mix tastes good, and there is a lot of paprika and white pepper in there and both come through in the taste. Is it KFC chicken? Both Sean and Michelle, who eat KFC chicken sometimes, said it was close but not exact, which is okay with me. I did like the spices, but I think I have had crunchier fried chicken. I am sure you could amp up the crunch by double dipping the chicken if you wanted to.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 29, 2016 in Dinner, Poultry, Uncategorized

Tags: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune KFC fried chicken ingredients, fried chicken recipe, KFC 11 herbs and spices, KFC copycat fried chicken recipe, KFC fried chicken recipe

Keep it Easy -Simple Breaded Pork Cutlets and Plum Iced Tea

27 Aug

Even though it seems like summer is starting to wind down we are still getting warm and humid weather here. This means I may not have the energy to spend as much time in the kitchen as I might under other circumstances so I want to make dinner as easy as possible. Of course, it can get a little tiring to have boneless chicken, hamburgers or sandwiches for dinner all of the time, so you want to add a little something different to repertoire in the kitchen. So what about pork? I may not seem to give pork a lot of love in the recipes I make, but I really do like it. However, a lot of times when we think about pork we think about pulled pork or pork roasts that take a long time in the kitchen, something you don’t want right now. One of the great things about pork is that you can very often find good deals on it so you can get a variety of pork chops, a pork loin roast or even pork tenderloin for pretty good prices and they are much more versatile than you might think. Pork takes to sauces, herbs and breading very nicely and if you can get a boneless pork loin roast on sale you can cut your own boneless chops from it, as thick as you like, and have a quick and easy meal and then freeze the rest. That is what I did recently when I made this recipe from Pierre Franey from New York Times Cooking for some basic breaded pork cutlets.

Breaded Pork Cutlets

8 boneless pork loin slices, about 3 ounces each, trimmed of excess fat

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried, or other herbs of your choice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons water

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 lemon wedges

Place the pork slices between sheets of plastic wrap on a flat surface. With a meat pounder or a mallet, pound them to flatten the pork slices without breaking the meat. The meat should be about 1/4-inch thick when you are done.

Combine the cumin, rosemary (or other herbs), salt and pepper in a small bowl. Blend the spices well. Season the pork cutlets on both sides with the spice mixture.

Beat the egg together with the water and place the egg mixture in a large flat dish. Coat the cutlets with the egg mixture, allow any excess to drip off and then dip the pork cutlets into the bread crumbs.

Place the pork cutlets on a flat surface and tap lightly with the flat side of a heavy knife to help the bread crumbs adhere well to each cutlet.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and cook the pork cutlets over medium heat, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the cutlets are golden brown and cooked through. Serve the cutlets with the lemon wedges.

It’s a pretty basic recipe that you may not need to think much about. The great thing is that you can use things you always have on hand to make a quick dinner. I opted not to use rosemary since we’re not big fans of it in our house and went with thyme instead, but you can use any of your favorite fresh herbs and I think it will turn out well. I made this with a simple side dish of rice and some broccoli and we had a meal in under 30 minutes.

Since the weather has been so warm, what better thing to have with your meal than a nice refreshing beverage the whole family can enjoy? We’re big iced tea drinkers around here and I usually just make some standard iced tea using tea bags and water, but since we have also had some great summer fruit around here lately, I decided to make use of that as well and incorporate it into the tea. I used this recipe from Bon Appetit for an easy plum tea that was delicious.

Plum Iced Tea

8 black tea bags

3 large sprigs lemon verbena or mint, plus more for serving

1 cup sugar

4 large red plums, cut into thin wedges

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine the tea bags, 3 lemon verbena sprigs or mint sprigs and 8 cups of cold water in a large pitcher. Cover the pitcher and chill it for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.

Meanwhile, bring the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the plums and reduce the heat; simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the plums steep for 30 minutes. Strain the plum syrup into a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Cover and chill the plum syrup until it is cold, at least 30 minutes.

Remove the tea bags and lemon verbena sprigs or mint sprigs from the tea pitcher and stir in ¾ of a cup of the plum syrup and 4 cups of ice. Serve the tea in ice-filled glasses garnished with more lemon verbena or mint.

The taste of the tea was great and something a little different if you are accustomed to just having your standard iced tea or even make peach iced tea. The syrup was perfect and I used mint because finding lemon verbena around here would be next to impossible. It was a very refreshing drink that is great for the summer.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!