70: Rosemary Flat Iron Steak / Tomato Mushroom Risotto

I ended up with about a cup of leftover sauce from the Tuscan Veal Stew the other night, and I didn’t want such a flavorful sauce to go to waste. I had a couple flat iron steaks I needed to use, and found a cup of dry risotto in the cupboard. I also had two cups of chicken broth, so I came up with this dinner. I love nights when all I have to do is look through what I have and can come up with something blog-worthy.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 flat iron steaks

1 cup dry risotto

1/4 cup shallots, diced

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup leftover sauce (you’ll have to improvise here)

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup wild mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Olive oil

Butter

Salt + pepper

Risotto—Bring leftover sauce and stock to a low simmer in a pan. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms in olive oil with a little butter, salt and pepper. Turn off heat on mushrooms and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a pot over medium heat for a few minutes. Sweat shallots in this mixture for 3-4 minutes, and then add the risotto to the pot. Sauté for a few more minutes or until risotto is light golden brown. Turn heat to medium high, and add stock a 1/4 cup at a time, stirring continuously. You know you need to add more stock when the mixture in the pot seems dry, meaning the risotto has soaked up all the liquid, usually about 5 minutes. The whole process will take about 30 minutes. You must stir continuously, or your risotto will not come out nice. Stir in mushrooms and cheese for one minute before serving.

Steaks—Heat a dry pan on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes. Dredge steaks through a mixture of salt, pepper, and rosemary. Press the seasoning into the steaks. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and let warm for 1-2 minutes. Sear steaks on each side for 3 minutes per side for medium rare, depending on thickness. Our steaks were just over half an inch thick, so they didn’t need to cook long. Plate steaks up against risotto mound on plate.

Enjoy!!

69: Tuscan-Style Veal Stew Braised in Red Wine & Herbs

Amber's best friend, Mindy, was in town, and she asked me to cook for them. It’s been on the cooler side lately, so I thought this was another good excuse – not that I really need excuse because I just love it – to do some slow cooking. After a day of doing some sightseeing on The National Mall, including the new MLK Memorial, I headed home to prepare dinner while the ladies continued on to museums.

This dinner is a hybrid of sorts. I’ve cooked this Tuscan-style stew a couple times before, but I wanted to incorporate my Holy Trinity to add to an already flavor-packed stew. Additionally, I substituted veal for the pork. The result was mouthwatering, if I do say so myself.

I’ve been sitting on this 2002 Benotto Monferrato Nebbiolo for over two years. I thought this would be a good occasion to drink it, and it matched up well with the acidity provided by the tomatoes. The wine had nice hints of dark fruit and a balanced dry finish with pleasant tannins.

Ingredients and Directions:

2lbs veal shoulder, cut into 1.5 inch cubes

Will’s Holy Trinity

-1 cup leeks, thinly sliced

-1 cup carrots, diced

-1 cup fennel, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh parsley leaves

1.5 cups hearty red wine

28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (chop tomatoes, reserve liquid)

2 branches fresh rosemary

12 fresh sage leaves

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

Olive Oil

Salt + pepper

Day old baguette cut in half

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a 6 quart dutch oven. Sauté the Holy Trinity with minced garlic and salt and pepper for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the veal cubes with a little more salt and pepper, stir, and cook until it has taken on a slight golden edge, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the red wine with parsley next, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. The wine should have reduced by half at this point.

Slowly add the tomatoes and its juices to the pan, and stir well to mix everything together. Then add the rosemary and sage, ensuring you push the herbs down into the tomato juices. Bring to a boil once more, reduce heat as low as you can, cover and cook for 2 hours. The end result should be incredibly tender veal and a somewhat thick sauce. Cook a little longer if need be.

Preheat the broiler. While the stew finishes cooking, rub bread with halved garlic cloves. Toast the bread under the broiler, but be sure to keep a close eye on it as you will only need a couple minutes on each side to crisp it up nice enough. Remove the bread and coarsely chop. Serve the stew over the bread crumbs and garnish with cheese.

Enjoy!!

68: Roasted Branzino Filet / Lemongrass Fennel Sauce / Artichoke Hearts & Bell Pepper / New Potatoes

I’m really surprised that this is the first branzino recipe I’ve posted, given how much I love the fish. Branzino is Mediterranean Sea Bass. The branzino in the US often comes from Greece, and it is farm raised over there. It’s a true delight. It’s somewhat fatty and oily like salmon, but it has a richer feel with a mild flavor. I round out the fish with the citrus infusion of lemongrass, subtly sweet star anise of fennel, and butter. Add some sautéed artichoke hearts and red bell pepper in garlic, and this dish is packed with flavor. I boiled some red potatoes for good measure, dusted with salt and pepper on the plate.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 branzino filets

1/3 cup shallots, minced

1/3 fennel, diced

1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced

1 can artichoke hearts in water (yup, I cheated)

2 red potatoes, quartered

1 lemongrass stalk, julienned and pounded to release flavor

1/3 cup clam juice or fish stock

1/3 chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, minced and separated

Olive oil

Flour

Butter

Salt + fresh ground black pepper

Potatoes—Boil potatoes in well salted water until fork tender. Drain potatoes, and return them to the pot and keep covered while everything else cooks. Dust with salt and pepper when you plate the meal.

Fish—Dredge filets in flour that is well seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat a pan dry over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes. Add a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter, and let them coalesce for 1-2 minutes. Gently place filets down in pan, and sear on each side for 3 minutes over medium heat. Remove fish from pan and set aside.

Sauce—In the same pan you cooked the fish, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add shallots and fennel with good dose of salt and pepper. Sweat until shallots are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Now add chicken broth, clam juice, lemongrass, half of garlic, and reduce liquid by half over high heat. Add fish back to this pan, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until artichokes are ready. You will spoon the sauce over the fish with a slotted spoon when ready to plate.

Veggies—Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add artichoke hearts and bell pepper with salt, pepper, and the rest of the garlic to sauté for 5 minutes. Try not to stir the veggies that much to give them a slight char that really helps bring out the flavor.

Enjoy!!

67: Split Pea Soup / The Start of Soup and Slow Cooking Season 2011

What does my dog shedding and my making of soup have in common? The start of cooler weather and slow cooking season! It was unseasonably cold in DC today, only about 60 degrees and rainy. I would normally frown upon such weather, but I’m happy it prompted me to make soup. Making soup is my second favorite thing to do when it gets cold out. The first is obviously slow cooking and braising meat. Of course, it could actually be a couple months before it gets and stays cool here.

Split pea is soup is usually made with ham hocks, but I still had leftover smoked turkey legs from this dinner that had not gone bad in my fridge. The soup turned out incredibly flavorful with just enough of the smoked turkey legs in the flavor. Without further adieu…

Ingredients and Directions:

2 1/4 cups green split peas

1/2 large onion, peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken stock

5 cups water

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 large leek, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

3 large clove of garlic, halved

2 smoked turkey leg bones

1-2 tablespoons of flour (optional)

Thyme

Parsley

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

Butter

Soup-- Pick over the peas and remove any stones. Wash and drain peas, twice. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil and butter over medium high heat in a 4 quart pan. Add veggies once utter is crackling. Sauté veggies until onions are translucent, 5-6 minutes. Now add the vegetables, seasoning, stock and water. Bring to a simmer. Skim the scum (a film residue that forms and easily identifiable bc of the foam) off the top of the soup for several minutes, until the scum ceases to rise, about 12-15 minutes. Cover the pot loosely and simmer about 1.5 hours, or until peas are tender. Remove the turkey legs from the soup, scraping whatever leftover meat is on the bones into the soup pot. Purée the soup with a handheld immersion blender until liquefied. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. 

(Optional: For a thicker soup, add 1 tablespoon of flour to the pot 20 minutes before finished, stir in well. See how thick it gets after about 5-6 minutes, and decide if you want it thicker. Add another tablespoon of flour if you desire. I did.)

Enjoy!!

66: Open Faced Ribeye Steak / Hand Whipped Potatoes / Tri Color Bell Pepper Relish / Lemon Chive Butter Sauce

Steak is so good, but sometimes I feel like the presentation can be boring. I try to spice it up a little with a different presentation. Ribeye is the steak lover’s steak. It is cut from the top of the rib primal and boneless. Because of excellent marbling in the meat of this cut it is loaded with flavor and remains tender during cooking. Caution: Do not cook this cut of meat past medium-rare. When you go to take that first bite, close your eyes and roll back in your seat. Yeah, it's like that.

Ingredients and Directions:

One 12 oz ribeye, cut into two pieces

1 cup total of chopped bell pepper – 1/3 cup red, yellow, and green bell pepper each

1 large red potato, chopped, skin on

1/3 stick of butter

2-3 tablespoons of chives, minced

Zest of one half of a lemon

Juice of one half lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Steak—Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the steaks well with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a cast iron plate on the stove over high heat for 3-5 minutes (Don’t worry – it’s a good thing if it starts smoking.) Add a tablespoon of oil to the cast iron plate, let warm for a minute or so. Now brown steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer plate to oven for 8 minutes for medium rare. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes before slicing the steaks lengthwise for an open faced look.

Potatoes—Boil cubed potatoes in a pot of well salted water until until fork tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the cream, garlic, and salt and pepper. Mash with a fork really well. Don’t worry if they feel stiff. They will become creamier as they sit in the pot, covered, while you finish up everything else.

Bell Pepper Relish/Lemon Chive Sauce—Melt 1/3 of a stick of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low heat. Add bell pepper with salt and pepper, lemon, and chives after butter is completely melted. Turn heat to medium, wait 2 minutes, and sauté veggies for 3-4 minutes. Plate veggies and spoon remaining sauce over everything.

Enjoy!!

65: Pan Braised Chicken / Herbed Garlic Cream Sauce / Green Beans

Yum, yum, yum, get in my tum! Ok, so that was really corny, but this dish is not! I must admit I’m not the biggest chicken fan in the world, but the woman enjoys it. Thus, I enjoy cooking it for her. I also had some heavy cream that I was either going to use or throw away, so I opted to use it.

The key to this recipe is using a really good white wine. Some argue that you don’t cook with wine you won’t drink, yet I don’t necessarily agree with that all the time. I did, however, buy Rombauer Chardonnay to make this dinner. The bright and intense floral and tropical fruit flavors as well as the buttery nature of this wine do wonders for this sauce. You shall not be disappointed.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 chix breast filets, 6 oz each

1/2 pound fresh green beans

1 large shallot, sliced lengthwise

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 large cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons total of minced rosemary and thyme

Flour

Olive oil

Butter

Salt + pepper

Chicken and sauce—Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Cook until butter stops foaming, about 3 minutes. Sweat shallots until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove shallots and set aside. Now brown the chicken in the same pan, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove chicken and set aside. Add white wine and reduce by half. Now add shallots back as well as mushrooms, cook for a couple minutes. Lower heat to medium and add cream, simmer for a few minutes. Add herbs with salt and pepper, and simmer this for another couple minutes. Add chicken breasts back to this pan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside when finished. Add a tablespoon of flour to the sauce and simmer on low for 5 minutes to create thickness and creaminess, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce over chicken using a slotted spoon. You don’t want a ton of sauce because of its demi glace like nature – highly concentrated.

Green Beans—Pretty standard set up here. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté green beans for 5 minutes with salt and pepper.

Plate, serve, and enjoy!