74: Filet Mignon / "Cranberry Molasses" / Brussels Sprouts / Sweet Potato "Crustless Pie"

I had no intention of being creative with this dinner, but I am happy with some of the elements turned out tonight. The “cranberry molasses” doesn’t include cranberry at all, but I did use a hearty dry red wine with good acidity and tannins to balance semi-sweet marsala wine. It sure tasted like a cranberry sauce with that sweet and tart flavor. The “crustless pie” part of the sweet potato comes from accidentally using too much maple syrup and cinnamon. The puree comes out a little sweeter than I originally wanted to make it. Plus, there was no crust for what would’ve been a nice base for a sweet potato pie. I threw in the brussels sprouts to balance the sweet in the dish with something nutty and earthy. Add the main attraction of this dinner, filet mignon, and any steak lover will love this dinner. It’s a bit hands on, but I was able to get it done in an hour.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 filet mignons

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 shallot, diced

1 garlic clove, diced

10 brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Healthy pinch of ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 semi-sweet marsala wine

1/4 cup water

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

My new method of explaining directions is to break down each element of the dish to let you be creative with the timing. Tonight I will recite the steps I took as I went along to hopefully get you done with this dinner in an hour as I was able to do.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees before doing anything. Now start peeling your sweet potato, and chop the sweet potato. Fill a pot with water, salt and sweet potato and bring to a boil. Now you can get started on the rest of the prep. The oven should be close, if not done, preheating by this point. Be ready because this is where it gets really hands on.

After sweet potato are fork ready, place sweet potato, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add a little water if needed to this puree. Return to pot to keep warm.

Heat a dry cast iron plate over high heat for 3 minutes. Start 2 smaller pans on medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil – 1 pan for brussels sprouts, 1 pan for sauce. Sear steaks for 3 minutes per side of the steaks to lock in the juices. While steaks are searing, add brussels sprouts, pinch of shallots and garlic with salt and pepper to one of the pans. Roast these on low. Also while steaks are searing, sauté remaining shallots and garlic in the other pan, stirring often as to not cause them to burn or stick.

Add steaks to oven and cook for 8 minutes for medium rare, 10 minutes for medium, and well… shame on you if you’re cooking good meat past medium. Just kidding. Add wine to pan with shallots and garlic and reduce by half over high heat, about 4-5 minutes. Now add the marsala wine and reduce by half, about another 4 minutes. Remove steaks from oven and transfer to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of water to the sauce and continue to reduce. Keep an eye on the sauce, though, because you don’t want it to burn. You do want it to be reduced down pretty much all the way. Reduce heat if needed. Plate steaks and pour whatever juices accumulated from the steaks resting into the sauce and stir. Spoon sauce over steaks, serve vegetables however you wish.

Enjoy!!

73: Osso Bucco / Tomato-Vanilla Broth / Braising Vegetables

It doesn’t get any better than a braised Osso Bucco, which translates into “hole in the middle.” The hole in the middle, of course, is the rich and succulent bone marrow that is the end prize of this fantastic dinner.

It’s somewhat of a traditional set up, plus a touch of vanilla that provides a silky texture. The gremolata looks a bit of overkill, but it actually doesn’t interfere with the flavor profile. In fact, it complements the flavors rather well, if I do so myself. Including the root vegetables the veal was braised in presents a layer of flavor uninterrupted.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 veal shanks, bone in

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine, a floral white like pinot grigio works nice

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1 lemon, zested

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bouquet garni – fresh sprigs of thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, and halved garlic clove

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

Osso Bucco—Season shanks with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. Brown shanks 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Braising Set Up—In the same dutch oven with the veal juices and bits, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and reduce heat to medium. Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot, and sauté for 10 minutes with healthy pinches of salt and pepper. Now add the white wine, return heat to high, and reduce wine by half. Add tomato paste and stir to break up, cook for 1-2 minutes. Now place the shanks on top of this mixture.  Add chicken stock, bouquet garni pushed down into stock, tomato paste, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove shanks to plate, and drain vegetables of their liquid. Skim fat off the top of the braising liquid. Plate shanks with a couple spoonfuls of sauce. Serve vegetables on the side.

Gremolata—It’s important to chop this fresh parsley in the beginning of your prep, so the warmth in your kitchen helps dry the parsley out a little bit. Combine parsley and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spoon mixture on top of the veal shanks.

Enjoy!!

72: Veal Chops / Tomato-Olive Jus / Rainbow Chard & Strawberry Salad / Parmesan Saffron Orzo

I’ve wanted rectangular plates with ramekins for a minute now, but I was waiting for them to go on sale at Sur La Table or World Market before buying them. Amber beat me to it, and she surprised me with a set this past week. I thought this was a good excuse to make a nice dinner, as if I needed an excuse.

I picked up some veal chops, orzo, and rainbow swiss chard, and then I set out to make a meal. Dinner tonight is amazingly flavorful. Each element builds upon the next, ranging from familiar to exotic, sour and tangy to bitter and sweet. The mildly rich texture of the veal is perfect for the acidic tomato and olive jus, swiss chard and strawberry salad, and the saffron orzo that takes on a gourmet mac and cheese feel with a flavor lift right at the end of the palette courtesy of the saffron.

Drink chardonnay with this dinner, and you will be utterly pleased with the entire experience.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 veal chops, 1 inch thick

10 grape tomatoes, left whole

3/4 cup orzo

1/3 cup Greek olive mix, diced

2 tbsp rosemary and thyme, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup white wine

3/4 cup orzo

Pinch of saffron

1 cup rainbow chard, chiffonade

2 strawberries, sliced into 8 pieces total

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp butter

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

Veal—Pat chops dry and dredge chops through 2/3 of the herbs and salt and pepper. Press seasoning into each side.  Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking, Now add chops and sauté them for 4 minutes per side. Don’t move veal while it’s cooking. Transfer to a plate after browning each side.

Sauce—Add garlic to skillet with another tbsp of olive oil and cook over moderate heat, stirring, 30 seconds. Garlic should be fragrant now. Add the wine, tomatoes, olives, remaining herbs, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes. Gently press on tomatoes with spatula or spoon after 5 minutes. They should collapse easily.  Simmer for the remaining five minutes while stirring occasional.

Orzo—Boil well-salted water, and add orzo once water reaches a rolling boil. Add in orzo with saffron threads, and cook for 6-7 minutes. Drain well in a colander, return to pot, and stir in cheese and butter. Keep warm.

Salad—Heat oil over medium heat as orzo and sauce finish. Sauté chard for 2-3 minutes with a pinch of salt, turning often, until gently wilted. Serve strawberry slices over the swiss chard on the plate.

Reheat chops in sauce pan for 1-2 minutes. Plate the dinner as you like.

Enjoy!!

71: White Wine & Herb-Infused Chicken Noodle Soup

Yes, the unforgettable, the unmistakable and ever time-tested classic: Chicken Noodle Soup. This is my version, of course, with an updated flavor profile that will surely treat the senses. The woman and I had both recently been sick, and we were longing for the classic “I’m sick soup.” Taking a basic recipe, I update this classic with white wine and herbs.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb chicken breast, diced

1 large carrot, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 small fennel bulb, diced

1 small leek, diced

1 quart of chicken stock

1.5 cups egg noodles

1 cup of white wine

1 tbsp of minced rosemary, thyme, oregano and parsley

1 tbsp of butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

Chicken—Boil chicken in hot water for 10 minutes. This method allows the chicken to sweat out the impurities and mucus commonly found on chicken. Rinse with cold water in a colander. Set aside.

Broth—Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Lower heat to medium, toss in all veggies and half of the seasoning and herbs, and sauté this mixture for 15 minutes, stirring often to soften the mixture.  Adjust heat to medium high again, add in wine, and simmer for 10 minutes with the butter. Now add chicken stock, chicken, egg noddles, and remaining herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes.

Enjoy!!