Stir fry steak 25 October 2009

Made this with fried rice last night, but I ended up not using the recipe I had and made it my own way instead.  Turned out amazingly well, and here’s the recipe.  Would’ve worked really well in the right kind of fajitas, too.  Next time I’m making a lot more, but that’s all the steak we had left.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb steak, cut into thin strips
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dark molasses
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. Accent seasoning
• 1 tsp. chives (fresh is best, I used onion chives)
• salt
• pepper

Directions

1. Combine all seasoning ingredients up through chives in a small plastic container.  Close and shake to combine.
2. Give it a taste test, add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add steak, shake to coat.  Marinate for 20-30 minutes.
4. Remove steak from marinade and cook in a little oil in a frying pan.
5. When nearly cooked through, drain off any juices in the pan, season steak with pepper, stir, and allow to finish cooking.

Roast Beef with Balsamic Glazed Vegetables 28 May 2009

From the roasting issue of a cooking magazine.  I had never used fennel bulb before this recipe, and fell in love with it afterwards.  Made this for my family for Christmas eve this year.

Ingredients

• 3 lb. rump roast or top round roast, trimmed of excess fat
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper (freshly ground is best)
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium bulb fennel, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 lb. baby red potatoes, halved

Directions

1. Position rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375°.
2. Brush the beef with 1 Tbsp. of the oil and 1 Tbsp. of the vinegar.
3. Season the beef all over with 1 tsp. of the rosemary, 2 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper.
4. Toss the onion, fennel, and potatoes with the rest of the vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
5. Spread the vegetables over the bottom of a 9×13 pyrex dish.
6. Nestle the roast, fat side up, in the middle of the vegetables.
7. Roast the beef until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the beef reads 125°F for medium-rare, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours.
8. Take beef out of the oven.
9. Increase oven temperature to 450°.
10. Stir vegetables and continue to cook until browned and tender, about another 10 minutes.
11. Slice beef and sprinkle with salt.

Alton Brown’s Fajitas 28 May 2009

We saw this on Good Eats a few nights ago and had to try it.  Turned out to be the most flavorful fajitas I’ve ever had.  Recipe is slightly changed to equipment and ingredients I have.

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 4 green onions, washed and cut in half
• 2 large cloves garlic (or 4-6 small)
• 2 limes, skins removed, cut into quarters or smaller
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 3 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into equal pieces to fit in your pan (you can use another type of steak, but make sure it is cut very thinly, ¼ inch works best)
• peppers & onions (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients up through brown sugar in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour over steak in a large plastic bag, remove as much air as possible and marinate for 1 hour (at least) in the refrigerator.
3. Place a large skillet on medium-high heat, let sit several minutes until hot.
4. Lay steaks flat in heated pan, cook 2 minutes on each side in as many batches as necessary.
5. As you remove the meat from the heat, place it in a double-thick packet made from aluminum foil.  Let sit for about 15 minutes once all meat is cooked.
6. Deglaze pan if necessary (or use a new pan), then cook sliced peppers and onions in the pan while meat is sitting.
7. After meat is done sitting, remove and slice across the bias.  Place back in foil packet to store until serving. (If meat starts to cool off, toss the foil packet in the oven on the lowest setting to keep warm.)

Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce 11 May 2009

The sauce reminds me of a really good beef stew.  Would add carrots next time with the potatoes.  Recipe from Recipezaar.

Ingredients

• red potatoes for 2 people
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 thick beef tenderloin steaks
• salt & pepper
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine (I used pinot noir)
• 1 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
• 1 tsp. parsley

Directions

1. Place unpeeled potatoes in microwave safe bowl, cover with vented plastic wrap.  Cook 6-10 minutes until fork-tender.
2. Heat oil in skillet, season steaks with salt and pepper and cook in skillet to desired doneness.
3. Place steaks and potatoes on dinner plates, cover with foil to keep warm (or keep warm in oven on lowest setting).
4. Add shallot to drippings in skillet, cook 1-2 minutes until soft, stirring constantly.
5. Add wine to skillet, heat to boiling.
6. Cook for several minutes until sauce is reduced to desired thickness.
7. Pour margarine and parsley on potatoes, pour sauce on steak, and serve.

Mom’s meatloaf 28 April 2009

Classic.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 1/2 tsp. parsley
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Directions

1. Combine eggs and milk, whisk thoroughly.
2. Stir in oats, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper, mix thoroughly
3. Add beef, mix again.  (If you don’t have a flat whisk, use your hands for this step)
4. To cook in microwave (actually works better than oven):  Pour into 9 or 10″ non-metal pie pan, form into a ring, cover and cook on high 10-12 minutes or until done.  Spoon off excess fat before serving.
5. To cook in oven:  bake at 350F for 50 minutes in ring or 1 1/4 hours in loaf pan.
6. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and dry  mustard in a small dish, spoon over top of meatloaf.  (If cooking in oven, put back in oven for 10 minutes)

Mac & cheese is one of my favorite sides with this.  Also goes quite well with seasoned potatoes.