Love me tender, Honey

We eat very little red meat. Having been vegetarian for a number of years, we explored ways of substituting soy, grains, and beans for beef. For the past ten years, we have resumed eating meat, but continue to enjoy a broader palate of options.

Our Christmas celebration involved both families. With a full house for almost an entire week, we had many different types of foods on-hand. My sister was responsible for the Christmas eve meal. This year featured an array of hors d'oeuvres, including small beef tenderloin sandwiches with horseradish sauce on homemade brioche. There were over a dozen dishes on offer, however, so she used only half the tenderloin. The remainder has set in our freezer...until now.

My goal was to prepare the tenderloin in a simple fashion. Often it is cut into fillet portions and wrapped in bacon. Without supplemental fat and careful cooking, it is easy for it to become dry and overdone. Leaving it whole gives you more latitude. I decided to pair this with roasted rutabagas and sweet potatoes.

The Method (Beef tenderloin with porcini mushroom and onion reduction)

• 1 beef tenderloin (Best if this is room temperature. I used half, but this recipe is not portion dependent)
• 1-2 large onions, sliced thickly
• 1 packet dried porcini mushrooms (other varieties, dried or fresh, would be fine)
• oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 C red wine

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile...
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper.
4. Heat the oil in an oven-ready pot or pan over very high heat. (I used a cast iron skillet.)
5. Sear the outside of the tenderloin until nicely browned. (Depending upon the thickness and evenness of the cut, you will need to take care not to overcook the meat at this stage.)
6. Spread the onions around the tenderloin.
7. Place in the oven. 
8. Cook until your desired "done-ness." (I used a digital thermometer - set at 140 degrees. This is medium-rare, but the ends will be medium or medium-well for those who prefer it cooked further.)
9. Remove the beef from the pan.
10. Place the pan over high heat on the stovetop.
11. Deglaze the pan with the red wine.
12. Add the mushrooms and 1 C of the soaking water to the onions.
13. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by 2/3. 

The Method (Honeyed Rutabagas and Sweet Potatoes)

I have wanted to try this recipe since I saw it in the Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash. It requires  very little effort, but some vigilance at the oven.

• Several rutabagas, peeling
• Several sweet potatoes, peeled
• 3 TBs butter
• 1/4 C honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Slice the rutabagas and sweet potatoes into pieces of equal thickness.
3. Brush each slice with melted butter. Place on a cookie sheet.
4. Combine remaining butter with the honey.
5. Bake slices for 15 minutes.
6. Flip the slices and brush with the butter-honey mixture.
7. Bake 15 minutes.
8. Flip and brush.
9. Bake 15 minutes.
10. Repeat once more if you wish.

The Results

This was so delicious. The beef was moist and flavorful - the sauce was a perfect accompaniment. And the honeyed rutabagas and sweet potatoes were pure bliss, little bites of caramelized heaven. We served steamed OPO broccoli and broccoli leaves alongside.

Sliders, Grinders, and Chips

As I mentioned a few weeks back, Orchard Pond Organics has partnered with local farms to provide grass-fed beef of varying cuts and cheeses. Junior Chef #1 decided that we should make "sliders" for dinner. This sounded like a terrific idea - any excuse to eat 3+ burgers at one sitting. But then came the wrinkle: not only were we to make ground beef sliders, but "bratger" sliders, too. I figured we should go all the way and make homemade potato chips, too. At some point, I figure the fat molecules glide over one another and straight through your body - never having a real chance at being absorbed. Then again, I'm an optimist.


So we purchased 2# of Red Bridge ground beef along with our CSA share, then headed to the grocery store to buy pork, potatoes, and buns. I settled on a 3# nice Boston Butt, and decided to make breakfast sausage from half and bratgers from the other half.


The Method (Bratgers)
My first attempt at bratwurst burgers (bratgers) resulted in an overly-spiced sausage mix, and struggles with grinding the meat. After a quick Google search, I discovered that placing the seasoned meat in the freezer for a half-hour before grinding might address the latter problem. As for the seasoning, I decided to make do on my own.

1. Cube 1# pork (1/2 - 1# pieces is fine).
2. 3-4 slices salt pork, roughly chopped
3. Create a brat spice mixture:
• 1 tsp white pepper, ground
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
• 1/2 tsp allspice (I didn't have nutmeg, or I would have used that)
• 1 tsp sage, ground/rubbed
• 1/4 tsp coriander, ground
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
4. Combine the meat and spices throughly.
5. Place in freezer for 1/2 hour.
6. Grind.

The Method (Sliders)
There's not much of a story to tell about preparing the beef sliders. I added a little salt and pepper, a shake of garlic powder, and 1 TB of horseradish to 1# of meat.
I prepared 5 small patties from both the bratger and beef mixtures.

1. Melt 2 TB butter on a griddle
2. Add 1 onion, thickly sliced.
3. Place the patties among the onions. Flatten with your spatula.

We added blue cheese to a few of the beef sliders after flipping.
The Method (Chips)
If you don't own a mandolin, making homemade potato chips gives you the perfect excuse to buy one. They are not terribly expensive, and make the preparation of thinly-sliced veggies a snap. They consist of a sharp V-shaped blade set into a plastic or stainless steel surface. A hand guard allows you to work the food quickly across the blade without losing a finger. Some are adjustable to enable you to prepare julienne cuts, or to vary the thickness of the slices.


We used russet potatoes and produced the thinnest slices possible (.75 MM).


We fried these in 375 degree oil for 6-8 minutes per batch. (Don't overcrowd them.) We salted them lightly after draining on newspaper.


The Results
What is there not to love? Topped with the grilled onions, a little mustard, and a dab of pickle relish, sliders are tiny packets of finger-licking goodness. Better yet, we have leftovers - so they'll join us for another meal very soon. Sadly, none of the chips made it - in fact, none lasted but a few moments after hitting the newspaper. Starches receive no quarter here.


The bratger seasoning was a marked improvement over the original version. And, yes, slightly freezing the meat made all the difference: it ground easily and didn't bind up or become gummy in the grinder.

A plate of sunshine

Growing attention is being given to the humane and health aspects of eating corn-fed beef and other industrialized types of meat. (Plenty of good sources, I like Michael Pollen among many others.) We do not limit our consumption to only organic, free-range, or other preferred animals. Perhaps we should, if only for reasons of taste. Eating grass-fed beef, as we did tonight with steaks from Red Bridge Beef, is a different experience than one normally has with supermarket meat.

The distinction between grass- and corn-fed beef during our dinner-time conversation sparked an observation that we were really eating "sunshine." Meat is an inefficient  way to do this, of course, but eating locally-grown and free-range animals is a step in a positive direction. Plus, it is incredibly delicious! (With consideration for our vegetarian friends.)

I failed to take a picture of the raw ribeyes. They were nicely marbled and possessed thick layers of fat in the proper places. Generally, I like to cook steaks on a charcoal grill, but wasn't feeling well-enough to spend the time in the cool air.

The Method

Thank you to my father-in-law for suggesting that we use a recipe he found for Outback's steak seasoning. I reduced the original proportions by half, because I was preparing only two steaks. The result was:

• 4 tsps salt
• 2 tsps paprika
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp onion power
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric

1. Bring steaks to room temperature.
2. Season on both sides with seasoning mix.
3. Melt 1 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil in a frying pan. Heat until smoking hot.
4. Add steaks.
5. Cook to preferred temperature. (Our preferences range from the rare side of Medium-Rare to the well side of Medium.)

The Result

We seldom have red meat, and even less often steak. These were marvelous. The flavor was - well - simply two-steps above anything you can find in the store (or nearly any restaurant): "deep" is the best descriptor.  The texture was soft...not quite buttery as would be a filet, but fork-tender. It was a steak to be savored bite-by-bite. The seasoning was excellent, too. I used about 2/3 of the mix on the two steaks, and would reduce it a bit further next time. I might also cut the coriander in half.

Our now-regularly appearing salad of OPO mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, OPO sweet potatoes (diced and boiled until tender), and caramelized onions rounded out the meal. Nothing fancy, but served with a glass of cabernet...the perfect way to forget how poorly I felt most of the day.

Boeuf et Porc: Tried and New

It is an act of pure hubris to blog about making boeuf bourguinon. After the release of Julie and Julia earlier this year, I suspect there are thousands of folks who have made and waxed poetic about this dish. 

You can find a scanned copy of the original recipe here on Knopf's website. This also provides the recipes for the brown-braised onions and sauteed mushrooms that accompany (and round out) this classic dish. I have made this before, so will provide only a few photos that show the major steps.

(I decided to create a separate pork shoulder post, but I'm leaving reference to pork here because I like this post title.)

The Method (Boeuf Bourguinon)

	Brown the beef. I used a top round roast, which I cut into chunks. It does make a difference if you buy good meat and dry each piece before searing.
	It is well-worth the time to prepare the mushrooms and onions in the way described in the recipes.
	I use a coffee-filter tied with twine to hold the herb bouquet in dishes like this. (You can see this in the onion picture.)

The Result

There's little I could add to your imagination beyond what the recipe provides that could further convince you to take a few hours to prepare beef bourguinon.You deserve to eat this meal...today. It was, in fact, so good - and late after a night of Halloween festivities - that I forgot to take the picture until mid-way through the meal.

It is so rich, however, that we'll need to wait another couple of months before making it again.

Sarma and Remains of the Days

The cooking ceased for the last few days. We have a refrigerator filled with leftovers. This makes evening meals a snap, and allows for interesting combinations.

Two nights ago we had beer can chicken, boiled red potatoes with a little gumbo as gravy (yes, it was excellent gravy), and spicy greens.  Gumbo reappeared as a stand-alone meal, too. Another night was spent re-enjoying the bratgers and potato, greens, and ham casserole. 


Yet, I had planned to make sarma (stuffed cabbage leaves) in the crockpot. I had already frozen a head of cabbage from the farmer's market, so I was committed to this dish. Yesterday, as we finished off the remains of the past several days, I prepared my sarma.


The Method

1. Place a head of cabbage in the freezer until frozen solid (a couple of days). Transfer to the refrigerator two days before making the dish. 
2. Using a sharp knife, remove the stem of the cabbage. Gently peel off several large leaves.
3. Prepare the filling. Combine well:
• 1# ground beef
• 1/2# ground pork
• 1/2# ground ham (using your new Kitchen Aid food grinder)
• 1 C uncooked white rice
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
4. Place a good portion of the filling in the middle of each cabbage leaf.
5. Tucking in the sides, roll each leaf around the filling until it forms an oval packet.
6. Spread 1# sauerkraut in the bottom of the crockpot
7. Place the sarma rolls on the sauerkraut.
8. Cover the rolls with a 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.
9. Set crockpot to low and cook for 8-10 hours.

The Results

After a great Saturday filled with fun, a few errands, and friends, it was nice to have dinner ready when we were. The sarma were complemented by a steamer filled with brown rice (good enough to eat for breakfast, I might add) and a quick pot of lima beans cooked with a few onions sauteed in a piece of rendered bacon.


I'll open with the closing remark of Senior Chef #2 - "this might be my favorite meal you've made so far [since blogging, I'd like to think]." Sarma is comfort food at its best: easy to prepare, delicious, filling and - yet - only a small helping of guilt. The filling is light and savory. It absorbs the flavors of the tomatoes and sauerkraut. Amazingly, the cabbage retains some firmness despite the many hours of freezing and cooking. It is a straight-forward dish without a great deal of complexity.


We only ate 1/3, thus raising the possibility of another 1-2 meals this week.  This doubles or triples the overall rating for the dish. 

Crock-o-boeuf

Crockpot cooking. What could be easier than putting a few ingredients in a dish and letting them slowly roast all day?

The Method

• 1# roast (left over from Julia's boeuf bourguignon)
• two carrots
• stalk of celery
• an onion
• ground cloves (we're out of whole)
• bay leaves
• splash of red wine (Mad Dog & Englishmen)
• 1 TB of vegetable stock base (Penzey's)

Last night:

1. Lightly coat beef in seasoned flour and brown
2. Remove beef, add veggies and soften
3. Deglaze the pan with a little water, veggie base
4. Refrigerate veggies, beef, and liquid overnight

Today:

1. Add all ingredients, including spices and wine to crockpot
2. Set to low for 10 hours
3. Enjoy with OPO green beans and Anadama bread

The Results
The kids finished their dinner before we did.  Not a definitive indicator of "tasty," but certainly suggestive of a successful dish.