Christmas

Oh heyyyy! Yes, I'm still alive. It's been a month of Christmas, Paris, family...and unfortunately stomach flu and working two jobs. Ok, I know having two jobs is a good thing, but it doesn't leave me much time to do fun things like cooking and eating and writing about it. At any rate - I'm back, and I've got a lot to tell you about!

So let's start with the most recent, shall we? Christmas. It was a Chicago Christmas this year, which I am very thankful for, because if I have to travel again within the next two months it will be too soon. Remember that snow storm that destroyed travel across Europe a couple weeks ago? Let's just say we were some of the lucky ones.

This was actually my second time hosting Christmas (first time being in New York a few years ago), although my mom really pulled most of the weight in the kitchen. However, I did make Christmas breakfast which was very easy and if I do say so myself, very delicious.



A slice of toast from a big loaf of semolina bread, a couple pieces of San Daniele prosciutto, and a poached egg. Simple and really good.

My family's traditional Christmas dinner has become beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce, roasted potatoes, and a few other sides. This year we did asparagus and haricots verts. The tenderloin was really out of this world. We bought the meat from Fox & Obel, and it was fantastic. The recipe my mom uses is basically an herb marinade that can sit for a few hours up to overnight.




Herb Roasted Beef Tenderloin

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, or to taste
4-4 1/2 lb. trimmed beef tenderloin, patted dry and tied
2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

In a small bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, herbs, garlic, and pepper. Rub the tenderloin with the mixture, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours, or overnight.

Arrange the tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt to taste and roast in the oven at 500 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 130 to 135 degrees for medium rare. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it cool, loosely covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove the strings, cut the meat into thin slices. 8-10 servings.

We used a 3 1/2 lb. tenderloin which was plenty for 5 people and a little bit of leftovers.



Horseradish Sauce

2 cups sour cream or 1 cup each low-fat plain yogurt and sour cream
1/2 cup peeled grated fresh horseradish or drained bottled horseradish
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients, transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. May be made one day ahead.

(The original recipe says to drain the sour cream in a piece of cheesecloth for 15 minutes, but....ehhh, we didn't do that.)

More Christmas recipes to come, and several reports on Paris to come as well!

Cilantro/Cumin Skirt Steak

Cumin is quickly becoming my favorite spice - I used it in lentil and vegetable soup, and in mojo criollo. It has such a wonderful smell and unique taste. So when Susan Feniger used it on her winning dish on last week's episode of Top Chef Masters, I thought I should give it a try. Luckily since it was the winning dish, there's a demonstration video online of exactly how to make it.

She made a cilantro cumin marinade for skirt steak, then made tacos with black bean salsa, and guacamole. I made the steak the same way but didn't do tacos, and instead made a corn, black bean, and avocado salad to go on the side.

Marinade:
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 serrano chile
2 tsp. ground cumin
juice of 3 limes
1/2 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth, and spread over steak. Let marinate for a couple hours. This was enough marinade for one pound of steak. The recipe actually called for toasted cumin seeds, but I already had ground cumin and didn't want to buy another kind just for this recipe.




Salad:

2 vine tomatoes, diced
2 Tbl. diced red onion
1 jalapeno, very finely diced
1 cup corn
1 cup black beans
1 avocado, diced
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbl. olive oil
generous pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.



And that's it! Grill the steak for about 7 sides per minute. I had a pretty thick piece of skirt steak, so 7 minutes might be too much for a thinner piece. The marinade is really flavorful. I loved the steak on it's own, but maybe I'll try the taco version next time.

Steakhouse Saturday

We went to the market yesterday with no idea what to make for dinner, but kind of hoping they would have lobster. They actually did have lobster tails, as well as fresh soft shell crabs that looked amazing, except at $6.99 each we would have spent a fortune since they were so small. Filet was actually on sale for once, and we thought it would be fun to do steakhouse dinner - filet au poivre with a red wine sauce, mashed potatoes, and sauteed spinach.

Well, it's only right to start with shrimp cocktail. No cooking here, we bought the cocktail sauce and the shrimp already cooked.



For the mashed potatoes, I wanted to do red potatoes with the skin on and make them kind of chunky.

5 large red potatoes (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs.)
3 Tbl. butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup 2% or whole milk
salt and pepper

Wash the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. I actually cut them even a bit smaller than you see here - I cut those big half-moon pieces in half.



Put them in a pot with enough water to cover them, bring to a boil, then down to a simmer for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and return to the pot and mash with a potato masher.




I actually don't have a potato masher so I used two forks, which worked just fine but I ended up with a blister. So I don't recommend it, but if you don't have a potato masher it can be done.

Add the butter and milk, and salt and pepper to taste and continue to mash everything together.



I didn't measure the butter or milk that I put in, so I approximated for those measurements above. Just add bit by bit if you're not sure until it looks and tastes like the right consistency.

For the filet au poivre, first break up some whole peppercorns (about two tablespoons worth). If you have a mortar and pestle that probably works best. I don't, so I spread them on a cutting board, covered them with a piece of saran wrap so they didn't fly all over, and smashed them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer.



Let the steaks sit out of the fridge for about 10 minutes or so, not to completely come to room temperature, but just not to be freezing cold. Put the steaks into the crushed pepper and gently press so the peppercorns stick into the meat. Cover both sides.



Heat up a skillet over medium to medium-high heat with clarified butter. You want the pan to be very hot, but not as hot as it can possibly get. I have an electric stove so medium was perfect, for a gas stove medium-high would probably be better. Put the steaks into the skillet and don't touch or move them.



Cook about 4-5 minutes and flip over (for medium doneness).



Cook another 4-5 minutes and transfer to a plate or cutting board. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. VERY important! Don't cut into the steak to see if it's done, use a meat thermometer if you're not sure. Letting the steak rest lets it hold the juices in, if you cut it they'll all run out. Plus, letting it rest allows it to continue to cook just a little bit.

To make the sauce, use the same skillet as the steaks. Don't clean it, keep all the bits stuck to the pan.



1/3 cup red wine
1/4 cup beef stock
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2-3 Tbl. heavy cream
1 Tbl. butter
pinch salt

Add the red wine to the pan and let boil for a couple minutes to burn off the alcohol, and scrape off all the pieces stuck to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until everything is melted and incorporated.



Pour over steaks.



The steak had a nice crust on it from being cooked in the skillet, and the sauce was really, really good. It was made with cream and butter, so how could it not be good? The mashed potatoes were great too. And I did the spinach with garlic since I didn't have any shallots. We followed all this with one of my favorite things in the world, coffee Haagen Dazs. Not exactly a light meal. Kind of a last hurrah because I'm in a wedding this weekend and this week I need to, as my sister says - lock it up.

Mojo Criollo

I used to sometimes buy Goya Mojo Criollo marinade at Western Beef in New York. I can't find it anywhere here! I really miss it. Western Beef, however, I do not miss so much. Anyway, mojo criollo is a citrus-based marinade that's great on chicken or steak. I guess i'll just have to make it!

I looked around online and after reading several recipes came up with this:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about two large navel oranges)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about four limes)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 of a large white onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper

Combine the orange juice, lime juice, onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Pour olive oil into the juice mixture in a slow, steady stream while whisking. Pour over steak (or chicken) and marinate overnight.



Pretty easy, right? I used the marinade on skirt steak, and I've also used it on chicken for tacos. After marinating overnight I grilled the steak for about 6-7 minutes on each side. The juice and cumin give it so much flavor.

Thai Grilled Steak

Airports are the worst...long lines, security checkpoints, 3 oz. liquids, taking your shoes off, delays, and don't even get me started on the masses of people wearing sweatpants and pajama pants. A couple months ago there was a guy at my gate with BARE FEET. But there's a glimmer of happiness at the airport, too - the newsstand. I always treat myself to a food magazine or two to enjoy on the plane. This past weekend I bought the April edition of Food & Wine, and found this great recipe I made last night. The recipe is actually Thai Grilled Skirt Steak, but I used flank steak instead. And as usual, I cut it in half, but here's the full recipe:



1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbl. each of finely chopped ginger, garlic, cilantro, and salted roasted peanuts
2 scallions, minced
1 Tbl. each of light brown sugar, lime juice, and chile oil
2 lbs. skirt steak
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cilantro, peanuts, scallions, sugar, lime juice, and chile oil; transfer half to a shallow dish. Add the steak and turn to coat. cover and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate the remaining marinade.



Light a grill. Add the stock to the reserved marinade. Bring the steak to room temperature, season with salt and pepper and grill over high heat until medium rare, 5 minutes. Transfer the steak to a board and let rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice across the grain. Serve the steak with the sauce.

So I used flank steak which is a little more dense than skirt steak, and I cooked it over medium-high heat for 7 or 8 minutes on each side for medium doneness. And of course a broiler could be used in place of a grill. The steak was great - really flavorful and a little spicy. To go along with the steak I made rice (sushi rice) with toasted coconut, sauteed ginger, and some more chopped salted peanuts. The rice was pretty good, but even better when it soaked up the extra marinade on the plate. I'll definitely make this again.

Steak Tacos & Fresh Salsa

Inspired by the March edition of Saveur magazine (a special issue about Los Angeles), I decided to make steak tacos. There were so many pictures of all the amazing Mexican food in southern California and I was craving some tacos with fresh salsa. I used skirt steak, which is perfect for tacos or fajitas because it's lean, it cooks quickly, and is easy to slice up.



1 lb. skirt steak
kosher salt
4 limes
5 vine tomatoes, or 5-6 plum tomatoes, cut into big pieces
1/2 white onion, cut into big pieces
1 jalapeno
corn tortillas

Turn on the broiler to high, and let it heat up for 10 minutes. Season the steak with lots of salt and lime juice. If you have time, you could even let it marinate in the lime juice for awhile before cooking. Cook for roughly 12 minutes (depending on thickness), flipping halfway through. Let meat rest for 5 minutes or so before cutting into slices.

For the salsa: cut the jalapeno in half and remove the seeds. Put one half into the food processor along with a small handful of cilantro leaves and pulse until it's finely minced. Add the tomato, onion, lime juice, and salt and hit pulse just a few times to chop everything up, but not puree it.



I thought 3/4 of a jalapeno gave it a good amount of heat, but if you're not sure start with just 1/2 of the jalapeno and you can always add more (mincing it by hand and adding to the salsa). You want to start with just the jalapeno and cilantro in the food processor because those should be chopped more finely than the rest of the ingredients. This made a good amount of salsa - enough to have with chips before dinner.

Also, I bought 4 limes because sometimes you get one that doesn't have much juice (which I did), plus I like to have extra to season the tacos with once they're done. I added cheese to one of my tacos, but I ended up liking them better without.

A Twist on Steak & Potatoes

I love watching Paula Deen on the Food Network, especially when she bakes (which seems to be most of the time). I can't wait to make her strawberry shortcake recipe this summer. And I definitely appreciate her love of butter. On one show I saw recently, they brought out a bust of her carved out of butter. I can only hope someone does the same for me one day. I watched an episode of her show last weekend, where her son was a guest and they cooked some of his recipes together. A couple of them looked pretty good, so I decided to give them a try last night - balsamic-glazed London broil and cinnamon sweet potato wedges. I also made sauteed spinach. The sweet potatoes were my favorite thing on the plate...really soft, and sweet and salty at the same time. Below are the recipes- I made some very minor changes to them.



Balsamic-glazed London broil (for 2):
1 (1-pound) London broil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf

Preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Season the meat with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet over low heat, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half and is a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf.

Put the meat on the baking sheet and slather it with the glaze. Broil the meat 4 inches from the heat until it reaches the desired level of doneness, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the broiler to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain and transfer it to a serving platter.

**The recipe actually calls for a 3 lb. London broil, but that was too much meat for 2 people. I used the same amount of glaze though, so if you did want to make for more people I would double the amount of glaze.

Baked sweet potato wedges (for 2):
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Add the potato wedges to the butter and toss to combine. Season the potatoes with the salt and pepper.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and serve.

Valentine's Day Dinner

Last night's Valentine's dinner was a success! Since we watched Julie & Julia last week I have been wanting to make Boeuf Bourguignon, but I knew it would be a big undertaking...more for a special occasion than a Tuesday night, so I decided to try it out for Valentine's Day. I happen to have a Julia Child cookbook that my mom got me, I believe from a tag sale, a few years ago. I wouldn't say it was difficult to make, just time consuming. I also made brownies from a recipe in ad hoc at home which were maybe the best brownies I've ever had. However...the pan I cooked them in was 8x8 and the recipe called for 9x9 so the cooking time was off (I had to cook them for longer), and when i took them out of the pan they weren't cooled enough so they didn't stay intact and the picture I took didn't even really come out very well. So I'll share the recipe and a new picture next time I make them with the proper pan. But I'll just say that the recipe has 3 sticks of butter and 2 dark chocolate bars...you can't go wrong with that.

Here's the recipe for the Boeuf Bourguignon, from Julia Child's The Way to Cook. It's a really nice special occasion meal, or something fun to make on a Saturday or Sunday night. I know it looks long and complicated, but when you break it down it's not bad, I promise. The way I see it, it's done in 3 parts. The assembling of things that go in the casserole, the cooking of the onions and mushrooms, and the putting it all together at the end (the draining of the liquid, adding beurre-manie, onions, and mushrooms). I cut the recipe in half. For red wine, I used a merlot/cabernet blend. Zinfandel is good too; you want a heavier red wine, not a pinot noir or beaujolais. Also, I cooked it on the stove in a dutch oven, and kept it covered the whole time. I simmered it at probably a little higher heat than I should have, but this made the sauce reduce nicely so I didn't have to reduce it more at the end. For the beurre-manie: you want about 1 Tbs for every cup of liquid. So I did about 1 1/2 Tbs flour, and 1 Tbs butter. I served the dish with just sliced french bread for dipping, but any kind of starch (mashed or roasted potatoes, rice, noodles) would be good.

Boeuf Bourguignon

For 6 to 8 servings

3 to 4 lbs boneless beef stew meat, cut into cubes about 1 1/2 to 2 inches

cooking oil

2 dozen pearl onions

2/3 cup sliced carrots

5 to 6 cups liquid (all red wine or a mixture such as 1 bottle of wine plus beef stock)

2 or 3 large cloves of garlic, smashed

2 cups tomatoes (1 whole unpeeled tomato, cored and chopped, plus canned drained Italian plum tomatoes)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp thyme

salt

about 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock

6 cups fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, dried, and quartered or sliced

1/2 Tbs sliced shallots or scallions

3 Tbs flour and 2 Tbs softened butter blended to a paste, for the beurre-manie sauce

large skillet, 3-quart casserole or baking dish

Dry the meat thoroughly with paper towels - damp meat won't brown. Film a large skillet with 1/16 inch of oil and set over moderately high heat. When very hot but not smoking, brown as many pieces of meat will fit in one layer without crowding. Turn frequently to brown on all sides - 3 to 5 minutes; transfer pieces as they are done to casserole.

Skim all but a spoonful of fat out of the skillet (if burned discard all and add fresh oil); turn in the sliced carrots, stirring and tossing for 3 to 4 minutes to brown lightly before scraping them out over the beef. Pour a cup of red wine wine/stock combination into the skillet, swishing and scraping up any juices, and pour into casserole. Add the garlic and 4 more cups of wine/stock to casserole; fold in tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and salt to taste. You should have enough liquid to almost cover the beef; add more if needed. **this much of the recipe may be completed a day in advance; cover when cool, and refrigerate**

Bring to simmer on top of the stove; cook at a slow simmer on top of the stove or in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning and basting the meat several times until just fork-tender. If your casserole dish is not flame-proof, set it in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes or so, then reduce to 350 degrees and start timing.

When finished cooking, pour the contents of the casserole into a colander set over a saucepan; wash out the casserole and return the pieces of beef to it. Skim any grease/fat off the top of the liquid in the saucepan and taste for seasoning; you should have about 3 cups of liquid. Add the beurre-manie sauce (the flour/butter paste). Boil the liquid down rapidly if it's flavor needs concentrating, and add back to casserole dish when finished. Add cooked onions and mushrooms (see below) and mix together for a couple minutes. Serve in bowls.

Onions and mushrooms:

When the meat has about 30-45 minutes left to cook, prepare the brown-braised onions, which will be added to the dish just before serving. In a medium skillet saute the peeled onions in a little clarified butter or oil, swirling pan to turn them; they will not brown evenly, but will take on a decent amount of color. Then add chicken broth (and if you wish, a little red wine) to come up halfway. Season lightly with salt and perhaps a bay leaf or a pinch of dried herbs. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes, until the onions are tender when pierced but still hold their shape.

When the meat has about 10 minutes left to cook, prepare the sauteed mushrooms. Set a large skillet over high heat with 1 Tbs butter and 1 tsp oil (olive or canola). When the butter foam begins to subside, toss in the sliced mushrooms. Toss frequently, swirling pan by its handle, for several minutes, while the mushrooms absorb the butter. In a minute or two add the chopped shallots or scallions. Toss with a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Super Bowl Chili

Sorry for the long hiatus, I had lots of visitors last week/weekend which means I was busy entertaining, and going out to restaurants...so not really cooking too much. My mom came last week and we went to dinner at Sepia in the West Loop. It was delicious, and has a beautiful bar in the front of the restaurant. My sister and cousin visited over the weekend and we went to Adobo Grilll and Quartino, which were both great. I think Quartino is my favorite restaurant here so far, it's a bistro atmosphere with amazing Italian food and it's soooo affordable. We also discovered Clark Street Ale House, a great bar with an amazing beer selection just a few blocks away from our apartment. We'll definitely be back.

Anyway, last night the Saints won the Super Bowl, yay! I'm a Jets fan, but I wanted the Saints to win. I made a chili recipe which has become one of my favorite cold weather meals, I think this is the 3rd or 4th time I've made it this winter. I can't take credit for it, the recipe is from Emeril, but I made just a few adjustments to it. His recipe calls for turkey but I prefer to use beef, and also uses cream which I skip. It's kind of spicy, so watch out! Cut back on the jalapeno or chili powder if you don't like it too hot. Also, I usually cut this recipe in half because I'm almost always cooking for only 2 people.



2 cans cannellini beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
2 tablespoons Emeril's Southwest Essence, recipe follows
1 2/3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons cornmeal
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (10-ounce) cans Ro'tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles (original), undrained
2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles, undrained

In a deep skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion and jalapeno until soft and beginning to caramelize, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the meat, Southwest Essence, chili powder, salt, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned and cooked through, 6 minutes. Add the cornmeal and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and canned chiles and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes longer.

Serve the chili in deep bowls, garnish with sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onions and/or jalapeno to taste.


Emeril's Southwest Seasoning:

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.