Red Wine-Marinated Steak Sandwiches

From Cooking Light magazine

Beef:

• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 lb. flank steak, trimmed

Horseradish cream:

• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Greens:

• 1 tbsp minced shallots
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1/2 tsp extravirgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 3 cups mixed salad greens

Remaining ingredients:

• 8 slices diagonally cut French bread, toasted
• 1/2 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

To prepare beef, combine first seven ingredients, add steak, marinate in refrigerator for up to eight hours or overnight.

Remove steak and cook over a hot grill or grill pan, four minutes on each side. Let sit for five minutes, slice thinly on the diagonal.

Combine horseradish cream ingredients.

Combine all ingredients for dressing, toss with greens.

Spread horseradish cream over each of four slices of bread. Add beef, greens, and a shaved piece of cheese then top with a second slice of bread.

Buy Local

Looking the person in the eye who grew your food is powerful experience.

I posted  a few links to blogs in my blogroll related to eating local and organic farming. I’ll be perfectly honest with you  – I’m not an organic farming/anti-industrial food agribusiness zealot. What I am is a person who has seen the light of eating local and am working it into my life in a way that makes sense for me. Organic is important, no doubt – there’s a comfort gained knowing that what you see is what you eat, and many times you can taste the difference.

But what’s really sparked my interest is the local food scene. When you buy from a local grower you’re putting food on your plate that was raised by a neighbor, not 2,500-miles (food miles) the typical food product travels to get to your kitchen. Some folks will argue for buying local in order to reduce the impact global transportation has on energy consumption – a debatable argument at best as I’m willing to bet the super cargo ship traveling across the pacific ocean is a more efficient means of transportation than one person’s pick up truck.

For me the real deal is meeting the grower either at your local farmer’s market or the farm,  and having that person look you in tbe eye and say “I give you my word. If you don’t agree then I’ll make good on it.” Occasionally I’ll shop at a farm where beef and lamb is grass fed and the pork raised on organic feed. I, like any other customer, has an open invitation to walk the pastures and meet the herd or flock. In a day when one meat processor can spread a food-borne illness across the globe I feel a like I can sleep a little easier at night buying from a person who I know on a first name basis.

Like I said at the top, I’m not dogmatic about buy local-buy organic. A part of me enjoys the event of driving  the less-traveled road between these Finger Lakes to do a little business with my neighbor. In future posts I’ll share sources, cooking techniques, recipies, etc. for local foods and maybe you too will see more on the plate than just the food in front of you.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Recipe from www.foodtv.com.

For the past two years I’ve been using this recipe for our annual St. Patty’s Day meal. What makes this different than most is the horseradish sauce – a creamy, spicy sauce that adds the depth of flavor needed to transform corned beef and cabbage from a culinary annual ritual to a good hearty meal you can look forward to.

Serves 6-8

• 3 lb. corned beef brisket (uncooked), in brine
• 16 cups cold water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 2 whole cloves
• 1/2 large head green cabbage (about 2 lbs.), cut in 8 wedges
• 1 1/4 lb. small new potatoes, halved
• Freshly ground pepper

Horseradish sauce:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons jarred grated horseradish with liquid
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the corned beef in a colander in the sink and rinse well under cold running water.

Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, add the water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice and cloves. Bring to a full boil, uncovered, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and transfer pan to the oven, and braise until very tender, about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and cover tightly with foil to keep warm. Add the cabbage and potatoes to the cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cabbage to a large platter. Slice the corned beef across the grain of the meat into thin slices. Lay the slices over the cabbage and surround it with the potatoes. Ladle some of the hot cooking liquid over the corned beef and season with pepper. Serve immediately with the horseradish sauce.

Roast Barbecue

Adapted From Applehood and Motherpie

This is a good recipe for getting a start with barbecue. If you want to get more adventuresome, eliminate the catsup and try making your own sauce. An intermediate step might be to spice up the catsup a bit before you dive into your own barbecue sauce.

12 Servings

• 3 lb. chuck roast
• 2 tbsp shortening or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups catsup
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp prepared mustard
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Trim meat and brown in shortening or oil using a large dutch oven or braising pan. Be patient during the browning – the meat will stick to the pan until it is ready to be turned, then with minimal effort you should be able to flip it with ease.

Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover loosely, reduce heat to low.

As soon as the meat is tender enough (2-3 hours), sue two forks and shred or pull the meat apart.

Continue to cook until meat is very tender (total cooking time may vary from 3-6 hours. If meat finishes early, simply off the heat then reheat before serving).

Serve on toasted buns.

Steak au Poivre

Adapted from a recipe published in Saveur magazine.

Steak au Poivre, or “peppered steak” is the grandfather of all steak rubs and has been subjected to a wide range of interpretations. The following is a personal adaptation of a recipe published in Saveur magazine. Use this as a base to start then get creative. Try a mix of peppercorns, add some of your favorite spices to the rub, and experiment with different cuts of beef.

• 3 tbsp. black peppercorns, crushed or very coarsely ground
• 4 6-oz. beef filets, about 1 1/2″ thick
• Salt (kosher or sea salt)
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1-2 shallots
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 cup cognac
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Spread crushed pepper on a plate and roll the filets in it to coat. Season liberally on both sides with salt. (Note, if you use a beef broth that has a fair amount of sodium, reduce the amount of salt accordingly).

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add filets and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. It’s important to give each filet plenty of room in the skillet, so if need be, cook the beef in batches. After the first turn, add shallots. Transfer steaks to warmed plates or a warmed oven while leaving the shallots in the pan. If you prefer your beef cooked medium, heat the oven to about 275 – 300 degrees. Cover loosely with foil while you prepare the sauce.

Add cognac to hot pan, then carefully ignite (keep lid handy so flame can be extinguished if necessary). Allow alcohol to burn off, about 1 minute, and then add stock. Cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, 3-5 minutes. Pour over steaks.

Notes

Crushing black pepper by hand can be a tedious task. As a short cut, I set my pepper grinder to its coarsest setting, which yields similar results. It is important to keep the pepper very course because fine grinding kills its smoke flavored accents.

Cognac can be expensive so consider substituting with brandy. This will save you money with little to no impact on the flavor.

Accompany Steak au Poivre with a basic side dish of garlic smashed potatoes.

Wine Suggestions

Red Wine: I’ve struggled with this one because I can’t seem to think of anything better than a robust Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux. These have the requisite tannin levels to marry with the beef and stand up to the pepper. I think avoiding a wine with a high alcohol level would be good advice, because alcohol adds more pepper flavor to the dish.