Meaty Monday: Whole Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Sage & Capers

What was left of the cauliflower after the photo shoot...

A lot of things changed last spring when Chuck died, and I simply lost my cooking mojo. It is coming back, bit by bit, and I think some of it has been rekindled by the lovely vegetables and meat I've found in my CSA shares. Life has a habit of going on. Luckily. On Friday afternoon, I had just finished shooting this cauliflower dish when my pal John wanders into the kitchen and says, "What's THAT???! It smells wonderful." Those pictures didn't turn out as well as I'd have liked, but this shot of it after the two of us had a go at the cauliflower right on the platter says it all. The cauliflower is tender, but just holds together until you collapse with a fork it into the rich, toasty brown butter sauce.

Even though today is usually Meaty Monday around here, you need a few good, fast side dishes to go along with the meat. More than a few.  Especially if you eat Primal / Paleo as I do. The uninformed think it is a meat-centric diet; actually it isn't, it's mostly vegetables with moderate portions of high quality animal protein a time or two a day. I generally aim for two cups of cooked vegetables (or the equivalent raw) at each meal, including breakfast.  Just no grain, legumes or processed sugar, although I avoid any kind sugar most of the time.

There has been an absolutely beautiful cauliflower recipe circulating the 'net for the last few years with a whole roasted cauliflower and sauce. The cauliflower roasts for about 1-1/2 hours. Gorgeous, but who, on a work night, really has time to roast anything for that long? I don't.  Can't speak for you, though.  In my  CSA box this week from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative is a lovely, locally grown cauliflower, and it deserves to be shown off. This is the way to do it. The absolutely fastest way to cook a whole, intact, cauliflower is in a pressure cooker. It cooks in 6 minutes flat, and brown butter, one of those delicious but fussy sauces can be making itself in 5 minutes in your microwave with no watching on your part. And you pop the butter in the micro while the cauliflower cooks. Instant dish. Spectacular. Lick the plate good.

This really isn't a recipe. More of a technique following a list of ingredients. If you are Primal / Paleo, use pastured butter.  Set out all your ingredients, and have the sage cut and the lemon squeezed before you so much as touch the pot. This is vegetarian, Paleo, Primal, gluten free, and utterly delicious.

Please use a pressure cooker of 5 quarts or larger with a rack or basket in it and always, always, follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter.

Evidently I can still cook, but the photo skills are rusty.

Whole Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Sage & Capers 

From start to finish, this takes perhaps 15 minutes , and most of that time is hands-off, so you can multitask and make some sautéed salmon or pan-grill some steak while it is all cooking.

1  2 lb. whole cauliflower, leaves removed and stem trimmed flush
2 oz. unsalted butter
Juice from 1/2 lemon
6-8 fresh sage leaves, slivered
2T capers, drained
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Place 1-1/2 to 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker. Set the rack or basket inside, and set the cauliflower on the rack. Close the lid and seal according to the manufacturer's instructions. Bring to high pressure over high heat. While it heats, place the butter in a deep microwave safe bowl ( I use a 2-cup heatproof glass measuring cup), and cover with waxed paper or parchment, large enough to tuck under the bowl to contain any splatters.

2. When the pressure cooker reaches high pressure, reduce the heat to maintain high pressure for 6 minutes, and cook the butter in the microwave for 4 minutes on high. If the butter isn't brown enough, give it another minute. Remove the bowl carefully from the microwave and set aside.

3. When the cauliflower has cooked for 6 minutes, release the pressure quickly, using the vent carefully (see your manufacturer's instructions for details). When the pressure is down, open the unit away from your face to keep the steam away and carefully lift the whole cauliflower out using two big cooking spoons, or a big cooking spider. Place it on a an attractive platter.

4. Stir the sage into the hot brown butter, followed by the lemon juice and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then pour over the cauliflower and serve.

Serves 2 to 4 depending on how greedy you are about brown butter.

Meaty Monday Redux: Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

The grilling season is upon us and I just HAD to bring this oldie but goodie back. Meaty Monday is back, although I am working on ice cream recipes right now... I thought this was a great way to launch the season since we are just about at Memorial Day. Hello, Grill!!!

Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

First off, this whole business of calling top round "London Broil" really irks me. Somewhat of a traditionalist at heart, real London Broil, in my heart-of-hearts will always be flank steak. This new nomenclature, calling top round steak London Broil was foisted off on us supposedly by supermarket meat departments (according to my butcher) because there are only a couple of flank steaks on a steer, but a whole lotta top round. Yes, I know it's leaner, and cheaper, but it's not as tender or tasty. So if you have one of these, as I did lurking in the freezer, you need to boost the flavor, hugely. 

Whew, now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that top round can be fabulous. I picked this one up back in May, a nice grass-fed piece of beef top round while it was on sale at my local Whole Foods. Since we just returned from a vacation at the beach, and I haven't had a chance to do any marketing, it just leaped out of the freezer into my hands. Yes, it did.  So I did what any smart girl would do: I thawed it out, and dolled it up.

This wet rub has big flavor, and it's all likely to be things that live in your fridge and pantry all the time. Plain chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, smoked paprika, jarred garlic, salt and a lime. The cinnamon makes it taste sweet without adding any sugar, and the smoked paprika adds a smoky zing. Like I said, I didn't have time to shop and we still want a good meal. Good for low carbers and paleo eaters as well as everyone else who likes good meat.

Because this meat is so lean, after grilling, a finishing drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil, flavored olive oil or a pat of butter (flavored or not) would be nice. If you are eating Paleo, or just lazy like me, go for the olive oil. But if you have some minced green garlic scapes in your freezer, or can mince some garden garlic chives, toss them on the meat, drizzle on the oil, add a squeeze of fresh lime and dig in. This rub works really well on flank and skirt steak, too, so keep it up your sleeve.

Note: Top round isn't as tender as flank for London broil, so be sure to slice it thinly, 1/4" or thinner, with a sharp knife against the grain.

Quick Sweet & Smoky Grilled London Broil

Ingredients:

1 tsp. mild chili powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (pimenton)
1T crushed garlic (fresh or jarred is fine)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black paper
zest of 1 lime
juice from 1/2 lime
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
1.25 lb. Top Round London Broil

Garnish:

2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1T minced garlic scapes, or garlic chives
juice from 1/2 lime

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix everything through the olive oil, and then rub evenly over both sides of the London broil. Place the meat in a zip bag and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 10 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Pretty much all from the pantry and fridge.

When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill to 550ºF. Oil the grill, and then place the meat on the grill and close the top. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn and cook for 4 minutes on the other side for medium rare. Let the meat stand for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain. 

To serve, sprinkle over the garlic scapes or garlic chives, drizzle with the olive oil and squeeze over the lime.

Serves 3-4.

Baked Layered Ricotta with Feta & Roasted Vegetables

I know. I USUALLY do Meaty Mondays. This isn't a Meaty Monday because I have a vegetarian housemate. SO shoot me. You COULD always add crumbled bacon or ham or other smoked meat to the vegetable layer. It's already delicious as it is.  I have trouble stopping at one serving, and you probably will too. Actually is good at room temp for lunch, and reheats in a snap in the microwave. It's also grain free and gluten free.

In my house, this is a vehicle for leftovers. I had made a big batch of ricotta last week, and after we had lasagna from it, there was still a great deal of ricotta leftover. Plus, whenever I have too many vegetables lingering in the crisper, I just roast them so they can be added to omelets, or grain salads so they don't get all sad looking and end up in the compost bin. I roasted a baking sheet full of mushrooms, zucchini, red onions, garlic cloves, grape tomatoes and bell pepper, just doused them in evoo, salted and peppered and roasted them for about 35 minutes at 425ºF. Gives me about 2 cups of cooked vegetables. Two cups of pretty much any cooked vegetable works here.

Baked Layered Ricotta with Feta & Roasted Vegetables

Baked Layered Ricotta with Feta & Roasted Vegetables

Note: Please select organic / home or locally grown products for your table... and this can be made without eggs. Drain your ricotta for an hour or so in a fine mesh colander and don't expect the baked product to hold together .

2 lb. whole milk ricotta
2 large eggs
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1T dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cups roasted or cooked vegetables
Grape tomatoes or roasted red pepper for garnish (olives would work, too)
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle or spray

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil an oven-to-table 9" square baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, the eggs, the feta, and the herbs and spices through the black pepper. Mix well. Spread half the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Layer the cooked vegetables over the ricotta mixture. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture. This is easiest to do if you put little dollops all over the top, and then gently  even it out. Decorate the top with halved grape tomatoes, cut side up, or bits of roasted pepper. Drizzle or spray the whole top with a light coating of oil (Love my EVO oil sprayer for this) and place in the oven. Bake about 35 minutes until the top is browned and the cheese is puffy. Serve warm or at room temp. Serves 6. Maybe. It should, but not likely.

Meaty Monday: Cashew Chicken with Leeks & Broccoli

There is a popular slow cooker recipe for Cashew Chicken that is floating on the web these days. I tried it. It's OK, a bit bland, and it has been around for years. I DO have a problem with it, though. All the cooking instructions have you cook it in the slow cooker for 3 to 4 hours. Really? Who the hell is going to dirty a big, ole crock to cook something for 3 hours?  For 3 hours, I'll use a covered fry pan and the stove or oven.  Easier to clean a fry pan than a crock. If I'm making something in my slow cooker, it better be able to stay in there all day, while I go do other things. Like work, shop, or play with the kids at the park. All day. Which isn't just 3 hours.

Another thing, why would you WANT to cook chicken parts in a slow cooker that long? Do your want dinner, or mush? Small chicken cuts cook so fast, I can't imagine why you wouldn't do something like this wonderful Cashew Chicken we have often at our house.

This cashew chicken dish takes about 30 minutes to make and easy to fix, even after a miserable Monday full of ringing phones, whining co-workers and traffic delays. It's juicy, saucy,. toothsome and comforting at the end of a loooong day. There's also no clunky crock to clean.

Note: You may be able to make this from what's hanging around on your fridge door --I've got hoisin, ketchup, and minced ginger there all the time. Even easier, substitute an onion for the leek, and get the ready-to-heat cooked rice for a good, fast weeknight meal. This dish is gluten free if your Asian condiments are all gluten free.

Cashew Chicken with Leeks & Broccoli
all pretty on my favorite platter from Sophie Conran.

Cashew Chicken with Leeks & Broccoli

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts halves, about 4-5 ounces each, in 1" chunks
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons organic canola or peanut oil

1 large carrot, cut in ribbons with a vegetable peeler

1 large leek, white part only, in wafer thin slices

1 broccoli crown, broken in florets

3 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp. jarred garlic
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger, or jarred crushed ginger
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2  Tablespoons  organic ketchup

1 Tablespoon wheat free tamari soy
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock or water

1 cup roasted cashew halves
thin sliced scallion for garnish, optional but nice

Cooked rice

Instructions:

1. In a zip top bag, shake the chicken and the cornstarch together until the chicken is coated.  In a small bowl, mix the garlic, the ginger, the vinegar, ketchup, tamari, honey and the  hot pepper sauce if using. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan on medium-high heat, and brown the chicken on at least two sides, about 2-3 minutes a side. Add the leeks and carrots, stir, and reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally.

2. Cook the broccoli, by steaming or microwaving, set aside. Add the ketchup mixture to the chicken, along with the stock or water, bring to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 5 -7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the cashews, and serve with rice, garnished with a ring of broccoli and a sprinkling of scallion.

Meaty Monday: Rolling in Braciole And Quick Marinara

You all  are going to have to live with a repost of a favorite for two reasons: First, We're having this today for dinner, but from a batch I froze a months ago and I need room in the freezer for the holidays. And second, I had to go to a work event last night and had some internet connection problems yesterday. So today's Meaty Monday entry is an oldie, but very, very goodie. This is very easy to double and freeze for another hurry-up meal.

My mom stayed home when I was a kid, and depending on her mood, there’d occasionally be some sort of Italian extravaganza of pasta and meats and sauce for dinner.  My dad and I loved it. A favorite was braciole and rigatoni. The first time I ever heard my mother swear was while she was flattening the beef for braciole and dropped the mallet on her bare toes. It added greatly to my vocabulary at age 7. Sadly, I don’t have her recipe, since she wrote down next to nothing, but this comes pretty damn close. And I DO remember what she said. And it wasn’t "damn".

We had this tonight with some goat cheese gnocchi made in big batches and frozen (yes, yes, the recipe will show up here sooner or later), and some simply cooked green beans from the last of this years’ garden. Mom would have loved this, especially since she didn’t have to swing a mallet.

Braciole Carlo
My husband, Chuck, aka "Carlo" adores braciole, so this is for you, hon.

4 servings

1 lb. top round beef, braciole-cut scallops in 4 pieces

8 oz. hot or sweet Italian style sausage, patties or casings removed

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 large green onion (scallion) green and white part, minced

1/3 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

3 oz. stale bread, in fine crumbs

2 oz. Romano cheese, grated, Locatelli Romano preferred

¾ cup+ dry white wine

2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil

Coarse ground black pepper to taste

4 toothpicks

Two quarts of basic tomato sauce or marinara* (see below)

Brown the sausage meat in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.  You want to render the fat from the sausage a bit and brown it lightly. Next add the scallion and garlic and continue to stir until the green onion softens.

Use a nonstick pan for this, so you won't need to drown it all in oil.

Turn off the heat. Add the parsley, bread crumbs and the Romano. Mix gently to combine and absorb the oil from fat from the pan. Begin to add the wine, slowly, a bit at a time until the bread mixture can be molded easily, but there should be no excess juices seeping out. You may need a few extra tablespoons of wine. If you put in too much, turn on the heat under the pan and let some of the moisture steam away. Let cool away from the burner while you prepare the beef.

Place each beef scallop between two sheets of waxed paper, or in a leftover produce plastic bag (I save them for stuff like this) and hammer them out carefully to less than ¼” thick. Be careful not to make holes in the meat, although a few are inevitable and really don’t matter.  When you’ve done all four, lay them out lengthwise on a counter with one of the short ends towards you.

No swearing, yet.

Place one quarter of the bread crumb mixture on the wider of the short sides, covering about 1/3 of the meat, then roll up to the narrowest end, securing with a toothpick. If the filling comes out a bit, don’t worry, just push it back in.

Wipe out the same non-stick sauté pan, and heat the olive oil in it over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the braciole, and brown on all sides.

The braciole won't be perfectly browned, but do the best you can.

While the braciole is cooking, bring your tomato sauce to a simmer in a pan just wide enough to hold the bracciole without crowding. When the bracciole is browned, drop them into the tomato sauce or marinara sauce and braise at a simmer for about 2 to 2.5 hours until tender.

Serve with pasta, gnocchi or soft polenta and a green vegetable.

  

*Quick, Lazy Tomato Sauce

Heat 2 Tblsp of olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add two garlic cloves, minced. Add two 28 oz. cans of tomato puree, one 15- ounce can of diced tomatoes and a half cup of dry red or white wine. If you have tomato paste in a tube, add 3 Tblsp of that, too. If not, skip it.

Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Add one heaping tablespoon each of dried basil and dried oregano. Add a small pinch of dried red pepper flakes, and add salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste. I personally like a pinch of powdered cloves and a teaspoon of anchovy paste added, too, but that’s sort of a family thing.

Simmer for as long as you can, up to an hour, but 15 minutes will do. Makes about two quarts.

Braciole, with goat cheese gnocchi and homegrown beans!

Meaty Monday: Sausage & Peppers Bachelor Style

It has been a tough couple of weeks at work. Lotsa hours and not much time to cook; any time I've had free I've been pickling (fermenting) the last pickings from the veg garden. Meanwhile, Chuck has been waxing poetic about the foods he used to cook for himself before we met, and finally, this week, he made his version of sausage and peppers for his work-weary wife (me). It is SO good having a husband who can cook. He always tells me about so many things he cooked as a bachelor, but after nearly 9 years of marriage, I've tasted very few of them. Maybe I'm a little overbearing in the kitchen?  ….nah.

I know the stewed tomatoes and the single pepper would make my Italian forebears roll in their graves, and although this dish is far from authentic, it IS a very good, family pleasing dish that is even better made in advance and reheated to serve. Make it some lazy Sunday to reheat for your own Meaty Monday. Or better yet, get your mate to make it while you nap… I love it; and I love it that he made it for ME.

Note: This one will be a winner with kids as it stands, with its simple clean flavors. If you like a spunkier dish, use hot Italian sausage, a clove or two of chopped garlic, and a couple of additional bell peppers. This is juicy, not saucy, so its best served over crusty bread or soft polenta. Parm or Romano on top never hurts either. Please remember this is an Americanized version of the traditional Italian American dish, so feel free to adjust it to your family's tastes.

Sausage & Peppers Bachelor Style

Sausage & Peppers Bachelor Style

6 hearty servings

2 lb. Italian-style pork sausage, cut in 1" pieces

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 cans Del Monte stewed tomatoes, traditional or Italian style

1 medium onion, diced

1 bell pepper, any color, sliced lengthwise

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a  4 qt. covered sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the onion and pepper and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. If there is more than  3T of fat in the pan, spoon it off, and discard.

Add the stewed tomatoes and the oregano and garlic powder, and simmer 40 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and / or pepper to taste.

 

Meaty Monday: Quick Pork Chops with Cabbage, Apples & Hard Cider

Is there anything as comforting sounding as the words "We're having pork chops for dinner"? I don't think so.  If there are pork chops on the menu, I actually look forward to dinner all day. Weird but true.  Cheered me right up at work today knowing there were going to be nice, juicy chops tonight. A Meatless Monday night dinner would NEVER have that effect on me unless it was mac and cheese. And meatloaf. But I digress.

This combination is wonderful--it isn't exactly sweet, but it has the perfect rich pork and crisp apple fall flavor. Obviously, its good washed down with more hard cider. Or a fruity white wine. Or in my case, diet Coke. Let's not go there, either.

This'll take about 45 minutes from fridge to plate and that'll leave you enough time to make a side dish, have a glass of wine and look at your email while the chops simmer. You'll need either a shallow braiser, or a deepish frying pan that has a cover. Feel free to substitute 12 oz. of apple juice for the hard cider if you don't have any on hand.

Some green beans or carrots, and either some nice bread, rice or noodles will round out this recipe quite well.

Quick Pork Chops with Cabbage, Apples & Hard Cider

Quick Pork Chops with Cabbage, Apples & Hard Cider

Serves 4

4 center-cut boneless pork chops, 1" thick (about 6 oz. each, 1.5 lb. total)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
1 large sweet onion,  cut in crescents
1 apple, shredded on a large hole grated
1 lb. package of cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot)
1 scant cup apple juice (a juice box is perfect)
1 bottle of hard cider (12 oz.)
2T Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning


1. Salt and pepper the chops on both sides. Heat the oil heat in the frying pan over medium high until it shimmers. Add the chops and brown on one side for about 5 minutes until well browned.  Turn and brown the second side for about 3 - 4 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the onion, the shredded apple and the cabbage mix to the pan and toss well. Season with salt and let wilt for a minute or two. Add the apple juice, the hard cider and the Dijon mustard, stir well and bring to a simmer, loosening any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Stir in the thyme and the poultry seasoning, and then return the pork chops and any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook about 35 minutes until the chops are cooked through and tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt and / or pepper as needed. Enjoy!

Braised Beef Roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Well, here another Meaty Monday has rolled around and I haven't been cooking. I've been nursing a nasty case of shingles. Actually, as far as shingles are concerned, there are nothing BUT nasty cases. It is slowly clearing up, and I have just started back really cooking, and promise some new recipes after I get done testing some new dishes. 

Meanwhile, here's a post I wrote last year, and I am actually planning to make it this coming weekend when I have time to run out for a nice, little beef roast. Enjoy!

Looks like a good dinner already, doesn't it?

Now that it's officially Fall, I feel some justification in making the first pot roast of the season. "Pot roast" is the un-fancy name for braised beef.   The fact that it's also gone from the mid 80º's to the mid 60º's in the space of a day doesn't hurt, either. Not that pot roast isn't a good thing to make when the weather is warm since it makes a wonderful cold sliced meat or a sandwich, but somehow, the scent of a pot roast helps take the chill off the house, even if it's not cold enough to turn on the heat yet.

This braised beef recipe evolved from a half-jar of Stonewall Kitchen's totally delicious Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam, that was leftover from the weekend. Rather than give myself the chance to eat the rest of it with a spoon (or a chunk of oozy brie) when no one was watching, this is a truly tasty was to force myself to share it. And no, I don't work for Stonewall Kitchen, and they don't pay me in any way to say nice things about their products. I just like them and want to share. So there, lol. It's a wonderful cool weather dish, garlicky, sweet, orangey, and very beefy.

Savory jams can add so much to your cooking repertoire, or hors d'oeuvre table.
Keep and eye out for good ones, and keep a few in the pantry.

That little pot roast from last spring  you may remember, uses root vegetables that add a lot of rich flavor to the dish. My favorites are turnips, carrots and celeriac, aka celery root. If you would like potatoes, in addition to what's here, feel free to add a few firm, waxy potatoes like  Yukon Golds to the other roots under the roast.  This will make 6 servings, but your mileage may differ depending on how big your roast is, and how lean it is. Or how piggy your eaters are. My favorite is chuck for this, but a bottom round roast or a rump roast will work well, too. Chuck makes for a messy, falling apart roast, but  very juicy, the rump and round will be neater looking but a bit less juicy. Be sure to ask the butcher to tie the roast if it's unevenly shaped, so it will cook evenly, or tie it yourself with butcher's twine. Don't worry if your "roping" job doesn't look great, you'll take the string off the roast before serving.

Notes: I know the anchovy paste seems odd, but don't leave it out. It adds a certain depth (umami) to the juices that you can't get with anything else. If you must, you can substitute a teaspoon of mushroom base, or 1/2 teaspoon of Asian fish sauce. This can be made in the oven, or in a slow cooker. If you choose the slow cooker, after browning the meat, place the vegetables in the bottom of the crock, and set the browned meat on top, then add the seasonings and liquid, pouring it all evenly over everything. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours. Remove the orange zest, and thyme bundle if using, before serving. Do not even consider not browning the meat for this pot roast. Don't make me come after you. I'll know.

Braised Beef pot roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam.
 Grab a plate and eat!

Braised Beef Roast with Coffee, Orange & Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Ingredients:

3 to 4 lb. Chuck or bottom round  beef roast
salt & freshly ground pepper
2T bacon fat or safflower oil
3/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
1 small celeriac (celery root) peeled and cubed
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced 1/4"
1 tsp. anchovy paste
zest from 1/2 orange in 1-2 strips( use a vegetable peeler)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp of dried thyme leaves, or 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, bundled with string

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Season the roast on all sides liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the bacon fat in a deep dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides, allowing about 5 minutes a side. Remove the roast to a plate.

2. Stir the hot coffee, the roasted garlic onion jam, the balsamic vinegar and the anchovy paste together in a small bowl and set aside. Add the cut vegetables to the bottom of the pan, along with coffee mixture, and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the zest strips, the bay leaves and the thyme, stir, then add the roast atop the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cover the dutch oven, and place in the oven, and cook 3- 4 hours until the meat is fork tender (depending on the size of the roast), turning the roast over halfway through the cooking time.

5. Remove the roast from the pan carefully and cut into slices or chunks.  Remove the zest strips from the pot, along with the thyme bundle and discard. Serve with the vegetables and the pan juices. A green vegetable like steamed spinach (soaks up the yummy juices) or broccoli is a great side, especially if you are grain or gluten free, otherwise some mopping up bread is suggested.

Meaty Monday, Again: Quick Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

This is a command performance. It's required by unnamed members of my household that we have this instead of the leftover chicken, so you all will have to have it again, too.


Some Mondays, its about all I can do to get myself out the door, fully dressed and caffeinated.  Not always, but on some of them, I am impressively organized and have dinner prepped and even some laundry done before I jump in the car to commute. Unfortunately,  my zombie-like Monday mornings probably outnumber the organized Mondays three to one. You too?

Those frazzled days are also the ones I'm most likely to need a good fast dinner that's both totally delicious and totally idiot proof. This succulent pork tenderloin is one of those meals. While I'm on the subject of pork tenderloin I want to complain about how they come packed from most supermarkets. Why the heck, when  they almost always pack unflavored pork tenderloins in pairs, are they so different in size and weight? Most of us will usually cook them both, and one is usually at least double the size of the other, thus letting most of us, drastically over or undercook at least one of the tenderloins? Remember, this cut is comparatively the same as a beef tenderloin. A pork tenderloin is not the same thing as a pork loin. It makes me livid when I see slow cooker recipes for pork tenderloin --after all, you wouldn't toss a filet mignon into the crock, would you?

Anyway, this couldn't be a simpler, more toothsome dish to make quickly at the end of a busy day.
This grilling technique called "7-6-5" is featured in Fine Cooking Magazine; it really is pretty much idiot proof, and I suggest you take a look at the original. It really does prevent overcooking this lovely, tender cut of pork.  We prefer ours a little less done, more of a pinkish medium rare, at just over 140ºF so we cook ours 6-5-5. The original timing should bring it to above 145º after the cooking is completed. Oh, and pork is safe to eat and juicy at 140º, even if your Mom, like mine, tended to cook it to death.

The balsamic glaze is wonderful, and you need very little per serving --just a tablespoon or two, but if you are eating paleo or primal, or counting carbs, you may want to limit how much sauce you use, or choose something else like a bit of mayonnaise mixed with a bit of Dijon mustard.

Quick Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Quick Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Serves 2-3

A 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 lb. pork tenderloin (NOT pork loin)
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

For the Sweet Balsamic Glaze:

1/2 cup all-fruit apricot or seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of salt

1. Preheat your grill to high. Unwrap tenderloin, and liberally coat with pepper and salt.

2. Place all the balsamic glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring. As soon as the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, in about a minute, set it aside and keep warm.

3. Oil the grill, and then place the tenderloin on the grill and close the cover. Cook on one side for 7 minutes for medium cooked pork, just 6 minutes for medium rare. Open the lid and turn the meat over, and recover the grill. Cook on the second side for 6 minutes for medium meat, and 5 for medium rare. next, shut off the heat and do NOT open the grill for 5 minutes. If you really like well-done (and dry!) pork, leave  the tenderloin in the closed grill for 7 minutes after turning off the heat. Test with an instant read thermometer for doneness if desired.

4. Place the meat on a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes before slicoing. Serve with the balsamic glaze drizzled over each serving.

Meaty Monday: Grilled Chicken Paillards with Corn, Green Beans & Basil Drizzle

Certain foods, I think, are etched into our national psyche as symbols of things near and dear to our heart. If you are eating cotton candy, chances are there's a Ferris wheel not far away,  and if you're munching a corn dog on a stick, there is probably a heifer wearing a blue ribbon in her halter within spitting distance. Corn, tomatoes, basil and green beans scream "Summer!" to me in a not so subtle way. If there is ever a time of year when these foods have reached their pinnacle of perfection, it is now.

Chuck likes grilled chicken. Actually he loves grilled chicken. Really loves grilled chicken. Really thin grilled chicken. If I was willing to serve it at least once a week on a regular day (have I told you about our Tuesday burger night....?), he'd be thrilled. Me, I like change. Especially different dinners.

Since I do like to make dinners that will make us both happy, I came up with this combo that even I could eat once a week...at least during the Summer. The chicken is a simple as can be, "paillards" is just a way to describe very thin pounded slices of meat -- and the drizzle is somewhere between a pesto and a vinaigrette. This can become one of your favorite do-ahead meals. Add the two, to the corn, fresh beans and tomato, and the whole thing just sings. If you need a vegan or vegetarian (or if you are doing a Meatless Monday side dish), just replace the butter in the corn dish with evoo.

Yes, it's every bit as good as it looks. Yes, I did lick the plate.

Grilled Chicken Paillards with Corn, Green Beans & Basil Drizzle
Serves 4

For the chicken:

1/4 cup low sodium gluten free tamari soy sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed (jarred equivalent is fine)
2T olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (paillards)

For the drizzle:

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 garlic cloves, (jarred equivalent is fine)
1/2 cup evoo
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the vegetables:

1 tablespoon butter or organic corn oil
4 ears of fresh corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cob
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and broken in half
1 small fresh tomato, diced
a few basil sprigs for garnish


Instructions:

1. Early in the day, mix the first 4 ingredients and pour into a zip top bag. Add the chicken and chill until dinner.

2. Place all the ingredients for the drizzle in a blender or a mini processor and puree. Place in a covered container in the fridge until dinner time.

3. At mealtime, heat the butter or oil in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, and add the corn and the green beans to the butter. Stir to coat and sauté for a few minutes. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan, cover and let steam for about 3-4 minutes until the beans are tender. Remove the lid and cook away all the water. Turn off the heat and stir in 3 Tablespoons of the drizzle. Cover and set aside.

4. Heat your grill to medium high, remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill the chicken about 3-4 minutes per side depending on how thick it is. Place on a platter and drizzle lightly with a bit of the basil drizzle to serve. Pass the extra basil drizzle on the side.

5. Turn the vegetables into a bowl. Sprinkle the tomato over the top and garnish with a basil sprig.

Delicious corn, green beans with basil drizzle and chopped tomatoes,
easily made vegan...

Meaty Monday: Speedy Simple Soy Garlic London Broil & Leftovers

You know those stories about how you can cook once and eat twice? You know what word they never use? Leftovers. Leftovers sound so unglamorous, like a week old tuna sandwich deserted in the office fridge. Truly, there are two kinds of meals, the kind that produce leftovers that really should be forgotten in the office icebox, and then there are the kind that are so good you HOPE there will really be enough for another great meal. This is the kind of grilled meat that will  make you fervently hope there will be leftovers, if you just stop chowing it down at the first meal.

You all know my preference for flank steak over top round for grilled London Broil. That said, you can use whatever steak your budget and your tastebuds prefer. Flank used to be a cheap cut, but, at least around here, its pretty pricey. This marinade is very simple to whip up. I do it in the morning while the coffee is brewing, and let the steak loll in its tasty bath all day. It will help to flip the meat in its bag during the day; but if the meat is mostly submerged, don't worry about it too much. If you can, try to remember to turn it over just before you run out the door. This amount of marinade will cover a flank steak,  however, if you are using top round, and your meat is more than 1-1/2" thick, just double the ingredients, so the meat is covered in the flavorful liquid.

     Speedy Simple Soy Garlic London Broil

Speedy Simple Soy Garlic London Broil

Serves 4 or 2 with great leftovers


1-1/2 to 1-3/4 lb. beef flank steak or top round cut for London broil (approx 1-1/2" thick)

Marinade ingredients:

1/2  cup gluten-free tamari soy ( I prefer lower sodium)
1/4 cup gluten free  Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons crushed garlic (jarred is fine)
2 tablespoons honey or 3 tablespoons granular erythritol
1/2 cup dry red wine

Score the meat, about 1/4" deep with parallel cuts about 1" apart on both sides of the meat. Place the meat in a zip top plastic bag or a container just large enough to hold the meat flat.

Mix all the marinade ingredients and pour over the meat in the bag or container. Turn the meat to coat it well on both sides, although the meat should be just about submerged in the marinade. Chill for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

Heat your grill to high heat, about 550º, remove the meat from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Grill a flank steak for about 3 to 4 minutes a side for rare to medium rare, a round steak about 4 to 5 minutes a side. Cook longer to your own liking as desired.

Meaty Monday: Five Spice Brined Chicken with Honey Lime Soy Glaze

I have eaten too much this weekend. BBQ food, desserts, and some grazing, since its just been too hot to eat. Monday, for me, is the day I have to rein it all in, but by the time I get home, starvation is nearly setting in and I need to have something in the works that will be good and satisfying. Without turning dinner into an eating free-for-all. By tossing some chicken parts into this Asian-flavored brine before you head off to work, you can have a good chicken dinner on the table in well less than an hour. Your ace in the hole is a Chinese 5-spice powder. It packs a flavor punch with just about no work on your part. You can even make the brine before you've had your morning coffee. It's that simple. The light honey glaze amps up the flavor, but isn't thick or gloppy.  It'll be delicious, nutritious, and  your tastebuds will think you're blowing your diet. But you haven't. Yet. As long as you can skip dessert... Oh, and as per usual, these leftovers are divine!

Note: I highly recommend bone-in, skin on chicken parts for this dish, and then just removing the skin before glazing the chicken at the end. Keeping the skin on while baking will help keep the meat moist and juicy. If you can afford the extra calories, then just leave the skin in place; it add a lot of flavor to the finished dish. Also, if the only chicken breasts you can find with the skin and bone, are large, just cut them in half, straight across the middle with a poultry shears, a sturdy chef's knife or kitchen scissors.

 Five Spice Brined Chicken with Honey Lime Soy Glaze,
but the half lime went in my tea...oops!

Five Spice Brined Chicken with Honey Lime Soy Glaze
4 servings

For the brine:
8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs or small chicken breasts
5 cups water
4 Tablespoons Morton's Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Chinese Five Spice Powder
2 Tablespoons sugar

For the glaze:
1/3 cup mild honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
juice of 1/2 small lime
4 Tablespoons gluten free Tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon powdered ginger

Garnish:
The other half of the lime in small wedges

1. Place the chicken in a large zip top bag. Mix the brine ingredients, stirring until the salt is dissolved, and then pour it over the chicken in the bag. Place the bag in a dish in case it leaks, and then into the fridge for 8 to 12 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Remove the chicken from the brine and place, skin side up in a shallow metal roasting pan, and bake about 40 to 45 minutes until the temperature of the thigh meat is 160ºF. Mix the glaze ingredients and set aside.

3. Remove the pan from the oven, turn each chicken piece bottom up, and brush with about half of the glaze. Turn the oven to broil and broil the chicken for a minute or two until the glaze begins to bubble. Carefully turn the chicken, and remove the skin if you wish, or leave in place and then brush with the remaining glaze. Broil until browned and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes longer.  Serve garnished with Lime if desired.

Meaty Monday: Quick Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Some Mondays, its about all I can do to get myself out the door, fully dressed and caffeinated.  Not always, but on some of them, I am impressively organized and have dinner prepped and even some laundry done before I jump in the car to commute. Unfortunately,  my zombie-like Monday mornings probably outnumber the organized Mondays three to one. You too?

Those frazzled days are also the ones I'm most likely to need a good fast dinner that's both totally delicious and totally idiot proof. This succulent pork tenderloin is one of those meals. While I'm on the subject of pork tenderloin I want to complain about how they come packed from most supermarkets. Why the heck, when  they almost always pack unflavored pork tenderloins in pairs, are they so different in size and weight? Most of us will usually cook them both, and one is usually at least double the size of the other, thus letting most of us, drastically over or undercook at least one of the tenderloins? Remember, this cut is comparatively the same as a beef tenderloin. A pork tenderloin is not the same thing as a pork loin. It makes me livid when I see slow cooker recipes for pork tenderloin --after all, you wouldn't toss a filet mignon into the crock, would you?

Anyway, this couldn't be a simpler, more toothsome dish to make quickly at the end of a busy day.
This grilling technique called "7-6-5" is featured in Fine Cooking Magazine; it really is pretty much idiot proof, and I suggest you take a look at the original. It really does prevent overcooking this lovely, tender cut of pork.  We prefer ours a little less done, more of a pinkish medium rare, at just over 140ºF so we cook ours 6-5-5. The original timing should bring it to above 145º after the cooking is completed. Oh, and pork is safe to eat and juicy at 140º, even if your Mom, like mine, tended to cook it to death.

The balsamic glaze is wonderful, and you need very little per serving --just a tablespoon or two, but if you are eating paleo or primal, or counting carbs, you may want to limit how much sauce you use, or choose something else like a bit of mayonnaise mixed with a bit of Dijon mustard.

Quick Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Quick Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Serves 2-3

A 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 lb. pork tenderloin (NOT pork loin)
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

For the Sweet Balsamic Glaze:

1/2 cup all-fruit apricot or seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of salt

1. Preheat your grill to high. Unwrap tenderloin, and liberally coat with pepper and salt.

2. Place all the balsamic glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring. As soon as the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, in about a minute, set it aside and keep warm.

3. Oil the grill, and then place the tenderloin on the grill and close the cover. Cook on one side for 7 minutes for medium cooked pork, just 6 minutes for medium rare. Open the lid and turn the meat over, and recover the grill. Cook on the second side for 6 minutes for medium meat, and 5 for medium rare. next, shut off the heat and do NOT open the grill for 5 minutes. If you really like well-done (and dry!) pork, leave  the tenderloin in the closed grill for 7 minutes after turning off the heat. Test with an instant read thermometer for doneness if desired.

4. Place the meat on a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes before slicoing. Serve with the balsamic glaze drizzled over each serving.

Meaty Monday: Quick Maple Bourbon London Broil

Mondays. The day of the week when you know the weekend is over and nothing is missing from your To-Do list yet. Ugh. That's how it is for me, and when I get home from work I'm starving and about the last thing I really want to do is fuss with a meal. This is a really quick meal to cook --I actually start my gas grill on the way from the driveway to the house so the grill will be ready to use as soon as I toss my purse onto a chair and get the marinated meat out of the fridge.

I like to make London Broil, and although I'm a cranky girl and really prefer to use flank steak for London Broil over top round, either one will do fine for this recipe. The maple makes it sweet, the soy makes it a little salty and beefier and the bourbon makes it, for some reason a little more succulent. Don't leave out the anchovy paste, it's your secret umami ingredient and I promise your food will not taste fishy, just great. What would be better for dinner after a beastly day than this? Not much.

You can throw this marinade together the night before, or in the morning of the day you plan to soak the meat in it. Or even a couple of hours before, although its better for the meat to have at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours in the marinade for the most flavor. Other than that there is no work on your part other than to heat the grill to high, and cook the beef to your desired doneness. We like ours nearly rare, and that's about 3 minutes per side on a really hot grill. For medium rare, leave the meat on the grill about 4 -5 minutes a side, for a beef steak that's about 1 " to 1-1/2" thick. Remember if you are cooking Primal or Paleo, to skip the tamari and substitute coconut aminoes, and preferably choose grass fed beef.

Now. To crank this up to a whole other level of deliciousness, you can steal an idea from Chef Adam Perry Lang like I did, and make a "board sauce" for this steak. Essentially, what you'll do is place some minced or finely chopped aromatics, and some olive oil on the cutting board or plate on which you're planning to drop the hot cooked meat for it's standing period before you carve it. The heat releases all sorts of goodness, and as you slice the meat you just mix all the flavorful ingredients into the meat like a sauce.  If you are short on time or too pooped to do the board sauce, the London broil is wonderful without it, but use a little judicious sea salt, pepper and a thin drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil after you slice it.

Quick Maple Bourbon London Broil

Quick Maple Bourbon London Broil
Serves 4-6 or (2 with good leftovers)

Be sure to slice either the cooked flank steak or top round thinly (1/2" or thinner) against the grain of the steak for the tenderest bite.

2 lb. beef flank steak or top round steak, about 1 to 1-1/2" thick
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/4 cup plus 2  tablespoons dark maple syrup
1/4 cup wheat free tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground dried ginger
4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon of anchovy paste

1. With the tip of a sharp knife, score the steak diagonally about 1/4" deep in parallel cuts about 1/8" to 1/4" deep. Repeat on the other side. This will help let the marinade get into the meat.

2. Mix all of the remaining ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Place the meat into a zip top bag and pour the marinade over the meat.  Zip top and place in a shallow pan in case it leaks. Chill for at least 4 hours and up to 24. Turn the bag occasionally to redistribute the marinade.

3. Heat your grill to about 550ºF, oil the grill and cook the meat to your desired doneness. Remove the meat to a cutting board or platter and let it stand 5 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with oil and season as desired.

If you want to make a board sauce:
While the grill is heating,  grate  about a tablespoon of fresh ginger, two cloves of garlic, and mince a scallion and a small handful of cilantro. Feel free to add or leave out whatever you'd like here. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Place it all on the  cutting board or platter you have ready for the cooked meat. When the beef is cooked, lay it right on top of the bed of aromatics and let it rest for 5 minutes to the juices can settle. The heat will also release an enormous amount of flavor from the ginger, garlic and herbs. After you slice the meat, mix the herb mixture through the hot meat, and season as needed. Drizzle with more olive oil if you like it.