French Onion Butter Rice

 

Here's a dish that needs no explanation beyond the name. What's not to love about a mash-up of French Onion Soup and Basmati Rice? Words are insufficient to describe this dish, so let's move along smartly and jump right into the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/4 cups of basmati rice

1, 14.5 ounce can of beef consommé or beef broth (former preferred)

1, 10.5 ounce can of French Onion Soup

1 stick (8 ounces) of butter

Optional: French fried onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Spread the rice evenly in an 8" X 8" pan.
3. Pour consommé and French Onion Soup over the rice.
4. Cut butter into pats and layer it evenly over the rice and soup mixture.
5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. 
6. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
7. Serve, topping with French fried onions if desired.

Grilled T-bone Steak with Anchovy Butter

 

The only thing I like better than a grilled steak is a grilled steak with anchovy butter. The fat in the butter makes each bite silky smooth. And talk about umami! This compound butter boasts the perfect flavor trifecta...anchovies, garlic and lemon juice. Try this butter recipe once...and you will spend the rest of your life making sure there is always a fresh slab of it in your fridge.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick of butter (8 ounces) at room temperature*

10 anchovy filets, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon paprika

4 T-bone steaks, 16 ounces each and 1-1/2" thick

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

*A note on butter. Always choose butter from cows that have been grass-fed. The taste of the butter is so much better than cows that have been grain-fed. If you buy your butter at Costco, like I do, rest assured that all the butter they carry comes from grass-fed cows. As an aside, I always prefer salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted for this recipe.

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the anchovy butter. Put the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender to combine all the ingredients until the compound butter is completely smooth.
2. Set a piece of parchment or wax paper next to the bowl. Scrape the bowl clean onto the parchment/wax paper. Form the butter mixture into a log by rolling it up in the shape of a tootsie roll. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before use.
3. Prepare your grill for a 2-zone fire: High heat on one zone and no heat on the other. Season the steaks on both sides with the salt and pepper.
4. When your grill is hot, place the steaks over the high heat zone and grill the steaks for 4 minutes (grill covered). Then flip the steaks and grill for 4 more minutes (grill covered)
5. Move steaks to the indirect zone and cook for 5 minutes (grill covered). (Note: This timing will yield medium rare steaks when cooked over charcoal. Your mileage may vary.)
6. Place steaks on a platter. Cut the butter log into coins about 1-inch thick. Put a butter coin on each steak, then cover steaks with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then serve.

Wine pairing: Barolo

2-zone fire on a Weber

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

  

Beef. It's what's for supper. Actually, it's corned beef and it's what's for St. Patrick's Day supper. This is my very favorite corned beef recipe. While it calls for a 10-hour cook, it will only take up 6 minutes of your time. 

The first 5 minutes of the time commitment requires you to simply dump all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and walk away. The last 1 minute is reserved for simply slicing and serving the corned beef. I guarantee you it will be one of the best St. Patrick's Day corned beef briskets you have ever tasted.

INGREDIENTS
1 corned beef brisket, 3-4 pounds
2 medium onions, cut into quarters (no peeling required)
5 ribs celery, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon prepared stone ground mustard 
2 cups chicken stock
12-ounces of beer (lager or pilsner)



DIRECTIONS

1. Place onions and celery on the bottom of your slow cooker. Add stock, beer and mustard.
2. Set brisket on top of onions and celery, fat-side up. Sprinkle meat with seasoning packet (which comes packed in your brisket). Put lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.
3. Remove brisket. Slice and serve.

Pairing: You knew this

Arugula Salad with Fennel, Radish and Mustard

 

Bold and audacious are two perfect words to describe this salad. You've got peppery arugula..licorice undertones thanks to the fennel...the snap of radish...and the sharp, pungent joy of mustard. Then you top it all of with some fresh grated horseradish. 

This salad is a masterpiece all on its own. If you want to serve it as an entree, grill up a ribeye with a well-seared crust and add the slices to the salad. Steak is really the only choice, because any other protein will fail miserably when it comes to complementing bold and audacious.

INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing

1 shallot, finely diced

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced very thin

5 ounces of arugula

8 small red radishes, trimmed and sliced very thin

1-inch chunk of peeled horseradish

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dressing: Put the shallot in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice, zest and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add mustards and stir to dissolve. Add olive oil and whisk to blend.
2. Prepare the salad: Put sliced fennel in a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dress lightly with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Add arugula and toss well, keeping some of the slices on top. Add more dressing to taste, but don’t overdress. Add a pinch of salt and toss again. Garnish with red radishes and grate the horseradish over the salad. Serve.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Skillet Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes

 

One of the joys of aging is that certain functions diminish over time. Of course, the path you take also helps diminish your functions....like hearing. Such is the case with me. I started shooting at the age of 6 and went on my first pheasant hunt at the age of 8. That led to a lifelong love of waterfowl and upland game hunting and frequent practice sessions at the gun range. I have easily fired tens of thousands of rounds with shotguns and pistols in my 66 years of shooting.

Back in the 50's and 60's, no one wore ear protection (or seatbelts or bike helmets). If you were out hunting, you needed to be able to hear the sound of pheasants flushing in the field. If you were duck hunting, you needed to hear the jet-like swoosh of ducks diving into your decoys. Likewise, when I was duck hunting in the swamps of Louisiana, you had to be able to hear the sounds of alligators cruising along the water's surface...to ensure a dog did not get released to retrieve a downed duck when those apex predators were in the vicinity.

So I got to forego "age-related" hearing loss. But I certainly got nailed by "cause-related" hearing loss. Becky got tired of me asking to hear everything twice, so I went and got a hearing check. Both ears were compromised and I got fitted for hearing aids. Oh, how I hate them. They are uncomfortable and the sound of them I find most disturbing. They convert all sounds to a digital signal that gets played on a tiny little speaker that rests in your ear. So instead of the warm, analog sounds I was used to, my world became a tinny, metallic version of ones and zeros.

I have always had a pair of Apple's AirPods Pro. So I was quite excited when they announced that they could be used to assist with mild hearing loss. I tried them and sure enough, they worked. The sound was warm and clear, but they have two drawbacks. If you wear them out in the wild, you look like Howard Hughes insomuch that no one will engage with you because you appear as a hermit who does not want to talk to anybody.

But the biggest drawback is that those stupid AirPods will never stay in my ears. They fall right out of the ear at the slightest movement. Well, on February 13, Apple solved that problem. They introduced Powerbeats Pro 2. The earbuds use the same H2 chip that is in the AirPods Pro and have pretty much the identical capabilities as the Apple earbuds, but Apple is positioning Beats differently than AirPods. 

Click photo to enlarge

Powerbeats Pro 2 are positioned as the ultimate workout earbuds. They are the most comfortable earbuds I have ever owned. And I'm here to tell you that there is no way on earth for the earbuds to fall out of your ear. The International Space Station could come crashing down on my head...and the rescuers will find my body with my PowerBeats Pro 2 still in my ears. Because not only do they fit my ears perfectly (they come with 5 different sizes of tips...XS, S, M, L, XL)), they also have a very comfortable silicone loop that slides over the top of your ear. The ear tip plus the loop means you have two points of contact to keep the buds connected to your head.

Now Apple makes no mention of hearing aid functions when it comes to the Powerbeats Pro 2...because they are for extreme workouts. But the Powerbeats have the same H2 chip and the same capabilities as the AirPods Pros (plus a few extras). Plus, they are compatible with the entire Apple ecosystem. So now I have a fantastic set of earbuds that help my hearing and will never fall out of my ears. But there is still the Howard Hughes stigma if you wear them out in public. So I plan on growing my fingernails out about four inches and I will learn to live with the hermit moniker.

So what does Skillet Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes have to do with this discussion of hearing loss? Well, this recipe will actually improve your hearing. Bell peppers and tomatoes are considered good for hearing health because they are a rich source Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can help protect the delicate tissues in the inner ear and may reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss. Bell peppers also contain folate (vitamin B9), another nutrient linked to better  hearing health. 

I made this meal for Becky and I last Tuesday. It is an amazing recipe with a sauce that has so much complexity and flavor that it kind of shocked both of us. You have the acidity of the tomatoes combined with tart (vinegar), sweet (honey) and heat (red pepper flakes). So you end up with perfectly braised chicken thighs in a bed of onions, peppers and tomatoes. Per the top photo, Becky recommends this dish be served with white rice. It mitigates the heat and serves as the perfect medium to soak up the sauce. This recipe serves four.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (4 to 8 thighs depending on size)

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small onion, diced

2 bell peppers, diced (mix colors to amaze your friends)

5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

DIRECTIONS

1. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until just starting to soften, 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until just beginning to soften, 1 minute. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are beginning to brown slightly, 2 minutes. Move the cooked vegetables to a plate.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Place the chicken skin-side down and sear without moving until the skin is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. 
4. Add ½ cup water to the skillet and stir and scrape to loosen any stuck bits. Stir in the sherry vinegar and honey. Cover with a lid or foil, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. 
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and burst, 3 to 4 minutes, smashing open if needed. Return the onion-pepper mixture to the skillet, stir to coat in the pan sauce and cook, uncovered, until warmed through. Taste and add more salt if needed and remove from heat. Drizzle more olive oil over the top and serve.

Wine pairing: Petite Sirah

Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad

 

I put this salad (called Goi Ga in Vietnam) together in less than 5 minutes. You will be able to do the same if you follow my lead. I accomplished this feat by buying the ingredients rather than cooking. While I normally love cooking, I came down with a nasty cold and wanted to eliminate any unnecessary labor. 

So I bought a rotisserie chicken to avoid cooking. The recipe also calls for fried shallots...so I just bought a can of them from Amazon rather than cooking delicate little shallots in oil. But if you are feeling lazy, go ahead and substitute fried onion rings.

I suppose I could have bought a head of cabbage to cut up. But again, I went the lazy route. I just bought a bag of shredded cabbage normally used to make cole slaw. Ditto for the carrots...I simply bought a bag of matchstick carrots.

So the mantra for this meal is simple: "No prep. Just eat." 

INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of fish sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the Salad

4 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon red chili flakes

For the Toppings

3 tablespoons fried shallots

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped, unsalted roasted peanuts

Limę wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well until sugar dissolves and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Add the dressing and toss to mix thoroughly.
3. Place the salad on serving plates and top with the fried shallots and peanuts. Put lime wedges on each plate. Chow down!

Wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc

Beijing Beef

 

So here we begin...Year 15 of my blog. I started this body of work in 2010, the year I retired. Obama was in his first term. The New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl and Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges took home Oscars for best actress and actor. And my hero, Steve Jobs, introduced the very first iPad that year..

 I used to count my readers on one hand back then... today I average around 15,000 readers a month. I have never run ads in my blog because cooking is a passion. And I cannot stop because I love to cook!

The most used pan in my kitchen is my wok. My range has open burners and it is capable of the same outrageous temperatures used in restaurants. My wok is carbon steel and it puts a sear on meat like you have never seen. And that is why it is the most used pan...seared beef is present in a lot of our meals.....pork and chicken, too.

This is a fun meal to prepare as it is cooked entirely in the wok. As is the case with most wok cooking, you want to have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to go before you start. While it takes awhile to stage the ingredients, your cooking time will only run 10 to 15 minutes. This recipe was created by Sam the Cooking Guy as a knock-off of Panda Express' Beijing Beef. It serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

For the Stir Fry

1-1/4 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 cup peanut oil, plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

3/4 cup corn starch

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced medium

1 red bell pepper, diced medium

For the Sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 tablespoons Sriracha

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine all Sauce ingredients, mix well and set aside.
3. After beef has marinated for about 10 minutes, drain beef and marinade into a colander. Wipe out and dry bowl, then return beef to bowl. Add cornstarch to bowl and mix thoroughly with the beef.
4. Add 1/2 cup peanut oil to your wok (the oil should be an inch deep) and heat over a medium flame (shoot for 350º oil temp).
5. Working in batches (to maintain oil temp), shake excess corn starch off of the beef. Deep fry beef in oil until each piece is a crispy, golden brown. Remove beef, set aside and repeat with rest of beef.
6. When done, get rid of the used oil and add 2 fresh tablespoons to the wok.
7. Turn heat to high and stir fry onion and bell pepper for 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds more.
8. Pour in the sauce and simmer for 1 minute until bubbly and thickening. Add beef back in  and mix well to coat beef with the sauce and heat through. Serve.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel