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