July 4, 2012 by stevesacooking

Pan Seared Oven Roasted Tenderloin

I know you have gone out to dinner and had that wonderful melt in your mouth steak Filet Mignon. Being that it is an expensive cut of meat at the restaurant it is much more economical to cook at home especially when you do not eat as much, heck Lyn and I can share one and are completely satisfied. I used to laugh to myself watching my parent split such a small piece of meat. At home some like to broil or grill but I prefer to pan sear and finish off roasting it in the oven. Do yourself a favor don’t buy grocery store cuts unless it is something that equals the quality of Wholefoods or a local butcher the $4 to $6 a pound you save is not worth it

FYI from about.com

Question: What is filet mignon?

Filet mignon is an expensive tender cut of beef

Answer: Filet mignon is considered the king of steaks because of its tender, melt in the mouth texture. A prime filet mignon can literally be cut with a fork. This beef cut can be quite expensive when dining out, but much more reasonable to make at home, especially if you purchase a whole tenderloin.

Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning “thick slice” and mignon meaning “dainty.” It first appears in American print in 1899. Filet mignon comes from the small end of the tenderloin (called the short loin) which is found on the back rib cage of the animal. This area of the animal is not weight-bearing, thus the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise resulting in extremely tender meat.

The tenderloin term (also erroneously called chateaubriand) applies to the entire strip of tenderloin meat, whereas slices of the tenderloin are termed filet mignon. Filet mignon slices found in the market are generally 1 to 2 inches thick and 2 to 3 inches in diameter, but true mignons are no more than 1 inch in diameter and are taken from the tail end. Although this cut is very tender, the beef flavor is proportionately lessened. As such, it is often served with an accompanying sauce incorporating the pan juices.

Ingredients

1 or 4 Filets depending on how many you are serving about 1 ½ to 2” thick
1 small or medium sweet onion sliced very thin
Button mushrooms
1 small clove garlic
Butter
Vegetable oil

How

Season the steaks with salt and pepper and bring to room temperature.

Slice the onion very thin.

Preheat oven to 425⁰ rack in center.

Heat the oil over medium heat in an oven proof pan.

Sear the steaks for about 5 minutes.

Turn and place the pan in oven for about 7 minutes.

Remove cover very loosely with tin foil and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Either the mushrooms or onions are optional but we like them.

Meanwhile sauté in butter, half the onion, garlic and mushrooms to be used as side.

In another pan heat the vegetable oil until simmering and add a little at a time some of the remaining onions, the goal is to crisp. I will be honest here I have only been successful in crisping the onions to my liking once or twice but they always are a good topper for the steak. If anyone can share how to do it let me know. Thanks

This is always a 2 head bobbing up and down from Lyn and Steve.

Some other recipes from Stevesacooking.com

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Red Bell Peppers and Caramelized Onions

Herb Rubbed Flank Steak

May 27, 2012 by stevesacooking

Grind It Baby Grind It – Fresh home ground beef

I’ve been busy lately hence the slew of postings but I just have to tell you about my Father’s day present. I know, I know a little early but we used it on Mother’s day. I am used to all the packages come to our house Lyn’s brother works for the post office and I suppose she is doing her part to support him. So I usually put them on the counter and forget them. Anyway it was one of those rare weekdays that Lyn was home when the mail came and she looked at me with this odd smile, then she blurted out that it was my Father’s day present. I was happy with that but she was not, she opened the box and pulled it out a meat grinder attachment for our mixer. You see for two years now, maybe longer, we had been toying with the idea of one of these, read all the articles but really could not justify it. Anyway it was just in time for mother’s day so she decided that fresh grilled burgers were called for.

Now what cut of meat….Sirloin Roast too pricy, Chuck roast too fatty for us, the butcher suggested the eye of the round Ok will give it a try.

Ingredients

4 lbs Eye of the Round roast, trim some of the fat off
Salt and pepper or rub

How

This is the fun part

Attached the grinder to the mixer

Cut the roast into chucks that will fit into the grinder tube

Place of baking sheet and into the freezer for about 20 minutes – do not freeze

Turn the mixer on and feed the meat into the tube until all meat has been ground, a second grinding really makes it tender.

Form patties, indent the center slightly, sprinkle and rub with favorite rub let sit for a few minutes

Grill about 4 minutes per side depending on size.

The meat had very little shrinkage and cooked faster than I thought, it was tender, very tender, I thought too dry but no one else found it that way.

Best early present I ever got.

Side note: Lyn found sirloin steaks on sale and we ground up for lunch today very tasty and tender especially after double grinding. I cooked about 4 minutes per side and they came out very tender, juicy and medium. Like grass feed beef it looked more well down than it was.

My Favorite Brisket recipe (stevesacooking.com)
Roasted Potato Salad with Cilantro and Balsamic Vinaigrette (stevesacooking.com)

May 1, 2012 by stevesacooking

Intersting Facts About Lemons

Hi I found these tidbits while surfing today do you know any others? Add to comments!Did you know?

Lemon juice has been very useful in solving various digestion related problems. When mixed with warm water, it can give relief from heartburn, nausea, bloating, belching and parasites. Regular intake of lemon juice can take care of constipation problem, by clearing the accumulated bowels. Lemon is also helpful for the liver as it helps the liver in producing more bile, which can in turn speed up the process of digestion.

When Life Gives You Lemons … Some Lemony Tips to Use

A room temperature lemon will yield more juice than a cold one.
Fresh lemon juice can be frozen in ice cube trays and saved for later use.
Meat can be tenderized by marinating it in lemon juice.
Put lemon wedges inside a chicken and bake for a tasty meal.
Squeezing lemon juice on steaming vegetables will keep the colors bright.
When using the lemon peel, such as for lemon zest, wash it thoroughly first.
Lemons can be kept in a refrigerator crisper for about four weeks.
Lemons with green tinges will be more sour, as they haven’t fully ripened yet.
Did you know that one lemon tree can grow 3,000 lemons in one year?

The Meyer lemon, is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange. The Meyer Lemon is a favorite of chefs and gourmets. It is slightly sweeter than the classic commercial varieties (Eureka and Lisbon). Its soft skin develops an orange hue when fruit is fully ripe, and its distinctive, mystical flavor combines lemon with a hint of tangerine. It is easy to grow, compact, and notoriously prolific in its blooming and fruiting. The tree often flowers twice a year, such that both fruit and flowers can be present all year long. What’s more, it does not need a lot of heat to ripen the fruit. Check this out The Best Damn Lemon Cake

March 25, 2012 by stevesacooking

Lyn’s Blueberry Oatmeal pancakes

Sunday morning the newspaper, waffles, pancakes or even eggs and bacon what could be better? We have made these plenty of times before each time the memory never lets us down. With this much oatmeal, you can expect it to be pretty hardy. Two of these fills me up for most of the morning but I cheat and have a third they are just so good. I caught Lyn sneaking another this morning, at least she did not put pepper on them she is a pepper head after all. You can cook the entire batch then freeze them, separated by parchment or wax paper and warm one for a quick breakfast of breakfast for supper.

Ingredients

8 Tbsp. powdered buttermilk and 2 cups water or milk you can substitute with 2 cups real buttermilk
1 ¾ cups quick-cooking rolled oats
½ cup oat flour
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup light olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt

Warm maple pancake syrup

1 cup pure maple syrup
¼ to ½ cup frozen blueberries.
Chopped walnuts

How

Mix together all ingredients in a blender let stand in frig for a short while or if hunger plow ahead.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water skates over the surface and lightly grease. Pour about a ¼ cup for each pancake onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, the edges are dry and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn once, cooking the other side until golden, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200° oven until ready to serve.

To make the warm pancake syrup, combine the blueberries in a small saucepan or microwave-proof bowl. Heat

Serve immediately top with chopped walnuts.

Makes 6-12 pancakes

Double click to enlarge pictures

March 16, 2012 by stevesacooking

International Night – Makeshift Chili and Quesada

We came up with a plan bought a fancy dancy calendar to plot it out. Frist we were going have each day have a planned meal Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, there was even spots for snacks I did say fancy dancy did I not. Our theory was that with the week planned out this way we could easily draw up a shopping list. As we looked at it reality began to sink in, I have oatmeal every morning and a salad for lunch the only thing that changes up for me is dinner and maybe breakfast on the weekend. Lyn was in a similar situation so dinners it was. I felt or Lyn felt I felt stifled being held to a specific dish I am a more of a cook from the gut kind of guy, open the cabinets and see what I have. So we settled for dinner theme of the day Mondays is Sandwich night, Tuesdays leftovers, Wednesdays Vegetarian, Thursday International, Friday breakfast, Saturday is fish except its St. Patrick’s this Saturday so corn beef and Genesis, Sunday – special whatever hits our fancy while shopping.

So let me tell you since we decided this on Sunday night when Thursday came and I panicked on the way home what the heck did I have in the house that would qualify? I got home open both the freezer and frig wide and stared. My eyes caught 2 frozen chopped sirloin burger patties,½ Red bell pepper, onions, some left over tomatoes sauce, cheddar cheeses, 3 whole wheat wraps, baby portabella mushrooms, kale, 1 scallions mmmmmm…..the bell went off in mind Chile and Quesada with some of that left of guacamole Lyn made. I was not sure how this would come out so I did not measure of take pictures.

I grabbed the patties and semi defrosted in the micro wave, in the meantime I sautéed about a ¼ of a cup of the onions roughly chopped and ¼ of a cup of the red peppers for a few minutes added the meat and broke it into small pieces while browning. When it was browned I added a good double pinch of chili powder, ancho pepper powder, Mexican oregano, a couple of good shakes of cayenne powder, salt and pepper. Then I added the tomatoes sauce maybe was about a cup and half. Brought to boil and simmer over low it was reduced about half a nice thicker side chili.

While that was simmering I chopped the scallion, 3 mushroom, cilantro and small piece of leftover chicken and shredded the cheddar (divided). I placed all ingredients on ½ of the whole wheat wrap folded and heated up in a nonstick fry pan until the cheese was melted then top with some of the cheddar cover with top to melt the cheese.

I had planned to serve with some of the guacamole but Lyn came home in the meantime and we munched on it with some chips.

I have to say and she will back me up this came out really good that I am kicking myself for not writing it down or taking pictures. Oh well there is always next time.

February 23, 2012 by stevesacooking

Reality check

I am trying to see how I am doing, so far just a few comments not that I expected hundreds this early on or ever, and I am just overwhelmed that I have 67 followers between Facebook and my blog I could not imagine when I began that anyone would be interested in what I cook or write about.

I am learning things everyday about writing recipes, taking pictures, cropping pictures the list goes on….

I need your help.

What I am looking for is how am I doing, any suggestions, what might you like to see, what improvements would you suggests, what should I stop doing? I have so many recipes that I don’t prepare any more but they were/are good, should I share those? I could go on but I won’t….

I am asking is that if possible, would you could you make the comments on the blog site not Facebook, I know it’s an extra click and wait but hey it’s for a friend right. Use the comment section at bottom of recipe and let me know what you think. Exchange ideas to try. Rate the dish if you tried it, there is the “Rate this” section below the Title then others might think to try.

But most importantly I encourage you to enjoy cooking and eating and watching for that smile on someone’s face when they take the first bite and shake their head.

Thanks so much!

February 11, 2012 by stevesacooking

Potato, Canadian bacon, and Spinach Frittata

Eggs for dinner are great and I don’t mean scrambled you got to make a meal of it something that will fill you up. We had been running around all day first time in about 2 weeks that we could spend time on us and we got home from restocking our wine cellar, actually it’s a shelf. I looked at Lyn and she looked at me and she said do you think you could make something like this as she fluttered her eyes, I’m just a sucker for those eyes. I took a look, thought about what I had on hand and soon after we had Potato, Canadian bacon, and Spinach Frittata

Took about 15 minutes prep time and 15 minutes cooking.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil split 2 for cooking 1 for dressing
2 small russet potatoes (about 3/4 pound), peeled and thinly sliced
The whites and some greens of 6-8 scullions sliced thin
9 large eggs
Kosher salt and black pepper
About 10-ounce frozen chopped spinach (you could thaw and drain of excess water but I did not I was hungry)
4 ounces white Cheddar, grated ( about 1 cup)
6 -8 slices of Canadian bacon cut in quarters or eights.

Dressing

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (6 cups)

How

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large oven proof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and scallions and cook, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the spinach, Cheddar, and ham. (Make sure you break up the spinach so no chunks)

Add the egg mixture to the skillet, shake the pan to settle, and transfer the skillet to oven. Cook until the eggs are set, 12 to 15 minutes.

While that is cooking make your vinaigrette in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, the remaining tablespoon of oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the lettuce and toss to coat. Serve with the frittata. If you want to make it spicy try Trader Joe’s Dijon mustard makes Chinese mustard seem mild.

whoops forgot to take picture in pan

January 26, 2012 by stevesacooking

Almond-Crusted Salmon

In our search for a healthier lifestyle we came across the Sonoma Diet maybe six years ago. I loved the way it was set up and the huge selection of meals was great. Felt like I was cooking gourmet almost every night and in fact lost a few inches around the waist, my wife hates me I was not trying to lose weight. We have bought 3 or 4 of their cook books since and they are one of the ones I go to more often than not for ideas of what to do with whatever struck our fancy at the meat or fish market. I like to look at two or three of the same type of recipes from different sources for ideas and then make it with my own flair. Anyway this one needs no changes but I have tried cashews, pistachio and walnuts shhh don’t tell Connie.

From: Sonoma Diet wave 2 and 3 express

Makes 4 servings

Start to finish 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lbs. salmon fillet, skinned, cut in 4-ounce portions
2 Tbsp. whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. almonds, lightly toasted, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. parsley, chopped
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil or canola oil

How:

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine the bread crumbs and extra virgin olive oil. Mix just to coat the crumbs. Add chopped almonds and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on a plate.

Gently press each portion of seasoned salmon into almond mixture to coat one side. Place crumb-side up on a plate.

Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Add oil, then place the fish, crumb-side down, in the pan. Cook about 2 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown. Carefully turn the fish and cook 2-4 more minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Remove from the pan.

January 12, 2012 by stevesacooking

Big Fat Cod potato pancakes

I don’t eat a lot of potatoes these days but every once in a while they hit the spot. Funny we could go weeks without having them and then it seems every night for a week nothing but potatoes with or in the meal. Could there be some sort of vitamin deficiency that causes these potato cravings. I firmly believe that the body will make you crave what it needs to fix an issue. Yes the rest of the family thinks I’m a little off too.

Big Fat Cod Potato Pancakes

Prep 10-15 minutes

Cook 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in half
1 lbs cod fillets, cubed
1 Tbps.butter
1 Tbpsgrated onion
1 Tbps chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
2-3 Tbps oil for frying (canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, vegetable- all have high smoke point and are good for pan frying)

How

Boil the potatoes in a large pot, remember to start with cold or room temperature water and add potatoes then bring to boil then the outside will not cook faster than the inside. Cook until they are almost tender.

Add the fish to the pot and let the fish and potatoes cook until they are both soft. Drain and transfer into to a large mixing bowl. Add butter, onion, parsley, and egg to the bowl; mash the mixture together. Have some kid fun and mold the patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat, fry the patties on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

All you need now is a vegetable broccoli sound good doesn’t it? A quick homemade tartar sauce mix mayo, and relish together maybe a few red pepper flakes cause I like the heat.

I think next time we will try with sweet potatoes.

January 12, 2012 by stevesacooking

CRUNCHY OVEN-FRIED FISH

We used to pan fry our fish all the time placing an halved onion in the oil to absorb what we were told would be the fish odors. Then we slowly got healthier and were delighted when surfing the channels came upon Americas Test Kitchen and they were making this tried it and now it is a staple. We had baked fish before but it never really came out crispy or stuck to the fish. Who would have thought a skinny nerdy looking guy, Chris Kimball, would become one of my heroes although he does not seem to cook much, so I guess my real heroes are Julia, Bridget, Rebecca and the rest of the crew. He does pull it all together and I am sure he is a fine cook and not how he depicts himself on the show. Please keep inspiring and educating me.

CRUNCHY OVEN-FRIED FISH

Published September 1, 2008. From Cook’s Illustrated.

With my minor tweaks and cheats

This is very similar to how I do my chicken cutlets either pan-fried or baked minus a few ingredients.

Serves 4

To prevent overcooking, buy fish fillets at least 1 inch thick. The bread crumbs can be made up to 3 days in advance, cooled, and stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Serve with Sweet and Tangy Tartar Sauce (see related recipe) or lemon wedges. Steve tweak: If you have a skinny end of the fish you can always fold under to make it about the same thickness as the other so it cooks evenly.

Ingredients

4 large slices white sandwich bread , torn into 1-inch pieces Steve tweak: Whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup plus 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour Steve tweak: Whole wheat bread
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (optional) Steve tweak: optional? Not in my opinion
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/4 pounds skinless cod fillet , or haddock fillet, or other thick white fish fillet (1 to 1 1/2 inches thick), cut into 4 pieces (see note)
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse bread, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until bread is coarsely ground, eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Steve tweak: Use already prepared whole wheat or panko bread crumbs added salt and pepper and then melted butter. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time (0-8 minutes using bread crumbs). Cool crumbs to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Transfer crumbs to pie plate; toss with parsley and shallot. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Place 1/4 cup flour in second pie plate. In third pie plate, whisk eggs, horseradish (if using), mayonnaise, paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until combined; whisk in remaining 5 tablespoons flour until smooth.
Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Dry fish thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge 1 fillet in flour; shake off excess. Using hands, coat with egg mixture. Coat all sides of fillet with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to fish. Transfer breaded fish to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 fillets.
4. Bake fish until instant-read thermometer inserted into centers of fillets registers 140 degrees, 18 to 25 minutes. Using thin spatula, transfer fillets to individual plates and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Step-by-Step

Keys to a Crisp Crust I love that they review

Soft, moist fish needs an extra-thick coating of bread crumbs to add flavor and crunch. Here’s how we lay it on thick: