Scampi-Style Steak and Scallops

Over the past couple of years, Brady and I have had some great birthday dinners at fun Chicago restaurants. This year Brady opted to have me cook instead of take him to dinner. Even though we were staying in I wanted to make something special. The below recipe ended up being the perfect restaurant quality birthday dinner.  I loved the seared scallops in the scampi sauce and while I usually like a steak just plain with a little salt and pepper, I thought the herbs in the scampi sauce really added to the flavor of the beef. I served the dish with a side of roasted asparagus seasoned with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Super simple and yet still worthy of a celebration!

Scampi-Style Steak and Scallops

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 medium beef tenderloin steaks
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 large sea scallops
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
dash hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Season steaks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Add steaks to skillet and cook 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare. A couple of minutes before the steaks are done, add the scallops to the skillet to sear, 1-2 minutes on each side, right beside the steaks, but not touching.

After starting steaks in the skillet, begin to make the sauce. In a medium skillet or sauce pan, sauté onion and garlic over medium heat in olive oil until fragrant. Add wine and lemon juice, simmer to reduce slightly, 1-2 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted into the sauce. Stir the parsley, lemon zest, basil and hot pepper sauce into the scampi sauce. Add the sauce to the skillet with the steaks and scallops and serve.

Grilled Molasses Flank Steak with Fiery Grilled Peach Salsa

I love grilling during the summer but unfortunately neither Brady or I have a grill at our apartments. I came home to Kansas City this weekend for Father's Day and was able to take advantage of having a grill (and a kitchen bigger than a shoebox). I have to fess up to the fact that I wasn't the one actually doing the grilling though, I left that part up to my dad, but the rest of the meal was a group effort!

Grilled Molasses Flank Steak with Fiery Grilled Peach Salsa

Serves: 6-8
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes plus 4-12 hours to marinate

Molasses Flank Steak
3/4 c. molasses
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 (2-Ib) flank steak

Fiery Grilled Peach Salsa
4 large peeled peaches, havlved and pitted
2 slices red onion (1/4 inch thick)
2 T. chopped cilantro
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt

Place the first 8 ingredients for the flank steak in a large ziplock bag. Add steak; seal bag, and chill for 4-12 hours (I would suggest marinating the steak for more than 4 hours; the longer it marinates the more tender it's going to be). Remove steak from marinade, discarding marinade.

Preheat grill to 400 to 450 degrees (high heat). Grill steak, covered with grill lid, 9 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Remove from the grill, and let stand 10 minutes. Cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Top with peach salsa.

You can prepare the peach salsa while the steak is grilling. Coat the peaches and onion with cooking spray. Place peaches and onion on a seperate area of the grill. Grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side and then remove to a cutting board to cool. Chop the peaches and onion and combine the chopped peaches and onion with the cilantro, and remaning ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. The salsa will keep for up to three days and would be great paired with chicken or fish.

Retro Sunday Dinner: Beef Stroganoff

Last Sunday, Brady and I enjoyed a 1960's style dinner in honor of the return of Mad Men. I had fun researching retro dishes but to be honest, a number of them didn't sound very appealing (Chicken Kiev, chicken filled with clarified butter, no thank you!). I don't recall having traditional Beef Stroganoff but Brady was super excited about it and when I found a "healthier" recipe on Cooking Light I figured that it would be our best option. I thought it turned out pretty well. I overcooked our beef slightly but I thought the mushroom sauce turned out great. This is a hearty dish but it's under 350 calories and only has 11 grams of fat, not bad for a pasta dish with beef and sour cream!

I made a classic wedge salad to go with our Beef Stroganoff and in Mad Men fashion we planned on making martini's. Key word planned. We had a situation with the ice and apparently you can't make a martini without ice. A little sad but it was probably a good thing come Monday morning when I was getting up at 5:30am!

Beef Stoganoff
 ** adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

1 pound boneless sirloin steak
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 c. fat free, low sodium broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 cup light sour cream
8 ounces egg noodles (I used egg pappardelle from Trader Joe's)
3 T. minced parsley

Cut beef diagonally across the grain into 1/4-inch-wide strips; cut the strips into 2-inch pieces.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove beef from pan and keep warm. Add mushrooms and onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Add mushroom mixture to beef and keep warm.

Heat a large pot filled with water. Cook the egg noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside. 

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until thickened and bubbly. Add beef mixture, sherry, salt, and pepper to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 30 seconds. Stir in sour cream.

Combine noodles and minced parsley. Serve beef mixture over noodles. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

Brady and I as Don and Betty Draper last Halloween.

Braised Beef with Porcini Mushrooms

A few years ago our family spent Christmas in Sarasota, Florida. We wanted to make something festive to celebrate the holiday so my mom made the below Braised Beef recipe. It was super easy, just required a some time in the oven, and turned out fantastic. This year we decided to make the recipe again for our family Christmas in Kansas City and it was as good as I remember.

I think this is a perfect recipe for the holidays, entertaining during the winter months, or even just a Sunday family dinner. It's hearty and warming and makes the kitchen smell great plus it will please even the pickiest of eaters (maybe just don't mention there are mushrooms in the sauce). Depending on the crowd you are feeding, you are also likely to end up with leftovers that can be made into a simple beef and vegetable soup. Can't beat a great meal plus the possibility of leftovers!

I planned to take a second picture once we put everything on the serving platter but forgot. 

Braised Beef with Porcini Mushrooms
** adapted from Food Network, recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 6
Prep/Cook Time: 3 1/2 hours

1 (4 pound) boneless beef chuck roast
salt and pepper
3 T. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 3/4 cup beef broth
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
1 bag whole carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
10 small yukon gold potatoes, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350.

Dry the beef with a paper towel and then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the beef to a plate. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the wine, broth, and mushrooms and boil for about a minute. Return the beef to the pan, bring the liquids to a boil and then cover and transfer the oven. Braise for 1 1/2 hours and then add the carrots and potatoes to the pan and braise for another 1 1/2.

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the meat to a cutting board. Tent the beef with foil and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, skim off any fat from the pan juices and set aside the potatoes and carrots. Add the rosemary to the dutch oven and heat the sauce over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then season with salt and pepper to taste. (If you prefer a thicker gravy you could add a little cornstarch while the sauce is being heated).

Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on the patter and garnish with rosemary. Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the beef and spoon the sauce over when serving.

Valentine's Day Steak and Lobster Dinner

Valentine's Day has never been a favorite holiday of mine- quite possibly because it brings back memories of kids buying carnations for their crushes in grade school and the only boy that I would get one from was my brother. In the years past I have gotten over the trauma of not being anyone's crush in grade school but I still never acquired a love for February 14th. My idea for Valentine's Day was to avoid the crowded restaurants with love themed prix fixe specials and cook a nice meal with Brady and that is exactly what we did and it was honestly the best Valentine's Day!

For our restaurant style dinner we decided to go with steak and lobster. Neither are foods that I would typically order from a restaurant but it sounded fun to make something a little out of the ordinary. We thought the steak and lobster turned out great. I made a salad and a dessert at the same time which was probably a bit ambitious. Making four dishes in my tiny kitchen is just asking for disaster, but we survived and the only thing that didn't was the burnt salad croutons (minor in the scheme of things).

I do have to say though that while I am not a huge fan of the holiday I definitely didn't mind the hot pink roses from Brady and the giant chocolate heart from one of the little boys in my class :)

Lobster Tail Steamed with Champagne and Orange
** from Cooking Light
print recipe

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

4 slices of orange
2 lobster tails
2 tsp. butter, cut into small pieces
1/8 c. chopped fresh fennel fronds (the green part, not the bulb)
1/2 c. dry champage
1/8 tsp sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut out two large pieces of parchment paper. On each piece of parchment paper, layer two slices of orange, a lobster tail, 1 tsp butter and a little of the fennel. Sprinkle each with salt.

Pour champagne over each of the serving packets. Fold the parchment paper around the ingredients, using folds to seal each packet closed. Place the packets on a baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes. To serve, drizzle the tails with the juices from the packet.

** I would recommend threading the lobster tail with a wooden skewer that has been soaked in water prior to cooking. This will keep the tails from curling during cooking.

Steakhouse Steaks
** from Barefoot Contessa

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 (2 inch thick) filet mignon
1 T. oil
1 T. sea salt
1 T. fresh cracked peppercorns
2 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400. Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat the filets dry with a paper towel, brush each with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

When the pan is extremely hot, add the steaks and sear on all sides; about 2 minutes per side (top, bottom and sides). This should take about 10 minutes total.

Remove the pan from the heat and arrange the steaks in a baking dish. Top each with 1 tablespoon of butter and place in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, to 120 degrees for rare and 125 degrees for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes.

Soy Glazed Short Ribs

A couple of weekends ago I made Soy Glazed Short Ribs.  This was another outstanding recipe from a recent Chopping Block class.  This dish is perfect for a Sunday dinner because you need a few hours to let the short ribs cook. Or, like the Pork Pozole I recently made, you can cook the short ribs in a crock pot for about 8 hours.

This dish is incredibly easy and the majority of the ingredients you may already have on hand if you do any Asian cooking. The hardest part for me was finding the short ribs and lemongrass.  Three grocery stores later I finally found the short ribs. Unfortunately I was out of luck with the lemongrass. I don't think the dish tasted much different without it though so if you run into problems finding lemongrass just skip it and you'll be fine. Frustrating as my snowy trek around neighborhood grocery stores was, the short ribs were well worth the effort!

Soy Glazed Short Ribs
** from the Chopping Block
print recipe

Serves 4-6
Prep/Cook Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

2 T. grapeseed oil
4 LB. boneless beef short ribs, cut into 4 ounce portions
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dredging
3 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch slices on the bias
3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 T. ginger, freshly grated
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
4 c. chicken stock
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
steamed jasmine brown rice
2 scallions, sliced thin for garnish
2 T. sesame seeds

Heat a deep heavy pot over medium high heat and add the grapeseed oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper to taste and dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. In a couple of batches, sear the ribs in the hot pan until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium low and saute the scallions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and red chili flakes just until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chicken stock, orange juice and brown sugar.

Return the seared ribs to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the meat is tender, about 3 hours.

Remove the braised ribs from the braising liquid and set aside covered with foil to keep warm. Skim any fat from the braising liquid and discard. Stir the hoisin sauce into the braising liquid and simmer until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups. Strain the sauce through a sieve (I just used a slotted spoon) to remove any solids and return to the pot. Stir in the orange and lemon juice.

Return the ribs to the pot and coat them with the reduced sauce until nicely glazed and hot. Serve the ribs on a bed of jasmine rice and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

** If making this dish in a crock pot, brown the meat and then combine all of the ingredients in your crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.