Steaks Made Easy

Posted on April 29, 2013 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

Of the infinite ways to prepare a steak, I have come up with a simplified system that facilitates making a pan sauce – though I would prefer to say skillet sauce…

At any rate, the following applies to Rib Eye, Porterhouse, and New York Steaks. Remember, the only difference between a Porterhouse and a T-Bone, is the amount of fillet left on one side of the bone, so the recipe will easily apply to a T-bone as well. That said, since the per-pound price is the same, I see no reason to cook a T-bone and sacrifice having a beautiful little Fillet Mignon as well.

Prep: Salt (sea salt, or Hawiian, but, be careful with Hawaiian as is it easily overpowers), Pepper, and (optional) dried Thyme, rubbed into the steak, and left at room temp for about twenty minutes. While the steak sits, pre-heat the oven to the appropriate temp listed below. You will start the steak in the skillet, and finish in the oven. Preheat the skillet until it is very hot. Remove from the oven and let rest, loosely tented for at least eight minutes*. Slice and serve. Simple.

Porter House:

  • Four minutes per side in the skillet;
  • Six minutes in a 375°f oven.

Rib Eye:

  • Four minutes per side in the skillet;
  • Six minutes in a 425ºf oven.

NY steaks (thick cut)

  • Four minutes per side in the skillet;
  • Eight minutes in a 450°f oven.

*If you are using an herb butter (awesome), you can put a couple of slices of the herb butter on the steaks while they sit under the tent.

Also, with the oven time added to the resting time, you will have a good fifteen minutes to make a pan sauce.

 

Posted in Beef, Steak | 2 Comments

Edible Garden 2013

Posted on April 1, 2013 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

March 31:

We have started the garden in earnest now; this year, we jumped on an early start.  We put our first two tomato plants in pots on March 3rd; we planted our first four tomatoes in the earth on March 16th.  After a let-down season last year, I changed my planting: this year, I dug the hole for each plant with a post hole digger, down 18 inches, and filled the hole with some sand, and a lot of good soil; I also put blood meal at the bottom of each hole. While digging, I finally realized what people mean by San Carlos clay – just under the good soil I had turned in for several years, the earth became hard-packed and barely penetrable.  It also makes sense now why, for the last couple of years, I have had a great start, and then the plants have petered out.

I also put in a raised bed today, and will post the details when I figure out what I will be putting in it…

April 23:

The edible garden is truly taking shape. I mentioned earlier the raised beds; I now have dedicated both of them: one has two tomato plants, the other has two ground-vines: one cantaloup melon, and one zucchini.

We also have pots with basil and cilantro; so, we now have: 8 tomatoes, two vines, cilantro, basil, oregano, and two kinds of parsley. Next: peppers…

April 28:

Of my experiments this year, I have decided that the standard tomato cages are a bad thing: they confine the plants into tight circles early on, and in the process, light and air-flow cannot benefit the center of the plant. So far, it looks as though the plants are loving the new approach. I will now use several old lattices I have around to make simple ‘cage’ structures for the plants. Will post photos when I have them in place.

IMG_20130511_173653_382 IMG_20130511_173505_183 IMG_20130511_173456_188 IMG_20130511_173446_230 IMG_20130511_173434_540

June 2:

The edible garden is doing very well.  My experiments with the tomatoes are working. First, the hole depth: I have six tomato plants in the ground; for the “main four” – the plants in the cage, I dug to a depth of about 20″ and put sand and blood meal at the bottom of each hole. Second, I assembled frames for the plants out of old trellises that allow for light and air at the base of the plants. They seem to love the changes.

The Zucchini: wow: planted in a raised bed, with a mix of free compost from Recology, and soil from Lyngso; am blown away at the growth rate.IMG_20130602_200042_250

Cilantro: Finally! I seem to have a formula: pots; not too much sun exposure- good midday sun, but also some shade time; soak and let dry – also, I put sand at the base of each pot for   drainage.

IMG_20130602_200048_860

June 9:

We have started eating the early harvest; we have had a few tomatoes from one plant, and last night: zucchini. We harvested six individual  zucchini from our one plant and cooked them with a little turmeric (the recipe is under ‘vegetables’). Was fantastic.

The garden is doing excellently so far.  The beds with the free compost, mixed with some purchased compost from Lyngso, are doing incredibly well; the plants seem to love the combination.

IMG_20130604_084109_559

The picture above was taken June 6

The picture below was taken June 9

IMG_20130609_190923_528

Above: The cage tomatoes, June 9. The plants average about 4.5 feet tall, and 3 feet wide.

Posted in The Edible Garden | Leave a comment

Broccoli, baked in cheesy cream sauce

Posted on April 1, 2013 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

This is a rich, not lo-cal broccoli dish. Start with the sauce; at base, it is a simplified bechamel:

Sauce:

  • In a double boiler, melt two tablespoons butter, ’till slightly nutty; using a wooden spoon, mix in two tablespoons of flour, a bit at a time, until blended:
  • Add 1 1/4 cups of milk, slowly, stirring continuously;
    • allow to steam gently, stirring frequently for about fifteen minutes until slightly thickened;
  • Add 1 cup of grated cheese – you can use any aged cheese, broccoli likes cheddar;
  • Add a half teaspoon of Dijon mustard
    • this can be prepped in advance and put aside – even put in the fridge over night, sealed with no air (cover with plastic wrap touching the sauce).

Broccoli: preheat the oven to 400ºf:

  • Cut and clean crowns; par boil in very hot water for 2 minutes; drain, and place in a single layer in a glass, oven ready dish;
  • Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli;
  • Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs (home made are best, and easy; if store bought, always buy unseasoned).

Place in a 400ºf oven for ten minutes; to add a finishing touch, place under the broiler for a couple if minutes to brown. Allow to cool slightly and serve – eat it all, it does not store well.

10955584075_e2d3128589[1]

Posted in Vegetables | 1 Comment

Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted on March 17, 2013 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

This is an easy, yet elegant and delicious appetizer.  The entire ingredient list is: Cremini mushrooms, a hot Sicilian sausage, blue cheese crumbles, and optional parsley. One sausage will make anywhere from ten to twenty stuffed mushrooms. The fewer mushrooms you make, the more likely you will have left-over stuffing mix; this is a good thing as the mix is excellent in scrambled eggs the next day.

The number of mushrooms is entirely variable; if for a party appetizer, at least four per person, and one sausage to every 20 mushrooms (or fewer).

  • Rinse and drain the mushrooms; then carefully remove the stems, leaving the caps intact.
  • Mince the stems; remove the skin from the sausage(s); combine the minced stems and sausage meat in a skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until browned – add a touch of minced parsley at this point if desired; set aside until cool enough to work with;
  • Fill the mushroom cps with mixture; top with crumbled blue cheese;Beef Bourguignonne 009
  • Bake at 400°f for about six minutes; then put under a hot broiler until the cheese is slightly browned.

They are ready to serve. Fantastic, and a crowd pleaser.

Posted in Appetizers, Vegetables | Leave a comment