Sunday, December 21, 2014

Skillet Steak Fajitas for an Easy Holiday Entertaining #SundaySupper with @Beef

Skillet Steak Fajitas for an Easy Holiday Entertaining #SundaySupper with @Beef




There seems to be a certain theme in my dishes recently. Namely, a mad scramble to find an alternate dish because I wasn't able to prepare my original idea. Such was the case last Sunday and it repeats its ugly head again today. The dish I wanted to prepare originally utilized the oven which is not available to me at the time of this writing. I do live in an apartment and the matter is being addressed by the maintenance staff but it requires an order for a replacement part and am at the mercy of the manufacturer and the shipping company, so I am too.

This dish isn't the first one thought of when discussing Holiday dishes, but I must ask, why not? The dish could easily be prepared on a weeknight and if presented buffet-style would be perfect for a potluck style Holiday celebration. In fact, beef can be much more versatile during this time of year than a roast (but that always works well too!) To learn more about the adaptabililty of beef, I encourage you to review the Beef Checkoff website, 'Like' their facebook page, in addition to following them on their twitter and pinterest pages, but especially the #SundaySupper Beef pinterest board for more recipe ideas. This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff. All opinions are my own.


From the standpoint of the dish itself, long time readers of my site will remember that I profiled this dish two and a half years ago however I've done some additional research since then and have learned to fortify flavor of the dish.

The Challenge

Replicate a more flavorful version of a dish I profiled previously.

The Source

This dish has been inspired by Serious Eats and The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 flank steak, approximately 2 pounds
3 bell peppers, each a different color (red, green, orange, or yellow), coarsely julienned
1 large yellow onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise (from root to stem), then sliced thin crosswise
8 to 10 flour tortillas, warmed
Salsa, guacamole, sour cream and/or shredded cheeses, for serving

Method

1. Marinate the fajitas. Combine the first eight ingredients in a small bowl, then divide the marinade between two resealable plastic bags. Place the flank steak in one of the bags and the bell peppers with the onions into the second. Push any excess air out of the bags, seal and refrigerate for 3 hours.

2. Cook the fajitas. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon oil over medium high heat. While the pan is heating, remove the flank steak and the vegetables from their marinades and shake off any excess. Add the flank steak to the pan first, about 3 minutes per side or until medium rare. Remove from heat and set aside. Add the vegetables into the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, approximately 5 minutes.



3. To serve, slice the flank steak thinly across the grain and serve with warmed tortillas and your chosen condiments, such as salsa, guacamole, sour cream and/or cheeses.

Successful?

One of the things I liked about Ree's version in addition to Chef López-Alt's is the seasoning of the accompanying onions and peppers which don't receive as much attention as the beef in many recipes and a good example is the version I published previously.

Please check out other Beef dishes for this week's event:

Appetizers
Brunch or Breakfast for a Crowd
Main Dish
Potluck Style
Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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Sunday, December 14, 2014

Red Wine Poached Pears with Ricotta and Balsamic Glaze for a Libational #SundaySupper

Red Wine Poached Pears with Ricotta and Balsamic Glaze for a Libational #SundaySupper




A couple of weeks ago on Thanksgiving I spent the majority of the day watching football however I could not help but think of the things that made me thankful in 2014. One item that is high on my list from a food standpoint is the #SundaySupper Movement. It has provided me with several memorable experiences, most all of them positive. This tradition continued with a new experience this week when I volunteered to co-host with Alice of A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen. I was delighted to meet her in person a couple of months ago when she was in town for IFBC, but the only picture I have from that meeting is one where she is holding the camera and wasn't in the picture. I have hosted events in the past by myself so it was nice to divide the hosting duties, but beyond that it was a pleasure to work with her.

Speaking of hosting duties, I published my preview for this week's event with the intention of preparing a lemoncello tiramisù. It utilized a sabayon in what I thought was a creative way. Then I went looking for a small container of lemoncello and couldn't find one in time to prepare this dish. This issue was further complicated when I had to do a mad scramble to think of a replacement dish because the temperature gauge on my oven broke off this past week which eliminated any possibility of baking. To keep with the theme of Libational Recipes, I didn't want to prepare a savory dish with a wine sauce because I still wanted to challenge myself with a dessert. Then I remember a picture from Fabio Viviani's first cookbook that I thought looked elegant. It also provided an opportunity to update the process of making ricotta cheese from scratch.


The Challenge

This could almost be categorized in my Presenting: series because the challenge is to replicate the photo in Fabio's book.

The Source

Adapted from pages 24, 220 and 268 of Fabio's Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani with Melanie Rehak.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon whole milk
1/6 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch kosher salt
2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
3 cups red wine
1/2 cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
4 pears, peeled

Method

1. Prepare the ricotta. Bring the milk to a boil in a large saucepan. Once the milk reaches a temperature of 181° Fahrenheit, immediately remove the pan from heat and add the vinegar, lemon and salt. Stir as the milk curdles to fully incorporate the salt and lemon. Cover and let it cool for approximately 2 hours. Once cool, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, pressing lightly on the curds to ensure the whey is completely drained.


2. While waiting for the ricotta to cool, prepare the balsamic. Combine the balsamic vinegar and the molasses in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the mixture to the consistency of a syrup. Set aside to cool.


3. Poach the pears. In a large pot, combine the wine, honey and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Add the pears and simmer them in the wine for about 15 minutes. Remove the pears and set aside to allow them to cool, then raise the poaching fluid heat to high. Reduce the fluid to the consistency of a syrup. To plate, place one pair off to one side on top of the reduced poaching fluid with a dollop of ricotta and drizzled with balsamic.


Successful?

In my rush to complete the dish the evening I prepared it, I neglected to notice one word in the ingredient list: peeled. It would have changed the composition of the dish. Unfortunately, the pears did not soften sufficiently. Despite my troubles with it, the flavors of the dish complemented each other well.

Other Libational Recipes this week:

Libations
Savory and Sweet Libational Dishes
Libational Desserts
Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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Thursday, December 11, 2014

Preview of a Libational #SundaySupper


I don't have to tell you that schedules become very full this time of year. One event many of us attend are holiday parties so this week's #SundaySupper theme of Libational Recipes is very timely. It will be hosted by myself and Alice of A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen.

I offer this preview of this Sunday's dishes.

Libations
Savory Libational Dishes
Sweet Libational Desserts
Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Gnocchi di Patate con Piselli e Gorgonzola

Gnocchi di Patate con Piselli e Gorgonzola




Recently, it occurred to me that I've profiled not one, but two squash gnocchi dishes in addition to a ricotta gnocchi dish but I had yet to review a more common version of gnocchi: one made with potatoes. It wasn't a complete oversight because I had profiled potato gnocchi on both prior blogs, however there were several forces that had conspired together to bring this dish to fruition.

A couple of weeks ago #SundaySupper paired with OXO to preview the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. To do so, they held a Google+ hangout where Katie of Ruffles & Truffles and Isabel of Family Foodie demonstrated OXO's new poultry lifter and kitchen twine dispenser; Susan of The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen demonstrated OXO's new potato ricer and Amy of Kimchi Mom demonstrated their new mandoline. OXO also generously donated the demonstrated items to be given away via a drawing and I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE WON! During the hangout, the potato ricer was discussed as a tool for making mashed potatoes for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday but I thought that it would be perfect for this application. I'm also excited about the mandolin because it has a setting that will julienne vegetables because I've struggled with consistency in the past.

Also, have you seen the show On the Menu which airs on TNT? Contestants are home cooks that are competing to get their original dish sold at that week's featured restaurant chain in addition to a cash prize of $25,000. Well, last week's featured restaurant is Buca di Beppo. This episode was unusual because the restaurant decided to declare two final dishes as winners instead of just one. One was a gnocchi dish, but I was almost yelling at my TV watching its preparation because of some ill-advised technique that was utilized.

Speaking of technique, I employ Chef Anne Burrell's strategy to prepare potato gnocchi. The object of the game, so to speak, is to use as little flour in the gnocchi dough as possible because it's the difference between light and fluffy gnocchi and heavy and dense gnocchi. More on that later.

The Challenge

Demonstrate the proper way to prepare potato gnocchi and to convey my appreciation for winning the giveaway by breaking in the potato ricer.

The Source

I adapted the gnocchi method from pages 105 to 106 of Cook Like A Rock Star by Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer. Food Network also has her recipe online which can be found here and I also recommend watching Chef Burrell demonstrate the dish on YouTube because she also explains why she instructs you to utilize her method. The sauce is adapted from page 82 of Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali.

Ingredients

5 large russet potatoes
2 eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
1 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, as needed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
1 ten-ounce box frozen peas, thawed
6 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Method

1. Roast your potatoes. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Pierce each potato on all sides with a fork, four to five times total. Place the potatoes on a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are fork tender, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once the potatoes have finished, peel the skins from the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer onto a parchment-lined sheet pan in an even layer. Placed the riced potatoes in the refrigerator to cool completely.


2. Prepare the gnocchi dough. Beat the eggs together with 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1 pinch kosher salt, then pour over the cooled riced potatoes. Cover the potatoes and egg mixture with 1 cup flour, then bring the mixture together with your hands. Continue to knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary until the dough is a homogeneous mixture and tacky, but still moist.


4. Cut the dough into individual gnocchi. Roll the dough into the shape of a log on a cutting board, then cut the log crosswise into 1 inch sections. Roll each section into the shape of a rope approximately 3/4-inch thick. Slice the ropes crosswise again into 1/2-inch pieces onto a sheet pan dusted heavily with flour in a single layer. This dish can be made ahead up to this point, because the gnocchi need to be cooked or frozen immediately. If you're freezing the gnocchi, do so on the sheet pan first, then once they're frozen transfer them to a resealable plastic bag.


5. Boil the gnocchi, prepare the sauce and finish the dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cream and chicken stock and bring to a simmer, then add the peas. Continue to reduce the sauce for an additional 5 minutes, then add the Gorgonzola. Stir until thickened, then keep warm over low heat while the gnocchi cooks. Once the water reaches a boil, add the gnocchi. Continue to boil them once they float to the top until they swell, an additional minute or two. Remove the gnocchi with a spider, toss with the sauce, serve in warmed bowls and garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.


Successful?

During the On the Menu episode, I cringed when I saw the contestant use a microwave oven to cook her potatoes before ricing them. I hope I do not sound too pretentious when I note here that I've never found radiation to be very tasty. Chef Bastianich also has a potato gnocchi recipe in her book I referenced above on page 81 but I was surprised to find that she boils her potatoes before ricing them. I have been told that using wet heat to soften potatoes will ultimately lead to heavier gnocchi because the dough will absorb more flour which is the reason why I like Chef Burrell's version of roasting them, ricing them while they're hot then making the dough when they're cold.

The potato ricer performed well, but I recommend cutting your vegetables into small sizes before passing them through because the ricer is difficult to operate with large pieces. I also recommend filling the chamber up only half way for optimum performance. Ultimately, it's much easier to use than the food mill I have which I used prior to owning the ricer.

The dish itself was a success, with Mrs. Stuntman requesting I prepare it again. I wasn't very surprised by this because I saw many versions of this flavor pairing online which is probably why Chef Bastianich included it in her cookbook too.

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