Chinese Take-Out at Home

I picked up a piece of skirt steak at the store the other day. Besides being ridiculously inexpensive - comparatively speaking - it's one of my favorite cuts of meat to marinate and grill. I didn't have a clear idea of what I was going to do with it - so what else is new - but it was only a couple of bucks. I knew I could figure out something...

Skirt steak is not the most popular of meat cuts. It's the diaphragm muscle, and has a reputation for being fatty and tough - and improperly cooked, it definitely is. But it's one of the best pieces of meat to marinate, and it's the only meat to use for fajitas! It picks up flavors extremely well, and as long as it is cut against the grain - as with flank steak - it can be as tender as tender can be.

So this afternoon I pulled it out of the 'fridge and did a marinade of soy sauce, rice wine, chili paste, garlic, sesame oil, and a bit of pepper. I held off on the salt because of the soy sauce... Asian BBQ, here we come!

My first thought was just to do some rice and veggies, but as I thought about it, I thought Chow Mein would be perfect. Naturally, I didn't have any Asian noodles, hoisin sauce, or any of what one would term traditional ingredients, but not having a few ingredients has never stopped me before!

I had spaghetti, I had broth, I had rice wine, I had plenty of vegetables. Tim's Chow Mein, it is!

I cooked up about 1/3 pound of noodles, rinsed, drained, and drizzled a bit of peanut oil on top. I then fried it up in the wok, getting it barely crispy. Off to a plate to keep warm.

I chopped up an onion, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, brocolli rabe, mushrooms, and garlic and tossed it all into the wok. In the meantime, i made a sauce of about 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1/4 cup rice wine, 1 tbsp chili paste, 1 tsp sesame oil, and about 3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with water.

When the veggies were almost done, I added the sauce, and as it started to thicken, I added the noodles, and mixed everything together.

I put the steaks on the grill, and just as the noodles were ready, the steaks came off. The chow mein went onto the platter, the steak was sliced and set on top, and voila! It was dinner.

Naturally, I made enough for the neighborhood, but leftover Chinese food is mmm-mmm-good - even if there's no carry-out carton to eat from, standing by the 'fridge!


Chorizo and Rice

It's just like the old Grateful Dead song, Cold Rain and Snow... After a couple of days of toying with us, Mother Nature is back with a chilling vengeance. I decided dinner tonight had to suit the season, so into the freezer for more of that sausage I've been stockpiling.

I had about 3/4 pound of Spanish chorizo, so I quartered and chopped the links and into the pot they went. I chopped a medium onion and 2 Italian peppers and then added a couple of cloves of garlic. I let it all brown nicely, then added some smoked paprika and some Spanish paprika, a bit of salt and black pepper and cooked the spices a bit.

I then added a can of diced tomatoes with their juice and a can of tomato sauce. I let it all simmer while I made a pot of brown rice, and voila! Dinner was served!

It definitely took the chill out of the evening.

Now to see if we really do get the 4" of snow they're forecasting....

I am sooooo ready for Spring!


Chicken and Asparagus

I guess one of the most fun things about cooking is creating something on the fly from what's in the refrigerator. Dinner last night was a perfect example of just that.

I had done my weekly shopping, taken Victor's mom to the Dr in Bryn Mawr, worked on a website for a friend, and suddenly started getting those hunger pangs... I had eaten my bowl of Shredded Wheat with Bran mixed with Grapenuts and a banana, but had somehow missed lunch. The stomach started rumbling...

Not quite sure what I was making - only that it involved chicken - I put on a pot of TJ's Brown Rice Trilogy. Whatever I made was going to be derved with rice.

I opened the fridge and there was the fresh asparagus I had bought (on sale - $1.99/lb) and some fresh Italian peppers. In the cabinet was a bag of fresh bread crumbs Victor had made a few days ago. A plan was forming...

I breaded the chicken breasts with the crumbs - I added some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper - and lightly sauteed in olive oil to brown, and then popped them into the oven to finish.

In the meantime, I steamed the sparagus, and made a quick ricotta cheese sauce to top everything.

I chopped about 1/4 cup of Italian pepper, 2 scallions, and a clove of garlic and sauteed quickly in a tad of olive oil. I then added about 2/3 cup of part skim ricotta, a few tablespoons of nonfat milk to thin, and a bit of salt and pepper, and heated it all through.

The presentation was simple. A bed of rice, topped with the chicken breast. Asparagus on the side, and sauce on top. It was yummy!

Start to finish was under 30 minutes - not counting the rice that took longer - but required nothing. I did dirty 4 pots and pans, but... sometimes quick dinners require a few utensils!

At any rate, it was a great dinner!


Beef Roulade

I had a nice london broil in the freezer, and no desire to brave the elements by firing up the grill. But that yearn for beef was there nonetheless.

So I decided to try something new - a stuffed london broil. I've made roulades with flank steak, I've made brisiole, and stuffed any number of steaks and chops... And I had plenty of stuff on hand. What the heck. Time to have some fun.

I minced one onion with a few cloves of garlic and about 12 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, sauteed them all with some salt and pepper until almost dry, and then let it cool.

I sliced the beef almost in half, lengthwise, and opened it like a book. I took out my trusty mallet, pounded it a bit to even it all out, and added a liberal dousing of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

The next step was to cover it all with fresh arugula. I love the peppery flavor of arugula - cooked as a side dish, fresh in a salad... It doesn't matter how it's served, it's good!

Then came the mushrooms... I spread them all over the arugula, rolled it all up and tied it with butcher twine.

I seasoned the top with some fresh black pepper and a sprinkling of San Francisco Bay Sea Salt (just one of about a dozen different salts I have on the shelf right now...) Into the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees and it was done to perfection!

In the meantime, I steamed a bit of broccolini, made some mashed potatoes, and a quick mushroom gravy with the pan drippings.

Dinner was start-to-finish in aout an hour.

There was a goodly amount of leftovers... I see a couple of sandwiches in my future.....


Chunky Andouille BBQ Sauce

"Oh... The weather outside is frightful..." And BBQ sounds so delightful...

I've been on a sausage kick, lately. Well, I've been buying a lot of sausage, but looking in the freezer, it doesn't appear that I've been cooking all that much! Somehow, those visions of cassoulets, jambalaya, and Portuguese stew have not translated from grocery store to reality. It's what I get for rarely shopping with a list, and never making weekly meal plans.

I actually envy people who can decide what they're going to eat every night of the week and shop accordingly. I just can't say on Monday that I'm going to be in the mood for meatloaf on Thursday. I figure out on Thursday what I'm in the mood for on Thursday - and then hope I have enough of the ingredients at home that I don't have to leave the house! (I'm usually pretty lucky!!)

So, opening the freezer on Saturday, I spied andouille sasage, chorizo, Italian sweet and hot... My own little sausage factory.

Out came the andouille.

I was recalling a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit a while back about an andouille BBQ sauce. Off to the computer and in seconds I had it - from August 2005!

Grilled Pork Chops with Chunky Andouille Barbecue Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups diced andouille sausage (about 7 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 6 1-inch-thick rib pork chops
  • Additional chili powder and ground cumin

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium heat). Sauté sausage and onion in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Bring to boil; remove from heat.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chops on both sides with salt, then chili powder and cumin. Grill chops until cooked through but not dry, about 9 minutes per side.

I actually followed the recipe fairly close, except I used about 3/4 pound of andouille, and I pan-seared the pork chops and then popped them into a hot oven to finish cooking.

I cooked up some Brown Rice Trilogy and some spinach, and dinner was served!

The BBQ sauce is served as a topping to the chop as opposed to actually grilling or cooking it on the meat. It was very slightly sweet, smoky and spicy all at once. Just my kind of dish! And since there are just two of us, I have enough left over for another meal. I'm thinking it would be great over a bone-in chicken breast!

Who knows... maybe next Thursday.....