Week 16 - An Unbalanced Equation

So I'm not sure if it's this particular recipe or just me not really being sure how to do it, but in my book this meal was a lot of work for a not very exciting outcome.

Keep in mind I don't remember ever having chicken fried steak before so I have nothing to compare it to. Brian says it was good so I guess that's a plus. But compared to most of my other meals, the end result was rather unremarkable.

And the preparation... Oy! If for any reason I ever had to do this again, I would use something like a cube steak or something that's already reasonably thin and easy to tenderize. I ending up having to use a top round (the guy at the meat counter assured me it was the closest thing to bottom round) and I pounded it for HOURS and never quite got it thin enough, though I did make a real good mess of flying flour and meat chunks. So then I let the coating burn a bit since I was concerned about the steaks not getting cooked through. Making the gravy was a new challenge so that's something, but overall I just give it a shrug and a, "it's OK, I guess."

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Source: foodnetwork.com, Alton Brown

2 lbs. beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat - 2 tsp. kosher salt - 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper - 1 C. all-purpose flour - 3 whole eggs, beaten - 1/4 C. vegetable oil - 2 C. chicken broth - 1/2 C. whole milk - 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

2. Cut the meat with the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place the flour into a pie pan. Place the eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. Once tenderized, dredge the meat again in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again. Repeat with all the pieces of meat. Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking.

3. Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch slope-sided skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approx. 4 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place into the oven.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons  of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approx. 5-10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

Week 15 - 2nd Runner Up

We were having a fundraising chili cook-off at work and, even though I was playing hooky from work that day, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw in an untested chili recipe and see if I could be the rookie of the season.

Tragically, though, my big chili dream didn't have a happy ending. My boss won (2 years running) and rumor has it I came in 3rd. At least I'm a winner for trying, right mom?

I didn't follow this recipe precisely - I needed it done by 10 in the morning so rather than get up at 6 to prepare it, Debbie convinced me I could use the crockpot if I just boiled the beans a bit before hand. This appears to be true.

This is a nice, light chili with a surprising kick. It's not a traditional thick chili, but it's a fun out-of-the-ordinary chili with an enjoyable overall flavor.

WHITE BEAN CHILI

Source: pauladeen.com

1 lb. dried navy beans - 5 C. chicken stock - 4 T. butter - 1 T. minced garlic - 3/4 C. diced onion - 1 1/2 C. green chiles (fresh or canned) - 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, finely chopped - 1 T. ground cumin - 1 T. dried oregano - 1-2 tsp. ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp. white pepper - red pepper flakes, to taste - 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Wash beans, cover with water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Place beans in large pot with chicken stock. Bring to a boil. In saucepan, heat butter and saute garlic, onion and chiles for 5 minutes. Add to bean pot. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper and cilantro. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. 

Week 14 - High Anxiety

Good news! I found a new area that I definitely need to work on: stir frying. My dinner came out pretty good but MAN was it stressful. The prep is simple but once you get that pan going everything just happens so quickly it threw me all out of whack.

Earlier in the day I had forgotten to pick up the spring rolls I wanted to eat with this and then once in the kitchen I was so focused on what was happening in the pan that I a) forgot a big part of step 1 in the recipe and 2) forgot to make a little thing called rice. So when all was said and done our food sat on the stove on warm for a 1/2-hour while the rice cooked.

The thing I was most thrilled about was the sauce. I love how easy it was to make a good orange sauce. Orange chicken here I come. Overall I was definitely happy with the end result, I just wasn't at all impressed with how I got there. So it's highly likely that you will see several more stir fries before the year is out until I can get through one without being a stress mess.

STIR-FRIED BEEF AND BROCCOLI WITH ORANGE-SESAME SAUCE

Source: The Best 30-Minute Recipe (from the editors of Cook's Illustrated)

Stir Fry: 1 lb flank steak, cut into strips - 2 tsp. soy sauce - 2 T. vegetable oil - 1 recipe Orange-Sesame sauce (see below) - 3 C. bite-sized broccoli florets - 1/2 C. water - 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced - 1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained - 3 garlic cloves, minced - 1 T. grated fresh ginger

1. Toss steak with soy sauce (if you can remember). Heat 2 tsp of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer beef to clean bowl.

2. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to pan and return to high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and water to pan, cover and cook until bright green and slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Remove lid, add bell pepper and water chestnuts and continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Clear center of pan and add remaining 1 tsp oil, garlic and ginger. Cook, mashing garlic mixture into pan with back of spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cooked beef. Whisk sauce to recombine, add to pan and bring to simmer. Cook sauce until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Orange-Sesame Sauce: 1/2 C. orange juice - 1/4 C. chicken broth - 1/4 C. soy sauce - 2 tsp toasted sesame oil - 2 tsp cornstarch

Combine ingredients in medium bowl.

Week 13 - Better Late Than Never

OK... I actually made this last weekend (since we were out of town most of last week), I've just been REALLY slow to post it. Thanks for the reprimand, Debbie.

This week I chose yet one more dish that combined some of my favorite faux-Mexican ingredients with my favorite cooking accoutrement, the crockpot. I even broke down and bought a shiny new crockpot as an upgrade from a measly round 4-quart to a roomy oval 6-quart because it will make cooking meat SO much easier.

This recipe was e-mailed to me at work and all in all it makes a tasty taco-style dish that would be great for cold winter nights. If you're a spice weeny, you may want to consider leaving out the chiles or reducing the spices. It has a teensy kick. Also, Brian and I both agreed that it could stand to be a little thicker so don't be afraid to cut the liquid in half.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my first stir-fry WITH homemade sauce.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Source: Unknown

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts - 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained - 1 can stewed tomatoes, drained - 1 10-oz can enchilada sauce - 1 medium onion, chopped - 1 4-oz can diced green chile peppers - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 2 C. water - 1 can chicken broth - 1 tsp. cumin - 1 tsp. chili powder - 1/2 tsp. salt - 1/4 tsp. black pepper - 1 bay leaf - 1 1/2 C. canned or frozen corn - Toppings: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado

Place all ingredients except chicken in crockpot and stir. Lay chicken breasts on top. Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Right before serving, pull out the bay leaf and then use two forks to shred the chicken into the soup.