Month: March 2011

Steak au Poivre – Classic French Bistro Dish

Leave a comment

This one of my absolute favorites, as it combines the wonderful flavor of beef, with the perfect compliment of copious amounts of cracked black pepper.
There are few points, which must be followed, to ensure that this dish is ideal. Firstly, I recommend that you use a sauté pan, which can go from stove top directly to the oven.

This is the best way to guarantee the flavors stays in the steak and keeps the meat moist. Secondly, you must use freshly crushed black pepper and not ground pepper. If you use ground pepper the end result is over powering.

Ingredients:

1- 10 to 12 oz. Steak, NY strip sirloins are perfect
Freshly crushed Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp. Shallots, minced
1 cup Heavy Cream
¼ cup Cognac
Salt
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Put your pan onto the stove and preheat until it is very hot. Once it is ready, salt the meat and then roll it in the freshly crushed black pepper. Make sure it is completely coated.
The easiest way to make the crushed pepper, is to put the whole peppercorns in a plastic bag or wrapped in a cloth and pound it with a mallet or a rolling pin.
Add the oil and when it is smoking, gently lay the meat into the pan and sear on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Then transfer the entire pan into the preheated oven. The timing with depend on your preference, but it will be best either rare or medium rare. Approx. 7 to 8 minutes for medium rare.
Remove the pan from the oven and set the meat onto a cutting board or dish and cover with aluminum foil to rest.
Put the pan onto the stovetop and add your shallots and sauté lightly, then pour in your cognac and deglaze the pan. You may flame the cognac if you desire. Once the alcohol has cooked away, add your heavy cream and bring to a soft boil and reduce until a sauce texture is obtained. A good way to check a sauce, is to see if it will coat the back of a spoon. If it coats the spoon, it is perfect.
Plate the steak then finish with the sauce and serve immediately. Oven roasted potatoes or french fries are a good accompaniment to this dish.

Kerala Chicken Curry

Leave a comment

This is a typical curry from the south of India, in that it’s spicy and it uses coconut as one of its ingredients. It can be made as a vegetarian dish, which is also very common in the south. Adjust the heat based upon the number and strength of chilies you choose.

Ingredients:
 
2 lb. Boneless chicken breast, cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
1/3  cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. Ghee or butter
2 Medium Onions, sliced thin
1 Red Pepper, cubed
6 cloves of Garlic, mashed and then minced fine
2 inch fresh Ginger, mashed and minced
3 fresh Green chilies, minced
1 Tbsp. ground Coriander
2 tsp. ground Cardamom
3 tsp. ground Turmeric
1 tsp. ground Cumin
2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground Cloves
½ Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Sugar
Freshly ground Black pepper to taste
1 cup sweetened shredded Coconut
1 cup Water
 
Preparation:
 
Heat oil and ghee over medium heat and add the chicken pieces, just cooking until they loose their rawness. Remove from the pan and add garlic, onions, ginger, fresh chilies and sauté until fragrant. Then add spices and sauté until the spices have lost their raw smell.
 
Add back your chicken and lightly sauté them as you coat them thoroughly with the spice mixture. Then add the water and bring back to a soft simmer.
 
Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes and then add coconut and continue cooking until the oil separates. Usually, about 10 additional minutes. If the mixture starts to dry out, add little bit more water and continue cooking.
 
Serve over basmati rice with Indian pickles or relish of choice.
 

Hint: To make this as a vegetarian dish, you may substitute sweet potatoes or cashews 

Penne Carbonara

Leave a comment
This is a wonderfully rich dish and is one of my favorites. It’s easy to prepare and very satisfying.
People are not entirely clear of where this dish originated, but it can be found on menus all over Italy. This is true comfort food.

Ingredients:
4 oz of Pancetta, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 Onion, chopped
5 Egg Yolks
1 lb of Penne Rigate
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preparation:
Sauté the pancetta and onions in the butter in a deep sauté pan (As you will want enough space to add back the pasta at the end, don’t make the pan too small) until they are completely cooked and soft. Add the white wine and reduce down and then take off the heat.
Start your water with added salt and cook the penne until they are just al dente. While the penne is cooking, whisk together the egg yolks and cream.
When the pasta is done, drain and then add back to the pan with the onions and pancetta and put back on medium high heat. Slowly add in the egg and cream mixture and cook until thickened.
Add the Parmesan and the black pepper, toss well and serve immediately.

Chicken Jambalaya

Leave a comment

Here’s a really easy dish to throw together when you come home late. It’s really good and great for lunch the next day. It’s worth searching for the medium grain rice, as it does give it a more creamy texture.

When visiting the countryside of Louisiana, I found a small church fair and tasted this done over an open fire. The smoky flavor and creamy texture was unlike anything I’d ever tasted.
After much experimenting, I found the perfect combination to recreate the special flavor I remembered. Maybe one day I’ll get back and try the gumbo.
Ingredients:
2 lbs of boneless Chicken breast, cut into 2 inch pieces
4  Tbsp of Vegetable oil
¾  lb of Andouille sausage, cut into quarter inch cubes
1 cup of green Pepper
2 cups of Onion, chopped medium
5 cloves of Garlic
1 tsp. Sugar
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp Cayenne pepper
Freshly ground Black Pepper
2 tsp. Liquid smoke
4 cups of unsalted Chicken stock
2 cups of Rice, medium grain is best
1 cup of Green onions
Preparation:
Preheat your pan and oil, and render down the andouille until well browned. Remove the Andouille and caramelize the green pepper, onion and garlic. Add the chicken and brown.
Add all of the spices, sugar and liquid smoke and mix well. Now add the rice and cook for a few minutes until it is well coated. Keep stirring to avoid burning it.
Add the chicken stock slowly, and bring the mixture back to a boil. Cover and cook on lowest heat until the liquid is completely absorbed. Usually about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and serve with hot sauce on the side.