Meat

Reverse Seared Steak

October 14, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Reverse Seared Steak

I’ve heard about this method of cooking a steak and decided to give it a try. The standard for a thick steak is, sear the steak and finish cooking it in the oven. As the name implies, this reverses that. Don’t try this unless you steak is at least 1 ½ inches thick. I’m using a 2-inch rib eye.

Ingredients:

1 steak (at least 1 ½ in. thick and your choice of cut)
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
1 crushed clove garlic – optional
1 sprig of rosemary – optional

Season the steak with salt and pepper, the edges too. Place it on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Place it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to dry out. This step is optional but do it if you have time.

Preheat the oven to anywhere between 200 and 275°F (93 and 135°C). The lower you go, the more evenly the meat will cook.

Put the baking sheet, rack, and room temperature steak in the oven, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature about 10 to 15°F below the final temperature at which you’d like to serve the meat. Time in the oven is about 20 minutes for rare.

Reverse Seared Steak — After 20 minutes in a 250 degree F. oven.

When you take the steak out of the oven, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan on a very high heat. When the pan is hot begin searing the steak. Holding it with tongs, start with the the edges. Lay the steak down and add the butter (and garlic/rosemary, if using). Tilt the pan and spoon the melted butter over the steak. Flip the steak and do the other side. This should take only about 35-40 seconds per side for a good sear.

Slice and serve the steak. It’s not necessary to rest the steak before cutting if you’re using the reverse sear method.

Steak Internal Cooking Temperatures

Some other steak cooking methods here.

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Meat

Mississippi Pot Roast

October 8, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Mississippi Pot Roast

I saw this on a YouTube video by Emmy Cho and it looked interesting. It’s a different and maybe a little strange combination of ingredients but the result is great and it’s very easy easy to put together.

Ingredients:

1 2-3 lb. chuck roast
1 pack au jus gravy mix
1 pack ranch dressing
½ 12 oz. jar of pepperoncini and brine
1 stick of butter
Salt and black pepper

Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the packets of au jus and ranch on top of it. Pour half the brine and half the jar of peppers into the cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a stick of butter and cook on low for 8 hours.

Pull it apart with two forks and serve with potatoes, noodles or rice.

Here’s the New York Times article on the origin of Mississippi Pot Roast.

. . . and here’s Emmy Cho’s video.

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Pasta, Seafood

Pasta cu Anciova

September 30, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Pasta cu Anciova

Here’s another tinned fish recipe. I think this one might be a family recipe since I’ve never seen anything like it except when my friend Vinnie’s Sicilian grandmother made it. The first time I had it I was in my teens and eating dinner at Vinnie’s . It seemed strange to me then compared to my mother’s tomato sauce. But as I grew older, I often asked Vinnie’s grandmother to make it. There are some intense flavors here and even if you aren’t crazy about anchovies (anciova in Siciliànu), you should give this a try.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cans of anchovies packed in olive oil
4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
Red pepper to taste
1 can of tomato paste
1 ½ cups of water
½ cup chopped parsley divided
1 cup unseasoned toasted breadcrumbs
1 lb. pasta – perciatelli, bucatini, or spaghetti

Start a pot of water for the pasta.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat. Empty the cans of anchovies with the oil they’re packed in, into the pan. Add the sliced garlic, stir, and simmer on low for 8 minutes. The anchovies will eventually dissolve so don’t worry about breaking them up.

Add the tomato paste, raise the heat, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups of water and half of the parsley, blend, cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta until almost done. Using tongs put the pasta in the sauce to finish cooking. Stir in the rest of the parsley and serve. Pass the toasted breadcrumbs to be sprinkled on the pasta.

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Pasta, Seafood, Vegetarian

Tinned Fish

September 21, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Tinned Fish

It’s been around for a long time but suddenly it’s become a thing – tinned fish. When I was growing up if I wanted a snack, I could always open a can of sardines, squid, or tuna. It’s a very old way of preserving food. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and isn’t perishable until it’s opened.

Here’s an informative post from Epicurious –

The Can of Food That Makes Dinner Parties Delicious, Easy, and Insanely Fast

The easiest dinner party you’ll ever throw is the one where all you do is make a few salads, open a few tins of fish and put out a few baguettes. The reason you aren’t throwing this party already is because you think that tinned fish is cheap, acrid, odorous stuff that you’d never serve to company, much less yourself. But that line of thinking stops now.

Click logo for full article –

Tinned Fish Pasta

Here’s a recipe that works with almost any type of tinned fish. I used sardines.

Adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

1 cup unseasoned toasted breadcrumbs
¼ cup. olive oil
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
2 cans sardines packed in olive oil
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. chopped capers
Salt and black pepper
1 lb. spaghetti or linguini
Chopped parsley for serving

Lightly sauté the garlic in olive oil in a small pan until it’s fragrant. Don’t let it brown.

Put the garlic and oil it cooked in, sardines, lemon zest and juice, capers, salt, and pepper in a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water to gently heat the ingredients. Remove the bowl and cook the pasta in the same boiling water.

When the pasta is done add it to the bowl with 1 cup of the pasta water and the parsley. Mix and serve with a sprinkling of the toasted breadcrumbs.

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Poultry

Braised Chicken with Olives

September 17, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Braised Chicken with Olives

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of chicken pieces (I used legs & thighs)
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
5 anchovies packed in oil
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup green olives roughly chopped and rinsed
2 tbsp. rinsed capers
2 bay leaves
2 strips of lemon zest
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup white wine and 1 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 350^o.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove the chicken and all but 4 tablespoons of the fat and oil.

There’s nothing like the bottom of a Coca Cola bottle for smashing olives to remove the pit.

Add the garlic and anchovies to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, olives, capers, bay leaves, lemon zest and red pepper. Blend and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and water, mix well.

Return the chicken to the pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and place the pan the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving dish. Check the sauce for seasoning and remove the lemon zest and bay leaves. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

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Pasta

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

September 9, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Simple ingredients and an easy preparation – this one is a classic. Whoever first put this combination together deserves a medal. You can get this in almost any Italian restaurant, hero shop and even in some pizzerias.

Ingredients:

2 bunches broccoli rabe
Olive oil
Salt, black and red pepper
3 garlic cloves, sliced
4 Italian sausages (sweet or hot) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb. short pasta

Start a pot of boiling salted water for pasta. Remove stems, cut into 2 inch pieces and wash the broccoli rabe.

Boil it in the pasta water for 8 – 10 minutes until tender. Remove and drain. Add 2 tablespoons more salt to the water and cook the pasta in the same pot until almost done.

Fry the sausage in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until browned. Add garlic, salt, red, and black pepper and lower the heat so the garlic doesn’t burn. Cook for 5 minutes and add a half cup of pasta water and deglaze the pan.

Add the prepared broccoli rabe and another half cup of pasta water. Blend and cook for 8 minutes. Add the drained pasta to the sausage and broccoli to finish cooking. Serve with grated Parmigiana cheese.

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Seafood

Thai Sweet and Salty Shrimp

September 3, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Thai Sweet and Salty Shrimp

When I was a little kid shrimp was the only seafood that I would eat. As I got older my tastes broadened but shrimp remained one of my favorites. Here’s a simple and quick recipe that tastes a lot more complicated than it is. I adapted this in the New York Times where they give credit to Kris Yenbamroong and Ali Slagle.

Ingredients:

1 lb. medium to large cleaned, shelled shrimp
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp. Asian fish sauce or coloratura di alici
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. brown sugar
3 tbsp. finely chopped roasted salted peanuts
1 tbsp. lime juice
3 scallions, thinly sliced green and white
Red pepper flakes

Dry the shrimp and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Mix the fish sauce, vinegar, oil, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Heat a frying pan to medium high and add the mix. When it begins to simmer, add the shrimp, and cook until it begins to color on both sides.

Add the peanuts, lime juice, scallions, and red pepper. Stir to combine and serve.

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Drinks

Three Classic Cocktails

August 26, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Three Classic Cocktails

Sidecar

Ingredients:

Granulated sugar
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice, plus more for glass
2 oz. brandy
¾ oz. Cointreau or triple sec

Wet the rim of a coupe glass with lemon juice and dip it into sugar sprinkled on a plate. Shake off excess and set it aside. Put the lemon juice, brandy, and Cointreau into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, and shake. Strain into the sugared glass.

Boulevardier

Ingredients:

2 oz. Bourbon
1oz. Campari
1oz. sweet vermouth
Lemon twist garnish

Pour the Bourbon, Campari, and vermouth into a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir and garnish with lemon twist.

Mai Tai

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. white rum
¾ oz. orange Cointreau or curaçao
¾ oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
½ oz. orzata or orgeat
½ oz. dark rum
Lime wheel and mint sprig for garnish

Add the white rum, Cointreau, lime juice and orzata to a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a rocks glass. Float the dark rum over the top. Garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig.

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Poultry

Milk Fried Chicken

August 20, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Milk Fried Chicken

A problem that sometimes comes up with fried chicken is this – If you just fry it until the crust is the perfect golden color the chicken might be left under done, and if you fry it so that the chicken is thoroughly cooked, the crust might burn. The milk fried chicken cooking method solves that problem. The chicken is almost completely cooked in the milk and after that it only takes a few minutes to brown the crust.

Ingredients:

2 bs. chicken pieces
1 ½ cups milk
2 cup vegetable oil

For the spice rub –

1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. Cajun spice
½ tsp. sweet (or hot) paprika
½ tsp. garlic power

Bring the milk to a boil in a pan and add the chicken in one layer. Cover and boil it for 8 minutes (medium heat so it doesn’t boil over). Turn the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes, remove and let it cool.

Thoroughly coat the chicken with the spice rub and then dredge in the flour. Let rest for 20 minutes before frying.

Fry in batches until golden brown. Do not crowd the pan. Drain it on paper towels and serve.

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Seafood, Vegetarian

Mussels with Red or White Sauce

August 11, 2021 robiulo Leave a comment

Mussels with Red or White Sauce

Wash the mussels in cold running water and pull off any of the beard that might be attached to some of them. Discard any mussels that don’t close when tapped.

Either of these recipes can be served as a sauce for linguine or spaghetti but I prefer them simply with a loaf of good Italian bread.

Mussels in White Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
1 small shallot diced
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt to taste
1 cup dry white wine
2 lbs. cleaned mussels
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the shallot until it’s translucent. Add the garlic and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the white wine and raise the heat. When it boils add the mussels and cover the pot.

Shake the pot and check after 5 minutes. The mussels should be starting to open. Cover and wait until they’re all opened and discard any that didn’t.

Remove them with a slotted spoon to a serving dish leaving the sauce in the pot. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.Whisk the butter and parsley into the sauce. Check for seasoning and pour the sauce over the mussels and serve. If you’re serving with pasta, add one cup of the pasta cooking water to the sauce.

Mussels in Red Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
Salt and black, and red pepper to taste
½ cup dry red wine
1 – 28 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
2 lbs. cleaned mussels
¼ cup chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add salt, black, and red pepper.

Add the red wine and tomatoes, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the mussels, cover the pot and steam for about 15 minutes, shaking the pot or stirring from time to time. When the mussels have opened, stir in the chopped parsley, and serve. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.

It works with pasta too.

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Reverse Seared Steak

Ingredients:

Season the steak with salt and pepper, the edges too. Place it on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Place it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to dry out. This step is optional but do it if you have time.

Preheat the oven to anywhere between 200 and 275°F (93 and 135°C). The lower you go, the more evenly the meat will cook.

Put the baking sheet, rack, and room temperature steak in the oven, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature about 10 to 15°F below the final temperature at which you’d like to serve the meat. Time in the oven is about 20 minutes for rare.

Slice and serve the steak. It’s not necessary to rest the steak before cutting if you’re using the reverse sear method.

Some other steak cooking methods here.

Mississippi Pot Roast

Ingredients:

Pasta cu Anciova

Ingredients:

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat. Empty the cans of anchovies with the oil they’re packed in, into the pan. Add the sliced garlic, stir, and simmer on low for 8 minutes. The anchovies will eventually dissolve so don’t worry about breaking them up.

Add the tomato paste, raise the heat, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 ½ cups of water and half of the parsley, blend, cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta until almost done. Using tongs put the pasta in the sauce to finish cooking. Stir in the rest of the parsley and serve. Pass the toasted breadcrumbs to be sprinkled on the pasta.

Tinned Fish

The Can of Food That Makes Dinner Parties Delicious, Easy, and Insanely Fast

Tinned Fish Pasta

Here’s a recipe that works with almost any type of tinned fish. I used sardines.

Ingredients:

Lightly sauté the garlic in olive oil in a small pan until it’s fragrant. Don’t let it brown.

Put the garlic and oil it cooked in, sardines, lemon zest and juice, capers, salt, and pepper in a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water to gently heat the ingredients. Remove the bowl and cook the pasta in the same boiling water.

When the pasta is done add it to the bowl with 1 cup of the pasta water and the parsley. Mix and serve with a sprinkling of the toasted breadcrumbs.

Braised Chicken with Olives

Ingredients:

Pre-heat oven to 350o.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove the chicken and all but 4 tablespoons of the fat and oil.

There’s nothing like the bottom of a Coca Cola bottle for smashing olives to remove the pit.

Add the garlic and anchovies to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, olives, capers, bay leaves, lemon zest and red pepper. Blend and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and water, mix well.

Return the chicken to the pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and place the pan the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving dish. Check the sauce for seasoning and remove the lemon zest and bay leaves. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Simple ingredients and an easy preparation – this one is a classic. Whoever first put this combination together deserves a medal. You can get this in almost any Italian restaurant, hero shop and even in some pizzerias.

Ingredients:

Start a pot of boiling salted water for pasta. Remove stems, cut into 2 inch pieces and wash the broccoli rabe.

Boil it in the pasta water for 8 – 10 minutes until tender. Remove and drain. Add 2 tablespoons more salt to the water and cook the pasta in the same pot until almost done.

Fry the sausage in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until browned. Add garlic, salt, red, and black pepper and lower the heat so the garlic doesn’t burn. Cook for 5 minutes and add a half cup of pasta water and deglaze the pan.

Add the prepared broccoli rabe and another half cup of pasta water. Blend and cook for 8 minutes. Add the drained pasta to the sausage and broccoli to finish cooking. Serve with grated Parmigiana cheese.

Thai Sweet and Salty Shrimp

Ingredients:

Dry the shrimp and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Mix the fish sauce, vinegar, oil, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Heat a frying pan to medium high and add the mix. When it begins to simmer, add the shrimp, and cook until it begins to color on both sides.

Add the peanuts, lime juice, scallions, and red pepper. Stir to combine and serve.

Three Classic Cocktails

Sidecar

Ingredients:

Wet the rim of a coupe glass with lemon juice and dip it into sugar sprinkled on a plate. Shake off excess and set it aside. Put the lemon juice, brandy, and Cointreau into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, and shake. Strain into the sugared glass.

Boulevardier

Ingredients:

Mai Tai

Ingredients:

Add the white rum, Cointreau, lime juice and orzata to a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a rocks glass. Float the dark rum over the top. Garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig.

Milk Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

Bring the milk to a boil in a pan and add the chicken in one layer. Cover and boil it for 8 minutes (medium heat so it doesn’t boil over). Turn the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes, remove and let it cool.

Thoroughly coat the chicken with the spice rub and then dredge in the flour. Let rest for 20 minutes before frying.

Fry in batches until golden brown. Do not crowd the pan. Drain it on paper towels and serve.

Mussels with Red or White Sauce

Wash the mussels in cold running water and pull off any of the beard that might be attached to some of them. Discard any mussels that don’t close when tapped.

Either of these recipes can be served as a sauce for linguine or spaghetti but I prefer them simply with a loaf of good Italian bread.

Mussels in White Sauce

Ingredients:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the shallot until it’s translucent. Add the garlic and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the white wine and raise the heat. When it boils add the mussels and cover the pot.

Shake the pot and check after 5 minutes. The mussels should be starting to open. Cover and wait until they’re all opened and discard any that didn’t.

Mussels in Red Sauce

Ingredients:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add salt, black, and red pepper.

Add the red wine and tomatoes, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the mussels, cover the pot and steam for about 15 minutes, shaking the pot or stirring from time to time. When the mussels have opened, stir in the chopped parsley, and serve. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.

Reveries and Recipes

Pre-heat oven to 350^o.