Marinated Minute Steaks

While I am a stickler for quality meats, when serving a large dinner, it's impractical to get everyone 20 oz porterhouses. Let's be realistic. You want portions that are healthy, easy to wrap up if they aren't finished, and taste good.

This is why I'm a fan of minute steaks (or cube steak, which is apparently part of the beef round). As far as I can tell, a minute steak is a 6-8 oz piece of lightly marbled, boneless steak, usually only about 1/3 inch thick. And it lives up to the name - I can pan sear this sucker to medium rare in about 5 minutes.

 

Marinated Minute Steaks
for 8 steaks, 15 minutes

8 minute steaks
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon American mustard
1 tablespoon minced garlic
a dash of pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a zip freezer bag or shallow tupper ware. Whisk to combine.
2. Dip the steak in and cover both sides. Move to the side and continue coating each steak on both sides at least once.
3. Cover (or zip) and refrigerate until ready to cook. (I let mine sit overnight. I think at least 2 hours is optimum.)
4. Heat a skillet until very very hot.
5. Place the steaks in the skillet and sear for about 3-4 minutes. When browned, flip over and rotate so the steaks get even heat. Cook another 3-4 minutes.
6. Plate and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Steak & Potatoes Dinner Party

I invited the guys over for a manly evening of cookie baking. To counter the estrogen laden activity, I created a machismo meal with the old standbys - Steak and Potatoes.

The menu: (recipes to come)
Marinated Minute Steaks
Sauteed Collard Greens with Garlic
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Roasted Masala Carrots
Tofu Seaweed Soup (not manly, but was on hand)
Pineapple Tart Cookies (Nastar)

Saag Paneer (Spicy Indian Pureed Spinach with Cheese)

Saag Paneer is my go to Indian dish. Its vegetarian, rich in flavors and aroma, and has a luxurios consistency that makes it a very satisfying dish. Its incredibly healthy, relying on spinach, tomato, garlic, and onion, as well as paneer, which is a type of lacto-vegetarian cheese. Paneer is available in Indian groceries. In my case last night, I was too lazy to get actual paneer (and risk having some leftover) so I substituted for mozzarella. Not really pari passu, but I really just wanted the spinach!

My recipe for Saag Paneer is from my friend Neha, who has a gorgeous blog about homemade Indian food. Her recipe involves making a spicy tomato onion paste, which is incredibly pungent, but is absolutely necessary to make this dish's complex flavor and balance. I would advise against cheating if you want it to be authentic! The tomato paste can be frozen for future use and is the most complicated part of this dish.

Serve with rice or bread (naan is best!)

Masala Honey Trail Mix

Kelly's recipe for Sweet Roasted Pecans inspired this trail mix, which became one of my Suli Snack Packs with the Rosemary Olive Oil Almonds I posted a few days back. The Snack Packs are 200-250 calorie snacks to tide my buddies to dinner or substitute a quick breakfast for those days you can't help but rush. Hopefully they will encourage better eating habits!


The Masala Mix got rave reviews because it had a subtle kick. The masala is fragrant, but not overpowering, and the candied ginger and mango are spicy and sweet!

Masala Honey Trail Mix


For the nuts:
6 tbs butter
7 tbs honey
3 tbs vanilla extract
2 pounds almonds
1 pound walnut halves
1.5 tbs garam masala
Kosher salt, to taste


For the trail mix:
1 pound dried mangoes, cut into 1.5 inch cubes

0.75 pounds candied ginger, cut into 1.5 inch cubes

1 pound dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over low heat.
3. Mix the honey and vanilla into the melted butter. (Hint: Use a silicone spatula, as this will get a bit sticky.)
4. Add the nuts to the pot and toss to coat thoroughly.
5. Sprinkle the spices over the nuts, then toss again to coat.
6. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a foil-lined sheet pan and place in oven for 7 - 10 minutes. **Don't walk away from them; check them often. You'll be able to smell when they're done.**
7. Remove the tray to a cooling rack and use the spatula to move the pecans around so they don't stick to the foil.
8. If the nuts are a little oily, place nuts in a clean paper bag and toss to draw away oil. You can use a little confectioner's sugar too.
9. When the nuts are cool, mix in the fruit. Scoop 1/4 cup into smaller bags. Enjoy!

Orange Anise Braised Chicken

I decided to have a last minute casual dinner party but had no protein in the refrigerator. I didn't want to do stir fry again. I wanted something that looked awesome, but wasn't terribly difficult. Using foodgawker (a picture browsing-recipe friendly website) I found a new recipe for an orange anise soy sauce chicken, which was a super quick braise. It scored high with the men folk and yielded leftovers which are even better than the original. However, it wasn't super fast - I'd say 45-60 minutes depending on how fast of a prep person you are.

I really enjoyed browsing the Oui, Chef blog, which is about a dad teaching his kids to cook. Great concept and something I can totally get behind!

 

Orange Anise Braised Chicken

60 minutes, serves 6

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 3 scallions
• 3 garlic cloves,sliced
• 1 tablespoon julienned fresh ginger
• 1 large pinch chili flakes
• 3 strips orange zest removed with vegetable peeler
• 1 whole star anise
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Heat the oven to 325 ℉ with rack on the bottom 1/3rd of oven. Make sure your pot can fit in there comfortably.
2. In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and 1/4 cup water. Stir to dissolve sugar and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in large heavy-lidded braising oven-safe pot over medium-high heat until oil shimmers. Add half of chicken pieces, skin side down, and sear, without disturbing, until skin is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Turn pieces carefully to avoid tearing skin. Brown other side, about 6 minutes more. Transfer chicken to large plate to catch juices. Cook remaining chicken the same way.
4. While chicken is browning, coarsely chop scallions, separating white and green parts. Set greens aside.
5. Discard all but a spoonful of fat from pan and return pan to medium heat. Add white part of scallions, garlic, ginger and chile flakes. Cook about 30 seconds then pour in reserved soy mixture and stir to combine. Add orange zest and star anise.
6. Place chicken thighs in pan and add any juices that have accumulated on plate. Cover with a secure lid and place pan in lower third of oven. After 15 minutes, turn chicken pieces with tongs and check to be sure there's at least 1/4 inch of liquid in pan. If not, add a few tablespoons of water. Replace lid and return pan to oven until chicken is fork-tender and pulling away from bone, about 15 minutes more.
7. With slotted spoon, transfer chicken to serving platter without crowding pieces and cover loosely to keep warm. Remove star anise and orange peel from pan. Set pan over medium-high heat and bring to simmer. Skim off any surface fat. Add scallion greens.
8. Put cornstarch in small bowl with a tablespoon water. Whisk briefly to combine and smooth out any lumps. Pour mixture into simmering liquid, stirring to incorporate it evenly. Liquid will immediately thicken to a glossy sauce the consistency of maple syrup. Pour any juices chicken has released into sauce and simmer for another minute.
9. Spoon sauce over chicken. Enjoy!

Ginger Almond Egg Custard

I first tried ginger egg custard when I was in Hong Kong. Initially, I was skeptical - how could shops make only steamed egg custard and turn a profit? It can't be THAT good. But it was. It was warm and silky and just a touch sweet. It was fragrant and just a little spicy. And in cute little cups, its downright classy. Until now I haven't been brave enough to try my own - but its pretty easy if you're comfortable with steaming.

Ginger Almond Egg Custard
Serves 4

3 large eggs
3 tbsp sugar
1.5 cups milk (2% in my case)
4 tsp ginger juice*
1 tsp almond extract

Special equipment:
Grater
Strainer/fine sieve (tea strainer works well if its fine enough)
Steamer**

*Ginger juice - grate a fresh piece of ginger over a bowl. Squeeze the ginger pulp to separate the juice from the ginger solids. Discard solids. For 4 teaspoons I had to grate about 1.5 inches.

**I'm a bad Chinese person - I don't own a steamer or the little metal trivet that most families own! So I had to ninja a steamer using:
Large pot with lid
Metal colander
Aluminum foil

If your colander has feet and fits at the bottom of the pot, you can fill water just to the bottom of the colander. Mine had handles, so it actually hung from the top of the pot and I had to seal the open edges with aluminum
foil. The key to steaming is to gently heat the food using the pressure and moisture. The food should not touch the boiling water and the pot must trap all the steam.

1. Set up your steamer. Fill with several cups of water and set to boil. When it boils, reduce heat to medium.
2. In a mixing bowl, preferably with a spout, whip the eggs with a whisk.
3. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time until dissolved.
4. Whisk in the milk and almond extract.
5. Add in the ginger juice and stir slowly. Don't whisk.
6. Pour the mixture through the strainer to remove ginger pulp, bubbles, and egg strands. It should fill four ramekins.
7. Place the four ramekins in the steamer. Steam on medium heat for five minutes.
8. The custard is set when jiggly but not liquidy. It will look exactly the same so you'll want to test with the back of a spoon. Enjoy warm. Okay as cold.

Cheater's Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

I really like eggplant. Not only do I like it in French cooking, I also love it in Chinese food. And now, Italian! However, traditional eggplant parmesan or rollatini tends to be breaded and fried. These dishes are tasty, but high on oil and preparation time. What's a Suli to do?


Blogger FoodWishes solves that problem for me with a very nifty video on Eggplant Parmesan Casserole. I've modified the recipe for the materials I had on hand for tonight, time, a smaller portion, and my particular tastes. I know the ingredient list looks long, but most of it is for amping up the sauce, which is totally optional.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole
Serves 6

The layers:
2 Chinese eggplant (the long kind) sliced diagonally 1/3rd inch thick. You need enough for two layers in a 9x9 inch glass casserole dish. (all excess should be cubed and added to sauce)
1 tomato, sliced 1/2 inch thick. You need enough for one layer. Extra goes to sauce.

Sauce:
1 jar marinara sauce
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 tsp sugar (optional. used to cut the acid in the sauce)
Large pinch red pepper flakes
Large pinch dried basil

Cheese Mix:
4 mozzarella sticks, pulled into thin strips
1/2 cup grated parmesan
3/4 cup ricotta (1/2 cup cream cheese for me - I was out of ricotta!)
large pinch oregano and basil

Breadcrumb mix:
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (a slice of wheat and sourdough crumbled)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil

1. SAUCE: Heat a saute pan with 1 tsp olive oil. When warm, add onion and garlic and cook on medium heat.
2. When onions are translucent, add green pepper. Add the extra eggplant or tomato from the prep too.
3. Allow sauce to simmer as you prep other ingredients. Watch the sauce and add water if the sauce becomes too dry/crumbly. 
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the middle.
5. CHEESE: Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, and herbs. If the mix is a little tough to come together, add a little hot water or microwave for a few seconds.
6. BREADCRUMBS: Mix the breadcrumbs with the parmesan and olive oil. 
7. Assemble the casserole. Pour in about 1 1/2 cup of the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish (may take a little more or less). 
8. Place the eggplant slices in a single layer. Top with the ricotta/parmesan mixture.
9. Add the single layer of tomato. Top with the shredded mozzarella.
10. Add the last layer of eggplant. Top with another 1 1/2 cup of sauce. making sure to fully cover the eggplant and get the sauce into the crevices. Do not pack the sauce down.
11. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.
12. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40 minutes. 
13. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes until top is golden brown and casserole is bubbling.
14. Insert a knife into the casserole. If the knife goes through without resistance, its cooked through. Otherwise, continue baking for 10 minute increments.
15. Allow casserole to cool for 15 minutes before serving so that the slices will come out neater and you don't burn the roof of your mouth!

Optional: Add a layer of frozen chopped spinach to the sauce or as an additional layer! 

Sausage and Leek Stuffing

This is my favorite dish at Thanksgiving. It was one of tthe first things I cooked for Perry, way back before we started dating, that has haunted his taste buds since. Its a labor of love, since it requires a good amount of
prep work and plenty of ingredients. But I promise that its worth it.

Sausage and Leek Stuffing
Serves 6 as a side. Fits in an 9x13 inch glass casserole dish. Can fit 1/3rd to half of mix into a large chicken or all into a turkey if you want to be authentic.

2/3rd a loaf of sandwich bread, cut into inch cubes. I've used whole wheat here but white is great.
3 links italian sausage
1 leek, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 package of mushrooms, cubed (I like chinese mushrooms because they're denser)
2 granny smith apples, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp dried thyme or rosemary
2/3 cup sliced almonds
Optional - 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1. The night before, prep the bread and leave out overnight in a single layer to dry out a little. Or just use stale bread :)
2. Prep all fruit and vegetables and squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing.
3. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook the sausage, crumbling it into smaller pieces (everything in this dish should be the same size).
4. After sausage is mostly cooked, add the leeks and garlic. Sweat for about 5 minutes until leeks turn a little transparent.
5. Add the celery and mushroom and herbs. Cook until tender.
6. Add the apple and nuts, mixing to incorporate.
7. If the mix is dry, add water, milk, or stock until the bread is fluffy and just begins to break down.
8. If you have a while until dinner, place in a 9x13 glass casserole dish and bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350 until you're ready. The longer you bake, the more liquid you will want to add. Or you can serve straight out of the pot.
9. If stuffing into poultry, please make sure that the poultry is cooked through all the way. A meat thermometer is very useful here.

Rosemary Olive Oil Roasted Almonds

As part of my holiday gift giving, I noticed an alarming trend among my friends: They had terrible snacking habits. They considered lunch eating three 100-calorie packs of Oreos, or skipping breakfast altogether. They would inhale a half bowl of fiber cereal but later gorge a 1200 calorie dinner as a reward.

Me, being the perpetual meddler and know-it-all, will scold and admonish for poor dietary practices, but regardless of my well-intentioned advice, it ceased to impact the metabolisms or waistlines of my amigos. So the best way to a man's heart (and waistline) is through his stomach, so Suli Snack Packs were born! Basically, healthy snacks make 200-250 calorie packs to tide my buddies to dinner or a quick breakfast substitute for those days you can't help but rush. They aren't a permanent solution, but hopefully one that encourages better habits and tastes better than vending machine food. I'm making the packs in several flavors, which I'll post as I continue to experiment.

Rosemary Olive Oil Roasted Almonds
Makes 30 snack packs (1/4 cup nuts each)
adapted from gourmande in the kitchen who has absolutely stunning photography!

6 cups raw almonds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dried rosemary, finely chopped (Prep note: to avoid it bouncing everywhere, mix in a tablespoon of olive oil, then use a mortar & pestle or bowl and a scraper to pulverize. Spice grinder would be fab too.)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil, rosemary, cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder. When fragrant, add the almonds an stir to coat.
3. Place nuts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread out nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Bake until nuts are lightly browned and toasted, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Let cool on the baking sheet.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.