Hearst Ranch Flank Steak

I met Brian Kenny, manager of Hearst Ranch Beef, at the Foodbuzz weekend last November. He took part in a conversation on grass fed beef, and the workings of Hearst Ranch, that had me all kinds of excited about the future of beef in America.

A few weeks later, we followed up with a phone conversation. Kenny spoke more of Hearst's commitment to careful stewardship of the land. His philosophy (one that I share) is that cows reared on a natural diet, living a stress free life, produce better meat. We also spoke about Kenny's innovative approach to marketing better beef by supplying convention centers and other large venues.

I love free things, and I love steak, so imagine my happiness when I was offered a gift card for Hearst Ranch beef. This was very nice indeed.

It's one of those strange SoCal days when it seems perfectly sensible to grill in February. So I made a little spice mix, and put a flank steak over the hot hot hot coals. This beef is fantastic.

Pat one Flank Steak with:
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, per side

Rub both sides with spice mix.
I used:
2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Sugar
1 Tsp. Celery Salt
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
1/2 Tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp. Ground Mustard
Don't overseason. Or underseason.

Let rest for at least one hour, up to twelve hours.

Grill over very hot coals for five minutes per side.
Let rest five minutes before slicing.

*Let the meat come to room temperature before grilling. You'll notice an improvement in the texture.
*You could cook this on a gas grill, or even broil it, but coals are best for this one. I even added a few wood chunks, too!

*Ask for grass fed beef at your grocery store. If they don't carry it, tell them they should. Then walk away, without buying any industrial beef. You can order directly from Hearst if you're having trouble finding well raised cows near you.

Whiskey Soaked Flank Steak

Whisk together:
1/2 Cup Whiskey
1/2 Cup Apple Juice
1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Serrano Chili, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, smashed
1 Tbs. Agave Nectar
2 Tsp. Onion Powder
2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Fresh Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Liquid Smoke (optional)
15 Stalks Fresh Time

Pour over:
2 Pound Flank Steak

Marinate for about 24 hours.
Grill over direct heat for about 7 minutes per side.

*If you don't have agave nectar, use the same amount brown sugar.
*If you have a smoker, feel free to smoke beef instead of adding liquid smoke. That's what I did.

Beef Neil Diamond

What does one do with leftover red wine? Create a recipe named after one of their favorite performers, of course.

In a small saucepan:
1 Medium Carrot, diced
1 Small Parsnip, diced
1 Large Shallot, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, smashed
3/4 Cup Beef or Chicken Broth 3/4 Cup Red Red Wine

Simmer everything for 30 minutes.

Then, in a very hot pan:
Two 1/2 lb. Filet Mignon steaks, seasoned with salt & pepper
Cook to desired doneness- about 4 minutes for medium-rare.

Remove steak from plan, and allow steak to rest 5 minutes.

While it does, add to sauce:
1 Tablespoon Butter

Pour sauce over steak, and serve.

Chili

With all the talk of fresh and seasonal these days, you might forget that it's winter.  Fresh and winter don't exactly go hand in hand.  Is it possible to be preserved and seasonal?

Chili is the perfect vessel for our experiment.  It’s a cowboy dish.  Close your eyes.  Picture a group of cowboys searching the fields for perfect leaves of sage and delicate edible flowers.  If you've ever seen a cowboy movie, I bet you a have pretty silly picture in your mind's eye right now.  The great cowboy cooks of yesterday traveled with bags of dried herbs & spices, so that's what we're going to do too.

If you feel like being purely preserved, you could use beef jerky as your protein, though I wouldn’t recommend it.  (If you do, use less salt!)  I would encourage using grass fed beef.  Not only does it taste better, but you’ll also be keeping the cowboy spirit.  Cowboys might not have spent hours searching for the most beautiful sprig of rosemary, but they didn’t feed their cows corn, either!

They say a great chili cook never reveals his secrets.  Well, not exactly, at least.  So all you get is a list.  Since I'm a nice guy, I'll give you a little help; ingredients are listed by the amount I used, & I didn't use more than two tablespoons of anything.

2 Lbs. Grass Fed Ground Beef

1 32oz. Can Ground Tomato

Salt

Chili Powder

Crushed Ancho Chili

Cocoa Chili Blend

Garlic Powder

Coriander

Onion Powder

Black Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Ground Sage

Bay Leaves

Worcestershire Sauce

Cinnamon

The Kitchen Sink

Brown beef & remove excess fat.  Add half your spice mix, and cook one minute.  Add tomato and remaining spice mix. Cook at least 45 minutes, up to 3 hours.  Stir occasionally. 

*It's best to slowly build the flavor of the chili. Start with less spice than you think you need, then add as necessary. 

(Breakfast) Beef Stew

This is my take on a recipe first published in Marion Harland's Common Sense for the Household (1884), updated in The American Heritage Cookbook (1964, edited by Helen McCully).  I've updated it to suit my taste, and you should feel free to play with it, too.  This was, without a doubt, the best beef stew I've made.

2 Lbs. Beef, cubed

Grass fed beef preferred!

2 Tbs. Flour

1 Tbs. Fat, your choice, butter preferred

1 Small Onion, sliced

2 Carrots, quartered

3 Ribs Celery, quartered

1 Parsnip, quartered

1 Small Green Bell Pepper, quartered

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1 1/2 Cup Beef Broth

3/4 Cup Water

1 Tbs. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

4 Sprigs Savory

6 Sprigs Marjoram

6 Sprigs Thyme

1 Tsp. Salt

1 Tbs. Mustard

1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

2 Sprigs Savory

4 Sprigs Each Thyme & Marjoram

Salt

Begin by coating beef with flour.  Melt fat in pan, then add beef to brown.  After beef browns, add vegetables.  Cook 5 minutes.  

This step is optional, but recommended.  Not only does it deepen the flavor of the dish, the melting fat & flour form a roux that will thicken the stew.  If you decide not to brown, omit the flour.

Add remaining ingredients in the top part of the list.  You'll save yourself some time (thyme!) later by either tying the herbs together with twine, or putting them in a tea bag.  See, the herbs are woody, and not especially tasty to eat, so- better to keep them in one place and remove them when the dish is done.

Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer.  Walk away for 1.5 - 3 hours.  You can stir from time to time, but that's all the work you need to do.

In the last five minutes, add the remaining ingredients.  Again, it's a good idea to keep the herbs together.  Taste, and add salt as necessary.  Serve over some kind of simple starch- rice, potato, noodles.

As with all dishes of this kind, it's only going to get better with a day or two in the fridge.  Also, don't be put off by the long list of ingredients.  There isn't a lot of work to do, I promise.  The assembly took 20 minutes, including the browning.

Why is it called a breakfast stew?  I have no idea!  Maybe this was breakfast in 1884.

Bacon Filled Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef, grass-fed 15% fat

1/2 lb ground turkey, mix of dark and white

1 cup ground tomato

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tabelspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

6 thick slices of bacon

6 thick slices of bacon!

Ketchup

Fried Onions, optional

I was having a conversation the other day about the need for another post about bacon. Somehow the subject veered to meatloaf, and I thought, 'great, meatloaf often has bacon on top of it!' That was when the light bulb went off. Yes, meatloaf often has bacon on top, but I've never seen a recipe with bacon INSIDE! Thus, a new and exciting dish was born. Bacon Filled Meatloaf.

Begin by dicing the first 6 slices of bacon. Remove some of the extra fat. Add to a frying pan over medium-high heat. Render bacon until it just begins to crisp, about 3-4 minutes. This will help the texture of the meatloaf greatly. Drain rendered fat, saving it for another day.

Place the almost crisp bacon in a large bowl, and add all other ingredients save the other bacon slices, ketchup, and fried onions. Mix well (best done with your hands!), and let rest for an hour at room temperature. Don't skip the resting. Trust me, you'll be sad if you do. The mix needs time to let the breadcrumbs and meat absorb all the seasonings. If you don't let it rest, you'll end up with a strange textured loaf and a pool of sauce at the bottom. See? Sadness.

Put rested mixture in a loaf pan. Put loaf pan in a 375 degree oven. After a half hour, remove from oven and carefully drain most of the melted fat. Cover top of loaf with a layer of ketchup, then cover pan with foil. Return to oven and cook additional 30 minutes, removing foil for the final five.

At some point, cook the additional slices of bacon.

Rest, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Again, you'll be sad if you don't do this. After resting, cut into slices to serve. Top with a little more ketchup or crushed tomatoes, just a dab. Top that with extra bacon (crumbled), and, if you'd like, some canned fried onions.

Note: This one is still a work in progress. I'm going to play a bit with fresh onions and garlic, though I do like the convenience of using powdered. This was made using thick sliced bacon, so if you only have thin, use more.

Meatloaf is a million times better the next day. I'm not saying you have to wait a whole day to dig in, just that you should dig in again the next day.

Beef Lasagna

Lasagna is awesome.  There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  It takes a wee bit of work, sure.  So worth it, though.  I encourage you to use grass fed beef.  It really makes a huge difference, both in flavor and in the way we treat the enviornment.  More about that soon.

2 lbs. Ground Beef, 15-20 % fat content
6 Cloves Garlic, smashed
32 oz Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg (optional)
64 oz Tomato Sauce, homemade or your favorite
Lasagna Noodles

Begin by mixing all the ricotta cheese and half of the other cheeses in a bowl.  Add egg, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, nutmeg, salt, and half the garlic.  Set aside.

Season ground beef with salt, pepper, and the remaining Italian seasoning & garlic. In a large pan, lightly brown the beef.  While browning, break the beef up into small bits.  This will get easier as the meat cooks.  The whole process should take about 4 minutes.  Don't worry if all the beef isn't brown- it's best not to overcook it.  Drain fat, and stir in about 1/4 of the tomato sauce.

Cover bottom of lasagna pan with sauce.  Add lasagna noodles (check package to see if you need to pre-cook).  Add a layer of beef, then a layer of cheese, cover with sauce and a new layer of pasta.  Repeat the process twice more, so you have three layers of goodness.  Cover top layer of pasta with more sauce, then top that with the remaining mozzarella & parmesan cheese.

Cover lasagna pan with foil.  Poke a few tiny holes in the foil with a knife.  This will allow some steam to escape, and help prevent the foil from sticking to the top layer of cheese (a sad sad sad thing).  Move to a 375 degree oven, and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil, and broil an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. 

Let cool for at least 20 minutes.  Seriously.  After all this work and time, you're going to be tempted to dig right in.  Don't do it buddy.  Everything will fall apart if you do.  Give it time to cool a bit and settle.  Life will be better that way.  It always is.

A Lasagna for Obama

While I was watching the final presidential debate, I suddenly felt inspired to do something. I am part of a group of people who grew up as the tail end of Generation X- not quite the slackers of the group before us, but certainly still feeling the pull of apathy about government. Something has changed in the last few months. People all over the country are engaged, desiring to pitch in and do something. So it was that I decided to throw a dinner party to raise money for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The party started off with a prosciutto and melon appetizer. This is a perfect example of a dish in which quality of ingredients means everything. I mean, everything- there are only two pieces to the dish! I was really happy with the cantaloupe I found; lucky guess, really- I don't know much about picking them out. I grabbed one that had a nice light yellow color throughout and smelt slightly of a musky perfume. The prosciutto was quite good, though I think I'm ruined for life after eating the heavenly home cured prosciutto at Downey's a few months ago. Some tastes never leave the soul of your belly.

The main event was a killer grass fed beef lasagna (for Obama). The beef was from J&J, one of my favorite local beef companies. Really excellent stuff. If you've never had grass fed beef before, you're in for a real treat. A smaller spinach lasagna, a Vice Presidential lasagna for Biden (he has a Popeyeish quality, don't ya think? I mean, you know the guy eats his spinich.), was also served. It was pretty damn tasty, especially for a first attempt. Mixed green salad, featuring peppers from my garden, was served on the side.

Tasty, fresh baked, apple pie (thanks Cass) and a homemade ice cream were served for dessert.

Overall, $265 was raised for the campaign. While quite a bit less than my friend Karen (who clearly has a future in fundraising should she choose to depart from a world of creative awesomeness), I was pretty stocked we beat my goal by $15. Also, the food was totally fantastic, and my friends and I had a kick ass time. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! (Yeah, that's right, I'm taking that chant back from the crazy wingnut militia types. U.S.A.!)

Meatballs, Amazing Meatballs

This is my version of my Aunt Arlene's amazing meatballs.  While I've never been able to achieve the gum-soft tenderness of her creation, these come remarkably close.  The flavor is deep, the process easy.

Beef Mix

1.5 lbs. Ground Beef

15 - 20% fat, grass-fed if possible

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

1/4 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Salt

1/2 Tablespoon Thyme

The Sauce

32 oz. Crushed Tomatoes, fresh or canned, depending on season

1 Cup Water

5 Cloves Garlic, smashed

2 Bay Leaves

1/2 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips

1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped

Combine beef mix ingredients and let sit for 15-30 minutes, to let flavors incorporate & bread crumbs to absorb moisture.  Roll mix into balls.  You want the balls to be somewhere in between golf and tennis ball size.

Combine all sauce ingredients except basil.  Bring to a boil.  Add meatballs, then cover, and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for at least 45 minutes, and up to three hours, stirring occasionally.  The longer they go, the more tender the balls will be (!).  The sauce will also have a deeper flavor.  Add fresh basil just before serving.  Top with extra grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Don't be tempted to use a lower fat ground beef.  The idea is for the fat to melt out of the meat, enhancing the texture of the meatball.  Stress not about the fat, you can skim it off the top of the sauce.  Goodness!

This dish can be prepared in advance, as it benefits from sitting in the fridge.  It also freezes really well.

Flank Steak, Southern Style

A southern steak, eh? Indeed. However, despite my love of U.S. southern cooking, this isn't from there. This flank steak comes courtesy of the Southern Hemisphere. I've blended south Asian with South American, and the result is great.

1 Flank Steak, 2-3 pounds
1/3 Cup Light Soy Sauce
1/3 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Mirin
1/4 Cup Ketchup, try to use ketchup without High Fructose Corn Syrup!
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Hot Thai Peppers, seeded and diced

Combine everything. Marinate steak for 8-24 hours. Remove from marinade, pat dry. Take to the grill.

Now, here's the South American part. Instead of cooking over coal, I used whole wood mesquite wood chunks. Working this way allows for a combination of direct high heat grilling and smoke. Start the wood as you would your charcoal. The chunks will be ready in about fifteen minutes (time saver!). You want the smoke to still be fairly heavy, but the chunks to be burning hot. Oh, you might want to warn the neighbors, too. This style, while producing great flavor, will also make it smell like you have a camp site in your yard. Make sure you have a good amount of space, and a lot of ventilation. Might want to keep a bucket of water handy, too!

Cook for 5-6 minutes per side. You want the outside caramelized, the inside nice and pink. Let rest for 10 minutes, then carve against the grain.

Your fire will still be going pretty strong. Use it to grill some pineapple, or, even better, make some smores. I mean, if your already making the neighborhood smell like a bonfire, better put it to good use!

Pepper Steak

Approx. Two Lbs. Beef

Bottom Round preferred

Two Jars Tomato Sauce

One Onion

Two Green Bell Peppers

4-5 Cloves Garlic

Begin by thinly slicing beef into strips.  If you slightly freeze before slicing, it will make your slicing easier!  Next,  brown the beef over medium heat.  This is optional, but will help render off a lot of fat.  Might as well be a little healthy, eh!  Remove beef from pot.

Add sauce, onions, garlic, pepper, and beef to pot.  Let bring to boil, reduce heat, let simmer for about 45 minutes.  I like to serve it over wide egg noodles.  

This is one of those dished that's even better the day after, makes a great alternative to a meatball sandwich.  Additionally, you can make a whole lot and freeze it.  Oh yeah!

Brotherhood Steak

New York Strip Steak

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Butter

Brother, or other friend (optional, but recommended)

My brother and I used teamwork the other night to make some kick-ass steaks. Generally, a great strip steak is something that happens only in a steak house. This one, however, came pretty damn close.

We started by rubbing the meat with a little bit of olive oil, then seasoning the steaks well with salt and pepper. Brother then cut generous slices of butter to put atop the steak, while I got the grill ready. I used hardwood lump charcoal, which I'd highly recommend over the cheaper commercial kind. It burns hotter, and has a better flavor.

After a few minutes on the grill, you might notice a whole lot of smoke. This is from the butter hitting the coals. Don't stress about it, just give it a few sprays from a water bottle. The butter/fire reaction will enhance the flavor of the steak. While you're doing that, have brother slice more butter.

After about 3.5 minutes, depending on thickness of your steak and how close it is to the fire, flip, and butter the flipped side. Remove from grill, allow to rest a few minutes, eat and be happy.

Pot Roast

4lb Top Round Roast

5 Carrots, quartered

5 Stalks Celery, quartered

1 Large Onion, quartered

2 Parsnips, quartered

1 Turnip, quartered

5 Cloves Garlic, smashed

2 Cups Red Wine

2 Cups Beef Broth

1 Cup Pureed Tomatoes

4 Carrots, quartered

1 lb. Boiling Potatoes, Yukon Gold if Possible

Begin by rinsing beef, and salting genrously. In a deep pan or dutch oven, brown all sides until deep color is achieved. This is important in both forming the braising liquid, and developing the flavor of the meat. There's not too much work for you to do after this, so take your time.

While the beef is browning, transfer the vegetables to a roasting pan. Toss with a little vegetable oil and salt, and roast in a 400F oven for 20 minutes, until veggies just begin to show color.

When beef is browned, deglaze pan with red wine, making sure to scrape brown bits off sides and bottom of pan. Add broth, tomatoes, roasted veggies (with pan juices), and beef. Cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours.

At this point you have two options. You can allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. This will result in a deeper flavored sauce. Or, you can continue to the next step straightaway.

Remove beef from pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Strain braising liquids through a sieve, then return strained liquid to pan. Remove onions, puree spent veggies, mix with some of the beef, and serve to your dog. She will be happy.

Slice the beef, against the grain, into medium thick slices. Return to pan, along with 2nd batch of carrots. Simmer, and after an hour, add potatoes. Total second cook should be 2-3 hours, depending on your patience. Make sure potatoes are cooked through.