Brisket!

 

As a mom of two little ones, I'm always looking for recipes that are easy and that will yield tasty leftovers. This brisket recipe is both! It was great to prepare in the morning and then forget about it the rest of the day. The next night I reinvented it, using the meat for fajitas. You could use it in tacos, chili or quesadillas. Save all of the juices when you throw the leftovers in the fridge! They keep the meat moist when you reheat in future meals (and saturated fat is not bad like it's made out to be!!). 

What You'll Need:

• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 1 5-to-6-pound first-cut or flat-cut brisket, cut into 3 pieces (this really does feed A LOT-- if you're cooking for two and aren't interested in leftovers, I'd halve the entire recipe)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 12-ounce bottle stout beer (I ended up using Heineken b/c it's what was sold in individual cans and it tasted just fine...I'm sure whatever you've got in the fridge will do as long as it's not "light")
• 4 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 brioche or other rolls, split open and toasted
• Coleslaw, for serving (I made Bobby Flay's coleslaw with lime-and-cumin-vinagrette because we're a mayo-free household. I would modify the recipe and use half as much red onion and little more honey. Bobby Flay's lime-and-cumin-vinagrette Coleslaw )

 

What to Do:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the brisket with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides, about 10 minutes, adding the garlic in the last 2 minutes.

Set the meat aside.

Pour the beer into the skillet to deglaze and get all those yummy, meaty flavors, about 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, bay leaves and paprika and stir until the ingredients are well mixed.

Put the meat in the slow cooker and nestle the celery sticks around the meat. Pour the skillet juice mixture over the meat, add the lid and cook on low 8 hours or on high 6 hours.

The brisket right after prep, before the glorious slow cooking began.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes, then thinly slice.

If you want a thicker juice to drizzle over the meat, you can transfer the juices back into a skillet and reduce.


Serve on brioche halves with coleslaw; drizzle with the cooking liquid.

Be My Valentine

As my first entry to this blog, I was hoping for something knock your socks off wonderful. I've been playing with Meringues, and I promise to post all the failures and successes, once perfected. It's still unfortunately, a work in progress. I will say, Kevin's post on Ginger has the wheels of invention turning!

* * * * * * * * * *

Old cookbooks are the best. Today at the cabin, I thought I'd make a nostalgic loving snack for my valentine of almost 39 years.

Little did I know what was in store for me in this emotional treasure chest, better known as, Better Homes and Garden Cookbook; circa "pre-1950". (that page is missing)

Because most of the pages have long since lost the ability to stay within the ringed notebook format, it took awhile to locate the recipe I was looking for. Along the way, many reminders came into view, that I was not the only person to enjoy this book of culinary classics.

Beside notes of my own, my mother, my daughter, came the two that always make me smile. They were in my brothers elementary school hand, written to possibly a step mother, but more likely, a housekeeper/nanny/cook hired to be our caregiver after losing our mother at a very early age. Little did any of them know how we missed our normal 'chicken-fried' meat course, mashed potatoes and cream gravy, and a vegetable. The variety came in the form of Pie for dessert, which either added more to the 'fruit/vegetable' element, or something fluffy and tangy, which made us forget all about the wonderful crust.

With each new housekeeper, came a multitude of new tastes and textures. Some we lived for once a week, such as "mary's top secret dumplings", but others.... not so much. So in an effort to add his two cents to the menu planning, young Sean decided to take matters into his own hands. Looking thru the pages of the only cookbook in the house, these two caught his eye, and he made sure to modify the recipe to remove the dreaded green pepper (or tomato) from anything that was to touch his plate.

So to all of you, with younger children eager to 'decorate' to their hearts desire, here's a Valentine gift to them. I will say - lot's of freshly zested orange peel*, and Penzeys wonderful Double Strength Vanilla, will bump these up a culinary notch. And of course, Crisco, trans fat and all!

*remember not too deep, only the color part. The white pith is bitter - on any citrus.

Since this is a blog for all levels and abilities.... here's a helpful hint:

When rolling dough that needs to be chilled, rolled very thin, or just plain finicky, flouring the board lightly helps prevent sticking to the board. A layer of plastic wrap, or wax paper on top, will prevent sticking to the rolling pin.

This also works very well with pie crust, accomplishing two things; sticking, and avoids a tough crust, which comes from direct contact with your hands.

For Pie Crust, I always handle and roll it between 2 pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap.

In the case of this dough, after one rolling, it starts to become warm. The above helps prevent a sticky mess.

Prior to popping these bad boys in the oven, sprinkle lightly with regular white, granulated sugar, along with a sprinkling of coarse decorative sugar, a color, or just plain white.

And of course it goes without saying, with modern cookie sheets, the need to pre-grease is long gone.

Happy Valentines Day

especially to my little brother

and yes.... that is a bat in the middle.

It IS the cabin after all!

Eggplant Gratin

In honor of my upcoming trip to Italy (SO excited!), I made this comforting dish that, coincidentally, followed the "meatless monday" rule. Also, it happens to be very low in carbs, which is a bonus before I load up on pasta and pizza next week :) Buon Appetito!


Eggplant Gratin (serves 4)
1.5 lbs eggplant sliced in 1/2 inch rounds
Olive oil
2 Eggs
1/2 C Ricotta Cheese
1/2 C Half & Half
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1 C Marinara sauce
Salt & Pepper

Preheat Oven to 425
Heat 1/8 inch olive oil in a skillet until hot but not smoking. Fry eggplant in batches until browned and soft- about 4 min. Drain on paper towels.

Beat eggs, ricotta cheese, half & half, and 1/4 C parm in a bowl. Season with S&P.

In a gratin (I used a pie plate) layer eggplant. Season with s&p and sprinkle with parmesan. Top with marinara, then pour custard mixture over everything. Sprinkle with more parmesan.

Bake at 425 for 10 min. then reduce heat to 375 and continue baking for 20 min.

Orange & Ginger (revisted)

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Sorry I’m late – wasn’t able to post on the actual Tuesday. Just found the invitation thing.

This is an expanded version of an idea shared in the past, plus a few things new.  I love the flavor combination of orange and ginger, and will often turn to it when in the mood for something sweet and spicy.  I’ll use the bright orange & ginger flavor as an accent, but will also use it occasionally as the spotlight of the meal. Setting the tangy sweetness of O & G against nutty, earthy or sea flavors, accentuates both.  

Ginger Orange Sauce/Salad Dressing:

Mix together:

1 tsp to 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root 

1 tsp to 1 tbsp soy sauce (depending on the level of saltiness you like)

1 tsp to 1 tbsp dark sesame oil

½ cup undiluted thawed orange juice concentrate (more if you want a less intense sauce)

Refrigerate this sauce overnight to allow the flavors to come together.

Seared Tuna with Sea Vegetable and Mushroom Pasta:

Fish:

Buy the freshest and best quality tuna steaks you can find (sushi grade, if available). Build a fruit wood fire in your BBQ, and then pile the coals for a hot grill.  If you’re working indoors, use a cast iron skillet and bring a little sesame oil to just under smoking point, like when making blackened something.

Let the fish come up to near room temperature, then season with mineralized sea salt (run it through a grinder if it’s course) and some fresh ground pepper.  

Sear, very quickly, on your very hot grill. You want nice grill marks on the exterior, and the interior should be rare – still red! Think charred, rare, but faster. Remove from grill and cut into slices.  The fish will be the last thing you cook for this meal.

Sea Vegetable and Mushroom Pasta:

Fettuccini

Dried Arame

Fresh Shitake Mushrooms

Brown Butter Sauce

Salt & Pepper

                With internet shopping, “sea vegetables” are now readily available to all. How lucky we are! They are offered fresh or dried, and both have their merits.

It’s funny; I remember growing up in S. California and swimming in the cold Pacific waters. Back then we called the orange kelp that tangled around us, sea weed. Now, swimming of the shores of S. California is questionable, and because of increased exposure to world markets (and marketing), we call sea weed, “sea vegetables.” Either way, they taste good and are loaded with just about every mineral you need.

                For this recipe, buy some dried Arame. It’s mild in flavor and reasonably priced.  Soak the Arame for about 5 minutes prior to cooking. It will double in size, I use about 1 oz (dried) per 8-12 oz of pasta.          Sautee the pre-soaked Arame with some sliced shitake mushrooms, in some Brown Butter Sauce. Adjust seasoning. Toss with cooked and rinsed pasta just prior to serving. I plate the sliced fish in a fan on top of the bed of pasta, and garnish with something pretty.

Serve a romaine salad, lightly drizzled with Orange Ginger Dressing, with the entrée.

Brown Butter Sauce:

(I think I learned this from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

2 sticks of butter

Some minced parsley

2 or 3 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt & Pepper

                Melt the butter over low heat, and skim off the foam. Carefully remove the clear yellow butter, avoiding the solids at the bottom of the pan. I use a basting bulb.  Try not to suck up any solids, they burn quickly.  Rinse all the solids from the pan and wipe it clean.

                Strain the butter back into the pan and heat over a low flame, until the butter turns nut brown. Be careful here, because it goes from great to ruin quickly. As soon as the butter turns nut brown, remove from heat, add the parsley and quickly pour into another pan. 

                In the original pan, reduce the lemon juice to about one tbsp.  Don’t use too much heat as the sugars will burn. Remove from heat, let the pan cool a little, and stir in the browned butter - season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over hot water.

Sesame Butter:

1½ sticks of butter

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Salt & Pepper

                In a sauce pan melt the butter over low heat, and skim off the foam. Carefully remove the clear yellow butter, avoiding the solids at the bottom of the pan.  No specks! Rinse all the solids from the pan and wipe it clean.

                Strain the butter back into the sauce pan and add the sesame oil - season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over hot water. This is a fine substitution for brown butter sauce.

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                I recently adopted a beautiful little cat that looks like a Spotted Mist.  I put word out on Facebook, and several people came up with Ginger and Misty. So, I named her Ginger Mist. Then, someone said that Ginger Mist sounded like a cocktail, so here it is…

Ginger Mist Cocktail:

In a Tom Collins glass mix:

3 oz Vodka (rum was too heavy for my taste, but try it too!)

1oz Grand Marnier

1 oz Ginger Syrup

Top with Blood Orange soda (Safeway organic soda) and a squeeze of lime.

Ginger Syrup:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

½ lb. ginger root, juiced

                Bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Remove simple syrup from heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Add ginger juice and pour into a wide mouth jar with lid Shake, and refrigerate.  Ginger syrup will last for a few months in the fridge.

                This syrup is great over vanilla ice cream, or add some to your OJ in the morning!