Dave’s Diner – Chicken Fried Steak

03/21/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

In celebration of MSLS one year anniversary, I have added a new category to our blog: Dave’s Diner! Here you will find some of our favorite 50’s style dishes. Yes, I might finally share my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe with you, along with other meals that take you right back to your childhood or neighborhood diner! Our first post in this category – Chicken Fried Steak! I think the first time I had it was in a diner with my grandparents! We only make this a couple of times a year for obvious reasons.

For the Chicken Fried Steak

4 small cube steaks

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic pepper

1 cup of milk

2 eggs, beaten

oil for frying

heavy skillet, preferably cast iron

Add the spices to the flour and place on a large plate or pie pan.

Add the eggs and milk to a bowl that is large enough to dip the steak in. Mix well

Dredge the steak in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg mixture, and then dredge in the flour one more time.

Place the steaks in the hot frying pan and brown on both sides. Move the steaks to a baking pan and set aside. Bake the steaks about 15 minutes in a 350′ oven, while you prepare your mashed potatoes and make the country gravy.

For the Country Style Gravy

4-6 tablespoons of oil, remaining in pan

1/2 cup of the remaining seasoned flour

2 cups of milk or cream

1 cup of chicken stock

Drain all but 4-6 tablespoons of oil from frying pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and brown to make a medium rue, about 5 minutes. Add in the milk, while whisking, bring to a simmer. The gravy will be very thick. Add the chicken stock and continuing whisking and simmering until desired thickness is reached. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Reduce heat to low and keep warm while you prepare rest of meal.

Prepare your favorite mashed potatoes and vegetable while the steaks are in the oven for 15 minutes at 350′. Enjoy!

Udon Noodle Hot Pot* with Beef and Shrimp

02/01/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

Inspired by all the Chinese New Year recipes this past week, I really wanted something hot and spicy with lots of noodles. I pulled an older cook book off the shelf, Lemongrass and Lime, by Mark Read, 2001. The Beef Hot Pot recipe is the inspiration for our big bowl of hot steamy noodles with lots of veggies, beef and shrimp. I used the new Thai Ginger Broth from Swanson’s. I was a little leery when I saw it and actually bought beef stock too, just in case it was not what I hoped it would be. I have to say – it’s a winner and will become a pantry staple at our house.

For the Hot Pot* with Beef and Shrimp

1 pound top sirloin steak, sliced thin in strips

1/2 pound of large prawns, cooked, peeled, deveined and tails removed

6 bunches baby bok choy, sliced

2 red Fresno chills, sliced – seeds and veins removed (you could use jalapenos if you want it hotter)

2 large shallots, sliced thin

3 stalks celery, sliced including the leaves

3/4 pound Shitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 pound snow peas, ends removed and sliced diagonally

1 big handful of mung bean sprouts

3-4 Tablespoons fish sauce, depending on your desired taste

2 Tablespoons oyster sauce

3-4 packages of fresh Udon Noodles, or any other noodle you like: Soba, Rice Stick; cooked, rinsed and set aside

1 quart of stock, beef or Thai Ginger Broth

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped – for garnish

6-8 green onions, sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

Prep the steak, shrimp and veggies as listed. To make slicing the steak easier, pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Once all your ingredients are prepped, bring the broth to a boil in a large pan or wok, that you have a lid for.

Add the shallots and chilies, fish stock and oyster sauce, simmer for about 5 minutes, add the celery, mushroom and snow peas, cover and simmer about 4 minutes. Make sure the broth is simmering, add the noodles. Simmer about 3 minutes, covered. Add the steak, stir to combine simmer about 3 minutes. Add the bok choy and bean sprouts. Cover and simmer about 3 more minutes. Lastly, add the shrimp, cover simmer 2-3 more minutes until the shrimp are hot.

Serve in big soup bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro and sliced green onions. I really liked this cooking method. No stir frying in hot oil! You could vary the ingredients to suit your taste – vegetables, tofu….the possible combinations are endless.

*Hot pot, less commonly steamboat, refers to several East Asian varieties of stew, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. Vegetables, fish and meat should be fresh. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten in the winter. Wikipedia.

Laura and Dave’s Beef and Bean Chili

11/30/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

Knowing we were heading into a turkey frenzy, we decided a batch of chili was just what we needed, last Wednesday night. Our chili has beans and we usually use a couple different kinds. This time it was half kidney beans and half black beans. We also use beer, as part of the liquid. I stumbled upon a Smoked Porter, from Alaskan Brewing Company, which I thought would be perfect. (Just learned, this is a seasonal beer, released annually in November, so we will have to stash a couple.) While way too smoky for either of us to drink, it was perfect in our chili. I had not intended to post this….until we tasted it. It was so darn good, we had to write it down so we can make it again!

For the Chili

Prepare the beans: Soak a total of 3 cups of dry beans in cold water, overnight in a large pot. We used Black Beans and Red Kidney Beans. Drain, rinse. Cover with cold water and simmer about an hour. Drain and rinse again, until ready to use. (Yes – you could use canned beans. I prefer starting with dry beans.)

4-5 pounds beef stew meat

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons of chili powder

1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can add more, if you like)

2 Tablespoons ground cumin

1 bay leaf

2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

1 22 ounce bottle, Smoked Porter

1 cup of beef stock

1/2 cup dark, strong coffee

1 Tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper

For thickening:

1/3 cup Masa mixed with 1/2 cup of cold water – mix into a smooth paste in a small bowl.

Brown the meat in a couple of tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, over medium high heat. Brown in batches, do not crowd pan. Set meat aside. Sauté the onions and bell peppers about 5 minutes in the same pan. Add the spices and salt and pepper. Pour in the beer, the stock and the diced tomatoes with their juice. Return the meat to the pan. Add the beans. Bring to a simmer and cook 4-6 hours. (You could certainly cook this all day in a crock pot.)

To thicken the chili add the Masa mixture the last hour of cooking. Return to simmer and cover the pot.

Serve in big bowls – garnish however you like – grated cheese, sliced green onion, sour cream, and avocado are our choices.

*My recipe is inspired by Food TV, Devon’s Award-Winning Chili, Devon Fredericks from the Barefoot Contessa Tex Mex Episode, March 2010.

Marinated and Braised Beef Short Ribs

09/14/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

The new Le Creuset Braising pan arrived on Friday. Did you know Le Creuset has a very liberal return/exchange/replace policy? Our ceramic lasagna pan ended up with a large crack, rendering it unusable. I had only had it for a couple of years. I looked on-line to see if it was still available. Sadly, it was not. However, while searching, I learned they would issue me credit and allow me to choose something else. I chose the 3.5 quart braising pan. It is lovely and I must say, it did a darn good job with my standard short rib recipe! This recipe is inspired by my favorite dish at a restaurant called Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine in Irvine, CA and Molly Steven’s recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine.

For the marinade – Day One of Two

2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

2 large sprigs thyme

2 strips orange zest (about 1 inch wide, 3 to 4 inches long)

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. allspice berries, coarsely crushed in a mortar or with the side of a chef’s knife

1/4 tsp. black peppercorns

4 whole cloves

1 750-ml bottle hearty, dry red wine such as Zinfandel

Tie the dry seasoning together into a bouquet garni. Pour the wine into a saucepan, add the sachet and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

4 to 5 lb. meaty bone-in beef short ribs, preferably English style, about 2-3 per person

1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium to large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium celery stalk, coarsely chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups homemade or low-salt canned beef or chicken broth

2 Tablespoons of Bisto Granules*

While the marinade cools, trim away any excess fat from the top of each rib down to the first layer of meat, but don’t remove the silver skin or tough-looking tissue that holds the ribs together or onto the bone. Put the ribs in a zip lock bag and pour over the cooled marinade and sachet. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the ribs once or twice.

Day Two: Heat oven to 300″. Remove the ribs from the marinade, reserving the marinade and the sachet. Pat the ribs dry thoroughly with paper towels. Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven (or other heavy pot with a lid) over medium heat until hot. Add only as many ribs as will fit without touching, and brown them, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 min. per side. Transfer to a platter, and continue until all the ribs are browned.

Pour off and discard most of the fat from the pot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and return the pot to medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 8 min.

Add half of the reserved wine marinade, increase the heat to high, stir to scrape up any browned bits, and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining marinade and reduce again by about half, another 3 to 5 min. Add the broth and boil for 3 min.

Return the ribs to the pot, preferably in a single layer, along with any accumulated juices and the sachet. Crumple a large sheet of parchment and smooth it out again. Arrange it over the pot, pressing it down so it nearly touches the ribs, allowing any overhang to extend up and over the edges of the pot. Set the lid in place, and transfer to the oven.

Braise, turning the ribs with tongs every 45 minutes, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone, about 2-1/2 hours. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the ribs to a serving dish. Don’t worry if some bones slip out. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Bring the sauce to a slow simmer. Skim as much fat as possible. (You can also refrigerate the sauce overnight to remove fat, before serving.) Stir in the 2 Tablespoons of Bisto* to thicken. Serve with oven roasted cipollini onions and fluffy mashed potatoes. (The original recipe calls for straining out the carrots, celery and onion before thickening the sauce. I see no reason to do that.)

*OK – I am busted. I am fessing up to my use of Bisto. It is an amazing beef flavored thickener. I use it for stews, sauces and gravies frequently. You can usually find it in the British section of the supermarket, or it can be ordered on-line. http://www.aahnight.co.uk/ As you know, this is NOT a paid advertisement. I am sharing an awesome shortcut with you!

Laura’s Boeuf Bourguignon

07/24/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

I was flipping through recipes at the NY Times website when I came across Mark Bittman’s Boeuf Bourguignon recipe. What caught my eye was: TOTAL TIME 2 HOURS. “No way”, I thought. Most of the BB recipes I have made in the past require an overnight marinade, and 6 hours of cooking. Since it was Mark Bittman’s recipe, I decided to give it a whirl, with a few adaptations of my own, of course!

Ingredients

Olive oil for sautéing

1/4 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (Regular “Sunday” bacon is ok too!)

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 sprigs of thyme

3 bay leaves

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 cup chopped, fresh parsley leaves, plus extra for garnish

1/2 bottle dry red wine, pinot noir preferred

12 small, button mushrooms, trimmed and cut in half

12 pearl onions – I like the convenience of the frozen ones

Cook the bacon cubes in a little oil in a heavy Dutch oven that has a lid. When bacon cubes are crisp, remove from pan and set aside. Add meat in batches, not overcrowding the pan, and brown on all sides over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Remove from pan and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium and add onions, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and parsley.

Cook until all vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add wine and simmer about 5 minutes.

Return meat to pan. Bring back to a slow simmer. Cover and cook about an hour. (Because I had extra cooking time available, I continued this phase about two hours. You could also transfer this to a crock pot and cook on low, 6 hours at this stage.)

Add the onions, mushrooms and bacon to the pan. Return to simmer and cook an additional 30-40 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

I chose to thicken the stew up a bit with the Buerre Manie technique below.

Buerre Manie for thickening

2 Tablespoons of flours

2 tablespoons of butter

Knead the flour into the butter with your fingers. Make tiny, pea sized balls. Add two – three at a time to the simmering stew, until desired thickness is achieved.

Extra instructions here:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/saveur-100-beurre-manie

Mashed potatoes for serving – we like red potatoes. We do not remove the peels.

Enjoy!

PS – I hope you are noticing the improvements in the photos! I took an awesome (and FREE) Food Photography class on line at CreateLIVE this weekend. What an amazing resource. Check them out at www.creativeLIVE.com.