With all of the fancy things Chuck cooks, deep down he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He first cooked this steak and potato for me not too long after we met (August 11, 2012). We had only known each other for a couple of weeks and he had a friend coming to visit for the weekend. I was thinking I wouldn't see them at all. It was boys weekend, I was the new girl. I guess I'll see you on Monday! I was very wrong. He called me to meet them for drinks the night his buddy got in. He invited my roommate and me to go golfing with them the next morning. And he invited me to dinner with them, cooking this on his rooftop grill while we lounged in the heat. It was great.
We probably have this steak once each month and I'm excited for it every time. And wrapping a potato in bacon? Pretty darn good! He introduced me to his favorite salad at the end of September. Just last week I was eating a similar, but still very different, salad and thinking how great it was and that I was going to ask Chuck to make it again. Not kidding, the very next day he suggested we have it for dinner.
Drooling yet?
Coffee Rub for Steak
Ingredients:
3-4 New York Strip Steaks (we only had 2 but had some rub left)
1 1/2 t Chili powder
1 T Ancho chili powder
1 T Kosher salt
1 1/2 t Black pepper
1/2 t Garlic powder
1/2 t Smoked paprika
1 t Paprika
1/2 t Cayenne pepper
pinch Dried Thyme
1 t Ground coffee (we used an espresso blend)
Olive oil
Directions:
1: Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
2: Sprinkle each side of the steak with the rub, pat it in a little, then drizzle a little olive
oil onto the steak and give it a little massage.
3: Let the steaks warm to room temperature before throwing them on a hot grill and
grilling to your preferred taste.
Bacon Wrapped Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 Baker Potato
3 Bacon strips
Salad Supreme seasoning
Cajun/grill seasoning Chuck's pick: Slap Ya Mama, but it's only available in the
south or online.
Directions:
1: Wash potato and leave it damp.
2: Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and salad supreme.
3: Wrap it in bacon.
4: Wrap in in foil.
5: Grill at 400 degrees, over indirect heat, for 75 minutes.
Chuck likes to slather his with sour cream and shredded cheddar.
Bacon Broccoli Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients:
3 Bacon strips
1 Medium head of broccoli, cut into bite size florets
1/2 Head of iceberg lettuce
10 Grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 Cucumber, quartered and thickly sliced
Green Goddess Salad Dressing
Directions:
1: Dice and cook the bacon.
2: Add broccoli to a glass bowl with enough water to cover the florets, cover but leave a
vent and microwave 2 minutes or until you can start to smell the broccoli. Let
rest 5 minutes, drain the water and refrigerate so it completely cools.
3: Tear iceberg lettuce and put in a salad bowl, top with cucumber and tomato,
followed by the cooled bacon and the broccoli once it is completely cold.
4: Toss with dressing just before serving.
So, I know I said today would be a throwback recipe but we had such great food this weekend and since today is my birthday, I figure I can do whatever I want. Right? Since the Super Bowl was being played in New Orleans (Naw'lins) Chuck and I decided to throw a New Orleans/Mardi Gras themed Super Bowl party. He was going to make gumbo, I was going to get beads and decorations. Well, no one RSVP'd. Whoops! We didn't mind though, we were still going to do gumbo and just have a lot less to do!
Chuck had told me a few times some of the steps to the gumbo but seeing this whole process was really something. The roux really does smell like burning popcorn. Celery, onion, and green bell pepper is called mirepoix and is the base of a lot of Creole recipes. The sausage, shrimp, and lobster (yes, lobster) were from Whole Foods and so delicious that we hardly added any additional spices to the dish.
Another great thing about yesterday is that Chuck took the pictures. I didn't get to his house until the process had been started and I panicked a little. He had it taken care of. He had photographed everything and it was very interesting to see all the pictures he thought were helpful. He ended up taking all of them except the final picture. Awesome, huh? He told me not to get used to it. And I totally understand.
So we watched the Super Bowl, snuggled my pup, chatted about the commercials and ate some unbelievable food.
Naw'lins Gumbo
Ingredients
3/4 c. Canola oil
1 c. Flour
1 Yellow onion, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Jalapeno pepper, diced, seeds and removed from 1/2
3 Celery Stalks, diced
3 Bay leaves
1 c. Okra pieces (we used frozen because we couldn't find fresh)
1 t Cayenne pepper (optional - we like extra spicy)
12 oz. Andouille Sausage
16 oz. Shrimp
2 c. Shredded chicken (we used what was left from the chicken tacos last
weekend)
1 Lobster tail
Kosher salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Directions
1: Prep all veggies, slice sausage, peel and take the tails off of the shrimp and save
(weird yes, but totally worth it)
2: Put the shrimp skins and tails in a pot with enough water to cover them and a
tablespoon of Kosher salt. Boil for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and
strain out the skins, saving the liquid. This is your shrimp stock to be used
later. Tip from Chuck: It isn't very fun to be having to take off the shrimp tails
while you are eating but they add a lot of flavor. This stock will give you the
flavor from them and you won't have to pick them out to peel them while
eating!
3: Brown the sausage in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Once browned, remove the
sausage from the pan, leaving the drippings and add the canola oil and flour
and start stirring. Stir continuously until it is chocolate colored. This takes a
while and it is important to not let it burn. It will smell like burning popcorn.
Don't worry, that's supposed to happen. Chuck's arm was very tired by the time
he was done stirring. It takes about 20 minutes.
4: Add the veggies, pinch of salt and pepper, and cayenne (if you choose to use it) and
keep stirring for a bit. Tip from Chuck: The moisture from the veggies should
keep anything from sticking and burning but after all of the work you put in to
making the roux, you don't want to ruin it now!
5: Once the veggies are soft, add 4 c. chicken stock and 2 c. of the shrimp stock you
made earlier. Add the sausage and bring to a heavy simmer, then reduce heat,
keep covered, and let cook for about an hour.
6: Add okra and shredded chicken 20 minutes before you want to eat
7: Lastly, add the shrimp and lobster and cook until they are pink. Should take about 5
minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
We served this up with a scoop of Basmati rice on top and a baguette that was infused with garlic and Parmesan. Chuck decided this is not a dish to make at a party. Although we had enough to feed an army, it is labor intensive and wouldn't be good while trying to entertain.
He worked very hard on it during the first half of the Super Bowl and was very disappointed when the first play of the second half, when he could finally sit down to watch, looked to seal the deal for the Ravens. Luckily it turned around and was a great game!
This recipe is a little bit of a throwback. All of the way to December 11, 2012.
This week Chuck had a dinner meeting one night and last night we made the loaded stir fry with pork tenderloin instead of chicken. It was great, but not different enough to bore you with another nearly identical post. But just for reference, these are pictures of the meat we used last night.
For these enchiladas we took a little bit of a shortcut and bought and already roasted chicken. For $4, it was small but still a great deal and saved us a lot of time! They were great, as expected, and the leftovers froze really well!
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 Whole roasted chicken, shredded
3 T Olive oil
1 Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 Yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 Yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Jalapeno, sliced thinly (remove seeds and ribs if you don't want it as spicy)
1 c. Corn (we used frozen)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 T New Mexico Chili Powder
3 oz. Cream cheese
1 1/2 c. Sour cream
1/2 c. Salsa (LaVictoria Salsa Ranchera)
28 oz. Herdez Red Enchilada Sauce (we had a lot left over. You could probably get
away with the 15 oz. can)
6 10" flour tortillas
3 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
1: Shred your chicken.
2: Heat olive oil to medium heat in a large pan. Add sliced onion, sprinkle of salt and
pepper, let cook for a couple of minutes. Next add the bell peppers and
another pinch of salt and pepper, give it some time to cook. Lastly, add the
jalapeno.
3: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4: In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, and salsa.
5: Once the veggies have softened ("Mush pot") add the shredded chicken, a sprinkle of
salt and pepper, the corn, and the chili powder.
6: While the chicken is warming up, coat the bottom of a 9"x13" with enchilada sauce.
7: Add about a cup of the shredded cheese to the sour cream mixture and then mix in
the warm chicken and veggies.
8: Warm the tortillas in the microwave between damp paper towels so they are nice and
pliable. Spoon filling onto tortillas, roll them up and place them in the
baking dish.
9: Spoon enchilada sauce onto the enchiladas so they are completely coated.
10: Top with remaining cheese and place in the oven. Once the cheese is melted, cover
the baking dish with tin foil and continue to bake for a total of 30 minutes,
or until nice and bubbly.
And tonight we are going out for sushi! So expect another throwback on Monday!!
Ingredients:
