Stir-Fried Thai-Style Beef with Chiles and Shallots (MBR)

BEEF AND MARINADE

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 pounds blade steaks, trimmed

STIR-FRY

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic paste
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minces or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 serrano or jalapeno chiles, halved, seeds and ribs removed, chiles cut crosswise 1/8 inch thick
• 3 medium shallots, quartered lengthwise, and layers separated
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, large leave torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves [Bought parsley by mistake and used some Thai basil instead.]
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
• Line wedges, for serving

Mise en place.  Steak is marinating.  Sauce ingredients stir together until sugar dissolves.

Browning the beef in batches over high heat.  I got away for a pretty long time without setting the fire alarm, but alas, eventually I lost the war.

Used home-grown and fairly mild Hungarian wax pepper here.  Sauteed with shallots until beginning to soften.

Push everything aside and stir garlic mixed with 1 teaspoon oil in center until fragrant.

Cook everything together until sauce is thickened.

The recipe suggests that half the herbs be stirred in and half used as garnish, but as I was only going to eat this one bowl at a time, I just stirred it all in.
Pretty decent stir-fry.

Baked Ziti (MBR)

• 1 pound whole-milk or 1 percent cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Salt
• 1 pound ziti or other short tubular pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together.

Mise en place.

Heat oil and garlic over medium heat until fragrant but not brown.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano ans simmer until thickened.  Off heat, stir in 1/2 cup of basil and sugar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I got over-eager and added the basil from the top.  Oh well.

Stir cornstarch into heavy cream and simmer until thickened over medium heat.

Add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup of mozzarella to cornstarch mixture.  Then combine with ziti.  Transfer to 13 by 9 baking dish.  

Spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake, covered with foil, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then bake uncovered for 30 minutes longer.  Let cool for 20 minutes then sprinkle with remaining basil.

Like anyone growing up among school organized potlucks and the such, I have memories of lackluster baked zitis.  I imagine people boil pasta, toss with jarred sauce and ricotta, and throw shredded mozzarella on top...  Not exactly a recipe for success and it was never something that wowed me.
However this dish with relatively unusual ingredients such as eggs and cottage cheese was remarkably consistent and satisfying.  It even held up time after time to microwaving.  This might turn into a semi-regular dish for me. (Meaning, I may cook it once or twice a year rather than never)

Polenta Casserole with Sauteed Mushrooms, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts (MBR)

POLENTA

• 3 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• Salt
• 1 1/2 cups instant polenta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper

TOPPING

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean and slice 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced thin
• Salt
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and rehydrated, with soaking liquid reserved
• Ground black pepper
• 5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4 cups walnuts, chopped coarse
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Mise en place.

Bring water, milk, and 2 teaspoons of salt to a simmer in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.  Very slowly pour polenta into liquid, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to lowest possible setting, cover, and stirring occasionally until soft and smooth.

Cook piles of portobello and white mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the oil over high heat until most of the mushrooms have exuded their liquid and browned.

Add garlic, thyme and porcini with reserved liquid.  Cook until most of liquid has evaporated and season to taste.

Layer polenta, mushrooms, blue cheese, and walnuts.  Bake in 400 degree over for 20 minutes.  Then let cool for ten minutes.

I remain un-wowed by the dish although I like these things separately, they just didn't seem to meld properly.

King Ranch Casserole (MBR)

• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 (10-ounce) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 medium), trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 pound Co-Jack cheese, shredded (about 4  cups)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups Fritos corn chips, crushed

Lightly coat both sides of tortillas with vegetable oil spray and bake at 450 degrees until crisp and browned.  Break into bite-sized pieces.

Mise en place.

Cook onions, chiles, and cumin until lightly browned.

Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Slowly add broth and cream and whisk until thicked.

Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Off heat, add cheese and cilantro and season to taste.
This is me trying to make up for the fact that I didn't have a 13 by 9 inch baking pan.  (There was a lasagna that wound up being such a fail that I didn't wind up blogging about it.)
Scatter half the tortilla pieces on the bottom of the pan.

Alternately layer the chicken mixture in between.  Bake until mixture is bubbling, 15 minutes; then top with Fritos and bake for 10 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes out of the oven before ser

King Ranch is apparently considered the state casserole of Texas.  The dish tasted just fine, but the texture of the chicken probably suffered because I used the wrong-sized pan (I am solving this issue really soon although I could've resolved it in the short-term by buying disposable pans in the appropriate size.)
However, the overdose of cheese, cream, and especially Fritos doesn't really lend itself to me as something I'd love to cook all the time.

Smoky Brisket (PCP)

• 1 (2- to 3- pound) beef brisket, preferably flat cut, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Mise en place.

Browning the brisket.

Softening the onions.

Cooking the copious amount of aromatics until fragrant.

Throw it all back in and cook under pressure for a whopping 1 1/2 hours.  Let rest in sauce for 1 hour before proceeding.

Clearly I didn't get very fancy with sides though if I had thought ahead, I could've easily made my first cornbread.  I don't know how long BBQ brisket usually takes, but overall it was pretty well done.

Beef Ragu with Warm Spices (PCP)

• 1 1/2 pounds bone-in English-style beef short ribs, trimmed [I used boneless]
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Mise en place.

Browning the short ribs.

Softening the onion.

Deglaze with wine.

Throw everything in and cook under pressure for 25 minutes.  Naturally release pressure.

The first time I made braised short ribs with warm spices ages ago, I thought they were amazing.  I dunno if it's less so since I got use to it or what.  Still it's pretty amazing that something that usually takes lingering all afternoon done in about 1/2 hour.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes (PCP)

• 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon [I actually did buy a package, but it didn't look very good.  Also I think the sauce came out way too dark for it anyway.]

Mise en place.

Softening the onions.

Cooking the aromatics until fragrant.

Add flour and cook for one minute.

Throw everything in and cook under pressure for 20 minutes.  Quick release pressure.

Much muddier gravy than the one for the previous entry.  Serviceable enough dish; nothing spectacular.

Whole Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Sauce (PCP)

• 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or  1/2 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Mise en place.

Browning the chicken.

Softening the onions.

Add aromatics and cook until fragrant.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Add chicken back along with chicken broth.  Cook under pressure for 25 minutes.  Quick release pressure.

Amazing gravy.

 

Never had such a fuss-free, perfectly moist chicken before.  Too bad I didn't have mashed potatoes to go with the great gravy.