Braciole

Welcome 2008!!

As my first post of the New Year, I'm posting quite possibly the only dish that I had be dying to make in 2007...which not-so-coincidentally didn't happen until almost the "11th hour." I know that I'm a procrastinator and the fact that I waited until the second to last day of the year to break down and make this braciole is just a testament to my ability to be resolute in my procrastination convictions.

What the hell does that mean, right? Well let me 'splain. Of all the things I've learned about myself in the past 10 years, throughout the second half of my college career, my Master's program, and my working life, I think one of the most important things I've learned is that I work well under pressure. I pulled many o' all-nighters back in the day and it wasn't necessarily because I kept putting assignments off; more like working 3 part-time jobs, taking 18 credits, and handling a relationship with a Navy sailor kinda put a crimp in my study habits. So oftentimes the only time I had to study and write papers was in the wee hours of the morning when my brain was so fried and there wasn't enough coffee in the dorm to keep my eyes open. But somehow I pumped out some of the best papers of my college career watching [and sometimes sweating as] the minutes tick by on that little clock on the bottom right-hand of the screen. A after A after A were the grades that appeared on those papers, exams, projects, and oral presentations. I know, I couldn't believe it either! So now that you know where my affinity (for lack of a better word) for procrastination comes from. But I digress...

So back the braciole (which by the way, the word is commonly pronounced /bra'zhul/ from the Sicilian pronunciation)...I'd never made it before and don't really remember my parents making the rolled-up version mentioned in the Wikipedia (although there was almost always a piece (read: a hunk) of beef or pork in the sauce they made) but I'd heard about it from various sources and then it showed up in Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook. I tell you, I looked at that recipe on and off for 8 months, and only after finding a great flank steak at Whole Foods did I decide it was time. And like magic, with the flank steak waiting in the fridge, Giada popped up on the FN with the braciole episode...fate, I tell ya.

We both really enjoyed how this turned out...and it was well worth the 8 month wait. The meat was tender, the filling was flavorful, and overall the braciole was very simple to put together. In the future, I'd be tempted to try out other additions to the filling - maybe roasted red peppers, garlic, or sundried tomatoes. Similar to a crockpot meal, this cooked for a while in the oven, which was nice because it gave me time to run around the house and get a few things done before dinner was ready. I'll definitely make this again but will find a different side dish other than the one I served with the braciole this time (see broccoli rabe post).

Braciole
source: Giada de Laurentiis

• 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/3 cup grated provolone
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce (I used my own homemade sauce. You can find Giada's sauce recipe in the link above.)

1. Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Fajitas

We're always looking for new ways to finish up the leftovers in the house and inevitably there is always soft tortialla shells, red peppers, and numerous types of cheese. This time, we had nice piece of flank steak thawing and thus the steak and the leftovers turned into some kick-ass fajitas.

Let me say that Mexican food is not something I cook very frequently because in my attempts to use less processed foods, I've had to learn to make up my own spice mixes (or use recipes), and that has always been a bit unnerving for me. I mean, that's what a spice packet is for isn't it? And let's be honest, with a spice packet 99% of the time, the end-product tastes the way it should! Nevertheless, I did have some success recently which I think boosted my confidence and prompted me to take on other dishes, hence the fajitas.

Oh my goodness were these good!! The steak was cooked just perfectly - just shy of medium - and I have to give myself a big pat on the back for coming up with the right combo of spices for a dry rub. The peppers and onions really did need to be cooked "low and slow" in order to achieve the right consistency so as to not brown the onions so I didn't at all mind waiting nearly 30 minutes for them to cook down.

Beef Fajitas

source: Smells Like Home

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
• ground cumin
• ground corinader
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• For serving: soft flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream

1. In a heavy cast iron frying pan over medium low heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter until melted. Add peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle on some of each of the spices - 3-4 shakes of cumain, corinader, chili and garlic powders should to it along with a couple pinches of salt and a few grates of black pepper. Add onions and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until onions and peppers are soft and close to caramelizing.
2. While peppers and onions are cooking, sprinkle each of the spices on both sides of the flank steak and allow steak to come to room temperature before cooking.
3. Remove peppers and onions from pan and set aside, keeping warm. Turn up heat to medium, add about 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the steak in the pan and sear both sides for about 5 minutes each. Remove the steak from the pan, slice into thin pieces against the grain. If steak isn't cooked to desired "redness", finish slicing and return the slices to the hot pan. Return the peppers and onions to the pan and cook everything together for another 2-3 minutes, taking care to not overcook the steak.
4. Serve on soft tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Prep time: 5-8 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Serves: 2 (with some leftovers)

A warm meal on a cold day

Southern New England saw it's first major snowfall of season last week and with that I felt compelled to make something warm and cozy for dinner. So with 10 inches of snow came a big pot of beef stew.

After only having made beef stew once prior to this, I have to admit that I'm still honing my skills with this one. Overall, the stew came out great; the veggies and potatoes were nice and soft, but the meat was a wee bit tough, most likely because I mistakenly allowed the stew to boil in the pot rather than simmer. Ah well...I'll pay more attention next time.

Beef Stew

source: Smells Like Home

• 1 1/2 lbs stew meat
• flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 lb white potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1" cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• approx 1 tbsp thyme (I used fresh)
• approx 2 tsp rosemary (I used dried)
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup uncooked barley (optional)
• cornstarch (if necessary)

1. Heat oil in a large deep stockpot or dutch oven (I used 7 1/4 qt dutch oven).
2. In a large Ziploc bag, toss meat in flour until well-coated. When oil is heated, cook meat for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add vegetables and cook for 7-10 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Return the beef to the pot and combine with vegetable mixture. Add chicken stock and barley. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. If after 1 hour the stew hasn't thicken, raise the heat and stir in a mixture of 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tsp cold water to the pot. Allow stew to come to a steady low boil and allow stew to thicken - should take about 5 minutes. Repeat the cornstarch step until the stew thickens to desired consistency.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hr 15 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Girls Fondue Night

Bringin' back a little of the 70s here but who cares? I've got 2 fondue pots and had the itch to use them recently as I was planning on having a couple of girlfriends from college for dinner while I had a dear friend from freshman year of college stay for the weekend. (As an aside: I went to a small state school in [way] upstate New York for my freshman year of college and then transferred to another school in Connecticut where I finished my final 3 years. My friend, Kristin (Kris), and I lived on the same floor freshman year and have remained friends ever since - it's been 10 years now since I transferred to CT - yikes how the time does fly!! The pic below is us with a couple friends from that year. I'm at the top, Kris is on the bottom right with the hat on.)

OK, enough memories and back to the food. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of the fondue but I can truly say that both fondues (pizza and Italian cheese) came out great and the fondue idea overall was a big hit. We were able to sit around, pick away, and chat while the fondue vanished. It really was quite a relaxing dinner. Instead of a meal I was slaving over in the kitchen to prepare, I had the pizza fondue all cooked before the girls arrived and kept it warm on the stove while we had appetizers. For the cheese fondue, I prepped everything a day in advance (including the dipping items) so literally all I had to do was toss the ingredients in a pot on the stove, cook to the right consistency, and pour it in the fondue pot. I opted for the electric fondue pot for the cheese fondue so that the heat could be kept a bit more stable and put the pizza fondue in a traditional fondue pot with a Sterno underneath (covered half-way because the flame was too high).

As I mentioned, both fondues went over with rave reviews. For dipping items, I kept it simple: roasted garlic ciabatta bread, another kind of rustic bread called rustica (I don't make these things up), blanched broccoli florets, and red peppers cut to about 1 1/2" pieces. The cheese fondue had a real nice deep flavor with the combo of Gruyere and Pinot Grigio and the pizza fondue really does taste like pizza (it's a recipe my mom either found or made up years ago. She used to make it on cold winter nights and we ate while sitting in front of the fire.)

Overall it was a fun night with great friends and delicious food and I'm thinking about making it a yearly tradition so we'll see what kind of fondue next year brings!

Italian Cheese Fondue
source: Giada De Laurentiis

• 8 ounces grated Fontina
• 8 ounces grated Gruyere
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• 6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)
• Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• Bite-size pieces of focaccia, sliced salami, fresh fennel, Belgian endive, steamed broccoli florets and asparagus spears, for dipping

1. Toss the Fontina and Gruyere cheese with the cornstarch in a medium bowl to coat.
2. Saute the pancetta in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a plate. Pour off any excess oil.
3. Pour the wine into the same saucepan and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium. Whisk 1 handful of the cheese mixture into the wine until it is almost melted. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture in about 4 more batches. Continue whisking until the cheese is completely melted and the fondue bubbles, about 1 minute. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the pancetta. Season the fondue with pepper, to taste.
4. Transfer the cheese mixture to a fondue pot. Sprinkle with the remaining pancetta and chives. Set the pot over a candle or a canned heat burner. Serve with focaccia and vegetables.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Pizza Fondue

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 2 cans (10.5oz) pizza sauce (I used about 2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce)
• 1 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 1/2 cups (10oz) shredded cheddar
• 1 cup (4oz) shredded mozzarella
• Italian or French bread for dipping

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, brown onion and ground beef. Drain.
2. Stir in sauce and seasonings and heat through. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring each handful until cheese is almost fully melted.
3. Pour into fondue pot and keep hot while serving. Serve with bread cut into pieces or serve over toasted English muffins for lunch.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 6-10

Cheesy Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

After years of avoiding making enchiladas at home because of the astronomical level of sodium in the pre-packaged meals and enchilada sauces available at the grocery store, I finally came across a recipe that not only sounded delicious, but it wasn't loaded with salt and ingredients that I don't normally have on hand in the pantry. It was Renea over at sweet-savory-southern who posted this recipe the night before last and after reading through her review and the recipe, I immediately decided that I would make these...and I didn't want to wait. I knew they would work out perfectly for dinner last night because I had gotten the "if you make chicken one more time this week" threat from Kyle and I didn't want to push the envelope, afraid that in chicken-protest, he would start his own creation in the kitchen and it would be hours again before I saw the countertops. So I made a run to the grocery after work yesterday to pick up what I needed and decided on ground beef rather than shredded chicken (which I would have much preferred by the way, but I digress...).

As soon as I walked in the door, I got a-cooking, expecting that it would be at least an hour before we ate...but I was oh so wrong. I had the enchiladas on the table (err...coffee table...) inside of 35 minutes. They were just so easy!! And as a testatment to how good they were, as I was taking photos, Kyle had already started eating. I shouted in to him, "how are they?" and he responded, "can't talk - eating" as he shoveled another forkful into his mouth. That there says it all. These enchiladas will be seen again on my [coffee] table and I won't hesitate to use chicken the next time I make them.

Chicken Enchiladas

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used about 1 1/4lb ground beef)
• 1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped (I used a red pepper because it's what I had)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (I didn't use oil because I cooked the peppers and onions in with the beef)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chili gravy (recipe follows)
• 4 flour tortillas (1 1/4lb beef yielded enough filling for 6 tortillas)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used shredded cheddar with chipotle peppers made by Sargento)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and peppers and cook for about 5 min. Add shredded chicken and stir. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove from pan and set aside. Using the same pan, make the chili gravy as follows.

Chili Gravy

• 1/4 cup lard (I used vegetable oil - so did I)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic (I used closer to 2 tsp)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it’s available)
• 2 T chili powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods or McCormick)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or water) (I used half water, half chicken stock)

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
2. Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. (It took about 8 minutes for me) Add water to adjust the thickness. (didn't need extra water) Makes 2 cups.
3. Once the chili gravy is done, add 1/2 a cup to the chicken mixture and stir. Spoon the chicken mixture into the flour tortilla shells and roll up. Spread another half cup of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and place the rolled tortillas in the dish. Top with the remaining cup of sauce and shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min. I baked for 20 minutes then took off the foil and broiled for 3-4 minutes. I topped with a dollop of sour cream and would have added a sprinkle of cilantro but it went bad on me this week and I had to toss it.

Prep time: 12-15 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 3 to 6 (depending on appetites)

Marinated Steak and Gouda Twice Baked Potatoes

I've been spoiled. I rarely, if ever, order steak at a restaurant (with the exception of Outback Steakhouse who has awesome steaks) because I'm afraid it won't be as good as the ones I grill at home. In fact, the first weekend I returned home from college as a freshman, my only request for meals was steak with this marinade and a baked potato. So, for a good part of the last 10 or 12 years, I've been eating steak that's been marinated in this fabulous marinade; a recipe that my mom got at a Weight Watchers meeting many moons ago. I know it might sound like soy sauce, honey, garlic, and scallions would produce an Asian-flavored marinade but this isn't the case at all. The soy sauce flavor is dramatically toned down by the honey, water, and oil during the marinating time and all of the flavors come together beautifully.

In my own humble [but not often subtle] opinion, if you're going to grill a steak, you MUST have some sort of potato on the side. Mashed, smashed, scalloped, au gratin, baked...it doesn't matter what variety you choose as long as it's there. Twice baked potatoes are a real treat and last night, I decided that I deserved that treat.

As I was waiting for Kyle to return home from a side job, I got peckish (read: starving). It was nearing 8:00 and my tummy needed some dinner. I poked around the pantry and then the fridge for something to nibble on and decided to break out the gouda cheese that had been calling my name for the past week. It's been ages since I've had gouda and HOLY MOLY!! My dear Gouda: where have you been all this time?? I had forgotten how much I love you! While nibbling away like a little mouse, I decided on the spot that my regular baked potatoes would become...Gouda twice-baked potatoes.

Overall, this really was one of the best meals I've had/made in a while. The cut of steak (I think it was a rib-eye) was just perfect, I didn't over-grill the steak (for once), the marinade was of course, fantastic, and the twice-baked potato was well...out of this world! The flavor of the gouda really came through and refined the consistency of the potato stuffing as it melted throughout. I'm not one to repeat meals from week to week, but since I'm having trouble thinking about much else as I prepare my menu for next week, I might just have to.

Steak Marinade

source: Weight Watchers

7 WW points

• 3/4 cup reduce-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 scallions, chopped (I use 1 tbsp dried onion flakes)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 18 oz flank steak*

1. Combine all ingredients except the steak in a large Ziploc bag. Close the zipper and squeeze ingredients to combine, making sure to incorporate the honey.
2. Add the steak to the bag and release as much air as possible before closing the zipper.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, remembering to turn the bag over every few hours.
4. Grill to your liking.

* Note: I almost can never find flank steak so I use NY strip, rib-eye, or London broil. Usually London broil is a large cut of meat so I increase the marinade recipe by 1/2 or even double, if necessary.

Active prep time: 5 minutes

Inactive prep time: 2 to 24hours

Cook time: approx 7 minutes per side, depending on weight

Serves: 2 - 6 (depending on cut of meat)

Gouda Twice-Baked Potato

• 2 large Russet or Idaho potatoes (10-12 oz each)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp shredded gouda cheese
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2-3 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash and stick potatoes with a fork a couple of times. To cut down on oven cooking time, I pre-cook the potatoes in the microwave oven for about 7 minutes on high - depending on weight - then transfer them to the oven for 45 minutes, turning over once. The potatoes should be soft on the inside but the skin should be almost crispy. (You can also skip the microwave stage and bake potatoes for 45 minutes then turn over and bake for an additional 30 minutes.)
3. Remove potatoes from oven and with a sharp knife, slice off the top of the potato. Scoop out potato into a medium bowl, being careful not to push through the skin and leaving enough potato so that the skin doesn't become floppy.
4. Add only 1/2 cup gouda and all remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir until mixture becomes creamy - do not over stir. If mixture is too stiff, add a little more sour cream or a dash of milk.
5. With a spoon, carefully refill potato skins with potato mixture. Sprinkle each potato with 1 tbsp remaining shredded gouda.
6. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and return to hot oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes then turn the broiler on for 2 minutes to melt and slightly brown cheese topping.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes

Serves: 2