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Rosemary Balsamic Steak

One of the best gifts I’ve received over the years was a series of Italian cooking classes. You know, the kind where you get together with a bunch of people to make stuff over plenty of wine. So much fun, especially when the instructor is excellent. One of the recipes I took away from those classes was for this steak. No idea if what I do is the same or not, I think I probably upped the spice. I know when we made it in the class there was no crushed red chili flakes, oh well. The longer you let this marinate the better it tastes. And like a lot of Italian recipes, it’s super simple and easy. Enjoy!

Rosemary Balsamic Steak

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 good olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tsp red chili flakes
  • 4-5 rosemary sprigs, roughly chopped.

Directions

Place all of the ingredients into a ziplock bag and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, longer is better. Cook the steak to your desired doneness. I like to use my Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, that way it always turns out at a perfect medium.

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Nutella Caramel Cookies

So what’s a guy to do on a snow day? Why make cookies of course! I’ve modified this recipe only slightly from the original and it’s oh so delicious! I like to use caramels from Trader Joe’s, Fleur De Sel Caramels. I love the sea salt and they’re “harder” than most caramels. This makes them better for melting in the oven. Enjoy!

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Nutella Caramel Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, I like dutch processed
  • 1 Tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 1/3 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tsp vanilla
  • 36-40 caramels, frozen

Directions

If you are using the Trader Joe’s caramel unwrap them, cut them in half, and freeze. Any other types, you basically want caramels that are about 1/4″ square.

Shift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a stand mixer, I like to use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, using the paddle attachment; beat the sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add it the eggs and beat until combines. Add the nutella, melted chocolate and vanilla.

For the chocolate, microwave in a glass bowl for 30 seconds at a time; stirring after each nuking. This will temper the chocolate and it’ll melt nice and smoothly.

Now on low-speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon to scoop out a nice ball of dough. Press the frozen caramel into the center and roll into a ball. Make sure you put plenty of distance between the dough balls on the cookie sheet as they spread when baked. Put the sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 12-24 minutes, until the tops of the cookies start to crack.

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Whiskey Pork Chops

This recipe started out as a cooking light recipe and then I totally ruined it. Oh well. Keep in mind when I make this I almost always use boneless pork cutlets. If you choose to make bone in chops you’ll need to adjust the cooking time as they take longer to cook due to the bone. This is excellent with mashed potatos, the sauce is like gravy. Enjoy!

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Whiskey Pork Chops

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 Tsp ground sage
  • 1/4 Tsp black pepper
  • 4 chops
  • 2 Tsp vegetable oil
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium shallot, diced
  • 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup whiskey

Directions

In a medium bowl combines the sour cream, beef broth, flour, salt, sage and pepper. Whisk together until smooth.

In a skillet, I like to use my Le Creuset Round Braiser, heat the vegetable oil on high. Once hot brown the chops, about 3 minutes per side*, until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter. Once melted add the mushroom, shallot and garlic. Brown for about 4 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften.

At this point you’ll want to be careful, whiskey is HIGHLY flammable. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the whiskey. Deglaze the skillet, get all those good brown bits off the bottom. Keep stirring until the whiskey has almost evaporated and the sauce has started to thicken. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the sour cream mixture. Put the chops back in and spoon sauce over them. Cover and allow to simmer, about 20 minutes for boneless chops.

*The browning, like the overall cooking, will vary depending on your chop. I like boneless thin cut chops, they don’t take as much time. If you make thicker, including bone-in chops, they’ll take longer.

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S’more Cookies

Everyone loves s’more I think. My sister posted a recipe to Facebook for s’more cookies but they were a combination of chocolate chip cookies, ground up graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. I wasn’t keen on the chocolate chip cookie part. The dough for chocolate chip cookies is very distinct and I didn’t think would really taste like true s’mores. So I decided to cobble together this recipe to see if I couldn’t come up with something more to my liking. Now I do have recipes for homemade marshmallow, one of which I’ve already posted. But for this, because I’m using plain marshmallow I just went with store bought. I just made sure to by good quality ones. For the chocolate part, use the type you like best; dark, semi-sweet, etc. I’d say enjoy but I’ll wait to see how they turn out first and will post either an update or a comment.

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Graham Cracker Cookies

  • 2 cups graham or whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 Tsp baking powder*
  • 1/2 Tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes and chilled
  • 2 1/4 oz molasses
  • 1 1/2 oz whole milk
  • 1 Tsp real vanilla extract

Directions

In a food processor, I like my Cuisinart Food Processor, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add in the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the molasses, milk and vanilla. Process until the dough forms a ball, about a minute.

Form the dough into a log roughly 1 1/2 inches. I press it flat on all 4 sides. Chill for at least 30 minutes, longer if you can.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into 1/4″ slices, poke the tops with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, the edges should turn brown. OK browner than the dough was when you started. Leave on the cookie sheet and allow to cool.

*OK I just learned that there are 2 types of baking powder. It’s recommended to get aluminum-free if possible. Who knew?

S’mores part

  • 12 oz good chocolate, chopped or chips
  • 1 package mini marshmallows

Directions

Pre-heat your oven on the broiler setting and put the rack in the middle.

Microwave the chocolate in a small bowl in 15 seconds intervels, stirring each time, until melted and smooth.

With a spatula smear the top of a cookie and place the mini-marshmallows on top. The chocolate will act as a glue. Do one and a time and nuke the chocolate if it starts to get stiff for another 15 seconds. When they’re all done pop them in the oven and WATCH THEM. It takes less than a minute for them to brown.

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Shepherd’s Pie

This is a nice comfort food recipe that I like to make, especially in the winter. It’s even better because it freezes really well. You can use all sorts of meat; ground hamburger, lamb, but I prefer a good country sausage. It adds more flavor to the dish. Enjoy!

Sheppard’s Pie

  • 1 lbs ground meat
  • 1 carrot, diced (about the size of peas)
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 cup green beans, diced about 1/4″
  • 1 1/4 cup beef stock
  • 1 lbs potatoes diced and peeled
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
  • Paprika
  • olive oil

Directions

In a large pot, I like to use my Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven, brown the ground meat and onion.

In another large stock pot cook the potatoes in water with a Tbsp of Kosher salt until tender. Drain and mash with the milk and cheddar cheese.

Once the meat is browned add the carrot, peas, and green beans with 1 cup of the beef stock. Simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Whisk together the flour and remaining stock (I just use a jar and shake it well). Add into the meat and simmer for another 5 minutes or so, it should start to thicken.

Dish the meat into ramekins about 2/3rds full. Smooth the potatoes on top making sure to completely cover and seal the meat mixture in. Drizzle some olive oil on top and lightly sprinkle with the paprika. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

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Shopping List

Ok keep in mind that some of this is my not so humble opinion. It amazes me when talking to friends who like to cook like me how some of them don’t know these things. So when it come to ingredients simple things can make a difference in your final product.

Also there are some things I consider standard equipment and others that aren’t but I just LOVE so much that I recommend them. I’ve included links to some things so you can check them out.

Ingredients

Butter

Never buy salted butter. Salt is added to butter to make it last longer. This is a hold over from when we didn’t have proper refrigeration. Now we do so why bother with the salt! I prefer to control the amount of salt in what I’m making myself. Now some will argue that pretty much every recipe conceived up until about, I don’t know, 50 years ago was done so using salted butter. It was the norm. So what? I still don’t use salted butter. Unsalted just tastes better.

Vanilla

Never buy imitation vanilla. Ugh, it’s made from chemicals or, according to some sites, beaver butt (not kidding, google it). Again this is just something that I prefer and I always buy the real thing.

Salt

This is a really important ingredient and you should never ever use iodized salt when cooking. Nor, in my opinion, in seasoning your food. Table salt sucks and has a funny taste to it because it has been iodized. I always use either kosher salt or sea salt. Both can be a little chunky but I have a mortar and pestle to grind it down so it’s finer. I usually have 3 or 4 different types of sea salt on hand as well.

  • Briny, usually French and cheap, for pasta water
  • Flake, for several of my baked recipes
  • Higher quality, again usually French, for seasoning
  • Smoked, again for a couple of recipes I have

Equipment

Le Creuset

Having a good set of pots and pans is essential for any kitchen. I settled on Le Creuset pretty early on in my cooking life. Not to say they’re the best but they are for the most part an excellent brand. I also like Straub but by the time I “found” them I had already started down the Le Creuset road. Part of the reason I like these 2 brand is that they’re NOT made in China. And they are incredibly durable and last forever. Do I use other pots and pans? You bet, but none of them compare in my mind and I use my Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven the most.

Sous Vide

I’ll be honest about this one, it took me a couple of years to catch on to using it. My significant other bought me one via a Kickstarter campaign before they really started coming out as a consumer model. Mine sat in the box meanwhile until one day I finally decided to give it a try. Boy did I start kicking myself for not trying it sooner once I realized how fantastic it was. High end restaurants have been using them for years.

Basically you’re cooking via a water bath, where the Sous Vide keeps the temperature at a constant degree. What this means is you can’t overcook what you’re cooking. This is how you can always get a perfect steak for example. I absolutely LOVE it!

The Kickstarter one fell apart after a couple of years and I’ve replaced it with the Anova Sous Vide, which works great as well. If you’re looking to get one I recommend NOT getting the wi-fi enabled version, it’s a waste of money as I have almost never gotten it to work via wifi. It comes with a handy app that suggests cooking times.

Knives

Again these are one of the things that you should invest in. Cheap knives will be your downfall! Having high quality, sharp knives, will make your cooking experience must more enjoyable. I settled on Wusthof Classic 7-Piece Block Set myself but there are a lot of high quality brands out there, like Henckels.

Instant pot

This is another item that took me a while to get into but once I did boy have I never looked back. This is a multi-purpose device. It can work as a slow cooker, a rice maker, a yogurt maker, and a pressure cooker. It’s the later that really makes my day. I can make pulled pork in an hour, as opposed to 5-6 hours traditionally. I have the Instant Pot 6 Qt.

Chopper

There are not a lot of gadgets in my kitchen that serve one purpose but this is one of them. You can use it to chop a bunch of stuff, like herbs but I basically use mine for garlic. It makes a nice pile of minced garlic in no time, as opposed to chopping manually. I love mine and unlike most of the equipment on this list it won’t break the bank. Cuisinart Chopper

Stand Mixer

When it comes to baking or desserts, this is pretty much a must have for me. I’ve had my KitchenAid 6 Qt.Stand Mixer for years. Very durable and I like that you can add functionality using a bunch of somewhat pricey attachments. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a hand mixer, but it doesn’t get that much use anymore. And this has saved me a lot of kneading when it comes to bread thanks to the dough hook.

Food Processor

I have 2 of these. A large one, probably 10 -13 cups, which I’ve had for at least 25 years. And then a smaller, mini one. The large one is good to grating cheese, slicing veggies, making pie crust, etc. I use the small on for small batches of stuff, like olive tapenade or pesto.
Large – Cuisinart Food Processor

Small – Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

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Bread Salad

There used to be a great restaurant in the Capital Hill area of Seattle that was mediterranean, El Greco. It was there that I was first introduced to bread salad, or panzanella as it’s also known as. I was such a big fan that I have since recreated it at home all the time. It’s pretty simple but one of the keys to this is to toast the bread first, then oil it and rub it with cloves of garlic. WARNING! This has a lot of garlic in it. But you can always cut it back. This recipe also uses a couple of what I consider essential kitchen items. First a really good knife designed for veggies, especially tomatoes. I love my Wusthof Classic Wave, Black. Unlike a flat edged knife, this one won’t “tear” your tomatoes. The other is a chopper. I’m not a big fan of devices that only have 1 purpose but this is an exception. It does a much better job than I can mincing garlic. I have a Cuisinart Stainless Steel Chopper, which is pretty inexpensive. Again you can always modify the amounts in this for the most part to suit your taste. Enjoy!

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Bread Salad

  • 4 slices of good bread, cute 1 inch thick
  • 12 oz cherry tomatoes (or similar), quartered or halved
  • 1 bunch of basil, chiffonade*
  • 1 bulb garlic, keep about 4 of the largest cloves whole and mince the rest
  • 3/4 cup olive oil, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

In an oven set to broil and toast each side of the bread until golden brown. While still warm brush each side with 1/4 cup olive oil and then brush each side with the large, intact cloves of garlic.

In a large bowl add the quartered or halved tomatoes, minced garlic and basil. *So what does chiffonade mean? Basically take the basil leaves, roll them up like a cigar and cut thin slices. Mix together the remaining oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper; I just use a jar to do this. Pour into the bowl.

Cut the bread into cubes, roughly the same size as the tomatoes. Add them and toss, just before you service as you don’t want them to get soggy.

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Mussels with Chorizo

I love mussels and the PNW is known for them. Penn Cove mussels are easy to come by and fresh as can be. There are multiple ways to prepare them but one of my favorites is with a slightly spicy tomato and white wine sauce with really good Spanish chorizo. I’m lucky in that there is a great import market here in Seattle called Big John’s Pacific Food Importers, which carries a great brand of chorizo. You can also find it on Amazon, I buy Palacios Spanish Hot Picante Chorizo 7.9 Ounce. And it takes almost no time at all to prepare.  Enjoy!

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Mussels with Chorizo

  • 1 lbs Penn Cove mussels
  • 1 cups dry white wine
  • 1 can diced fire roasted tomatos (14.5 oz)
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tsp crushed red chili pepper
  • 1/2 a Palacios Chorizo, sliced thin
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

Directions

Clean the mussels to make sure all the “beards” are removed. While you’re at it check to make sure you don’t have any dead ones. If the shell is broken or if it’s open and doesn’t close when you press it, throw it away.

In a large pot, I like my Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven, saute the onion and garlic until fragrant. Deglaze the pot with the wine. Add the tomatos, paste, red chili and chorizo. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the pot to a boil and add the mussels, cover with the lid and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mussels open. Discard any that didn’t open as that means they were dead and therefore bad.

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Greek Salad

This is one of the few recipes where I haven’t modified it in some way or another. Mostly because it’s simple and doesn’t need to be changed. The key is to buy good, authentic Greek feta. Not American, not cows milk, real sheep or goat milk feta. I’m lucky, living in Seattle, we have a wonderful place call Big John’s Pacific Food Importers. You can pick up authentic Greek feta and if you bring your own container they’ll give you brine (which makes it last longer). If you let this sit overnight it’s even better the next day. Enjoy!

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Greek Salad

  • 1 cucumber (I like English)
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 large red onion
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1/2 lbs Greek feta
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup wine vinegar (white or red)
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced or use paste)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

Dice the cucumber, peppers, onion and tomatoes so they’re all about the same size. Cut the olives in half and crumble the feta, combine all of them in a large bowl. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper (I use a jar and just shake it up). Pour over the veggies and serve.

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Vieux Carre

I’m lucky enough to live in a city that has great bars exploring craft cocktails. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice vodka martini, but being introduced to other not so well known drinks is wonderful. One of my favorite places in Seattle, Liberty, is known for their extensive list of craft cocktails. They frequently have this drink as a barrel aged drink, meaning they make it and then let it set in a bourdon barrel for a couple of weeks. I liked it so much that I make it at home, not barrel aged though. I have modified it just a bit, adding a dash of orange bitters. Enjoy!

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Vieux Carre

  • 1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey
  • 1 1/2 oz Brandy
  • 1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
  • 1/2 oz Benedictine
  • 3 dashes Peychaud bitters
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions

Add all the ingredients into a glass or cocktail shaker. Stir for about 45 seconds. Serve in a rocks glass, best with 1 large ice-cube.