ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

[BUM]

This is a true story...honest.

Filet Mignon in 15 minutes.

I had 2 beautiful fillets ready for the barbie when I discovered that it was out of propane! Now what?

I sauteed 2 onions and a few mushrooms in a skillet.
Sliced the 2 fillets raw (crosscut like London broil).
Made room in the skillet and cooked the meat quickly (1-2 minutes on each side).
Arranged the whole thing on a serving plate - done.

We loved it! Friends have asked for the recipe!?! Leftovers, if any are great cold for lunch or with eggs for breakfast. Won't go back to the barbie for filet mignon ever again.

Bottom line this recipe is just getting started. Any suggested tweaks?

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUM This is a true story...honest. Filet Mignon in 15 minutes. I had 2 beautiful fillets ready for the barbie when I discovered that it was out of propane! Now what?

I prepare beef steaks in this manner:

1. Start Broiler.

2. Heat skillet as hot as it can get on stove top -- make sure fan is on and doors are open to the outside. (If you have one of those pans with the raised ribs -- designed for steaks -- all the better.

3. When the skillet is hot, put steak(s) in it. Cook for about a minute per side (Turning a quarter turn half way through if using a steak pan).

4. Turn steak over and put skillet under broiler (about 4" away from burner) for 3-4 minutes per side -- depending upon thickness and desired "rareness."

This is, also, the way to do Salmon fillets -- except for the flipping part (cook with skin side down).

The results are the same as if you had used an outdoor grill.

[BUM]

Hot recipe RonBoyd. I'll try it. The thing is this is not like bbq'ing. For me it was a welcome accident. The meat gets cooked through quickly together with the sauteed onion and mushroom accents with the Montreal seasoning (omitted above) is a hit. I've always been a "no pain, no gain" type chef. But this is painless and deeeeeeelicious.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUM This is a true story...honest. Filet Mignon in 15 minutes. I had 2 beautiful fillets ready for the barbie when I discovered that it was out of propane! Now what?

When you say two filets, do you mean two steaks cut from a beef tenderloin?

Ha

[BUM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha When you say two filets, do you mean two steaks cut from a beef tenderloin? Ha

Yes. Two steaks 3/4 pound each. Though if its just DW and I, one is enough. Prepared it again last night. Skipped the Montreal seasoning this time and used just S&P. The flavors are delicious, but it needs a little something... Its too easy.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUM Yes. Two steaks 3/4 pound each. Though if its just DW and I, one is enough. Prepared it again last night. Skipped the Montreal seasoning this time and used just S&P. The flavors are delicious, but it needs a little something... Its too easy.

I quite agree. All (and I mean all) a good steak needs is Salt and Pepper. (Well, Brandy set ablaze at the final stage may be an exception.) Nevertheless, I make two modifications.

1. Salt is a pre-cook necessity because it does something that enhances the Searing effect -- drawing interior moisture to the surface perhaps. The problem that I found was getting salt all over the meat without overwhelming it. My solution is to use Soy Sauce (Tamari, actually) because you can easily spead it everwhere. I do it about an hour before cooking.

2. While Pepper is essential to enhancing the flavor of a steak, I do not care for the taste of cooked Black Pepper -- particularly if high heat is applied. Freshly ground Black Pepper added to the surface of the steak post-cooking is, therefore, the way to go... probably best done at the table, by the Diner, to account for individual taste preference.

BTW, this is the best Pepper Grinder I have found:

Amazon.com: Oxo Good Grips Pepper Mill: Kitchen & Dining

[Sarah in SC]

I have a new recipe! I saw this in the local paper and thought I'd give it a try and wow it is quite good!

You know that curly Kale that you always walk past in the produce section? This is made with that stuff and called Kale chips. There is a lot of kale coming in right now locally.

Take the kale and shred it into pieces on a piece of parchment paper set in a cookie sheet, removing the long stems. Kale should be very dry. Sprinkle salt on top and drizzle with olive oil. Mix together well with hands, coating all the kale.

Cook in a 350 oven until the Kale is actually crispy and most of it is brown, about 10 minutes.

It was really tasty and very crunchy! Highly recommended way to eat a very good-for-you veggie! And you don't have to use very much oil so it is low calorie as well.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC I have a new recipe! I saw this in the local paper and thought I'd give it a try and wow it is quite good! You know that curly Kale that you always walk past in the produce section? This is made with that stuff and called Kale chips. There is a lot of kale coming in right now locally. Take the kale and shred it into pieces on a piece of parchment paper set in a cookie sheet, removing the long stems. Kale should be very dry. Sprinkle salt on top and drizzle with olive oil. Mix together well with hands, coating all the kale. Cook in a 350 oven until the Kale is actually crispy and most of it is brown, about 10 minutes. It was really tasty and very crunchy! Highly recommended way to eat a very good-for-you veggie! And you don't have to use very much oil so it is low calorie as well.

I'd like to try this. So is this "curly kale" different from the normal bluish green kale that Southern people have always eaten?

By dry, so you mean don't wash it, or if you do let it hang around till it dries?

What is meant by "shredding"?

Last- what is parchment paper?

Thnx- sounds very good and kind of addictive too.

Ha

[Sarah in SC]

Ha, I love the fact that you know there are different kinds of kale! The curly is curled up on the ends, but any sort of kale will do. I think the curly just looks prettier when it cooks.

The recipe said to dry it with paper towels if you've washed it (I normally rinse it off if it seems sandy).

Shredding is just tearing it like you would lettuce for a salad. I tore mine into pieces about the size of half a dollar bill or so.

Good lord--parchment paper--didn't your mama ever tell you about it?
You use it to cover things in the oven, kinda like wax paper. Really I just used it so it was easier to clean the baking sheet. It is probably optional if you don't have a roll laying around the kitchen.

I think you will really like it--I told my sister about it yesterday and she's already made it and her kids loved it right off the bat!

[calmloki]

Chiming in - parchment paper is expensive roll paper; think waxed paper but without wax. Amazing stuff - chocolate chip cookies fall off of it, really makes for pretty baked good bottoms. It is very reusable - I just fold it up in the drawer and get maybe 2 uses per cookie session and 4 sessions, so eight uses? Less good for bread baking, as the 425 temperature is too close to F451, but 350 is tolerated well.

[sailor]

For bread (and for cookies too) use silpat instead ( Silpat® - The Original Silicone Non-Stick Baking Mat ).
We are still on our first set of mats after 4 years of every other day baking.
There are generic versions of these mats available, but some of them might not last as long.

[Orchidflower]

There is some company producing chip bags of kale now as I saw it on some tv talk show (obviously, not paying all that much attention or I'd remember which one but think it was The Today Show).

What does it taste like, tho?

[Sarah in SC]

OMG, who would pay for kale chips when they are so easy to make? Not having tv, I haven't heard of this. I did invest in one of those olive oil pump sprayers to make it easier to use a light hand on the oil.
Ha, did you try them out yet? I made some more the other night and we ate the whole batch before dinner!
They taste crunchy and a bit "green". Try them, Orchidflower--just grab a bag of kale prewashed from the grocery--seriously easy!

I've used a silpat at my mom's house, sailor--nice for baking!

[WhoDaresWins]

Haha mentioned a lunch of fresh Alaskan halibut recently and today on my way home from w*rk I found some first-of-the-season wild Alaskan halibut in the big box grocer. I bought a nice chunk, threw it in a small baking dish with a splash of white wine and a dollop of salsa (a la Mediterranean lazy style). It was very good. Made some fresh steamed broccoli to go along with it.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhoDaresWins Haha mentioned a lunch of fresh Alaskan halibut recently and today on my way home from w*rk I found some first-of-the-season wild Alaskan halibut in the big box grocer. I bought a nice chunk, threw it in a small baking dish with a splash of white wine and a dollop of salsa (a la Mediterranean lazy style). It was very good. Made some fresh steamed broccoli to go along with it.

Nothing quite like broccoli to go with halibut, or cod too. Glad you found a nice piece, Who Dares.

Today I sautéed a lot of spinach in a skillet that has a tight lid. Then I put a beautiful piece of fresh cod onto the cooked spinach- I like thyme and salt and pepper- and poached for a little while. Aiyii!

Last night I poached some black cod pieces in cream with some sautéed yellow onion. It's kind of a hike for me to get down to Uwajimaya, the Japanese market, but Japanese in particular and Asians in general will not tolerate mediocre fish so I really like to go down there.

Sarah- I finally made some of those kale crisps- really good! I am glad you told how to make them!

Ha

[calmloki]

(one of the many) Things I Didn't Know:

Many blender bases can be screwed onto a Mason jar. No splash, contents already in the storage jar after blending, etc.
Tip: Blender and Mason Jar | Simply Recipes

[Sarah in SC]

How cool! I have a vintage but fully operational Hoover "Solid State" blender that I'm sure will work with a mason jar. Thanks for the great tip!

[happy2bretired]

Thank you so much for this tip...works so much better for small batches.

[GregLee]

Lamb Stew
from GregLee (a.k.a. Greg Lee)

My wife roasted a leg of lamb a couple of days ago which was not good. It was gristly, for one thing, and we just didn't like it. But you can't just throw away 3 pounds of lamb. So, after looking around the kitchen and finding a can of potato soup that had been in our cupboard a half year and an onion that was at the verge of spoiling, I improvised the following. It was delicious.

very loosely based on the recipe by Margery Richmond at
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/traditional-lamb-stew/detail.aspx

    pre-heat oven to 350d.
roasted leg of lamb, three pounds or so, cut in half to one inch cubes
ground jalapeno pepper, about a half teaspoon
salt (Hawaiian sea), black pepper
    heat some olive oil in a dutch oven on top of the stove
    (possibly dredge the lamb cubes in seasoned flour?  I didn't do this.)
    brown the cubes of lamb, seasoning with the peppers and salt
    remove from the dutch oven and set aside
large onion, chopped
garlic clove, chopped fine
8 small carrots, chopped
ground chipotle pepper, about a half teaspoon
turmeric, about a teaspoon
salt (Hawaiian sea), black pepper
    put carrots in the dutch oven, season, cook a few minutes
    add onions and garlic, season, add turmeric, cook until softened
canned Hearty Potato with Garlic Soup, 18.8oz. - Safeway brand
hot water
    add the canned soup, thin with hot water until the consistency of stew
    stir, bring to boil, correct seasoning
    cook in the 350d. oven for an hour or more, depending how tender you like the lamb to be
    possibly add fresh chopped thyme and chives before serving

[GregLee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUM This is a true story...honest. Filet Mignon in 15 minutes. I had 2 beautiful fillets ready for the barbie when I discovered that it was out of propane! Now what? I sauteed 2 onions and a few mushrooms in a skillet. Sliced the 2 fillets raw (crosscut like London broil). Made room in the skillet and cooked the meat quickly (1-2 minutes on each side). Arranged the whole thing on a serving plate - done. We loved it! Friends have asked for the recipe!?! Leftovers, if any are great cold for lunch or with eggs for breakfast. Won't go back to the barbie for filet mignon ever again. Bottom line this recipe is just getting started. Any suggested tweaks?

In my steak-eating days, I came to prefer skillet fried (or, one might say, pan seared) steaks to other methods of preparation. So I endorse the method. I would not slice the fillets, though, and I'd sautee the onions and mushrooms after finishing the steak, not before, so the onions can pick up flavor from the steak juices (perhaps deglazed with a little red wine), and so the steak gets to rest while the onions (and possible mushrooms) are cooking. The skillet should be pretty hot at the beginning.