Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
I guarantee you are going to fall in love with this delicious Grilled Steak Sandwich recipe I am sharing with you here today. Not only is it fabulously easy to make but it is incredibly tasty as well!
This pub style steak sandwich is an open faced sandwich that even a lady can feel comfortable eating. Light enough to please a delicate palate, but hearty enough to please a man, especially if you add some chips (fries) on the side!
It uses very simple ordinary ingredients. Rump/eye of round steaks. These steaks are perfect for flash frying, and so long as you don't overcook them, come out perfectly every time.
Mind you any steak overcooked is most unpalatable in my opinion. I mostly like my steaks medium rare, which means they are lovely and pink in the center, but not bloodied.
Medium rare often means different things in different countries. We were in the South of France once and went to a Buffalo Grill restaurant to have steaks one night. We requested medium rare, and the steaks practically crawled onto our plates. They were literally what I would have called a blue steak.
I never send food back if it is not to my liking. Having worked in restaurant kitchens, and some pretty fancy ones, I don't trust them not to spit in your soup if you send it back. Sad but true.
I am not saying it happens in all restaurants, but it does happen in a few. And I am not willing to take the chance. So I just grit my teeth and bear whatever I am handed.
Like I said, fairly simple ingredients. Some good rump/eye of round steak, a good rustic bread, mayonnaise, horseradish, Montreal steak spice, some good mushrooms, gouda cheese and baby argula/rocket.
That's it. Simple. With the exception of the cheese and the mushrooms these are things I almost always have in my house.
My sandwich was inspired by a recipe I found in Donna Hay, the new classics for a "New Steak Sandwich." It looked really tasty, however it was a bit new fangled for me.
i.e.. it used ingredients that are not common to most kitchens, and that might even be difficult to come by. Porcini powder for one. That's not something most people will have around, unless they are a true gourmand, and I like to think that my recipes are quite accessible for most people.
Taleggio cheese and watercress are two other ingredients that a lot of people might find difficult to come by.
I decided to use Gouda which is a proper melting cheese and baby arugula/rocket, which is nice and peppery, just like watercress, but much easier to find.
The bread I used for this is a rustic sour dough boule which I love, that can be found in my local grocery store. 20 years ago this type of thing was never seen here. I am so happy times have changed.
We are a much better traveled people these days (pre-Covid) and have acquired tastes for nice breads and the like. Our local shop sells several varieties of well baked artisanal breads.
Its important that you use a rustic sturdy type of white bread. Wonder bread won't cut it here. You want something sturdy enough to stand up to the toppings.
I brushed the bread with some olive oil and toasted it, rubbing the olive oil side with some raw garlic after toasting. This imparted a lovely mild garlic flavor to the bread.
The steak I used was eye of round. Rump steaks will also work well. You want the kind of steak that doesn't need braising to make it tender. The steak in these sandwiches is meant to be flash fried.
You want steaks about 1/2 inch thick, but don't worry, you will be cutting them in half again to 1/4 inch thickness. If your steak is really cold, or even semi frozen, this is much easier to do.
She dusted hers with a rosemary porcini powder. I used Montreal Steak Spice. For several reasons.
One, I like the flavor of Montreal Steak Spice, especially on steak. Two, it usually helps to tenderize the steaks a bit. Three, who the heck just happens to have rosemary porcini powder in the cupboard.
I love its flavor of Montreal Steak Spice. It is a bit spicy with lots of pepper, has onion and garlic flakes, some fennel seed, etc. I think it just goes very well with beef, especially in a sandwich like this.
I used brown chestnut mushrooms, larger ones, which I trimmed and cut in half through the middles. You could use baby portabella, but chestnuts are cheaper and they have a lovely meaty flavor that I enjoy.
Taleggio cheese is not something which is found in our local shops. Maybe in Halifax, but not here in the Valley where I live.
Taleggio is a nice melty cheese and so I thought that gouda (which I could get) would be just as tasty. I was right. It was and melted beautifully.
The bread itself is spread with a horseradish mayonnaise. This is very easy to make. You simply stir together some real egg mayonnaise (I like Hellman's) and some creamed horseradish sauce.
Horseradish sauce is something I always, ALWAYS have in my kitchen. Its not just good to serve with roast beef you know. Its also a vital component in cocktail sauce and many other things. it also keeps for a fairly long time in the refrigerator.
It is one of my "secret" ingredients that I slip into a few things without people knowing. Stews and gravies to name just a few. Not a lot, just a hint.
And people who wouldn't touch horseradish with a ten foot pole never notice its there. They know that there is a unique flavor boost that is quite delicious, but can't quite put their finger on it. I do not bother to enlighten them.
I once heard a story of a woman who was enjoying a roast dinner to excess. When done she said to the cook, "That was the nicest roast dinner I have ever had. What was the meat?"
The cook answered, "Roast Pork." To which the woman exclaimed, "You know I don't like roast pork!"
True story that.
I adore baby arugula/rocket. It is not something I had ever tasted prior to moving to the UK. It has a lovely meaty and peppery taste that I really enjoy.
It goes very well in sandwiches such as this one. Donna Hay used watercress, but its not something I have ever seen here and to be honest is not always easily accessible in any case. Rocket is a wonderful substitution.
Altogether this sandwich is a beautiful sandwich filled with lots of lovely textures and flavors. I loved the garlicky crunchiness of the toasted bread, countered by the mellow creaminess of the horseradish mayo.
Then there is the spiced, peppery steaks and those meaty mushrooms, perfectly balanced by the peppery green freshness of the arugula/rocket.
This is a knife and fork sandwich. It makes for a lovely light supper that is quick and easy to make, but can also be made into a heart supper with a few additions such as thick cut chips and onion rings. Yum yum!!
Grilled Steak Sandwich
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
This is a delicious, yet simple open faced steak sandwich. The amounts are for two servings, but can very easily be multiplied to serve more.
Ingredients
- 2 TBS butter
- 6 large brown mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms)
- 2 single serve eye of round steaks, each cut in half through the middle (1/2 inch thick, cut to 1/4 inch thick)
- Montreal steak spice to taste
- 2 slices of gouda cheese, cut in half crosswise
- 2 thick slices of rustic country bread
- olive oil to brush
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
- 1/4 cup (75g) whole egg mayonnaise
- 1 TBS horseradish cream
- a handful of fresh baby arugula (rocket)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take your steaks, rub them all over with Montreal Steak Spice and set aside.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl. Set aside
- Wipe your mushrooms clean, trim and then cut in half through the middle to give you 12 thick rounds.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it starts to foam. Add the mushrooms, cut side down. Fry, without disturbing, for approximately 4 minutes, flip over and brown on the other side for an additional 4 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
- Wipe out the skillet with some paper towels. Add the other TBS of the butter and heat over high heat. Add the steak slices and brown/sear them quickly on both sides. It won't take long, only a bout 1 minute to 1 minute per side. Remove from the heat, top each with 1/2 slice of the cheese, cover and set aside while you do the toast.
- Brush one side of the bread slices with some olive oil. Pop under a grill and toast lightly until golden brown. Rub lightly with the cut side of the garlic.
- Place the slices of toasted bread on each of two serving plates. Spread each with half of the horseradish mayo. Scatter some rocket over top and then place two slices of cheese covered steak on top of each sandwich. Top with half of the mushrooms. Season lightly with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Garnish with a few additional rocket leaves and serve immediately.
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I make no secret of the fact that I love any kind of food with oriental flavors. Stir fries are one of my favorite things to make and to eat. No small wonder.
They are usually filled with lots of color and texture! I love vegetables, and stir fries are a fabulous way to get in at least a few of your five a day!
They are always saying we should eat a rainbow every day. A stir fry is just the way to do that. And you don't get much better than chop suey.
It might surprise you to learn this tiny fact, but chop suey isn't Chinese at all! Its an American invention dating back to the mid 19th century.
But like all cooking legends, there are numerous stories that go with how it actually came into play. For myself, I am only happy that it was invented. You can find it on the menu of most, if not all, Chinese restaurants.
Not many of us are going out to eat these days so today I wanted to show you how to make chop suey at home. Not only is this an incredibly quick and easy dish to make, but it is also delicious and very forgiving!
This recipe is also sized to feed just two people, but like all of my small-batch recipes, you can very easily amp it up to feed more.
Having said that, this version for two people, makes generous servings. Even if you are only one person you won't mind making it, eating it on the day and enjoying the leftovers the day after. (If you are like me, for breakfast!)
Like I said, its very forgiving and by that I mean you can use just about any vegetable in any combination that you like. You can even use a frozen chop suey vegetable mix.
If you are doing that, and it is a four serving sized package, I would only use half the package.
One nice thing about stir fries like this is they are a great way to clean out the vegetable bin, using up all the bits and pieces that you have languishing away in the bottom of the drawer.
Little bits of this and that are not enough on their own to make much of anything. But when you combine them in tandem with a few others, are more than ample for a dish such as this!
Today I used a simple combination of carrot, snow peas (mange tout), celery and onion, along with the chicken of course. The recipe is one I adapted from a recipe I found in Betty Crocker's Lost Recipes book.
Its fast becoming one of my favorite go-to books for simple and quick little recipes.
They would usually prepare more than one dish. We always loved their Chinese meals and really appreciated their efforts. It was always a lot of work for them.
In-laws are one of the greatest casualties of a divorce, and its a very sad thing. I loved this particular brother and sister in law very much. We had always spent a lot of time together.
Its funny how people can be close to you for many years and then . . . nothing. I suppose it is understandable and works both ways.
I remember being very excited back in December when I got a call at my sister's house one day from this particular Sister-in-law. It was like no time at all had passed. I think we spoke for about two hours.
We made plans to get together after Christmas and I was really happy about that. It never happened.
I called her one day and it went right to voice mail. I know I had the number right because it was my brother-in-laws voice on the machine. I left a message, being very hopeful that my sister-in-law and I would be able to get together soon.
I never got any reply at all. I can only surmise that he hadn't known about her calling me in the first place and didn't want us to have contact with each other. Perhaps he felt it would be too awkward. I can understand that I suppose.
Their daughter has always considered me to be her Aunt and is my friend on facebook. In fact it was she who got my telephone number so her mom could call me.
My sister thinks that the whole exercise was an exercise in fact finding. I hate to think that was what it was. But you never know. People are funny creatures.
Anyways, sorry I went off on a tangent here. That's just the way my mind works! Back to the Chop Suey!
Whenever I make or eat chop suey I think of that song in the musical film, Flower Drum Song. Chop Suey.
Chop suey! Chop suey!
Good and bad, intelligent, mad and screwy.
Violins and trumpets and drums
Take it all the way that it comes.
Sad and funny, sour and honeydewy
Chop suey!
Darn, I'll be singing that song all day in my head now! LOL I hate it when that happens!
That is one of my favorite films however. I love the old musicals. They don't make them like they used to! I will have to start collecting them again.
You can use whatever vegetables you like in this recipe. What you want is a mix of vegetables that cook crispy tender in the time required and about 2 cups or so of them altogether.
I have no idea of how much that would be in grams. You want roughly twice as many vegetables as you have cubes of chicken.
I used chicken breast meat on this occasion, but you can use the equivalent of chicken thigh meat if that is what you have. Bear in mind that it takes slightly longer to cook thigh meat than it does to cook breast meat.
The important thing to take into consideration when cooking poultry is to make sure that the juices run clear and that it is no longer pink inside. If you do that, you are safe.
I could not find a classic stir fry sauce, so I used a teriyaki stir fry sauce. I could have used a sweet and sour as well.
I froze the sauce that I didn't use in small yogurt containers so that I can take it out and use it another time and there was no waste involved. Each container holds about 1/4 cup or 60ml. Perfect for one or two.
In any case, I really enjoyed this and would happily make it again! Mmm . . . I just adore chow mein noodles and cashew nuts! Delightful!
Cantonese Chicken Chop Suey
Yield: Serves 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
A small batch recipe filled with lots of flavors, textures and crunch. Its delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
- pinch salt
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
- small handful of snow pea pods (mange tout)
- 1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) classic style stir fry sauce
- 1/2 TBS honey
- large handful of crisp chow mein noodles
- small handful of roasted cashew pieces
- cooked rice to serve
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. Spray a 12-inch non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken and season lightly with salt. Stir fry for six to eight minutes, until just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Add the vegetables and water to the skillet. Heat to boiling. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy tender.
- Stir in the stir fry sauce and honey. Heat through.
- Add a portion of cooked rice to each of two bowls. Divide the chicken mixture between each bowl. Add a small amount of chow mein noodles and garnish with the cashews. Serve immediately.
Twice Baked Cheese Soufflés. I am really excited to share this recipe with you today for these fool proof twice baked cheese soufflé. Wonderfully rich and incredibly easy to make, the recipe makes 6 individual soufflés.
These are just perfect for when you are wanting a nice light supper. They are also great as a first course when you are entertaining as they can totally be made ahead, napping with cream and cheese and reheating just prior to your needing to serve them.
Quick, easy and convenient, what more can you ask for? Not a lot I tell you. These are fabulous!
I discovered the recipe many years ago when I was waiting in the Doctor's office when I was living down in Brenchley. I discovered it in a magazine in the waiting room, copied it out onto paper and have been making them ever since.
In fact, they were a real favorite in the Manor where I worked also. They just loved them! I served them at various functions and they were actually something which was I requested to leave in the refrigerator for them to heat up at the weekends on occasion.
A lot of people are really intimidated by the idea of making soufflés, but trust me when I tell you these are very simple to make. I have never had the go wrong. Never.
They also use incredibly simple ingredients. Eggs, flour, milk, butter, grainy mustard, a good cheddar, an onion, some seasonings and aromatics and cream to finish. Nothing extraordinary here. Nothing.
It should go without saying that you want to use a really good cheddar cheese for these. I like to use a quality extra sharp cheese. This will give you a lovely flavor.
Oh how I am going to miss the great cheddars I was able to buy in the UK. They made the absolute best cheddar cheese there. Rich and delicious.
Just buy the best that you can get and you will be okay. Since cheddar is one of the main flavoring ingredients, this is really important.
The recipe does require the use of whole milk. Don't be tempted to stint on this. You will not get as nice of a result if you use low fat milk.
The milk is steeped with the flavor of a whole peeled onion, bay leaf and a whole clove. This adds additional flavor.
The milk is used to form the basis of the soufflés, which is basically a very thick cream sauce into which you will melt most of the cheese and beat in the egg yolks. If you can make a cream sauce, you can do this.
The only thing you really need to be careful of here is that you don't scramble the egg yolks. Whisk the creamy cheese mixture until it is lukewarm and then beat in the yolks one at a time. This is also when you add the grainy mustard.
You can use any whole grain mustard you like, but I, personally, like a Dijon style of grainy mustard.
Next thing you do is to whisk your egg whites until stiff and begin folding them into your mixture. This is best done in thirds. Stir the first third in and then fold in the remainder.
Its okay to have a few visible streaks of egg white. What you don't want to do is to knock all of the air out.
These are baked initially in well buttered single sized ramekins. Straight sided ones work best. Butter them really well so that they don't stick.
The filled ramekins are put into a roasting tin and boiling water is added to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. This is called a Bain Marie.
I always find this a lot easier to do if I put the roasting tin holding the ramekins into the oven first and then add the water, carefully from the side.
That's it! This initial bake will see the rise beautifully. Once this is done, you simply need to tip the out into another baking dish, nap them with some cream, dust with more cheese and bake again.
This is where you can do them ahead of time. You can do everything but the final napping and baking well ahead of time, even up to a day ahead, which makes them perfect for entertaining!
Just make them to that point, pop them into a baking dish, and cover with some plastic cling film, if you are going to bake them all at once. If you are going to bake them in smaller numbers, then just pop them into a plastic container with a lid.
Then you can just take out as many as you need when you need them. Pop into your baking dish, nap with the cream, sprinkle on the additional cheese and bake. Easy peasy!
They rise again beautifully on the second bake and end up with a lovely cheesy crust, not to mention that rich cream sauce. DELICIOUSLY simple!
For a luncheon all you need is a tossed salad on the side. For a heartier supper I would add some cooked vegetables on the side.
I have never frozen these so I can't say for sure if you can successfully do that or not. I suggest you freeze one and see how that works before you freeze them all. (Freeze one, then thaw and bake as below.)
These truly are simple to make and fabulously tasty. I really hope you will be inspired to give them a go!
Twice Baked Cheese Soufflés
Yield: 6
These are wonderfully rich and light and so very easy to make. I got the recipe from out of a magazine in the Doctor's waiting office one day (I couldn't begin to tell you which one) and I brought it home and adapted it to our tastes. They have become a firm favourite in my repertoire.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (300ml) whole milk (1 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 of a small onion, peeled and studded with 1 clove and 1 bay leaf
- 3 TBS (40g) butter, plus more for greasing
- 1/3 cup (40g) plain flour
- 1 1/4 cup (150g) of good strong cheddar, grated and divided
- 1 TBS coarse grainy mustard
- salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- 3 large free range eggs, separated
- 1 cup (240 ml) of double cream
Instructions
- Place the milk in a small pan along with the onion, clove and bay leaf. Bring slowly just to the boil, then remove it from the heat and leave it to infuse for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, remove the onion, clove and bay leaf and discard.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.
- Take another pan and place it over medium heat. Melt the butter in this, then stir in the flour. Cook, stirring until smooth and completely amalgamated, for about one minute.
- Remove from the heat. Add the infused milk in a slow and steady stream, whisking the whole time. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until thickened and just beginning to boil. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in 1 cup (125g) of the grated cheese and all of the grainy mustard. Season well with salt and pepper and a good grating of fresh nutmeg. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time.
- Butter six medium ramekins well and place them into a large shallow roasting tin.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric whisk. Stir about a third of the egg whites into the cheese mixture to help slacken it and then gently fold in the rest.
- Spoon and divide the mixture evenly into the buttered ramekins.
- Carefully add boiling water to the roasting tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and then carefully place the roasting tin into the heated oven. (If you have strong oven racks it is probably best to place the roasting tin into the oven first and then add the water)
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are well risen and nicely browned on top.** (see notes below)
- Remove from the oven and remove from the roasting tin, placing them on a wire rack to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 220*C/425*F.
- Once they are cooled enough to handle, carefully tip them out onto the palm of your hand, one at a time, and place them, right sides down, into a buttered baking dish large enough to hold all six of them.
- Season the double cream with some salt and black pepper and spoon it evenly over top of each souffle. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheddar cheese evenly over top.
- Place back in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they are well risen and the cream is bubbling and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown nicely. Serve hot.
Notes:
**You can complete the recipe to the end of the first baking and put them in a buttered dish, cover them, and then store them in the refrigerator for up to a day ahead before proceeding. Bring them to room temperature before finishing them off as outlined in the recipe.
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