Recently in Meat Category
Beer-brined Pork Chops from Karl Strauss Brewing Company, San Diego
One of the cities to which I travel regularly is San Diego, to teach for Hitachi Data Systems. The HDS office is up the road from downtown, off of I-15, making the drive over to La Jolla in the evening after class fairly easy. Since the airport is right downtown and I usually try to take a redeye flight home at the end of the week, I get one evening in that part of town.
The Karl Strauss Brewing Co. is a small chain. I ate first at the La Jolla brewpub, and enjoyed it enough to try the one near the old Santa Fe (now Amtrak) train station. I'd spent the afternoon walking around the Embarcadero, noticed a Starbucks across the street from the train and trolley stations, so I parked nearby and did the coffee shop thing to check e-mail and twitter. While sipping my venti black tea lemonade, I googled the location, did a "search nearby" on "restaurants," and found Karl Strauss in the first hits. It was just a walk around the corner.
The location on Columbia Street was a good choice. The place had a good crowd, and the bartender was cheerful. I started with their red, aptly named "Red Trolley Ale." (The trolleys in the city's light rail system are indeed red). It was a flavorful, full-bodied ale, just as I remembered it from La Jolla. The Olympics were on one boobtoob, the Padres on another, as I enjoyed the pint and perused the dinner menu. None of the starters moved the earth for me, so I went straight for the entrees.
I'd had the "Lemon Hef Chicken" for my meal in La Jolla, grilled chicken with a glaze made with their "Windansea Wheat Hefeweizen" beer. It was a tasty combination that inspired me to try another entree that had a beer-based sauce. This time it was the Beer-brined Pork Chops. The chops came with a glaze made with Strauss' Scottish Ale (and the menu suggested that brew to accompany the dish, of course). As I ordered up the meal, the bartender didn't merely parrot the menu's beverage suggestion; before going over to key the order in, she stopped at the taps and drew a sample of the Scottish Ale for me, saying "you're going to want to try this, it goes really well with the pork chops."
The Scottish was tasty in its own right, so I let her pour me that for my next pint, as I we chatted casually and I twittered on the phone. My plate came out in due course, prompt service from the kitchen. The presentation was nice, the chops stood up on their sides, resting on a scoop of mashed potatoes, along with a side of skinny green beans. The glaze was lightly drizzled on the chops, and then a generous helping spooned onto the plate in front. Some mustard was squirted along the edge of the plate, an excellent addition to any grilled pork dish (and a nice color addition to the plating).
The pork chops were cooked just right and the mustard/glaze went well with them. The mashed potatoes weren't all that thrilling, but that's OK, I didn't need the calories of those and the baguette bread served with the meal anyway. The veggies were nicely steamed, crispy and tasty. The bartender was right, the Scottish Ale went well with the meal.
Even though she tried to tempt me with dessert, I decided to pass. After a good meal and good beer, it was time to head off to the airport, where I slept comfortably on the redeye, another successful trip to San Diego.
One of the side benefits of cooking a rump roast is the leftovers can become a roast beef poboy later. I had some Binder's pistolettes, so I made a mini-poboy today. Roast beef, gravy, a little mayo and hot sauce.
Here's the start:
Starting with the pork. The recipe calls for pork chops, but I decided to try this with a pork loin instead, sliced into thick medallions:
I took the entire big piece in the back, breaded, fried, and roasted, slicing it up after it was cooked.
Next was the breading, a mixture of Italian bread crumbs, white flour, and a lot of fresh-ground black pepper.
Dip the pork in an egg wash of two eggs and 1/4 cup of milk, then into the flour/breadcrumbs. Add the breaded medallions to a hot frying pan with olive oil and brown them on both sides:
Some of the medallions were a bit thick (deliberately, I like them that way), so I tossed the browned meat in a baking dish and put them in a 350F oven for 15 minutes or so, while prepping the rest of dinner.
To placate my 13-year old while continuing with dinner, I tossed some TGIFriday's frozen cheese sticks in the oven:
It usually works to distract him. :-)
The lemon-caper sauce was very simple. Put the marscapone in a bowl, and thin it down with the mayo and milk. Zest a lemon, add the juice, and the capers. Whisk it all together:
And the finished dish, with sauce on top, and some Zatarain's "New Orleans Rice Pilaf" as a side:
Here's Giada's full recipe. It will be interesting to see how what she does differs from my variations.
Pork Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2007
See this recipe on air Sunday Apr. 20 at 7:30 AM ET/PT.
Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce:
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup capers, drained and chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pork Milanese:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 thin-cut pork chops
For the Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce: Combine the mascarpone and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you go, until all the milk is incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Set aside.
For the Pork Milanese: Combine the flour and the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a shallow dish and stir together. Crack the eggs into another shallow dish and beat until combined. In a third shallow bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Dip the pork, 1at a time first in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumbs. Warm the vegetable in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot place the breaded pork in the pan. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a serving platter and serve with the sauce alongside.
...was relatively simple, since we pigged out at T. L. Starke's on Friday night. I picked up some thick-cut pork chops, sprinkled a little lemon-pepper on them, then grilled them up. I put bbq sauce on two of them (for wife and Kev), and I put a pesto grilling paste on mine.
To go with the pork chops I made "Pasta with Olives," one of my regular side dishes. Chop up a big jar of pitted green olives and saute them in some olive oil. Add in some heavy cream and toss with cooked pasta.
For a veggie, we had white corn-on-the-cob. Bread was crunchy Binder's French Bread, wine was a bottle of rose'.
Dessert was petit-fours from Zuppardo's. They had 10 dozen on the bakery counter, and Kev loves them, so I picked up a dozen box.
...was baby veal with a white wine and cream sauce:
The veal was basic, just browned in butter for a couple of minutes on each side. The sauce was green onions, garlic, sliced "baby bella" mushrooms, butter, flour, white wine, and whipping cream.
For the sauce, melt a couple of tbs of butter in a saute pan. Add the chopped green onions and pressed or chopped garlic, along with a bit of Creole Seasoning to taste. When onions are wilted, sprinkle in 3tbps of flour and cook until slightly browned. Stir in half a cup of white wine (I used Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc last night) and half a cup of whipping cream. Add the mushrooms and simmer. Serve over the veal, and I included a little spaghetti on the side.
Dessert was petit fours in Carnival colors from Haydel's Bakery. Unfortunately, the two beasts I call children ate all but two before I could get a pic:
Sorry about the lighting on these, I was hungry. :-)
Since I didn't get the E-man's porkchop last night at NOLA, I grilled my own.
On the grill, with a little bit of bbq sauce. The 'shrooms are "baby portobello" mushrooms, sauteed in a little butter, creole seasoning, and rose wine:
Zatarain's "New Orleans Rice and Gravy," which is becoming a favorite of Kevin's:
Plated, with some Green Giant Honey-Glazed Carrots and some ZIP Bread:
and no, we don't have the kitchen back yet, but we do have floors! The plumber is got married last night, so the contractor moved up the floor guy and pushed back the kitchen to Tuesday.
Red Wine Steak Sauce
(I need a name for this creation, if you've got a suggestion, e-mail me)
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped fine
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
4tbps butter
4tbps flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 pound tasso, chopped into small cubes
salt/pepper/creole seasoning to taste
Saute the onions/peppers/celery in 2tbps butter until the onion is wilted. Melt in the rest of the butter. When butter is melted, stir in flour. Brown flour over very low heat until it is blonde in color rather than white. Slowly stir in the beef stock, then the red wine, stirring constantly. Add the tasso and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
Serve over good steaks. Makes enough sauce for 2 or 3 steaks.
After doing the podcast last Monday on beef dishes, I decided to do the "Beef Bourguignonne à la Bacchus" recipe:
onions, green pepper, celery, chopped
diced bacon
a 1.6-pound sirloin, cubed
the sirloin cubes dusted with all-purpose flour
cooking the sirloin in the bacon grease
the veggies, wine, and stock are added to the meat. I used whole mushrooms because my teen's not a big mushroom fan, so it's easier for him to avoid them.
The finished product, served over broad egg noodles and a little eggplant au gratin on the side.
Beef! Creole Roast Beef for Po-boys, Beef Bourguignonne a la Bacchus, Beef Tenderloin with Pinot Noir Shallot Sauce.
The Recipes
Creole Roast Beef for Po-Boys
(from The Gumbo Pages)
* 1 beef shoulder roast, about 5 pounds
* 1/4 pound piece of salt pork, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
* 6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 cups minced onion
* 1 tablespooon salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning blend
* 1/4 cup lard, bacon drippings or solid shortening (e.g., Crisco)
* 6 carrots, diced
* 6 ribs celery, sliced
* 1 tablespoon minced parsley
* 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 cup good red wine
* 6 to 7 cups boiling water
* 2 beef marrow bones
* 2 to 3 quarts beef stock or water, boiling (but don't use water ... if you're going to go to all this trouble, MAKE THE STOCK!)
Cut a pattern of incisions across the top of the roast every couple of inches, each long and deep enough to hold a slice of salt pork. Combine half the garlic, 1 cup of the onion (mince this finely), 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, and push this mixture into the slits you've made for the salt pork. Press salt pork into the beef and tie it securely, trying to make the shape of the roast as even as possible for even cooking.
In a pot broad and deep enough to hold the roast with room to spare, melt the lard over medium heat. Brown the roast well all around, keeping the salt pork inside. Add all remaining seasonings, carrots, celery, parsley and thyme to the pot, cooking until the onions are limp. Add wine and enough boiling beef stock or water to nearly cover beef. Add bones. Cover pot and simmer 4 hours, until beef is very tender.
Remove beef from pot to another dish that will hold dripping juices. Raise heat under liquid and boil hard, uncovered, 45 minutes. While boiling down the gravy, baste the roast so it doesn't dry out.
Remove salt pork strips from beef and slice it as best you can (it will fall into chunks and shreds; the smaller you shred it, the more it'll be like the legendary "debris" from Mother's), putting the pieces into a separate serving or storage dish. Strain the gravy, season it to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper and optionally a small pinch or two of cayenne and pour it over the beef. There should be about a quart of gravy. The resulting mixture should be sloppy, luscious and profoundly beefy.
Serve on fresh, crisp crusted New Orleans-style French bread -- average po-boy size is at least nine inches. Make sure the French bread (a good baguette will do) is not chewy. The bread must be crispy on the outside and light on the inside.
YIELD: enough roast beef debris for about 10-12 good-sized poor boys.
Beef Bourguignonne à la Bacchus
From Chef John Folse
Prep Time: 2½ Hours
Yields: 6 Servings
Comment:
This recipe is typical of the country French techniques recreated in early New Orleans. As a tribute to Bacchus, the god of wine, Burgundy wine is used in this dish for both flavoring and tenderizing the meat.
Ingredients:
2½–3 pounds sirloin, cubed 1 inch
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup flour
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 slices bacon, diced
2 cups diced onions
½ cup grated carrots
¼ cup minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 dozen pearl onions
3 cups Burgundy wine
4 cups beef broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp dried thyme
1½ cups sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped parsley
Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, season meat with salt and pepper. Coat well with flour, shaking off excess. In a cast iron Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté bacon 2–3 minutes or until golden brown, without burning bacon fat. Remove and keep warm. Add meat in 3 separate batches. NOTE: It is very important to add meat in separate batches to avoid overcrowding Dutch oven. Brown meat on all sides and allow it to caramelize in bottom of pot. Remove and keep warm. Sauté onions, carrots and garlic 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend in mushrooms, pearl onions, wine, broth and tomato paste. Scrape bottom of pot to release caramelized flavor. Return meat to Dutch oven. Add bacon and thyme. Bring pot to a rolling boil, add green onions and parsley. Cover and place in preheated oven 2 hours or until meat is tender. Adjust seasonings if necessary, and serve over extra-wide egg noodles.
Beef Tenderloin with Pinot Noir Shallot Sauce
From Chef John Folse
PREP TIME: 1 Hour
SERVES: 16
COMMENT: Beef tenderloin is the richest and most tender cut of meat you can buy. We have dressed up this exquisite piece of meat with fresh thyme and caramelized shallots in a rich red wine sauce to push this dish over the edge of decadence.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 (6-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
* 1 pound shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
* 1 cup Pinot Noir wine
* 2 tbsps olive oil
* ¾ tsp salt
* ½ tsp pepper
* 1 tbsp salt
* 1½ tsps granulated onion
* 1½ tsps granulated garlic
* 1½ tsps pepper
* 1½ tsps chopped fresh thyme leaves
* ¼ cup olive oil
* 3 cups beef broth
* 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
* 3 tbsps water
* 3 tbsps butter
* ¼ tsp pepper
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Toss shallots and 2 tbsps oil in a bowl; stir in ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Set aside. Stir together 1 tbsp salt, onion powder, garlic powder, 1½ tsps pepper and thyme. Rub tenderloin with ¼ cup olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning mix over top and sides of tenderloin, rubbing to cover the entire loin. Place loin in a large greased roasting pan; arrange shallots around the loin. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Use meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the loin, the loin is done when it reads 130 degrees F for medium rare or 145 degrees F for medium. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, stir together beef broth and Pinot Noir. Bring to a rolling boil and hold at a boil for 6-8 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 cups. Remove tenderloin to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil; reserve shallots and drippings in pan. Add wine mixture to pan, and place over medium heat, stirring to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and water until smooth, then stir into the sauce in the roasting pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Add butter, stirring just until melted. Stir in ¼ tsp pepper. Thinly slice roast and serve with shallot sauce. Garnish with whole sprigs of fresh thyme.
Grilled pork chops, veggie fried rice and fresh asparagus. I marinated the chops in Lawrey's Honey Teriyaki marinade, then grilled for about 25 minutes, brushing the marinade on them as a grilling sauce. The rice is just a basic fried rice with some green onion, garlic, and bell pepper mixed in. Oh, and a little sechuan stir-fry sauce to spice it up. The asparagus were blanched for a couple of minutes and served as-is. I was gonna put a dollop of tabasco mayo on them, but resisted...
