easy weeknight dinner

Soooo... I promised I would be a better blogger and I have failed. Miserably. I haven't blogged since July 4th. Its been a really busy past few months. I took two classes and coached gymnastics all summer, and this week I started three classes, coaching part time and substitute teaching 3 days a week. So, unfortunately,  blogging is going to take a backseat for a while. But in the meantime here is a super fast and easy weeknight dinner you have got to try.

Marinated Flank Steak and Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4
Adapted from Family Circle Magazine

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt
black pepper
1 lb to 1.5 lbs of flank or skirt steak***
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces

Heat a grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat.

In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, brown sugar, thyme, salt & pepper.

Lightly coat grill rack or grill pan with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Brush or dip the sweet potatoes in the marinade. Grill 6 minutes per side or until fork tender. While the potatoes are going let the steak sit in the marinade.

Transfer the potatoes to a baking dish with a cooling rack, and pop in the oven at 200-250F, just to keep them warm while the steak cooks.

Spray the grill rack or grill pan again. (If using a grill pan wipe it out first) If using flank steak grill about 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. If you have skirt steak it will only take 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare. Once the meat is in the pan DO NOT touch it. You won't get a good crust on the meat if you keep playing with it in the pan. 

When the steak is finished cooking let it rest for at least 5 minutes before you cut into it. If you cut it too soon all of the juices will run out of it, and you will have very dry steak.

Cut the steak into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and serve with the sweet potatoes. 

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the finished product. I think that may be the hardest part of this blogging thing. I'm so hungry by the time I'm done cooking that I start eating and halfway through my meal I remember that I forgot to take a picture of my plate.

***When grilling or cooking meat, take your meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you are prepping.

Enjoy!

the only ranch i'll eat

If you know me, then you already know that I am not a fan of ranch dressing. I absolutely despise the stuff that comes in the bottle from Hidden Valley. Blech. But I do like alot of the ingredients found in ranch, so I decided I would give homemade ranch a try, and it was awesome. It's a super easy recipe that you could turn into a dip or salad dressing (depending on how much buttermilk and vinegar you add). Great for dinner parties or just everyday lunch/dinner. Beware: it is on the garlicky side, so maybe not the best for date night!

Homemade Ranch

1 clove garlic, minced
kosher salt, to taste
3/4 c sour cream
3/4 c mayonnaise
3-4 tbsp minced parsley
2 tbsp minced chives
white wine vinegar or just plain white vinegar, to taste
buttermilk, to desired taste and consistency

Mash and mince garlic clove. Sprinkle with kosher salt and with side of knife or back of a fork smash and crush garlic with salt until it looks like a paste. My picture is blurry, but you get the idea.

I use about equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream (maybe a little heavier on the mayo). Mix all of the herbs, garlic, mayo, and sour cream together.

Taste what you have so far. Start with a teaspoon or 2 of vinegar for sharpness and to waken up the richness of the mayonnaise. Start with about a quarter cup of buttermilk to thin out the mixture to make it more of a dressing consistency. Keep adding buttermilk until you reach the right consistency. Taste again. See if you need more salt or vinegar.

What you have in the end is a creamy, buttermilk herb dressing without the bottled ranch aftertaste.

One of my favorite salads to order at a restaurant is a wedge. To make at home just quarter and core a head of iceberg, and top with whatever you wish. I like ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, bacon and tomatoes. 

herwig's

Its not very often that I get to visit Penn State. Driving 10 hours each way is something I can rarely afford/ have the energy for. But every time I make it up to PA there are several things on the must do list. And oddly most of them have to do with food. Its amazing how notsalgic food and friends can make you feel. It feels like just yesterday I was walking around State College as a student, and it makes me really sad that it was actually a year and a half ago. One of the must visit places for me is Herwig's, which I visited when I was up in January and couldn't resist taking pictures of everything so I could share it with you here.

Herwigs is a State College favorite. An authentic ethnic dining exerience for sure. Straight out of Austria, Herwigs is family owned and operated. I always get the same thing when I visit, the pork weinerschitzel with potato salad and greens with the should be famous buttermilk dressing. But this day was particulary cold and rainy and some soup was definitely needed. Herwig's soup is always awesome and that day's special, the frittatensuppe, was no different.

Frittatensuppe is a classic german and austrian soup. A super flavorful beef broth and austrian egg crepe noodles. Simple. Broth and noodles. But so much more. The broth was definitely the best I've ever had. Deep and rich, thick and slightly gelatinous, the broth is made from pan roasted shank and marrow bones and slow simmered all morning long for the best flavor. The noodles are pretty much a thicker eggy crepe that is sliced to appear like noodles. Garnished with chives, it is a basic soup, but when the basics are executed this well they taste fabulous.

Weinerschnitzel is a pan fried veal cutlet, you can make schnitzel with chicken or pork too, but its traditionally done with veal. Because I am poor I am forced to order the pork schnitzel to save a few bucks. The pork is outstanding. Perfectly seasoned, crispy and juicy, this schnitzel is the best you will find outside of Europe. But what keeps you coming back to Herwig's is the potato salad and the buttermilk dressing. The dressing is a dill-buttermilk concoction that tastes good on anything and everything. I have a feeling its only authentic quality is that it was created by an Austrian man. Other than that I'm pretty sure its more german, but very appealing to Americans due to its ranch-like ingredients. The potato salad is not your traditional goopy mayonaisey american potato salad. Its served warm and almost mashed, and the only ingredients that I can discern are whole grain mustard, vinegar, parsley and potato. The rest is a mystery to me. Sooo good.

My girlfriend Lauren had the käs spätzle. Spaetzle are tiny flour and egg dumplings. At Herwig's they are pan sauteed with imported European cheeses and caramelized onions. They are heaven. The cheeses that were used the day were tilston, gruyere, and brie. All 3 cheeses definitely played a role in the big flavor these spaetzle offered. The gruyere lent a nuttiness to the dish while the brie added creaminess, and the tilston added a little funk. I am a super fan of stinky cheese. We were told by the cook that the Tilston is so stinky that he has to wear gloves to handle it, to ensure he doesn't smell like feet for the rest of the day. Once the tilston melts into the spaetzle it mellows out, and just leaves that tanginess of blue cheese. The spaetzle was served with a green salad and the buttermilk dressing.

For dessert- a huge cinnamon roll stuffed with bacon and cinnamon sugar. Yup, you got it bacon. Topped with a pretty basic confectioner's sugar and water, drippy icing. I may have forgotten to mention that one of Herwig's claims to fame is their love of all things bacon. Their slogan is "Herwigs, where bacon is an herb." They do a chocolate coated bacon, a chocolate bacon cheesecake, and this bacon stuffed cinnamon roll. Amazing.

While we were eating the owners noticed that I was taking pictures and jotting down notes (just slightly nerdy, I know), and asked if I'd like to take a look at the special that day, the Rosmarin Schweinsbraten. Ummm of course I did. I couldn't turn down an opportunity to go back in the kitchen and see what they were making first hand. They lifted the lid off a hotel pan and underneath was an entire roasted pork shoulder; bone, skin and all its glory swimming in meat drippings and rosemary. Isn't it beautiful??

Most of the seating in the restaurant is community or family style. Also every night is BYOB. If you are ever in the State College area, make the trip to Herwig's. You will not regret it!

vegetable tian

While watching The Barefoot Contessa one day my mother said, "I want you to make that." Thats how a lot of the dishes I make start out. Someone in the family will see something on tv or in a magazine and request it for dinner one night. This dish turned out so pretty, and it was tasty too.

 

Vegetable Tian
Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa

olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced (half moons)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. medium round potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed well
3/4 lb. zucchini
1 & 1/4 lb. medium tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
4 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped
2 oz. gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush a 9x13 casserole with olive oil.

In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and cook the onions over medium low heat for 8-10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture in the bottom of the casserole.

Slice the potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini a 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only one layer.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme and drizzle with one more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Uncover the dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

b spot

So I know I have been a bad bad blogger the last 4/5 months. There has been a lot going on at home and with my family so blogging and cooking has unfortunately taken a backseat. But I hope to win you back with some pictures from a recent restaurant visit. Enjoy!

A couple of months ago I went to Cleveland to visit family, and while I was there I stopped by Iron Chef Michael Symon's newest restaurant endeavor, B-spot, on two different occasions. The menu boasts a variety of Burgers, Brats and Beers.. hence the B in B-spot. Its a quaint burger joint with exceptional fare.

On each table you can find the restaurants "rules" or as they call it "Symon Says." The rules are a reminder to the patrons that B-spot is a relaxed atmosphere, where you can come and enjoy some great food and a few drinks with friends. Stuffy and pretentious are not traits welcome at B-spot (we are in the Midwest afterall).

Shoestring fries fried in LARD and tossed in fresh rosemary and seasalt.. Oh.My.God. I dream about these fries. They were that good.

I'm not a huge burger eater so I opted for The Chick Magnet. A fried chicken breast with arugula, avocado, tomato and mayo. So good. The chicken was perfectly fried, crispy and still juicy. The bun was toasty but still soft. The buttery avocado and the peppery arugula were the perfect complement to the sandwich.

One of the unique aspects of the B-spot was the pickle bar. The bar features pickled green tomatoes, red onions, dills, red pepper relish, banana rings and jalapenos. All of which are Michael Symon's recipes made at a 3rd party location solely for the purpose of being served at the B-spot.  

On each table there was a caddy of sauces. Shasha sauce, coffee barbecue, balsamic steak sauce, stadium mustard, regular ketchup and lola ketchup. The shasha sauce is named after Michael Symon's mother in law. Its a hungarian pickle relish made with banana peppers. I love homemade ketchup but the lola ketchup had way too much cumin for my taste. The coffee barbecue is my favorite. A little sweet, a little smoky, a great barbecue sauce. You don't really pick up on the coffee but you can tell there is something extra in the background. 

Michael Symon has done a great deal for the food scene in Cleveland. He is kind of the unofficial mayor in that he shamelessly promotes his and all of his friends restaurants on TV and in food magazines, and I for one do not mind one bit. I visit Cleveland as often as I can to visit family, and now that the food scene has been revived by Symon and chef Eric Williams (owner of Momocho and Happy Dog) all the more reason to travel the distance.

If you are ever in Ohio check to see if there is a B-spot where you are, its definitely worth the visit!

a taste of the south- chicken bog

Chicken bog is a South Carolina low country dish. No one really knows where the term "bog" comes from, but there are a few theories. One is that it is named after the area where it originated, the Pee Dee region, and its "boggy"nature, swamps and marshland. Some say its because it is a stew that contains wet, soggy rice (unlike Pilau), and is named a bog because the dish itself is boggy. Another dish a lot like bog is Pilau, another low country favorite. I'll show you a recipe for that another day. Culinary historian Damon Lee Fowler defines chicken bog as “a highly localized form of pilau, probably of African provenance, in the U.S. found only in South Carolina." Well, no matter if its a bog or soggy pilau, its darn tasty, and a true South Carolinian original dish. Here's how to make it:

Chicken Bog

Feeds a small army

1 (3-5 lb) chicken (cut into pieces)
1 pound smoked sausage
1/4 cup butter
2 tsps seasoning salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsps black pepper
pinch of salt
dash of garlic powder
3 bay leaves
8 cups water
3 cups white rice, rinsed well

Cut the sausage into 1/2 inch coins.

Combine the chicken, sausage, butter, seasonings, and bay leaves in a large stock pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 40 minutes at a low boil. **Note: I had chicken thighs in the fridge today, so I used those instead of a whole chicken.

Remove the chicken. It WILL be extremely hot, so be careful. Pick the meat from the bones of the chicken. Throw away the skin and bones.

Add the rice to the pot with the chicken broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stirring well.

Boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot and let cook for 10 more minutes or until the rice is done.

Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, return the chicken to the pot, mix well, and serve.

The best part about this meal is that it all cooks in one pot, meaning less cleanup, which I loooove. I like to serve with collards or green beans for a complete supper. This is also a great dish for parties and tailgates. 

a taste of the south-hoppin' john

Hoppin' John is a southern classic. It's basically just stewed black eyed peas and rice. You usually only hear about it around New Years, but down south we eat it year round. To read about why we eat it every January 1st check out my post: A Culinary History Lesson- New Year's Traditions.

Every family has a different recipe, and everyone thinks theirs is the best. I've never had bad hoppin' john, so its safe to say no matter which recipe you use it will turn out tasty. But one things for sure, no matter who is cooking it for you it will have black eyed peas, some form of pork (usually smoked, and usually ham hock), and rice (either cooked with or served over).

For this recipe I used fresh peas. Around the end of the year when the grocery stores put out all the New Years stuff the fresh will be on sale, and they are so much easier than using the dried ones. During the summer time when the peas are harvested you can usually find fresh ones at farmers markets and roadside stands too. But you could totally use dried beans if thats all you can find. Just soak overnight on the counter. One trick to making peas or beans is to hold off on the salt until the very end. Salting the beans too early will make for a tough bean, or so the wives tale goes.

This recipe isn't an exact science, and I swear it changes a little bit every time I make it, but these are the main ingredients (the only thing that really changes are the amounts), and this is the way that I made it on New Year's Day. This is a great dish for a big meal when you have a lot of stuff in the oven and a lot of prep work to do, because it sits on the back burner for a couple hours and takes care of itself.

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Hoppin' John
Feeds 6 as a main meal or 8-10 as a side dish

24 oz fresh shelled black eyed peas
one small green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 onion, small dice
1 stalk of celery, super small dice
one tomato, seeded and chopped (you could peel it too if you're an overachiever)
box of chicken stock
smoked ham hock
a few sprigs of thyme, 3-5
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Rinse the black eyed peas and pick them over for small rocks or bad peas.

Saute the veg on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until translucent and softened.

Add the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT FOR THE SALT!!! Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about an hour and a half. Now do the five bean (slash pea) test. Take out 5 beans and taste them. If all 5 are tender you are good to go, if not cook longer. Repeat. If all 5 beans pass the test you may salt. After salting I continue to cook at a low simmer until the beans start to look kind of creamy. This batch of mine sat on the stove for close to 2 hours. Fish out the thyme twigs before you serve to your guests. Serve over buttered rice. A recipe for which may be found here: Perfect White Rice Every Time.