Prime Rib Sandwich

Path To The Draft Prime Rib Sandwich

Hey Folks! Ever wonder what to do with that leftover Prime Rib, skirt, flank, New York strip, (or any other kind of) steak? The easy answer is: 

A. Heat it up in the microwave, making it into a jerky type dish.

B. Slice it up into a hearty salad. Not a bad choice.

C. Slice it up, heat it up in some au jus, throw on some hearty cheese, smear some horseradish cream on a toasted roll, and serve to your husband, who has his bottom half glued to the couch watching "The Path To The Draft".  Or, the actual draft. I'm pretty sure that's what's happening right now on T.V. 

The Royal Wedding will never make an appearance on our TV sets, as long as the Draft is on.

So, for those of you who aren't in the know, this "Path to the Draft" thing,  is comprised of all of the college players in the entire universe hoping to be drafted to an NFL team. All expect to make millions of dollars, while, at the present time,  the NFL owners are locking them out.  It's kind of like being chosen for the P.E. class softball team..."Pick me. Pick me!"  Only this is worth a lot more money and a lot less humiliation. And it's all televised. For hours and hours and hours and days and weeks... and weeks...

So, for this great white knuckler event, we're making a sandwich. With leftovers. He won't notice. Until he takes a bite, and utters, "This is delicious!"

Here's how it's done: 

1. Thinly slice any and all leftover (preferably rare) roast beef. Set aside.
2. Peel and thinly slice 1 giant onion. 
3. In a cast iron skillet, melt a couple  (2) Tablespoons butter over med/low heat.
4. Put the onions in the skillet. Give it a good sprinkle of Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.    Brown for about 20 minutes. We're going the low & slow route to create sweet, beautiful, brown onions to top our sandwich. Turn off the heat when onions are soft and brown.
5. While the onions are cooking, put your leftover Au Jus in a deep skillet. No Au Jus? Pop open a can of Campbell's Beef consomme and pour it right in the skillet. Heat it up to a simmer.

6. Now, melt a few tablespoons butter on a sheet pan in a 425 degree oven. When the butter is melted, split your French rolls in half, and place the inside piece of each side onto the hot sheet pan, into the butter. Place the sheet pan back in the oven for about 3-4 minutes. This will toast your rolls all at once.

While the butter is melting, thinly slice some cheese. I used Manchego, because I love its beautiful, earthy, saltiness. You can use Parmigiano, Mozzarella, Gouda, or Fontina. Anything you like. Please, in the name of all that is holy, do not use "processed cheese food".

Now, place all that beautiful beef into the skillet with the simmering Au Jus, Consomme or beef broth. Turn the heat off. We don't want to cook the beef further. We simply want to warm it up gently. Just let it rest in the warm liquid.

Let's put this sammy together.

Place your toasted roll half bottoms back on the baking sheet.

Schmear the roll with horseradish cream sauce.

Pile it up with the warmed beef strips.

,Followed by some cheese slices.

Followed by a big pile of onions.

And top it off with a top bun schmeared with a hearty helping of creamy horseradish sauce. Yes. That is my pinkish/purplish I Phone in the background. A girl's gotta work, right?

Put the top on, give it a little smush, and put in a 425 degree oven for 2 minutes.

Cut this sammy loveliness in half, and serve with small bowls of Au Jus for dipping.

And expect to be drafted in the next draft. Or maybe just drafted to prepare sustenance for the draft watchers next year.

Grilled Veal Chops with Bordellaise Sauce

This is one beautiful piece of meat. But the real star of the show is the Bordellaise sauce. The name simply means that the sauce is of the type made in the Bordeaux region of France. There are many different versions of the sauce, some made with red wine, some with white wine, and some made with vermouth. This recipe uses red wine, beef stock and veal demi glace for powerhouse flavor.

Let's start with the veal. I like a loin chop on the bone. Meat with bones always tastes better than boneless. I got mine at Costco for $12.99 / lb.  If veal isn't your thing, sub in a bone - in ribeye or porterhouse, (well marbled).  Salt (Kosher) and pepper the chop. Let it sit at room temp for a minimum of 30 minutes. You want to cook this after it comes up to room temp, not before. Cold makes the meat tough.

While the chop and the grill are warming up, start to prep the sauce.

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Roughly chop (bite size) 1 lb washed and dried Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, 2 Tbls fresh Italian parsley, and 1 tomato, seeded and chopped.

Tie up the thyme and rosemary with kitchen string, making a bundle.

On medium / high heat, add 2 Tbls olive oil and 2 Tbls butter into a cast iron Dutch oven, (or soup pot. Or any large vessel). 

(O.K., I didn't really measure, so it's a guess).

Toss in the carrot, celery, onion, along with some Kosher or sea salt and pepper.

Cook for about 7 minutes until the veg has some color.

Add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for at least 5 more minutes, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and start to brown. Add the chopped tomato and the garlic. Stir it up.

When everything is a beautiful brown, and you've accumulated some crud on the bottom of your pot, it's time to deglaze. 

Pour in 1 cup red wine. With a wooden spoon, scrape all of that beautiful crud (fond, flavor, deliciousness) off of the bottom of the pot.

Add 2 cups low sodium beef stock. (If you don't have home made, use stock in a box. I like Rachael Ray's, found in most grocery stores).

Add 1/2 cup veal demi glace, (sub canned "Beef Consomme if you don't have demi glace), bay leaves, thyme / rosemary bundle and give it a stir. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to a slightly thick consistency.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 Tbls flour with 1 Tbls soft butter into a smooth paste. (This is called a "Buerre Blanc, "white butter" in French).

 Stir into the sauce, completely incorporating until the sauce is thickened and smooth.

Like so.

The sauce is basically done. Just prior to serving, remove thyme bundle and bay leaves. Drop in 1 Tbls butter at a time, whisk in until all butter is incorporated. Taste and re-season to your liking.  Keep warm.

Now it's time to man the grill. Dip a wad of paper towels into some vegetable oil. Using tongs, oil the grill (or grill pan) with the oily paper towels. Heat to medium high. If the grill (or pan) does not smoke, the grill is not hot enough.

Place room temp veal chops at the 10:00 o'clock position on the medium / high heated grill. Cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, turn veal chop to the 2:00 o'clock position.

Cook 2 minutes. Turn over.

Cook 2 minutes at 10:00 o'clock position. Then, turn chop to 2:00 o'clock position.

Insert a meat thermometer. If temp reads 125 degrees (F), the chops are done. Remove them to a plate and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes. This helps all the juices integrate into the meat. If the chops are not at 125 degrees, put them on the cool side of the grill until the temp reaches 125. (Or, put the grill pan into a 350 degree oven until internal temp reaches 125). Rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

Plate the chops. Spoon sauce around the veal chops. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with roasted (or grilled) asparagus and roasted baby red or fingerling potatoes. 

Just a portion note: This 1 lb. chop fed 2 of us for 2 meals. Depending upon your meat consumption, if you slice the chop on the diagonal, this will easily feed 3-4 people.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

2  (1 ) pound Veal loin chops, bone in.

1/2 large onion

1 carrot

2 celery stalks

2 cloves garlic

1 lb washed and dried Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, rough chopped

1 tomato, seeded and chopped.

3 sprigs thyme 

1 sprig rosemary 

2 Tbls olive oil 

2 Tbls butter 

1 cup red wine

2 cups low sodium beef stock

1/2 cup veal demi glace, (sub canned "Beef Consomme" if you don't have demi glace)

2 bay leaves

2 Tbls fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 Tbls flour

1 Tbls soft butter
6 Tbls butter


Method:

1. Roughly chop (bite size) 1 lb washed and dried Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, 2 Tbls fresh Italian parsley, and 1 tomato, seeded and chopped.
2. Tie up the thyme and rosemary with kitchen string, making a bundle.
3. On medium / high heat, add 2 Tbls olive oil and 2 Tbls butter into a cast iron Dutch oven, (or soup pot. Or any large vessel). 
4. Toss in the carrot, celery, onion, along with some Kosher or sea salt and pepper.
5. Cook for about 7 minutes until the veg has some color.
6. Add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for at least 5 more minutes, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and start to brown. Add the chopped tomato and the garlic. Stir it up.
7. When everything is a beautiful brown, and you've accumulated some crud on the bottom of your pot, it's time to deglaze. 
8. Pour in 1 cup red wine. With a wooden spoon, scrape all of that beautiful crud (fond, flavor, deliciousness) off of the bottom of the pot.
9. Add 2 cups low sodium beef stock. (If you don't have home made, use stock in a box. I like Rachael Ray's, found in most grocery stores).
10. Add 1/2 cup veal demi glace, (sub canned "Beef Consomme if you don't have demi glace), bay leaves, thyme / rosemary bundle and give it a stir. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to a slightly thick consistency.
11. In a separate bowl, mix 1 Tbls flour with 1 Tbls soft butter into a smooth paste. (This is called a "Buerre Blanc, "white butter" in French).
12. Stir buerre blanc into the sauce, completely incorporating until the sauce is thickened and smooth.
13. Just prior to serving, remove thyme bundle and bay leaves. Drop in 1 Tbls butter at a time, whisk in until all butter is incorporated. Taste and re-season to your liking.  Keep warm.
14. Dip a wad of paper towels into some vegetable oil. Using tongs, oil the grill (or grill pan) with the oily paper towels. Heat to medium high. If the grill (or pan) does not smoke, the grill is not hot enough.
15. Place room temp veal chops at the 10:00 o'clock position on the medium / high heated grill. Cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, turn the veal chop to the 2:00 o'clock position.
16. Cook for 2 minutes at the 2:00 position, then  turn over. Cook for 2 minutes at the 2:00 position. Then turn chop to 10.00 o'clock position. Cook for another 2 minutes. 
17. Insert a meat thermometer. If temp reads 125 degrees (F), the chops are done. Remove them to a plate and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes.
18.  If the chops are not at 125 degrees, put them on the cool side of the grill until the temp reaches 125. 
19. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
20. Plate the chops. Spoon sauce around the veal chops. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with roasted (or grilled) asparagus and roasted baby red or fingerling potatoes. 

Clean Out Refrigerator Day Salad

Clean Out Refrigerator Day (CORD) Salad

I made this salad for an orientation day of new hires at the company. I don't do fast food, so I always make myself, the educators, the new crews, and the office guys a healthy alternative. (They still ordered pizza and Chinese), but I was bombarded with requests for the recipe. Which I didn't have, because I just made it up as I emptied out the fridge. Here's my best attempt at re-creation.

• 1 lb Israeli Cous Cous cooked in chicken stock (you could use orzo, brown rice, or quinoa. As with all grains, cook them in chicken stock, as they have no flavor, or cook them in really salty water, if you prefer a vegetarian version. Use anything  (grain or pasta) you have leftover in your fridge.)
• 1 lb peeled and de-veined shrimp, (roasted in a 400 degree oven, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice), and split in half lengthwise. Cool.
• 1 cup (or so) marinated artichoke hearts, (from a jar) drained and sliced
• 1 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped, salted and drained on paper towels
• 1 (or so) cups roasted red pepper strips from a jar, drained
• Several cups Arugula, whatever you have. Could sub baby spinach
• 1 bag broccoli slaw. Could sub cole slaw, no dressing, or leave it out altogether.
• 2 small avocados, chopped.
• 1 handful toasted almonds or pine nuts. (Pine nuts were my first choice, but I burned them and resorted to sliced almonds).
• Almost forgot! I chopped up a leftover grilled zucchini half and threw that in, as well.
• Fresh herbs: 1/2 - 1 cup chopped dill and parsley. Use whatever you have. Dill goes well with shrimp. Parsley brightens the whole dish up.
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• Dressing:
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tsp (or so) white wine vinegar (I used Pinot grigio, but Champagne vinegar would work equally well).
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, maybe more, depending on taste
• 1 Tbls good Mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tbls light Agave nectar or honey, to taste

Directions:

• Cook, drain, and cool grains or pasta, or use what you have in your fridge.
• Peel, de-vein, and roast shrimp. Cool and halve. (Use leftover chicken pork, or beef, if you have it).
• Combine grains, pasta, shrimp. artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, Arugula, broccoli slaw toasted nuts.
• Toss with dressing.
• Serve chilled