Juicy Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Let's go to Argentina!!! But please, don't cry for me. Just eat.

This dish is a culinary explosion. Not only are the flavors incredibly vibrant, but the colors are as well. Just look at that emerald green! Chimichurri is a green or red sauce that can be commonly found in Argentinian cooking. Its incredibly fresh tasting and can range in spiciness. After this, you'll be dancing tango in your sleep.

The Recipe:

Juicy Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

For the Rub:

1 sirloin steak or ribeye steak or flank steak
1 1/2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper
* For two steaks, double recipe for the rub.

The Procedure:
Before hand, let the steaks sit out for 20 minutes to take the chill off.
1.Rub a dub dub that steak with your rub mixture
2. Time to cook. There are 2 options.
Option 1 : FOR SIRLOIN, RIBEYE, OR FLANK, grill on charcoal or propane grill to desired doneness
Option 2: FOR SIRLOIN AND RIBEYE ONLY. Preheat oven to 450F, and place a cast iron pan in there for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, heat stovetop to medium to medium high heat. Place cast iron pan on stove and place steaks in pan. KEEP THE OVEN ON. In the pan, sear steaks 1-2 minute on each side. After doing so, place steak in cast iron pan back in the oven and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Perfect medium steak!
3. Whatever method you use, cover steak with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Pour chimichurri sauce over steaks and serve immediately.

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

6 garlic cloves
1-2 cups cilantro
1-2 cups parsley
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like)

The Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Add more or less ingredients to own taste.
2. Pour over grilled steaks or use as a dipping sauce.


THE SAUCE IS TO DIE FOR!!!!! Enjoy.

"GO TO" Pasta with Grape tomatoes and Garlic

Are you starving in your house just waiting for ravenous wolves to come and eat you? Do you have a few ingredients in your pantry but not enough to throw together something lavish? Then this dish is for you. A little of this...a little of that. This is my "GO TO " pasta. The only reason I have measurements in the ingredients is to give you viewers an idea of what you should be putting into the dish. HOWEVER, do what you like. This pasta dish is relatively healthy, and super easy to make. We are talking under 30 minutes here people.

"Go to" pasta with grape tomatoes and garlic:

The Recipe:

Penne pasta or any small pasta like fusilli, bowtie, wheels, rigatoni, etc.
Olive oil
About a cup of grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
3-5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/2 lemon's juice
Block of cheese to shave. Romano or Parmesan.
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
A few shakes of dried basil, or a few shreds of fresh basil
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher Salt
Pepper
OPTIONAL- 1-2 Tbsp Butter

The Procedure:
1. Boil water in a medium pasta pot and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. MEANWHILE, prepare the sauce.
*secret: salt your pasta like the ocean and add a little olive oil to prevent it from foaming over.
2. In a medium size nonstick frying pan, pour in about a Tbsp of olive oil and heat to medium-high heat.
* secret: you can tell when the oil is hot enough if you see "waves" in the bottom of the pan or by testing a few drops of water in the pan to see if it sizzles.
3. Add the onions and tomatoes and season with Kosher Salt, then the reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Cover the pan for about 2-3 minutes and stir.
5. Once onions are translucent and tomatoes are soft and puckered, squish the back of the tomatoes with a large wooden spoon until the juices come out. POP POP SQUISH. This creates a sauce.
6. OPTIONAL STEP- add butter
7. Add the garlic and stir to coat pieces
8. Cover the pan for about another 2 minutes and stir.
9. Take your half lemon, and drizzle the juices into the pan. Add as much as you like. I usually find 1 good, hard squeeze to be enough.
10. Add the balsamic vinegar and cooked pasta to the pan.
11. Add basil, cayenne pepper, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat everything.
12. Cover for 2-3 minutes, transfer to a bowl, shave cheese into bowl like a glutton
13. Serve immediately.

Asian BBQ Ribs

I'd like to start this blog with an excellent recipe with moderate difficulty. Asian BBQ Ribs over white rice with Cool Asian Coleslaw on the side. BUT DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! It has been one of the most delicious things I have ever made and well worth the time.  I got the original recipe from Williams-Sonoma's Sous Chef Series and of course...added twists

The Recipe

For the ribs:

8 cups chicken stock

1⁄4 cup soy sauce

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 6-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 medium carrot, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 racks baby back pork ribs, about 4 pounds total (racks cut in half if using a Dutch oven)

For the glaze:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1⁄4 cup sliced scallions

1⁄4 cup soy sauce

1⁄2 cup hoisin sauce

1 cup dark corn syrup

1⁄4 cup ketchup

11⁄2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

11⁄2 teaspoons chile paste

The Procedure:

For the ribs:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large roasting pan, combine the

chicken stock, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, carrot, onion and celery and bring to a

boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and nestle the ribs in the braising

liquid. Get them nice and cozy!

2. Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and bake until

the meaty part of the ribs are tender when pierced with a knife, about 90

minutes.

3. While the ribs cook, prepare the glaze: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan.

Add the garlic, ginger and scallions and cook over medium heat, stirring

occasionally, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, hoisin, corn

syrup, ketchup, five-spice powder and chile paste. Increase the heat to high until almost boiling. Reduce the heat to a simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on the baking sheet. (We put foil over the rack and cut slits in it, but a bare wire rack is perfectly fine.)

5.Remove the ribs from the braising liquid and place them, meaty side up, on the

rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Brush a thick coating of glaze on the

top of the ribs. Bake for 45 minutes, brushing the ribs with additional glaze every

15 minutes.

6. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then cut

into one- or two-rib portions and serve immediately.

  

Yes, this recipe takes time, but those Asian flavors are so rich and savory. You also get that finger-licking effect, which everyone loves with BBQ. This would also be great on a grill, but who needs one when you can make this in your own kitchen. You will absolutely love this.

***Here's another secret that they don't mention in the original recipe. The braising liquid from the roasting pan that you baked for 90 minutes actually becomes a stock! It tastes just like a rich chicken soup with a hint of ginger. Absolutely delicious and even better if you add some noodles, some dumplings or even Matzo Balls!***

Welcome

It's 2014, and I have tried to write a cooking blog twice before. This time, it's here to stay. I want something bigger and better for my life, and it definitely is going to involve food. So, enjoy these recipes and rants that I absolutely love. Many are inspired from my favorite chefs and many are combinations of different recipes put together. Whatever it may be, I have one thing that I believe in very strongly. Food brings people together and food creates love. That is why my life revolves around it! I always tell my friends that I have a mental obsession with food. When I am eating breakfast, I am thinking about what I want for lunch and when I am having dinner, I think about what I want to have tomorrow. So lets talk turkey..and hundreds of other things... cooking, food, eating, restaurant and all the gastronomical elements  put together. I am Beth Kravitz, and welcome to my blog.