Blackened Steak with Heirloom Tomato and Basil Salsa →

The development of the blackening technique is most often attributed to Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme who popularized Louisiana Cajun and Creole cooking back in the 1970’s. Cajun cooking was described by Prudhomme as old-style French country cooking using more pungent spices than are commonly associated with refined French cuisine. Creole cooking is multi-ethnic and incorporates Spanish-Latino, Italian, French, and African spices. Blackening happens when butter and pungent Creole spices come in contact with a very hot cast iron skillet resulting in a charred flavorful crust and a moist interior for your fish, chicken, or beef. The process involves a lot of heat and smoke, so I prefer to blacken on the grill outside rather than set off the fire alarms in the house. Like they say, “If you can’t stand the heat (and smoke), get out of the kitchen!”

Blackened Steak
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 New York Strip or Rib-Eye steaks about 8 ounces each and about an inch thick

• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted to brush on the meat

• Blackened Steak Spice (recipe below)

Preparation:

1. Preheat your cast iron skillet.

2. Using a paper towel, dry the surface of your steak well. This helps develop the crust in the blackening process.

3. Spread a layer of the spice mixture on a plate, brush both sides of the meat with melted butter and lay the meat on the spice mix to establish a layer of butter and spices that will create the delicious crust on your steak; do this on both sides of the meat. Alternatively, if you want flavor and less crust, you can sprinkle the spice mix over both sides of the buttered steak.

4. Once the skillet is very hot, place the steak on the skillet and don’t move it for 3 minutes. There will be a lot of smoke! After 3 minutes turn the steak over for another 3 minutes for rare or 4 minutes for medium-rare.

5. Remove the steak from the skillet, tent, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steak into ½ inch slices and serve garnished with Tomato Salsa accompanied by a green salad and some good bread.

For the Salsa:
Seed and chop the tomato(es). (One medium tomato will yield about 1/2 cup of salsa.)
Thinly slice a few leaves of fresh Basil and add to the chopped tomato.
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
Add two parts olive oil to one part red wine vinegar: 1 tablespoon olive oil/2 teaspoons vinegar.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Blackened Steak Spice
Coffee is commonly used to add an earthy depth of flavor and complexity in chili recipes. In the spirit of Creole cooking, this blackening spice recipe incorporates finely ground coffee into a traditional blackening spice recipe for steak. It works! The spice mix is pungent and mildly hot, so if you want to kick-it-up-a-notch, increase the cayenne or red pepper flakes.

Yield 3/4 cup
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds (toasted lightly to bring out the oils and flavor)

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds (lightly toasted)

• 2 tablespoon Ancho chili powder (or 1 Chipotle chili powder and 1 generic chili powder)

• 2 tablespoons finely ground strong coffee beans (I used 50/50 French Roast and Espresso)

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (if you don’t have smoked paprika use another regular paprika)

• 1 tablespoon sea salt (or kosher salt)

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes; stirring constantly until fragrant.

2. In a spice grinder, blend the toasted cumin and coriander with the dried oregano and red pepper flakes, pulsing a few times until the seeds are pulverized.

3. Pour the spices from the grinder into a bowl and add the other ingredients. Whisk together to mix well. Store in an airtight container.

Wine pairing: a medium to full bodied, fruit forward red wine like a garnacha/grenache, pinot-noir, or merlot. For this recipe you may want to avoid full-bodied heavily oaked wines with pronounced tannins that will clash with the pungent spices in the spice mix.

Adapted from:
https://keviniscooking.com/copycat-blackened-meat-seasoning/#wprm-recipe-container-28880
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/coffee-rubbed-rib-eye-recipe-1916521
http://www.welike2cook.com/2012/02/tow-blackening.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/us/paul-prudhomme-creole-cajun-louisiana-cooking.html

Braised Beef Short Ribs →

Winter in New England is the time for braising: slow-cooking inexpensive cuts of meat with herbs and wine until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender and you have a rich flavorful sauce. This recipe is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook and uses Chinese Five Spice Powder in the sauce. The warm spices that comprise Five Spice Powder (star anise, clove, cinnamon, and fennel) contribute an extra dimension to the richness of the flavorful tomato, mushroom, and wine-based sauce. Adding a small amount of tomato puree at the end of the braise brightens the final product and tempers the pungency of the Five Spice Powder. Serve over your favorite starch: rice, pasta, potatoes, or polenta accompanied by green beans or sugar snap peas, or a green salad with a tangy vinaigrette. If you want a more traditional ragu consistency, shred the tender chunks of braised beef with two forks or a knife and fork. Either way, I hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups beef broth + ½ cup of chicken or beef broth (see Note)

• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms (or dried shiitake if you can’t find porcini)

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry (or 1 ½ teaspoons anchovy paste)

• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder

• ½ cup dry red wine

• 14.5 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes in puree drained and crushed or well-chopped; puree reserved (5 or 6 tomatoes)

• 1 1/2- 2 pounds of boneless beef short ribs or chuck roast, fat trimmed

• 1 cup tomato puree (reserved)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 with the rack positioned in the middle position.

1. Microwave ½ cup of beef broth with the mushrooms in a covered microwave-safe container until steaming hot. Let mushrooms sit and soften in the broth for at least 5 minutes. (Alternatively, heat the broth on the stove until hot, add the mushrooms, cover and allow the mushrooms to soften for at least 5 minutes.)

2. Drain the mushrooms in a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper coffee filter. Press the mushrooms to release all the liquid; reserve the liquid and finely chop the softened mushrooms.

3. Trim the beef and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces. Sprinkle the beef chunks with salt and pepper.

4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven over med-high heat and brown the beef. (working in two batches will allow the beef to brown better.) Tent the beef and set aside.

5. Add another tablespoon of oil in the same pot and add the chopped onions; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until translucent and tender (about 5 minutes); add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. (don’t burn the garlic!)

6. Add the tomato paste, anchovies, and five-spice powder and cook stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes until a dark crusty fond forms on the bottom of the pot.

7. Add the wine, increase the heat to med-high and bring to a simmer, stirring up any browned bits of fond; cook until almost all the wine is evaporated and the pot is almost dry (3-5 minutes).

8. Add the chopped, crushed tomatoes, a cup of beef broth, the ½ cup of mushroom/beef soaking liquid and chopped mushrooms and bring to a simmer.

9. Add the beef chunks, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours until the beef is very tender.

10. Remove the pot from the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes (it’s hot!). You should have a thick sauce with tender pieces of beef. Taste it. You can serve it like this, or if you want a bit more fresh tomato flavor and a slightly thinner sauce add 1/2- 1 cup of reserved tomato puree and a half cup of chicken or beef broth. Simmer gently over low heat for an additional ½ hour to integrate the fresh tomato puree flavor into the sauce.

Serve over egg noodles or farfalle, or Creamy Parmesan Polenta. The sauce can be refrigerated in a covered container for 3 days or frozen for two months.

Braised Beef and Creamy Polenta

*Note: if you don’t want to make your own beef broth, use prepared beef broth from the soup section of the supermarket. Alternatively, you can add 1 ½ teaspoons of beef base concentrate like “Better than Bouillon” added to 1 ½ cups of chicken broth or water.

Pairing wine with 5 Spice powder can be challenging. Try balanced, medium full-bodied red wines with some fruit-forward like a Syrah from the Rhone Valley, Garnacha/Grenache, or fruit-forward Pinot Noir. Avoid high tannin wines.

Adapted from: America’s Test Kitchen Twentieth Anniversary T.V. Cookbook,