Author: urbanmonique

I cook, write, throw flies, and play music in the Great Pacific Northwet.

Southwest Pepper Steak


You know how when a dish just kind of pops into your head? Then, like an ear wormed song, you just gotta feed the jones, right? Well, pepper steak was what I got stuck with, but the same ol’ version just felt kinda dull. Naturally, I thought of a southwest twist, and here’s what I came up with; works great for just about any cut of beef.

1 Tablespoon whole peppercorns, your choice, (We like black, green, red and white blend).
½ medium sweet Onion.
2 – 3 mild green Chiles, (Hatch, preferably, or Anaheim).
¼ cup Reposado or Anejo Tequila.
1 cup Beef Stock, (Can also use dark chicken stock if you like).
½ cup Crema, (Or heavy cream).
¼ cup Cilantro.
2-3 Tablespoons Canola oil.

Trim your steaks as needed, leaving enough fat for taste. Rub steaks with olive oil and sea salt, lightly, on all sides. Allow steaks to sit in fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook your steaks in a dry sauté pan on medium high heat: Leave the first side alone for about 3 minutes, (Or one good, old fashioned rock and roll song – Faultless method…), then flip, and leave ‘em on for about another song, then test temp with a thermometer – Follow the guide for finish temps – Rare – 140º F, Medium Rare – 150º F, Medium – 160º F. Remember that meat will keep cooking for a bit after you remove it from the grill, and do NOT cut any flesh for at least 10 minutes after it’s off the heat.

In your dry sauté pan on medium-high heat, roast your peppercorns for a couple minutes, but watch them closely – no burning here – When they start to dance and pop, it’s time to come off.

Remove the pepper, add and heat your oil.

In a molcajete, (Or mortar and pestle), lightly crush the pepper, leaving pretty good sized chunks.

Cut onion and chiles into ¼” strips and sauté in the oil until they start to turn translucent.

Add tequila to deglaze the pan, and allow the alcohol to burn off. Add the beef stock and cilantro when your tequila looks about half gone. Turn down to a simmer and allow the sauce to reduce by about 1/3: You want it to nicely coat a spoon; when it does, it’s time to move on.

Remove the sauce from heat, throw into a blender and blend well. Process results through a strainer, return to sauté pan.

Add the crema and peppercorns and, over medium-low heat, blend well.

Slice your beef and arrange on serving plates.

Serve with roasted corn or a spud, maybe some green beans, or maybe both!

¡Pásatelo bien!

Chicken of the Woods!


This just in from my pal Darcie, who’s become a fountain of vegetarian creativity for us!

OK Eben, I purchased “chicken of the woods” yesterday, a wild looking mushroom . . . now to figure out how to cook with it!!

GREAT catch, Darce! CofW is a wonderful, funky mushroom that I recall with great fondness from days in the northwest. They are truly delicious, with complex, deep flavors. Some think they taste, well, like chicken, (I know, right?), while others lean more toward a lobster/crab kinda vibe. In any case, they’re a great meat substitute that puts tofu to shame.

First caveat: As with any wild mushroom, be sure what you’ve found or bought before you try it! Check a reliable, reputable site for facts before you eat! I like The Mushroom Expert a lot, and that’s where I went to dig up more scoop on these guys.

Second Caveat: Some people don’t do so well with CotW, so it’s best to try a little bit and make sure before you wade into a whole raft of them. Typical reaction symptoms are stomach upset, itchy throat, or swollen lips. Anaphylaxis is not fun, so be prudent!

Third caveat: Some varieties of CotW grow on conifers, cedars, and eucalyptus trees; you shouldn’t eat these guys, as they can contain some nasty toxins specific to those trees that don’t mix well with humans.

That’s a lot to know, but it’s all important. Bottom line is, if you’re buying and your seller can’t answer those questions readily and with clear eyes, don’t buy from them… OK, all that said, whataya do with them once you got ‘em? Here’s a basic recipe that rocks, but first, a couple of notes.

Make sure you’re gtting young, fresh stuff – When these get old, they pretty much resemble plywood in taste…

To clean CofW, wipe them gently with a clean, damp cloth. They are sponges and will absorb a lot of water if you douse ‘em. For the same reason, if you sauté in oil, do so sparingly.

My favorite way to cook these is simple and straightforward, letting the flavor and texture of the ‘shrooms stand out.

Sauted Chicken of the Woods

2 – 3 cups CotW
3 – 5 whole tomatoes
½ cup Vegetable Stock
2 – 3 cloves Garlic
¼ teaspoon fresh Thyme
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean CotW and cut into slightly large bite sized pieces. Mince garlic, and fine chop thyme.

Heat water in a large pan to a low rolling boil. Fill a non-reactive bowl with ice water. Blanch tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds and then dunk them into the ice water. Peel and core after they’re thoroughly cooled. Toss tomatoes into a blender and zap ‘em until they’re uniformly sauced. Pour your sauce through a wide mesh strainer to remove seeds, etc. Set aside.

Heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Mince garlic and quickly sauté, taking care not to burn it!

Add CofW and sauté for about 10 minutes. As they cook, they turn bright orange-yellow, which is very cool!

Add vegetable stock and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium low heat, taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Serve hot and go wild. I love these with some crusty bread to sop up all the juice with a nice glass of tangy, white wine to refresh the flavors with. Also goes great tossed with a pasta of your choice, or over wild rice.

Enjoy!

Fridge Pickles II, fleshed out…


OK, this in, in response to our Sorta Readers Choice entry:
“OK, any and all would float my boat. But given that we have all kinds of misc. veggies right now, how about Fridge Pickles II. (would it work for beans, okra, broccoli, other odds and ends as well as cukes?)”

In a word, yup!

The major differences between fridge and ‘real’ pickles is speed of prep and longevity. Truth be told, we usually do both kinds when we’re in this mode, so that we have some to enjoy quickly, and more to hold on to for the long haul.

Here’s the scoop for our revised version of the noble fridge pickle that we’re enjoying now.

First off, another resounding YES in response to the question, can I pickle _______? Yes, you can and should try it. They’re tasty, quick, and add to a meal, and always a treat for the vast majority of guests! Beans, okra, broccoli, chiles, cauliflower (One of our big faves), Brussels sprouts (AMAZING!), baby onions or carrots, garlic, you name it!

Here we go, then:

1. Wash your jars in the dishwasher, or if by hand, do so really well and rinse thoroughly!

2. Prep your chosen veggies. You can cut and size veggies to whatever you prefer, keeping in mind that the bigger the cut, the longer it takes for everything to infuse.

3. For spicing, use a 1/2 teaspoon of dominant notes and a 1/4 teaspoon of minors. The pickling spice blend you saw in the pics earlier is why we call this Fridge Pickle II; the new blend includes a Pepper blend (Red, white,black, green) and whole coriander seed
as the dominants, with juniper seed, mustard seed, fennel seed, cumin seed, whole garlic cloves, and dill as the minors. Drop the blend right into the jars in equal measure.

4. Prep your pickling bath: We used 1 cup of white vinegar, but if you don’t mind or even like the color, you can use apple cider or any other vinegar that floats your boat. Use multiples of this basic ratio as needed for your batches.
Bring to a boil:
1 cup vinegar
1 cup good water, (Meaning, if it’s like our tap water, filter it first!)
1 Tablespoon non-iodized salt (Iodine makes things turn funky colors and adds a nasty metallic
taste, so don’t go there. We use pickling salt from our pals at Leener’s for ours, it is a better mousetrap!)
OPTION: 1 teaspoon of sugar if you like a sweeter pickle

5. Pour the hot brine over your goodies, completely covering the veggies.

6. Seal your jars – You aren’t canning, per se, so you can reuse old lids if their clean, or you can reuse pickle/sauerkraut/whatever jars too!

And there ya have it! You DO need to let things work their magic though, so resist the urge to sample for at least a week, and two weeks are better yet – The longer they hang, the better they get! Fridge pickles are good for at least 3 or 4 months, if they last that long. Any longer than that, it’s best to toss the remainder onto the ol’ compost heap and do a fresh batch.

Enjoy!