Green Bean and Walnut Salad

I love this salad and I wish I could say that I loved all salads.  I like some salads, mostly those that involve some type of cured meat and cheese.  Or a warm mushroom one with prosciutto that we made for Valentines Day and I have yet to post.  And with my love of carbohydrates any salad that involves some kind of pasta or grain I am usually a fan of, but the regular old pre-dinner salad to me is usually a bore.  Especially those at a restaurant that are labeled as 'side salads' and involve iceberg lettuce, a wedge of tomato and potentially a cucumber slice with a choice of dressing.  Yuck!  No wonder so many people don't like salads.

Although as much as I hate that type of salad I can't say I'm creative enough to come up with much better on my own.  I'm definitely not the type of person who just throws together a salad with what's in my refrigerator.  I know that I could, but it just wouldn't taste good.  Or I should say, doesn't taste as good.  I was inspired to try to be that kind of person like my friend, Marcie, after having dinner at her house one night.  She just grabbed some sunflower seeds, whatever lettuce she had at the time, some peppers and broccoli, and whipped together a dressing that is her husband's absolute favorite dressing and it was delicious!  Inspired I bought a huge bag of sunflower seeds and tried to recreate hers.  And... Let's just say there's still an enormous bag of sunflower seeds in my fridge less the tablespoon or so I used to build the salad.  It just wasn't the same.

I'm even bad at salad bars!  I always end up with all of these random ingredients, which all don't really go together.  I think I get excited by all of the choices and end up with just a hodge podge mess that isn't very good.  I need some direction.

That's where this salad comes in.  It is definitely a 'recipe', but one that after making a few times I can make without the directions and aside from the green beans I almost always have the other ingredients on hand.  It's my version of a thrown together salad.

I'm expanding my horizons and learning that the salad definition is a bit looser than I grew up thinking it was.  It doesn't even have to be lettuce!  Like this one.  I love to make green beans as a side dish and originally thought of this as more of a side dish than a salad, because it can be served hot or cold but as I dissect the recipe here it's pretty obvious that it belongs in the 'salad' category.   Plus I love to use green beans because they are generally readily available.

So to hell with green salads I say!  I'm trying something different.  A green salad with no greens that is.  Definitely not your run of the mill 'side salad'.

Trish's Tips:  The nice thing about this salad is it keeps for a day or so in the refrigerator, even if it's dressed.

Green Bean and Walnut Salad
Adapted from Ellie Krieger
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4 C walnut pieces
3 TBL finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 TBL finely chopped red onion
2 TBL walnut or olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Put the green beans in a steamer basket over several inches of boiling water for 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium serving bowl.

Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes, then coarsely chop and set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard.  Add salt and pepper.

Toss enough dressing with the green beans to coat.  Then top with walnuts, parsley and red onion.  Toss to coat and serve warm or at room temperature.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Macaroni & Cheese

If I had to pick a last meal this just might be it.  Either this or the #14 at Urban Belly.  (Completely, utterly, totally different than this, but it is outstanding.  If you live in Chicago you have to go there.)  I think if I was the type of person who could eat whatever I wanted I would indulge in Macaroni & Cheese every other day or so.  Like just a normal lunch on a Tuesday.  And I am certainly not the dieting type, but this is quite indulgent with the pound and a half of cheese and almost 6 cups of milk, but look at it this way, you are getting your calcium intake for the day, or at least a large portion of it, right?  

I remember as a kid requesting macaroni & cheese as lunch coming home from kindergarten.  Funny how even at such a young age I took such pleasure in eating.  It was the blue box that I'm sure you enjoyed as well.  Which even after my love for this much more gourmet macaroni & cheese, I do still have fond memories of the blue box.  Granted you have to look past the fact that the cheese comes in powder form, but it is undeniably good.  I was in a phase for a while when Johnny and I would make it as a side dish for dinner (because that's way more grown-up, right?) and was certain that he made it better than even the blue box inventors could even imagine it to be.  I had it once last year and realized that it was better in my memory than in reality, although I certainly won't pretend that I won't have it again at some point, for memory sake, you know?

Carbs and cheese in any form, what's not to love?  I love pretty much all of it.  Plain pasta with just some olive oil and parmesan, a good, crunchy baguette with some aged gouda.  I could go on and on, but at the risk of having carbs and cheese for dinner tonight I'm going to have to stop there.  So, being a carbs and cheese lover and my absolute love and obsession for mac 'n cheese I think that I would describe myself as a macaroni & cheese connoisseur.  I've tried it at several restaurants and most don't even come close to this recipe.  I'm more of a fan of the creamy types than the stringy cheesy ones.  (And no, I'm not talking about Velveeta.)  I want the cheese flavor without the goopy stringiness of the cheese.  And I want a traditional macaroni & cheese.  One with cheddar as the main ingredient, no Velveeta and no blue cheese or bacon or peas (and I am not even going to bring up the subject of hot dogs).  Just mac 'n cheese.  It's not called mac 'n meat n cheese.  Or mac 'n cheese & veggies.  It's called MAC 'n CHEESE. Which is also precisely the reason why it should be made with MACARONI!  Not penne, not shells, macaroni!  I don't know how some people got so off track?  Well, I will tell you who didn't, Martha Stewart, whom this recipe comes from.  

I'm kind of embarrassed to say that this is the only macaroni & cheese that I have ever made.  I've seen several others but always have that hesitancy of knowing that it just won't be as good as this one and why would I waste my time, good ingredients and calories on one that isn't the absolute best!  And I'm certainly not the only one who thinks so.  I made it for many fellow Midwesterners (we definitely know good macaroni & cheese as it is on nearly every menu here in Chicago) and many have claimed it the best.  Also, my sisters who are big carbs and cheese fans, perhaps even more than me, claim it as the best too.  And if you don't agree with me, agree with Martha, this is her most requested recipe!

You can try the adult approach and serve this as a side dish.  As I googled recipes for side dishes to go with this, many came up with the statement that macaroni & cheese itself is a side dish, not a main dish.  I vehemently disagree.  Why can fettuccine alfredo be a main dish and this can't be?  If this was my side dish then the main dish would be ignored, so I figure if you are going to do it, then do it.  I would certainly recommend keeping your sides on the lighter and healthier side to balance out the richness of the dish.  I made some roasted tomatoes, which were delicious on their own, and as I have seen many recipes for macaroni & cheese with tomatoes on top of the macaroni, I thought that they would go well with this and they did.  I also served crudites with white bean dip as an appetizer and just a simple green salad to start the meal with.  But regardless what you make it with; you know what everyone really cares about.  The macaroni & cheese will be the star of the show so serve it with whatever, just save the hot dogs for the summer.  

Trish's Tips: The macaroni must be cooked very underdone.  The time will vary based on what brand you buy but anywhere from 2-5 minutes.  Try it before draining the water.  It shouldn't be crunchy, but should be much more underdone than al dente or anything you would consider eating.  It will cook in the oven and if it is perfectly cooked coming out of the water it will be mushy by the time it comes out of the oven.  You could make this in advance and refrigerate it, but it would be slightly less creamy.  The original recipe calls for whole milk, but I have always used skim and it has been fine.  Fresh bread crumbs will also give you the perfect crunchy topping and store bought just won't do.  I bought a mini baguette and ground up in the food processor, but if you already buy sliced white bread that will work too.  The leftovers are certainly delicious but do lose the creamy consistency.  

Macaroni & Cheese

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Serves 12 as a side dish or 6-8 as a main course

Ingredients:

6 TBL unsalted butter, plus more for buttering dish

6 slices white bread or one mini-baguette cut into cubes and ground in food-processor.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt, plus more for water

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 1/2 Cups (18 oz) grated sharp white cheddar 

2 Cups (8 oz) grated gruyere cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside.  Melt 1 TBL butter and pour over breadcrumbs in a medium sized bowl.  Toss to coat and set aside.  

Cover a large pot of water and bring to a boil.  Add plenty of salt and when dissolved, add macaroni.  Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until no longer crunchy, but not yet al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Set aside.  

Mix cheeses together and then remove 2 cups for topping.  Separate into two bowls, cheeses for sauce and cheeses for topping.  

Warm milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Melt remaining butter (5 TBL) in the same pot you used to cook the macaroni.  When butter bubbles, add flour and cook, while stirring with a whisk for 1 minute.  

While whisking, add warm milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens.  It should coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 to 12 minutes.  

Remove pan from heat.  Stir in salt, nutmeg, peppers, and cheese for sauce (not including cheese reserved for topping).  Stir until cheese is fully melted and it is one creamy mixture putting the pan over low heat if you are unable to melt it without heat.  

Pour mixture into prepared dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese for topping and bread crumbs over top.  Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.   

Broiled Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze

I really didn't know much about salmon until at least a few years ago.  I grew up eating whitefish and migrated to ordering other light, flaky types of fish like halibut in restaurants.  When cooking at home I even branched out to doing something other than frying it, like when I made fish tacos.  But salmon just kind of was a mystery to me.  I wasn't sure what to do with the skin, which always seemed to be still attached when I ordered it at a restaurant.  I wondered, do you eat it; or rather should you eat it?  If I don't eat it is it like leaving the crust from your pizza or eating around the crust of a sandwich?  Or would it be weird if I did eat it?  Based on all of this, the first couple of times I made it I decided I definitely wanted it sans-skin.  But then wondered if it was weird to ask the fish guy to take off the skin just because it weirds me out?  Or will I seem like a rookie if I do?  It was really just easier to not make it.  Plus you add the whole cooking it rare thing which also really weirds me out.  Which is odd because I like sushi, but mostly when I eat fish I want it cooked or raw, not in between.  I don't want seared tuna; I want it completely raw or else out of a can mixed with mayo.  (I know, I really can go both ways, right?  Gourmet and cheap tastes all wrapped up in one.)

Well eventually I got over all of it.  I liked it and knew that there were so many health benefits to eating it.  So I bought my salmon with the skin on, don't eat the skin (although I still can't tell you what the 'proper' way is, just that I know others that do this too, so that makes me feel better about it) and I cook it until it is still moist, but flaky.  And if you are wondering, the skin is edible, the scales are not, but I cook it with the skin on then just don't eat it and leave it on my plate.  So after all that, this was probably the first recipe that I experimented with salmon and I have made it many times since then.  And even if you aren't a salmon lover, or a fish lover you could make this with another type of meat.  I've used chicken before.

Like most things, I prefer having a sauce or something extra than just the meat, salt and pepper.  And this has a very flavorful sauce that you spoon over the top and after cooking it almost makes a crust.  I was quite heavy handed with the sauce (I know you are not surprised) but you can adjust as needed.

I used to not be a huge mustard fan, but I've evolved.  This sauce has a combination of a two mustards combined with some fresh herbs, garlic and white wine and the combination with the salmon is perfect.

The other plus to this recipe is that it can be prepared in a snap.  Fish of course cooks quickly and you could prepare the mustard sauce ahead of time if needed.  Could be a perfect one for entertaining, as it is also very elegant.  So, now that we got the rules of salmon cooking/eating out of the way, you really have no excuses not to try.

Trish's Tips:  Similar to cooking meat, the cooking times here will vary depending on the size and thickness of your fish.  To check if fish is done, just check if it flakes with a fork.  In fact you only see one piece of salmon here in the final picture because the other one I accidentally tore in two while checking to see if it was done.  If you don't like salmon or fish you could try this with something else.  Johnny was anti-salmon for a while so I would make salmon for me and chicken for him.  If you do make it with meat, I would probably just pan sear it first though then broil very quickly to get the crust.  

Broiled Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze

Adapted from (you guessed it) Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

3/4 tsp fresh rosemary leaves

3/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 TBL Dijon mustard

2 TBL whole grain or stone ground mustard

1 TBL dry white wine

4- 6 to 8 oz wild Alaskan salmon fillets

non-stick olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

4 lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Put garlic clove in mini food processor and pulse.  Add white wine, rosemary, thyme, dijon mustard and half of the whole grain mustard.  Grind until combined.  Add the remaining 1 TBL of whole grain mustard and pulse until just combined.  Set aside.  

Put salmon fillets on sheet pan coated with olive oil spray skin side down and sprinkle salt and pepper on top.  Broil for 2 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and spoon sauce on top.  Broil for 5 minutes longer or until salmon is done.  Check it at the 2-3 minute mark and watch closely as the sauce will blacken.   If that starts to happen turn your oven off broil and put at 400 until fish is done.  

Serve with lemon wedges.  

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Bacon, Mint and Chiles

As I write the title I am reminded why I love this recipe so much.  Key words being "stir-fried", "bacon" and "chiles", three of my favorites.  It also reminds me of one of the best dishes at one of my favorite restaurants, the firecracker shrimp at Betelnut Restaurant in San Francisco.  It is Asian Fusion at it's best and there is always a line.  There are so many good choices it's always hard to decide what to order, but I would always get the firecracker shrimp.  It was stir-fried as well with lots of hot peppers, although it didn't have bacon.

Actually if I hadn't had the firecracker shrimp before and this one didn't have "stir-fried" in the title I'm not sure I would even think it was Asian.  I guess it isn't necessarily but anytime I hear "stir-fry" I picture an enormous wok over a hot flame and an Asian chef, but maybe it's just me... Can you stir-fry something and have it not be Asian?  Regardless, the bacon also throws me off here, and there's white wine.  I mean I don't know that much about authentic Asian cooking but I am pretty sure bacon and white wine aren't exactly the prominent ingredients.  But I have to say they work here, whether Asian or not.  I made it with rice, but then realized that I wasn't sure it needed it.  It was fine on it's own and didn't really have quite enough sauce to coat the rice.  It was more stealing the tiny bit of sauce for the rice when I'd rather just keep it on the shrimp.  (You know how I get stingy about my sauce.)  I do think this works really well with an Asian fusion type menu though.  We made it with some Szechuan type green beans and brown rice and those two went together quite well although I think this could also pair with a non-Asian side.

The first time I made it, it was SPICY, the second and third time not nearly as much.  Partly I'm sure this is due to the fact that no two peppers are the same, some are spicier than others but I also think it was due to how much I cooked the peppers.  Similar to garlic, raw peppers are much more potent.  So keep that in mind as you make it, if you like it hot, cook the peppers less.

It's especially nice for a busy night as it cooks so quickly.  Most shrimp recipes do, but this one was written up as one of the 30 best fast recipes ever in Food & Wine.  And if you needed another reason, the ingredient list is rather short.  I didn't often used to cook with shrimp but now I will cook with it at least every couple of weeks, as it is so versatile and quick to make.   I love the combination of the smoky bacon, the spicy pepper and the freshness of the mint.  Asian or not, it's a favorite of mine.

Trish's Tips:  For a spicier stir-fry, slice the peppers extra thin and add with the wine.  Err on the side of slightly underdone with the shrimp, as they will continue to cook when you add the wine.  You definitely want your shrimp done, but not overdone.  Then it will be rubbery.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Bacon, Mint and Chiles
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine September 2008

Ingredients:
2 tsp canola oil
1/4 lb thickly sliced bacon, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 serrano chiles, sliced into thin rounds
1 lb shelled and deveined large shrimp
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 TBL chopped mint

Directions:  Toss the shrimp in a bowl with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat the oil.  Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until most of the fat has been rendered.  Cook until it is underdone to your liking as it will continue to cook with the shrimp.  Spoon off all but 1 TBL of the fat from the skillet.  Add the garlic and peppers and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp and cook on each side for about 1-2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and curled.  Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute.  Remove the pan from heat and stir in the mint.  Transfer to plates and serve.

Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce

Pork... Hands down, my favorite meat.  I mean think of the variety.  Bacon, prosciutto, pancetta, pork sausage, pulled pork, pork tenderloin and... the featured cut, the pork chop.  I like a good steak every once in a while, but the truth is I would gladly trade steak for pork.  The pork chop is generally not the star cut of the meat, perhaps because it often is so dry and tasteless.  But blame the cook, not the cut of meat!  It's like blaming a bad dog when it's the owner's fault.  A pork chop done right is truly delicious.  Oh and the perfect flavorful sauce doesn't hurt either.

You know my love affair with sauce.  Generally if a recipe calls for sauce I look at it skeptically to see if it truly is an accurate sauce ratio for a saucy girl like myself.  If it's a 'light' recipe then it for sure isn't.  I used that filter on this recipe and let me just say... there... was... plenty... of sauce.  Like more than even I would need.  I think Johnny ended up eating the last of it with something else.  Maybe because I halved the meat but not the sauce.  I know, a bit ridiculous.  So, you will have plenty here, but not the ridiculous plethora that we had and did not need.  Although I think you could eat old shoe leather with the sauce and it would be good.

This recipe was maybe a bit fancy for what I normally make during the week but I had flipped by it so many times in my cooking binder that I finally just had to make it.   (Have I not told you about the cooking binder, or should I say binderssss yet?  It's a collection of recipes from magazines and food network that I print out and then categorize.  There's a salad binder, a pasta/pizza binder, a breakfast and beverages binder and yeah a few more... It's true; I have been told that I have some Monica tendencies.  I only started doing it with 2009 magazines and very quickly grew from one binder to 5 binders.  I know... it's a problem.)

Perhaps you don't love pork.  Or don't have quite the love affair with sauce that I do.  But surely you are looking for a new pork recipe.  And one that doesn't involve a dry, tasteless piece of meat but instead a juicy, salty moist piece of meat covered in a smoky, creamy sauce with a hint of onion from the leeks.  I know my mouth is watering.

Trish's Tips:  Pork chops are so lean that they will become dry very quickly.  Don't worry here, if you make that mistake you will have some delicious sauce to cover up your mistake, but they will be so much better if they are cooked right.  Don't overcook.  I grew up with the notion that pork was like chicken and had to be cooked through, we all did I think... This isn't true anymore and I've been told in a cooking class to cook it until it is 'blush' in the middle.  Not raw like a steak but just slightly underdone.  When you take meat off of the oven it will raise in temperature (I know, I don't get it either) and it will keep cooking while covered so err on the side of underdone vs. overdone.  You could always nestle the pork chop back in the sauce and cover to finish cooking if you need to.

Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appetit May 2009
4 - 1 to 1 1/2 inch bone in pork rib chops
2 tsp coarse kosher salt
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 3 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
2 TBL dijon mustard
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Pat chops dry with paper towels.  Mix 2 tsp coarse salt, thyme, rosemary and 1 tsp pepper in small bowl. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chops and let stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours or wrap and chill up to 1 day.

Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon and saute until crisp and lightly browned.  Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add chops to skillet.  Sear until brown and cooked through, 3 to 7 minutes per side.  The thickest part of chop should be 140 to 150 degrees F.)  Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.

Pour off all but 3 TBL of drippings from skillet (or add olive oil if you don't have enough grease).  Add leeks and saute until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic and stir 1 minute.  Add brandy, then broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.  Boil until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in mustard, then creme fraiche or sour cream.  Do not boil or it will curdle.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.  Spoon over chops.

Valentines Day Dinner

So... have you thought about it yet?  Your plans?  And not being in a relationship isn't an excuse to not have any, because it's also as my sister La calls it, "Single Awareness Day", which is certainly also a reason to celebrate.  Johnny and I used to do the whole romantic dinner out, making reservations months in advance to make sure we got in at the 'it' restaurant or really any restaurant for that matter.  But after a couple of VERY expensive/not very good dinners we gave that up.  It seemed like we could go out the weekend before or after Valentines Day and get a much better meal at the same restaurant for half the price as on Valentines Day.  There always seems to be a generic menu you have to choose from and very specific time slots and seriously jacked up prices.  It's just weird right?  And to me, it just always comes across as cheesy, all those rows and rows of tables just set for two with a single rose.  And the whole thing is so rushed!  One time we even had to order dessert as soon as we sat down!  I guess my lack of restaurant experience is maybe obvious here and I'm sure all of this is to make it more efficient for the chefs and waiters and what not, but call me crazy, when I'm paying $100 for a meal I might want to take my time and possibly even wait until after, I don't know, the APPETIZER before I order dessert!  Yup, it's been a few years since we've gone out and I'm still a bit peeved by it.  And these were good restaurants!  Sorry... rage alert.  

So, after all of that I gave up.  I figured I'd cook something instead.  I feel like I have so many cookbooks that target fancier meals that I never make so I might as well give one a try.  I had pulled out a Bon Appetit recipe and set aside for such an occasion.  And I had just taken my cooking class and bought the wonderful Tante Marie cookbook and found the perfect side dish.  So I made this fabulous meal a few years ago, and it was seriously one of the best meals I have ever made.  At the time Johnny said it was the best steak he had ever had.  It was delicious.  Since then, I think I was scared to remake for fear that it wouldn't live up to our memory.  But in my attempts to start thinking ahead for this blog (which shouldn't be a hard thing for me, being a crazy planner, already pondering Easter brunch ideas...) I decided to recreate this meal and post it for you.

So I hope you aren't hungry as you are reading this.  Because if you are you will want to make it for your next meal instead of Valentines Day.  It starts with a steak.  The ultimate steak, at least in my mind, a filet mignon.  Cute, petit, delicate yet hearty and the most satisfying steak you will ever eat.  And most good steaks don't need much to make it good, just a little butter and salt and pepper.  But it's also Valentines Day, so you want to make it a bit more exciting than that.  It is coated with a ground porcini mushroom powder, then pan-seared in an herb butter and topped with the herb butter as well.  Wow, right?  Are you thinking "wow"?  You should be thinking "wow".  If not, maybe it's because you don't know about dried porcini mushrooms.  It is exactly that, but so much more.  I love mushrooms, but I wouldn't say that these taste really 'mushroomy', they just have an incredible amount of flavor in this tiny 1/2 oz or so that you will use.  I found myself wanting to just chew at the top of the steak to get all the porcini coating flavor from the outside kind of like the way a kid would eat a frosted donut, but I held myself back.  I mean it is supposed to be romantic.  But seriously the porcinis add an incredible amount of flavor and I think I could eat the porcini powder and herb butter on it's own, but on the steak it is truly indulgent and screams 'special occasion'.

Another reason this recipe is so great is because it is relatively quick, it is Valentines Day and you don't want to be slaving away in the kitchen.  You can make the porcini powder in advance (although it is quick to make) and the herb butter and then just sear the steak right before eating.

I think a steak like this deserves a side dish that won't steal the show but doesn't come across as boring in comparison.  I decided I only wanted to make one other dish, not two since the steak is pretty filling but also wanted to have the rounded out meal of grain/protein/veggie.   I landed on a polenta with sauteed greens recipe that I thought would be perfect.  It is a bit more exciting than an every day side dish like broccoli or potatoes, and very seasonal to cook greens in the winter.  Oh, and did I mention the polenta also has cheese in it?  And if you buy quick cooking polenta it cooks in 1 minute.  Yes, 1 minute.  Sauteeing greens will take no longer than 10 minutes so you can then turn your attention to your steak.

So yes, I recreated this meal this past weekend to make all of your Valentines Day/Single Awareness Day's run a bit smoother.  I have it all figured out for you.  So now, pick up the phone and cancel those reservations and make a grocery list instead.  You won't be disappointed.  Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to make...

Trish's Tips:  Cooking meat is very fickle.  Never, ever just trust the time listed in a recipe, as there are so many factors.  If your meat is cold when you start cooking, if it is room temp, how hot your pan is, how hot your stove is, how thick your steak is.  So you can never just say "the recipe says to cook for x minutes".  You could ruin a pretty expensive cut of meat that way.  So I will say this:  mine was grass-fed (which is leaner and therefore cooks quicker), 2-inch thick, 8 oz steaks and they cooked in about 6 minutes on each side.  One was a bit smaller so I took it off earlier.  But really you have to just pay attention.  I got my pan nice and hot.  Put the butter in just until it is melted and then put the steaks in.  DO NOT TOUCH!  You will not get a good, delicious crust if you keep poking and prodding.  Don't touch for at least 3 minutes, preferably 4-6.  Then peek or flip.  It will look really really dark because of the porcini crust.  It isn't burnt.   You want a crust.  Then flip again.  Wait a couple more minutes.  Then touch the meat with your pointer finger.  This is how the pros do it.  In fact touch it before you put it on and keep in mind how it feels.  Then after flipping feel the outside of the steak vs. the center.  It will be denser where it has cooked more.  Keep touching.  You want it to be softer vs. firmer depending on how you like it done.  It does, however, take a lot of experience to do this, so don't be afraid to cut in to it to take a peek.  Better to have a slit in the middle and let some juices run then a well-done piece of steak and a pissed off Chef at ruining such an expensive piece of meat.  Here's the order in which I would cook the meal:
1.  Take steak out of fridge to come to room-temp and salt & pepper
2.  Make herb butter
3.  Make porcini powder
4.  Measure and chop everything for side dish, get pans out and prepared.  Meanwhile heat up steak pan & pan for greens.
5.  Press steak into porcini powder
6.  Cook sauteed greens and cook steak.  (If you aren't comfortable doing them both at once, cook the greens first then turn burner off, cover and keep warm)
7.  While steaks rest cook polenta.
8.  If greens aren't still warm reheat in pan.
9.  Plate, eat and enjoy!

Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon with Fresh Herb Butter
Adapted from Bon Appetit May 2007
serves 2

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 TBL minced fresh chives
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh tarragon
1/2 to 1 small garlic clove, pressed (depending on your love of garlic and comfort with your date)
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms (you should be able to find in the produce section)
2 - 2 inch thick filet mignon steaks, about 8 oz each
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl for herb butter.  Season butter to taste with salt.  (Could be made 1 day in advance.)  Process dried porcini mushrooms in spice grinder, mortar & pestle or mini food processor to a fine powder.  (Could be done several days in advance.)  Transfer powder to plate.

Bring steaks to room-temperature at least an hour before cooking.  Salt & pepper steaks immediately upon taking out of fridge.  Just before cooking press steaks into porcini powder to coat all sides.  Heat pan over medium-high heat.  Melt 2 TBL herb butter in heavy, large skillet and cook to desired doneness.  Watch carefully and see 'Trish's Tips'.  Transfer steaks to plates when done.  Spoon rounded tablespoon of herb butter atop each steak and serve.

Creamy Polenta with Winter Greens
Adapted from The Tante Marie's Cooking School Cookbook
Serves 2

Add'l tips: This recipe also calls for a red pepper.  You would saute that with the garlic but for longer before you add the greens.  I didn't have one so didn't use, but it would be a great addition.  Use whatever cheese you like.  I like Dubliner sharp white cheddar.  You really could use any combination of greens here.  I didn't use 'Quick Cooking Polenta', but it certainly was.  Make sure you check the package directions and follow those.  I originally followed the recipe from my book then realized it was done after 2 minutes and my timing with the steak was totally off.  

1/2 cup polenta type cornmeal (look at the directions on the side of the package, it should be quick cooking in under 5 minutes)
6 oz white cheddar, shredded
1 bunch swiss chard, tough inner stems removed, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1 bunch (about 5 oz) baby spinach leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
coarse salt
Olive Oil
salt
freshly ground pepper

Heat 1 TBL olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.  Add the greens and a generous sprinkling of salt.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes to steam the greens.  Remove the cover and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the greens begin to wilt, but still retain their color.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Follow package directions to cook polenta.  Chances are it will tell you to boil in 1 cup of water or so with a pinch of salt.  Once the water boils you will need to stir constantly, first with a whisk then turn heat to low and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the spoon will stand up on it's own.  Right before it gets to that point turn the heat off and add the cheese.  Stir to melt and add salt and pepper to taste.  Then serve immediately with greens on top.

Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach

I have Food Inc. on the brain.  And if you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend.  Oprah did a show about it last week, which I hope brings a lot of awareness to the topic, but I was lucky enough to see it last year at a screening here in Chicago and since then I felt like Johnny and I should dial down our meat consumption.  We had already layered in tofu to our diet, but I needed other options.  I think it was shortly after seeing the movie that I found this recipe and it's been a definite 'repeater'.  I won't preach too much because I know you are here for a recipe, not a lesson (not that I'm qualified to give one).  And a good one at that because regardless of how 'good' something is for us or our environment, we mostly want it to also taste good!  This one does.

I'm a curry fan.  And a bean fan.  And I absolutely love eggplant.  I don't know why, it's so simple, but I really really love it.  And Johnny is a huge lover of spinach so this recipe is perfect for us.  Plus it's a one-pan dinner, and who doesn't love that.  Wish I had discovered it in the years that I lived sans dishwasher.  

I grew up in a house where we would have three parts to our meal, or sometimes even just two.  Usually it was some type of meat, a version of potato and sometimes a vegetable.  This recipe totally defies that formula, being a one-pan meal.  Of course we did eat a lot of soups or stews too, and I love that concept of making just one recipe for dinner.  Not the salad, and the meat and the other side dish.  This is just... one.... recipe.  And of course this is very different from my childhood meals and maybe a lot of yours because it is meatless.  Which doesn't bother me because I am not a huge meat lover, but my husband is and he still loves this recipe.  Now don't get me wrong; I like a good piece of meat sometimes.  I have been on record saying that I could never ever give up processed meats.  Like prosciutto, salami, etc.  Terrible, right?  But delicious.  You know you agree... So don't worry, I'm not going to turn vegetarian on you and come up with weird tofurkey recipes and other 'fake' meat, but I will share some good vegetarian ones with you sometimes.  Like this one.

It is a relatively simple recipe and you may only have to buy one 'special' ingredient, the Madras curry powder.  I'm sure you could use regular curry powder if you can't find the Madras kind but I do think this is a bit more of a special flavor then just regular old curry powder.  And I think it's a bit spicier (Or maybe the label of "Hot Madras Curry Powder" clued me in, not sure).  I didn't have a hard time finding it either, mine is just the regular old McCormick brand and I got it at the normal grocery store.  The ginger also adds an incredible amount of flavor.

I've made this recipe several times.  The recipe said to serve it with plain yogurt, which I thought was weird.  But I still gave it a shot, except I used Greek style yogurt because that's what I had and always buy.  And it went perfectly.  You cook the beans and the eggplant until they get caramelized, then wilt the spinach and the curry flavoring on the vegetables and the beans mix with the yogurt and make kind of a *sauce*. Yes, that is a magic word for me.  (If confused, see blog title.)  Then I took that and put it on the naan that I bought (just frozen from Trader Joes, but if you can't find naan I would just buy a pita and warm it up).  So good.  And you get a healthy dose of your protein from not only the beans, but also the yogurt.  Okay, I'm no nutritionist so I won't pretend to know that it is in any type of accurate healthy range, but I guess I'll just say in my book it was sufficient, but more importantly was delicious.  I can't wait to hear what you think.

Trish's Tips:  If you haven't used ginger before (but you all probably have by now, right) it's that gnarly weird root thing.  I think it's best to peel with the end of a spoon, although you could use a peeler.  The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of oil which I thought was kind of a lot so I dialed it back to 1/4 cup, which wasn't enough so I brought it back up to 1/3 cup and felt like that was the perfect amount.  You could dial it back a bit more if you like.  You definitely need it to caramelize and it won't without some amount of oil.

Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach
Adapted from Food & Wine October 2009

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 lg onion, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch wedges
1 - 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup finely julienned fresh ginger
Freshly ground pepper
One 5-oz bag baby spinach
Warm naan and greek style plain yogurt, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425.  On a work surface, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt with the side of the blade of a large knife.  The coarseness of the salt will break it down until it is a paste.  In a small bowl mix the garlic paste with the curry powder and canola oil.  Put the eggplant, onion, chickpeas and ginger in a large roasting pan and pour the garlic/curry/oil mixture over.  Season with salt and pepper and toss well.  Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice until the eggplant and onion are tender.  (the length of time will depend on the size you cut your veggies).  Stir in the spinach and roast until just wilted, about 2 minutes.  Serve with warm naan and yogurt.