South American Stir Fry: Lomo Saltado

Just from Googling around I read that in the late 1800's and early 1900's, Peru experienced a wave of immigration from the area around the city of Guangzhou, China. These people brought soy sauce and woks; then they incorporated their cooking practices with ingredients native to their new home. This way of cooking came to be known as "chifa" and today is a common type of  Peru cuisine. 

Roy and I had this yummy "stir fry" several times this winter when we were in southwest Florida where Peruvian food is very popular. I was surprised to find out that it had soy sauce in it because it had such spicy Latin flavors. Authentic Lomo Saltado gets its kick from the yellow aji amarillo pepper, which I found as a bottled paste on Amazon. A good substitute is jalapeno or Thai chilies. "Lomo" translates to loin and this recipe can be made from beef tenderloin or, as I used, sirloin steak. Another cheat is using frozen french fries instead of making your own. It's festive enough for a weekend but easy enough for a week day meal.

Ingredients and Directions for Lomo Saltado - Serves Four

About 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak (or beef tenderloin)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced or put through a press
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 1/2 bell pepper - any combination of colors, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper or 2 to 3 smaller Thai peppers, sliced w/seeds & membranes removed
3 small tomatoes, sliced in lengthwise strips
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnishing 

1 small bag of frozen french fries
or
2 medium russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Trim all the fat from the steak, and slice it into thin strips.

Combine the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of oil in a bowl. Whisk well, add the meat and gently combine. Set aside.

Start making the french fries. Either follow the package directions for baking the frozen french fries or follow the steps below.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/4 inch wide strips by slicing them lengthwise every 1/4 inch and then cutting those pieces into 1/4 inch wide strips.

Rinse the strips and drain them. Then put them in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let them sit for 10 minutes.

Drain them, rinse them again, then pat them dry with paper towels.

Spread the potato strips out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (best option!) or foil.  Toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread them out again so they are in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes, gently flipping over every 10 minutes, until nicely browned.

(These are extra yummy tossed with Parmesan cheese, minced parsley, and a smidgen of truffle oil - especially when dipped in mayo mixed with lemon juice and garlic.) 

But wait - we are using these fries for Lomo Saltado!

To continue with Lomo Saltado:

While the french fries are cooking, place the sliced bell peppers, hot peppers, onions, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Saute over medium low heat, about 10 minutes or until tender. 

Add the tomato slices and saute  until softened about 3 to 4 more minutes.

Remove the cooked vegetables from pan and set aside, covered.

Place the meat mixture into the same pan.

Saute until the beef is brown on both sides.

Add the vegetables and gently toss.

To serve, divide french fries among 4 plates. Ladle the Lomo Saltado on top. To garnish sprinkle a bit of chopped cilantro on top of each serving.

Pat's "Irish" Stew

On St. Patrick's Day everyone wants to be Irish. My Dad was named Edward Patrick, and everyone called him "Pat". His father's name was Clarence Edward but everyone called him "Patrick". Both of them had twinkling eyes that were full of fun, and all my growing up years, I figured it was because they were Irish. At weddings and such, my grandpa would go around saying things like, "Oh the luck of the Irish!".  I assumed that his parents had recently arrived to this country. His wife, my grandmother Ivy, really had just "gotten off the boat" not too much before she married Clarence. However, it was England that she hailed from and her family actually immigrated here twice. I guess the first time they were so homesick they went back, but there were no opportunities for them in Britain, so they returned a few years later. Recently, I got on Ancestry.com to see where in Ireland my great grandparents were from. After poking around a bit, I realized that my grandpa was not quite as pure Irish as I was led to believe.  I went back six generations, and the direct line all resided in the United States. I did find out that my great great great grandmother Mariah married at 13 and had five kids in nine years of marriage. After my multi-great grandfather died, she then married his brother and had six more children! She lived be 80 years old - what a woman! She probably knew how to make a stew or two as well as feed a lot of hungry mouths. Here is my dad's version of Irish stew. He always loved the good things in life and I think it's funny that instead of ale, his version calls for a wee bit of red wine. He served this with some crusty bread and a nice little green salad.

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat

2 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

3 carrots, peeled and cut into hunks

1 onion, chopped

1 cup sliced celery

1 clove garlic, diced

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 potatoes, enough to make 2 cups peeled and cut up

1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put everything except for the potatoes and peas in a dutch oven or oven-safe dish. Cover the pot with foil or an oven safe lid. Bake for 4 hours. Add the potatoes and turn the oven up to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 more minutes and then add the peas. Bake 15 minutes more. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with some good crusty bread.

Sweet Potato Corned Beef Hash

     So what could a  poached egg be put on top of tomorrow?  Since today is St. Patrick's Day, there might be a chance that somebody might want to make hash out of left over corned beef. Every Irish family has their own method of making corned beef.  My dad, whose name was Patrick, would actually wrap a brick in foil and place it on top of a baking brisket.  But, although I've included my recipe for corned beef brisket here, the real star of this post is the hash made out of leftovers. This one is made with sweet potatoes which blend so well with the savory, slightly salty meat, Dijon mustard and the hint of thyme.  It is just delicious with a poached egg on top and is really such a special treat, perhaps this hash made with left overs should be served for a weekend brunch instead!

Ingredients for Four Servings of Sweet Potato Corned Beef Hash:

1 cup corned beef (recipe below), chopped

1 cup cooked sweet potatoes, chopped 

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, put through a press

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

poached eggs (recipe below), how ever many you wish to serve

 Directions:

Dice the onion and saute it with the butter over medium low heat until tender.  Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.  Add the beef, potatoes, parsley, mustard, thyme, and pepper to the pan and combine. Over medium low heat, cook for about four minutes.  Then turn the mixture over with a spatula and cook another three to five minutes until the onions, sweet potatoes, and meat begin to brown.  Watch it carefully so that it doesn't start to burn.  Transfer the hash to service dishes and top with a poached egg or two. Recipes for corned beef and poached eggs are below.

Corned Beef

1 (3 lb. or so) corned beef brisket

2 bay leaves

3 teaspoons peppercorns (black, green, or one of those colorful mixtures)

2 teaspoons mustard seed

6 whole cloves

6 carrots

Small head of cabbage

6 large carrots

8 potatoes - new w/skins on or sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place one of the bay leaves, one teaspoon of the peppercorns, one teaspoon of the mustard seeds,  two of the cloves, and the brisket into a large pot.  Add enough water to cover it, but don't fill it up all the way to the top.  Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a boil.  Let it boil for five minutes, occasionally skimming off the "scum" that floats up to the top.  I use a slotted spoon and transfer the frothy stuff to bowl, then throw it away later.  While the corned beef is boiling, peel the carrots and cut each one in two. If you are using them, wash the potatoes, leave the skin on,  and cut each one in two.  Place the carrots, potatoes, and the remaining bay leaf, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, 1 teaspoon mustard seed, and 4 cloves into an oven safe 9 by 13 baking dish.  At the end of the boiling time, get rid of any remaining scum in the pot and transfer the brisket into the baking dish.  Pour the cooking water from the top into the baking dish, leaving an inch or two of space at the top. Cover the baking dish with foil, and carefully place it in the preheated oven.  Bake for 3 hours and 45 minutes.  Ten minutes or so before the baking time is over, Wash the head of cabbage and discard the bruised looking outer leaves.  Core and slice the cabbage into 8 wedges.  Place the wedges into a pot large enough to hold them and set aside.  After taking the brisket out of the oven, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving platter.  Cover with foil to keep it warm.  Pour the cooking liquid from the baking pan over the cabbage wedges and bring the pot up to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until cabbage can be pierced by a fork but is not mushy. Remove the cabbage from the pot and add them to the serving platter. Slice the corned beef across the grain and serve while everything is still hot.

Poached Eggs:

Bring at least 1/2 a pot of water in a sauce pan up to a boil. One or two at a time, crack the egg(s) onto a saucer. With a wooden spoon, give the water in the pan a swirl and slip the egg off the saucer into the middle of the swirl.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, lift each egg out of the water and place it on a cloth dish towel until ready to serve.

Twice the Fun - Two Sauces

A couple of weeks ago one of Allison's roommates, Grace, had a birthday.  They live with four other girls in a house on campus and seem have a huge amount of fun in between periods of serious studying.  Grace's mom, Mariana lives close to me, and she came over to my house with groceries. 

Under her direction, we cooked up a delicious birthday meal for Grace, the roommates, and some friends.  Mariana wanted to make a couple special sauces that could be served over pasta. She had in mind one of Grace's favorites, a beefy mushroom sauce made from Trader Joe's packaged filet mignon beef tenderloin, but also a vegetarian ratatouille as a meatless choice.  I've had "two sauce option" dinners before, and one sauce usually over powers the other due to stronger flavors.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when both of these sauces could hold their own even while on the same plate. In fact, they played off extremely well against each other - just as the roomies do!

Ratatouille Sauce

Ingredients and Directions for 4 servings:

1 medium eggplant
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, put through a press
1/2 each of medium red, orange, and yellow bell peppers
2 (15 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Cut the eggplant into 3/4 inch slices and place in a bowl.  Cover with water and add 2 teaspoons of salt.  Set aside while continuing with the rest of the steps in the recipe.

Peel and dice the onion.  Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet and add the onion. Saute over medium heat until the onion is tender but not brown.  Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

While the onion is cooking, cut the zucchini and yellow squash into 3/4 inch slices, and then cut the slices into cubes.  Seed the bell peppers, discard the membranes, and cut them into cubes.  Drain and rinse the eggplant slices and cut those into cubes.  Place in the pan with the tender onions.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat for about 10 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, garlic salt, salt, and pepper.  Cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.

Beef Tenderloin Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients and Directions for Four Servings

16 oz. filet mignon beef tenderloin
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms
6 oz. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion
1 medium shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 cup beef broth
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Slice the beef tenderloin into strips.  Wash, rinse, and slice any really large mushrooms into smaller pieces.  Peel and dice the onion and shallot.  Peel the garlic cloves and put through a press.

Melt the butter into a large skillet.  Add the beef strips and cook over medium heat until brown.

Remove the beef with a slotted spoon, allowing the juices to remain in the pan.  Add the onion and shallot to the same pan and saute over medium low heat until tender.  Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Now remove the onion mixture allowing the juices to remain in the pan.  Add the mushroom to the pan and saute over medium low heat until tender. Return the meat and onion mixture to the pan.  Add 3/4 of the broth and scrape the pan to loosen any "fond" from the bottom of it.  Turn up the heat and allow the mixture to reach a boil. Stir the corn starch into the remaining broth and pour it in all at once.  The sauce should thicken up almost immediately.  Serve it over the hot, cooked spaghetti.

Decadent Gorgonzola Pasta with Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

This lusciously rich dish is made for self indulgence times when someone, perhaps yourself, really needs a reward!  I was introduced to this luxurious Gorgonzola pasta sauce about five years ago when Roy and I were in Chicago. Chicago is a great town, but the weather is cold and windy if it isn't late spring or summer.  Plus, it always takes longer to get somewhere than the GPS indicates - and even with a GPS, a visitor can get lost. At the end of a day of driving around to different meetings, Roy asked a business acquaintance about good restaurants close by.  He gave Roy the name of a couple of Italian ones and we picked the easiest one to navigate to.  I usually try to avoid too many carbs and typically order just a meat dish, but that night I succumbed to pasta with Gorgonzola sauce because I thought I had earned it!  The sauce in this post is not any harder to make than a regular Alfredo sauce and the beef tenderloin is also super easy to make.  Go ahead - you deserve it!

Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce and Grilled Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

Four Servings

Grilled Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

1 pound beef tenderloin

2 cloves garlic, put through a press

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary

Make a "paste" out of the garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Rub the mixture into all surfaces of the beef.  Allow it to sit for 20 minutes before grilling over medium heat, 10 minutes per side.  Or, bake in a preheated 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  A George Foreman grill could also be used.

After taking it off the grill, let the meat sit for five minutes before slicing it on the bias.

Gorgonzola Pasta Sauce

1 cup cream

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon pepper

(pinch salt only if needed to your taste)

8 oz. linguine or other pasta cooked according to package directions

Melt butter over medium low heat and saute rosemary just until the butter starts to brown.

Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture bubbles. Continue to cook another two minutes, stirring constantly.  Don't let the mixture get to a full - out boil.  Take off the heat and add the Gorgonzola crumbles and grated Parmesan cheese a little at a time, stirring until smooth.

Place the hot cooked pasta on a serving platter or individual plates and pour the Gorgonzola sauce over it.  Arrange the sliced beef tenderloin on top.  Garnish with a bit of rosemary and some additional cheese crumbles if you still have some left.  A simple green salad would round it out.

Sweetheart Steakhouse Supper

Tenderloin Filets, Creamed Spinch, Wedge Salad

During the first couple of years of our married life, Roy and I tried to celebrate Valentine's Day by eating out at a restaurant.  What a hassle!  I remember long waits, hurried service, and an unrelaxed atmosphere.  We soon wised up and realized that trying to dine out on Valentine's Day was just as bad as going out on Mother's Day for brunch. It was so much easier to stay home and cook a nice meal.  Later, after we had the three girls, we celebrated the day with a special family meal which included small little gifts at each place setting. It was always fun to try to duplicate a restaurant meal such as an expensive steak house. The menu here has a lighter version of creamed spinach and turkey bacon in the salad.

Steakhouse Beef Tenderloin Filets

Ingredients:

Beef Tenderloin Filets, prepackaged or from the butcher case

Cooking twine

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

A tablespoon pat of butter for each filet

A sprig or two of parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Tie each filet around the outside with cooking twine so it stays together.  Clip any extra twine that is dangling after the knot is made.  Brush each filet with olive oil.  Sprinkle the top, bottom, and sides of the filets with some of the salt and pepper.  I go easy on the salt and a bit heavier on the pepper. Heat an oven proof skillet to medium high.  When the skillet is hot, brown both sides of the filets, about 2 or 3 minutes per side.  Put a tablespoon pat of butter on each filet.  Place the skillet into the oven, close the door, and bake for 8 minutes for a warm, pink center.  The time can be adjusted less or more, according to your family's preferences.  After taking the meat out of the oven, let it sit at least five minutes before serving. Cut off the string. Spoon some of the cooking juices that accumulated in the pan over each filet. Garnish with parsley.

Almost Like Steakhouse Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz.) package of frozen spinach

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, put through a press

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups skim milk

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Extra Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Cook the spinach in the microwave for 9 minutes.  While it is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and sprinkle in the flour.  Whisk the mixture together and cook 1 minute.

Whisk in the milk a little at a time, keeping the pan over medium heat.  Keep whisking until it is smooth, then stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick.  Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cheese and stir in well. 

Take the white sauce mixture off the heat. Transfer the spinach to colander and with the back of a spoon, press any water out of the cooked spinach.  Add the spinach to the pan and stir until it is mixed in.

Transfer the creamed spinach into a greased or buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle with the extra Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and brown on top.

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Ingredients:

Iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges

Diced cucumber pieces

Diced tomato pieces

Crumbled bacon, turkey or regular

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 garlic clove put through a press 

To Assemble:

Whisk together mayonnaise, blue cheese, sour cream, vinegar, and garlic.  Place a lettuce wedge on serving plate.  Drizzle the dressing over the top of the wedge.  Sprinkle with pieces of cucumber, tomato, and bacon.

Stuffed Grilled Flank Steak

     Lately I've been thinking about grilling some kind meat stuffed with something yummy.  Caroline spent Father's Day this year with her boyfriend Adam's family.  Adam's dad is a grilling master and Caroline was raving about the wonderful stuffed flank steak he cooked up for their feast.  I remembered a recipe from The Betty Crocker International Cookbook I received in 1981 for a wedding gift.  It has a wonderful recipe for Matambre Arrollado (translation: "Hunger Killer Roll") or Argentinian stuffed flank steak.  The Betty Crocker recipe called for browning the meat and then cooking it in liquid until tender.  The temperature has been so extremely hot this summer and I'm in a grilling mode instead of cooking in a warm kitchen, so I figured if I tenderized the steak well enough, I could do it on the grill.  The results were very yummy and the left overs were even delicious served cold the next day.

Ingredients:

1 large flank steak (or at least a pound)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt (and more to sprinkle)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Another clove of garlic, minced or pressed
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 peppers such as serrano or jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 whole cooked carrots, cut lengthwise and then lengthwise again
1 hard boiled egg, quartered
Cooking string that has been soaked in water for about 10 minutes

Steps:

1.  “Butterfly” the steak by carefully cutting it through the middle with a very sharp knife.  Be careful that you do not cut it completely through so that it stays in one large piece.  Open it up and lay it out in a 9x13 inch baking dish or similar container.

2.  Make a simple marinade of ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 garlic cloves put through a press, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and a tablespoon of fresh parsley (if you happen to have it).  Pour it over the steak and refrigerate it for several hours (best overnight, but I don’t always think that far ahead).  During the day, turn the steak over every couple of hours or so.

3.  Shake the excess marinade of the steak and lay it flat – cut side up.  Press another clove of garlic and rub it on the steak.  Lightly sprinkle it with salt and pepper.  Chop and seed 2 tomatoes, dice and seed 2 small peppers such as Serrano or Jalapenos, and dice one small onion.  Mix the tomatoes, peppers, and onions together and spread them over the steak.  Quarter a hardboiled egg and line the pieces down the middle of the steak.  Cut two precut carrots in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again. Line them down the steak to the left and right of the egg so there are two strips of carrots on either side.

4.  Roll the steak up from the end and tie it with cooking string or twine that has been soaked in water. I like to tie it in three places - the two ends and the middle.

5.  Over medium heat, grill the rolled steak about 7 minutes per “side” to achieve some nice brown marks.  Turn the heat down to low and cook about 7 more minutes.

6.  Let the steak rest about 5 minutes before cutting it into slices.  Yum – Enjoy!