Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Steak with onions sauteed in sherry wine and honey


Since I've become a stay at home wife I've been experimenting with all types of different cooking.
I recently have been trying the skillet method; where I sear the meat in hot oil first then add in aromatics and veggies or fruits sometimes and then wine to de-glaze the pan.

I happen to be a huge fan of onion soup which is made with sherry wine which is how this recipe was born. This steak is so flavorful I promise you won't even need ketchup. It was my first time ever eating steak without ketchup and I'm a ketchupholic.

Please let me know how it goes if you make this. I would love to know how it comes out.

2 boneless rib steaks or chuck steaks
salt and pepper
1 onion sliced in rings
3/4 cup sherry cooking wine ( kedem's is great)
1 tsp and 1 tbsp of honey.
Olive oil to coat the pan.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the steaks.
Place the skillet on the burner and turn the heat to medium high. Add the oil and let it get hot about a minute.Place the steak in the hot oiled skillet and let it sear for about 3-5 minutes on each side. remove the steak and put on a plate. Add the onions, they will turn light brown from the steak juices. Let them saute for a few minutes till they turn translucent and very soft and start to caramelize. Pour in the sherry and honey. Allow the liquids to boil and reduce for about 5-10 minutes till it's down to a half a cup. Place the steaks back in and use your tongs to swirl them around in the liquid, then cover the skillet and let it cook for 3-5 minutes till heated through.

Serve with onions on top and pour the sauce over it. Delicious with a healthy green salad.

Btai Avon!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Easy One Pot Meal


In the winter when days are short and cold there's nothing like coming home to a hot home cooked meal. Except as the main cook in my house, I usually am the one who has to cook it, not come home to it. That's why I love my slow cooker, because it allows me to come home to a meal that took minimal time, and prep work and is fresh, easy, and delicious.

Most of us take the slow cooker out once a week for cholent and it sits unused on the shelf, just taking up space the rest of the week. So take the slow cooker off the shelf and get ready to use it because the possibilities are endless. From soups to one pot meals it all is in one pot, the crockpot.

I came up with this easy recipe, you can play with it and add or subtract things as you please, what I'm really teaching is a method.

Ingredients

1 onion diced

1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic

1/2 package to a whole package ground beef

2 stalks basil leaves

4 mini vine tomatoes quartered or any type of tomato diced

2-3 baby bella mushrooms ( I find that these hold up better and have a meatier flavor but any type of mushroom will do)

4-5 fingerling or red bliss potatos cut in rounds

3 tbsp marinara sauce mixed with 1/2c cup Kedem sherry cooking wine ( or any red wine you have lying around)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Turn the slow cooker to keep warm. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil at the bottom of the pot. Toss in the garlic and onions. Add the meat and break it up with the side of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat.Toss together so the meat mixes with the garlic and onions. Add in the tomatoes. Pull the basil leaves off of the stems and tear the bigger leaves in pieces. Drop them in the pot. Add the mushrooms and potatoes and pour the sauce (marinara and wine which you've combined) over everything and give a quick stir to combine the ingredients.

Turn up the slow cooker to low heat and let cook for 6-9 hours.

Come home and enjoy!

( Remember you can substitute any ingredients with what you have in the house)