Braised Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs [Zack]

Many of my latest posts have been teriyaki-obsessed. I can’t help it. It makes everything tasty!

Here is an adaption to a previous recipe for Sous Vide Teriyaki Short Ribs. If you don’t have a sous vide machine (understandably), you can braise the short ribs and get similarly great results.

Process:

Start by prepping the teriyaki sauce that you’ll use for the braise. Mince ginger, garlic, and the chiles.  Saute them in a sauce pot over medium heat in sesame oil, until the onion is translucent. Add in the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust as needed.

Slice onions, red/green peppers, and a few jalapenos. Layer the bottom of a roasting pan with them.

Brown all sides of the short ribs in a pan in small batches. You don’t need to salt them – the teriyaki will handle that. When finished, de-glaze the pan with the teriyaki sauce.

Place the short ribs on the bed of onions and peppers, and pour the teriyaki sauce over top.

Cover the pan with foil or a lid, and braise at 300F until tender. It took me about 3.5 hours, but it depends on the thickness of the short ribs.

Remove the short ribs and veggies from the roasting pan and spoon the fat off the top of the remaining teriyaki sauce.  If you put the sauce in the fridge, the fat in the sauce will solidify and you can more easily dispose of it.

Add the teriyaki sauce to a small sauce pot and set over medium heat.  Scoop out about 1/2 cup of sauce into a separate bowl and whisk in 2-3T of corn starch to thicken the sauce.  This will ensure you don't end up with lumps of starch in your sauce.  When the slurry is smooth, add it back into the sauce pot.

Glaze the ribs with the sauce and serve!  I placed the short rib on top of roasted yams pureed with ginger, and topped with pickled jalapenos.

Ingredients:
8 short ribs
1 sliced large onion
1 sliced red pepper
2 sliced jalapenos

~2T of corn starch to add to the teriyaki sauce after braising

Teriyaki Braise Sauce
2T sesame oil
5 few garlic cloves
2 inchs ginger, diced
2 birdseye chiles
2 cups soy sauce
dash of rice wine vinegar
1.5 cups brown sugar (to taste)
a few T of sriracha if desired

Song:  Dizzle Beatz - Frankie Krupnik

Smoked Beef Brisket Texas Style [Zack]

Aaron Franklin is a BBQ God.  People wait outside of his restaurant for 4+ hours, sitting in lawn chairs and tailgating the line.  He has his own PBS show and youtube channel.  I love how he keeps things simple, with both the recipe and the explanations of "why".  He's not one to do things the easy way, but if you own a smoker, I doubt you like shortcuts either.

This was the first time I've smoked a brisket and it turned out amazingly.  I used Aaron's recipe and it was great.  I'm a new user of the Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5" and I must say they've designed these smokers perfectly.  The heat source, water bowl, and meat are vertically aligned so everything cooks evenly and doesn't dry out easily.  I didn't have to wrap or spray this badboy with anything.  And it's super easy to maintain a constant temperature with a low amount of fuel.  I got by with 1/3 a bag of Kingsford and a few hickory wood chunks in the 10.5 hours of smoking.

Process:

Really, it's best to just watch Aaron Franklin on youtube, but I'll give you the high-level.



Pre-heat your smoker to 225F.  I lugged myself out of bed at 5am to do so.  Organize your coals using the "minion method".  This means pour unlit coals into the smoker, organize some wood chunks around the outside, and make a volcano cavity.  Pour about 12 light briquettes into the center.  The coals will slowly light from top to bottom over time, and will therefore keep the temperature constant.

Rub a brisket with a 50/50 mix of salt and freshly crack black peppercorns.  Season liberally so you have a nice bark in the end.  Place the brisket on the smoker once hits an even 225F, making sure you have a water pan to keep everything moist.

Smoke the brisket for about 10.5 hours (for 8.5lbs, times will vary).  Pull the brisket once the internal temperature reaches 190F.  Note, the temperature will "stall" at around 170F for multiple hours.  I hit 170F at around 2.5 hours and it didn't exceed 174F until about 9 hours into the smoke.

Keep that temperature constant and check the meat as infrequently as possible.  I added some home-cured bacon and homemade BBQ beans on the top rack to keep things interesting.

 

Once the beef reaches 190F, pull it off the smoker and wrap it in foil.  Let it rest for around 1 hour.

Slice it against the grain.  The grain switches about halfway through.  Again, just watch Aaron explain it.

Fend off everyone until you are finished with your presentation.  They will be dying for scraps.

Ingredients:
8.5lb of beef brisket (trimmed)
salt
black pepercorns, cracked with a mortar and pestle
however many beers you may need to stare at a smoker for ~10.5 hours

Song: Maya Payne - If Only

Sous Vide Pork Belly Porchetta [Zack]

I've enjoyed using my Anova Sous Vide machine for long, slow cooking sessions on big hunks of meat.  It's so much easier to get a perfect, consistent, and repeatable outcome.  I've actually been following recipes that I've found online while I'm learning to use the new tool.

Everyone loves pork belly, and this porchetta recipe is perfect if you want to make something besides bacon.  It's crispy, rich, salty, fatty, and balances well with something light and fresh.  All of the credit goes to my favorite food writer, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for creating the All Belly Sous Vide recipe.

Process:

Lay the pork belly skin-side down on a cutting board and cross-hatch the inner meat portion with about 1/2 inch diagonal cuts.  Rub salt, crushed black peppercorns, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, smashed garlic, and rosemary all over the inside.  Roll the belly tightly and tie it with butcher string.

Season the outside of the belly with a 2-to-1 ratio of salt and baking powder.  Vacuum seal the belly and let it rest in the fridge for 12 hours or so.

Sous vide the belly at 155F / 68.3C for 36 hours.  Transfer belly to an ice bath if you're not cooking it right away.

Remove the belly from the pouch and reserve the liquid that it exuded.  You can reduce this down for a sauce if you want.

Shallow-fry the porchetta, spooning oil over it and turning when needed.

Remove from the oil when it's nicely golden brown and crispy on all sides.

Slice, and serve over crusty toast and with some cole slaw to offset the richness.

Ingredients:
See Kenji's Recipe

Song:  Since this cooks for a while, just jam out to James Blake's whole album:  James Blake

Sous Vide Teriyaki Beef Short Rib [Zack]

This is by far my favorite recipe to make with the Sous Vide machine (so far).  I've had varied results making teriyaki beef short ribs by braising or simmering.  The flavor has been there, but the ribs would never stay together.  Using the perfect temperature control of Sous Vide, I was able to achieve my ideal consistency of the short rib, while having a better visual presentation.

I like to pair these short ribs with horseradish mashed potatoes and some type of zingy veggie like Kimchi.  Here is a quick snapshot of the process and a rough recipe:

Process:

Prepare your teriyaki sauce first.  Dice the garlic, ginger and chiles and simmer in 1T of sesame oil.  Add the wet ingredients and sugar and simmer the sauce until it's thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  Adjust the sauce as needed.

Vacuum seal the beef short ribs with 2 T of teriyaki sauce per short rib.

Place the rib packs into the immersion circulated water bath at 63C for 48 hours.  Use a plate if they float above the water line.

Remove the ribs from the pouches after the timer goes off and brown all sides of them in a saute pan.  Brush with the teriyaki sauce before serving.

Ingredients:  (qty for 4 short ribs)
1T sesame oil
a few garlic cloves
1 inch ginger, diced
1-2 birdseye chiles
1 cup soy sauce
dash of rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup brown sugar (to taste)

4 beef short ribs

Song:  James Blake - I Only Know

Argentine Steak with Chimichurri Sauce [Zack]

From an omniscient octopus to picking who has cuter jerseys, people have been trying their own ways of predicting the winner of the World Cup.  In my mind, the only fair way to decide the victor is to cook a famous food item from each country.  The more delicious of the two will decide the outcome of the 2014 World Cup.

I have chosen the ubiquitous Berliner snack food currywurst from Germany to go up against the Argentinean steak with a zippy chimichurri sauce.  Both are simple preparations of a basic nationally-loved food.  The Germans are known for their sausages and snack food culture, and the Argentinians are known for sitting around a campfire roasting huge hunks of meat on swords.  Seems like a fair fight.

In the end we decided that the Argentine steak with chimichurri sauce slightly edged out the currywurst.  It's therefore expected to be a close match on Saturday.

Here is the recipe for the steak with chimichurri sauce.

Process:

Here are the ingredients:

Mince the shallot and garlic.  If you have a mortar and pestle, grind up the peppers.  Add the shallot and garlic, and smash them a few times.

Strip the leaves off of the oregano, and then roll all of the herbs together and mince.  Add the herbs to the mortar and pestle.  Then stir in the liquids.

Heat up a pan, and salt and pepper your steak.  Cook the steak over medium-high heat until you reach desired doneness.

Let the steak rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board before slicing thinly and layering a generous portion of chimichurri sauce on top.

Ingredients:
1/2 shallot
1 clove garlic
2 pinches of salt
freshly ground black pepper
1T red pepper flakes, or 6 dried peppers
6 sprigs fresh oregano
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
1/2 lime
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 thick and nicely marbled steaks

Song:  Atella - The Monster

CHICKEN SPINACH PIE - Tom & June

INGREDIENTS FOR DINNER FOR 2

~ 1 Bag of Spinach Large leaf or Baby
~ 1 Clove of Minced Garlic
~ 4 Tablespoons of Minced Onion
~ 3 Eggs
    (2 for filling and 1 for egg wash)
~ 2 Tablespoons of Water
~ 1/4 Teaspoon of Dried or Fresh Thyme
    (We used fresh lemon thyme from our garden) 
~ 2 Pinches of Salt
~ 1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
~ 1 Sheet of Pastry from 1 package of Puff Pastry
    (Found in frozen food section - defrost 1 sheet of pastry 2 hours before starting)
~ 1/2 of a Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
~ 1 Tablespoon of Flour



TO START

Sprinkle 1 pinch of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper on both sides of chicken and either saute, grill or bake, then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl while chicken is cooking beat 2 eggs add garlic, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl place spinach and microwave until wilted. May need to stir in between. Drain spinach and mix in our filling bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat 1 egg and water in a separate small bowl for wash.

Spread flour over cutting board and place pastry on it.
Spread 1/2 of spinach filling on 1/2 of pastry leaving 1 to 2 inches of pastry uncovered with filling. (Use slotted spoon if filling is wet) Place cooked chicken breast over filling. Place remainder of filling on top of chicken.
Fold pastry to meet edges evenly. Use a fork to seal all open edges.

Place pastry on cookie sheet or shallow baking dish. Coat with egg wash and place in hot oven for 35 minutes.

Let pastry set for 5 to 7 minutes before slicing. We served our entree' with carrots.

                                                                           




    

Spinach Fettuccine w/ Seared Scallops [Matt]

I've never attempted to measure my ingredients for making pasta. Half the fun comes from getting your hands into the dough and adding pinches of things as you go along. Here's my best attempt at the process of making fettuccine (supplement with YouTube videos if you're more of a visual learner).

Fettuccine Ingredients:

4 Whole Eggs

3 Additional Egg Yolks

3 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Half-&-Half

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

(For Spinach variation, food process 2 cups spinach into a minced consistency and add to the bowl)

Since I have no one to impress with fancy cooking antics, I mix my dough in a large mixing bowl. This saves me from dealing with the mess of yolks ingrained into my counter top and keeps flour from going in every direction.

Dump the 3~ cups flour into the large mixing bowl. Make a divot in the center of the flour to put your eggs. Add in the 4 whole eggs and 3 additional yolks (please, do yourself a favor and splurge on the 'cage-free organic'. It REALLY does make a difference with end pasta texture). Add the olive oil, half-&-half, sea salt and spinach (if you're swinging that way).

I use a solid-state whisk to slowly start blending the eggs together. You want to gradually start pulling in flour until it clumps to the point where you wonder why I told you to use a whisk in the first place. Scrape the dough off the whisk with your fingers. Start mashing the dough together in the bowl with your hands until it doesn't really seem like any more flour is getting added to your ball. 

Remove the semi-dough ball from the bowl, flour your counter, and pretend your dough ball is a Bop-It (twist-it, turn-it, mash-it, press-it, etc?). Once your dough ball has reached the strange state of firming up, yet a bit smooth when pulled, put the ball aside under a damp dish towel. Let it rest while you set up your pasta crank.

Once your pasta crank is together, make sure you have some place to rack your pasta. I use pasta rack trees. They're dope.

Take a pinch of dough, you'll really have to eyeball it, and run through the crank in descending numerical order. Fold the dough over a few times when putting it through the initial notch 8, eventually progressing down to notch 2 (second to last as far as thickness).

I recommend dusting your counter / the bottom of the rolled pasta sheet with flour. This will help prevent the pasta sheet from sticking as it slides through the machine.

Run the sheet of dough through the fettuccine crank attachment. Take the shaped pasta and hang it on your drying rack(s). Do this until you're out of dough. 

Scallop Ingredients: 

1 lb Large Bay Scallops

Butter

Salt

Pepper 

Get a big pot of water boiling - add in a splash of olive oil and pinch of salt. This helps the pasta from sticking to itself and raises boiling point. 

Take out your favorite large searing pan. Lightly coat the bottom with melted butter as you bring the heat up to med-high. Lightly dust both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper, then plop them onto the pan. It's key not to shift their position or turn them over until the bottom of scallops have a proper light brown sear, otherwise the meat will tear. The sear will take around 2 - 3 minutes on each side pending heat. The key is to get that golden brown without over cooking the scallops. 

When you are about to turn your scallops over, add your pasta to the boiling water. The pasta, since it's fresh, should only take 2 - 4 minutes to cook (depends on thickness of pasta vs. water temp). Pull out a strand or two and be sure to try it before dumping it into the sieve. 

Time to multi-task. Flip your scallop, then start to heat up a third pan. Add in a splash of olive oil on medium heat to the fresh pan. When your pasta finishes boiling, sieve it, then shake it to get any remaining water out. Dump the pasta into the heated oil. Sauté the pasta for about a minute and a half, then plate. Your scallops will probably finish cooking before the pasta, so put them to the side to rest.

To go next-level, like the dish below, you can sauté onion, asparagus and prosciutto before adding in you pasta. This will take a bit more planning and should be started right around when you dump you pasta in to begin boiling.

Finish with some fresh grated lemon zest and parmesan reggiano.

Best of luck and feel free to experiment once you get the hang of it!

Mexican Party [Tom & June]

                                                            CARNE ASADA TACOS

             Cinco de mayo is appoaching quickly. Here are 3 recipes to make your party fun.
                                                           


Marinade
4 Cloves Garlic – minced
1 Jalapeno (or Serrano) chili pepper – seeded and minced
1 tsp Ground Cumin (fresh or dried)
1 large handful Fresh Cilantro, leaves & stems, finely chopped
Kosher salt & pepper
2 Limes, juiced
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
½ tsp Sugar
½ cup Olive oil 

Other Ingredients

2 Lbs Flank or Skirt Steak

8 Flour Tortillas
See Pico de gallo recipe below 

                                                                            

Put steak in baking dish or large baggie. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over steak. Refrigerate 1-4 hours.  (It is even better if it marinates a day or two!!)

Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill steak until desired doneness. Remove to cutting board & let rest for 5 minutes.  Cut steak into small bite-size pieces.

Serve on warm flour (or corn if you prefer) tortillas. Easiest to warm is to microwave – can do several at a time - cover with a damp paper towel & microwave for 30 seconds.  Fill tortilla with carne asada.  Add your choice of toppings – pico de gallo, cilantro, salsa, cheese, jalapenos, avocado.

Pico de gallo – equal parts of chopped onion, cilantro, tomato.  Add Serrano or Jalapeno if desired.

   

Pork Balls in a Creamy Pasta Sauce [Tom]

Did you ever just want some pasta. Well it was my day off and and had a craving. It is funny when I think back, my Mom would say I have a wollie for such and such a food. I took that to mean a craving.
Sorry no way to explain. But I had a wollie for some pasta and some meat but not red sauce.

So, here we go. I had an idea and went with it. It turned out pretty good. Well at least June said it was good.

This recipe is for Four
Accompany with a salad or some garlic bread or both
So we can get on with this, Yes.

Pork Balls

1 ~ lb Ground Pork
6 ~ 8 Leaves of finely chopped Fresh Basil
2 ~ Cloves of minced Garlic
4 ~ Teaspoons grated Parmesian Cheese
~ Salt and Pepper

In a bowl mix all the ingredients well.
Roll by hand 1" to 1 1/4" balls.
1 lb will make 20 to 24 balls

Place balls in a steamer turn once or twice until balls are whiteish in color. Cook for about 6 minutes.
Set aside.

The Pasta

I used Linguini but I feel Penne would be good too.

1/2 ~ lb Pasta
5 ~ sprigs Chives cut into 1/2" lenghts

The Sauce

2 ~ tbspns Butter
3/4 ~ cup Half and Half
1/2 cup and 1/2 cup of each Parmesian and Romano cheeses mixed
1/4 cup of whipped Cream Cheese

Place a pan with water on the range to boil for the Pasta

On medium heat place Butter in a large sauce pan to melt
Add the Half and Half, Cream Cheese and Cheese mixture
Wisk the mixture until smooth.
Lower the heat and add the Pork balls and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes

Drain cooked Pasta and place into the cream mixture and toss to coat the Pasta

Plate and top with the Chives.
I tossed some torn Basil Leaves on top too

Buon Appetito

Sauteed Medallions of Pork with Prunes [Rhonda]

Degree of difficulty: easy
Time: 10 minutes to prep, 12 minutes to saute pork and prepare sauce
Serves: 4

My copy of this recipe, clipped from the New York Times back in the early '80s when I was just learning to cook, is yellowed, dog-eared from time and use, with the word "great!" written in a careful script across the top.

It is that, great. Pierre Franey wrote of classic French recipes and technique for the Times, and while you may say the saute requires a deft hand, the whole thing is easy and delicious. He suggests serving it with parsleyed mashed potatoes--a nice option to showcase the sauce.

Ingredients:
8 thin boneless pork tenderloin medallions, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup port wine (red wine works just fine)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh chicken broth or canned
24 pitted prunes
2 tablespoons butter (or 1 tablespoon creme fraiche)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place pork slices in a flat dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cumin.

Heat the oil in large skillet. When oil is hot, add meat, sprinkle the rosemary over it and cook over medium heat for three to five minutes, until browned. Turn slices over and cook for a few more minutes. Transfer meat to warm platter.

Remove fat from skillet, add onions and garlic and stir until wilted. Add port wine, vinegar, tomato paste and chicken broth. Stir to dissolve brown particles that cling to the bottom. Add prunes and cook until reduced by half.

Add any accumulated juices from the pork. Add butter (or creme fraiche), blend. Remove from heat, add pork cutlets into sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Suggested soundtrack: Ed Sheeran's "Angels to Fly," lovely tune, sad lyrics

Asian Confit Pork Belly [Zack]

Can you recall a time when you were eating ribs and they were so tender that the meat fell straight off the bone?  Have you ever had a piece of cooked bacon where the fat is juicy and slightly crisped?  How about a dish where 5-spice was the star of the show?

If you combine all of those heart-racing memories, that's the definition of a good confit pork belly.  You already know the ratio of meat to fat in pork belly if you have ever seen a piece of uncooked bacon (bacon is made from the belly of the pork).  When the belly is cooked slowly, the meat portion becomes tender like pulled pork.  The fat portions melt in your mouth, and the asian 5-spice flavors sing throughout the whole experience.

It is a perfect appetizer, or the star of a rice bowl with vegetables. You can make this a few days before you entertain and let it sit in the fat in the fridge (see: confit duck legs).

This continued craze over bacon will hopefully cross over to the real thang.  Why?  Because it's somehow way more socially acceptable to have a chunk of confit pork belly instead of a whole plate of bacon for dinner.....

Process:

Divide your pork belly up into 4 individual servings.  Sprinkle with 5-spice powder, coriander, and salt.  Let it rest while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Get a pot going on medium-low heat with 1T of sesame oil.  Once it has heated up, brown all 4 sides of each of the sections of belly.

Take the pot off of the heat once you have browned everything and add in the rest of your oil until the bellies are fully covered.  Toss in your whole garlic cloves - skin-on is okay.  Place the lid on the pot and put it in an oven at 200F / 100C.

Let it slowly cook for 5 or 6 hours.  Check to see if it's meltingly tender by pricking it with a knife.  If your pork belly had a bone in it, the meat will shrink away, exposing the bone.

You can either serve right away, or put it in the fridge once it has cooled off.  If the meat is submerged, it should keep for a few weeks.  To serve at a later time, you can heat the whole pot up, or put it in a frying pan with a little of the oil to warm it through.

Ingredients:
4 slices pork belly (bone-in is fine as well)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1.5 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp salt
6 whole cloves of garlic
1T sesame oil
~3 cups canola / peanut oil

optional:  top with some sriracha or hot chiles

Creativity options:

• Mexican:  substitute cumin instead of 5-spice, top with a fresh green salsa
• Greek:  continue with the cumin idea, make a feta and yogurt sauce.  OR make friends with a nice butcher and get your hands on some lamb belly
• Italian:  remove the 5-spice, throw a few juniper berries into the oil. Puree rosemary, garlic, and tomato paste together with a bit of olive oil for the sauce.

Song - The Roots - Duck Down

Stuffed Sirloin Steaks [Tom]

Shopping List:
~ 2 Top Sirloin Fillets 1/3 to 1/2 lb each
~ 1 teaspoon chopped flat leaf parsley
~ 1 teaspoon diced chives
~ 1 small minced garlic clove
~ 2 slices of blue cheese 1" x 2"
~ A pinch of salt and pepper

Stand the steak on it's side and cut a pocket.

Stuff the pocket with the ingredients
Use 2 to 3 toothpicks in each to hold the pocket together
Grill to taste

Enjoy

Firey Chipotle Beef and Bacon Enchiladas [Zack]

Happy July 4^th! 

I have a weird tradition with my friends that we cook Mexican food to celebrate holidays.  This recipe is what Pete, Lauren, and I are preparing tonight to celebrate July 4^th remotely.  If you’re tired of the traditional burger, give these spicy enchiladas a shot!

Overall, Belgium has really great food and I don't miss too many meals from the US. There are two main things that I do occasionally crave, a freshly-ground cheeseburger and good Mexican food. When  I fancy one of the two, my only option is to cook it myself.

This enchilada recipe is not meant to be a traditional recipe. This is my interpretation of what Enchiladas are to me. The bacon and the chipotle peppers add a smokey and spicy kick to the rolls that really make these special.

Process:

Here is a picture of the ingredients you will need.  I included the "less spicy" amount of chipotle peppers, but feel free to make it as spicy as you can handle!

Dice one whole onion. You are going to use half of it for the chopped beef and bacon, and the other half for the smoky salsa.

Hand-chop your beef and bacon until it is in roughly 1/8 inch cubes. The meat doesn't have to be exactly uniform (that's part of what makes this fun) and make sure you don't over-chop it into a mush.  

Place it in a bowl and add 1tsp cumin, 1tsp onion powder, ½ of the diced onion, 1tsp hot sauce, a pinch of salt, and an optional chopped chipotle pepper.

Let this sit for a while until you are ready to cook it (if it's going to sit longer than 30 mins, put it back in the fridge).

Start 2 saute pans over medium heat. Slice your 2 onions and 2 peppers into moons. Toss them into a sauté pan over medium heat with 1T of olive oil and cook for about 8 minutes until they soften and caramelize a bit.

 
In the second sauté pan, cook your beef mixture through - this should take about 8 minutes as well. Put both the veggies and the beef aside and continue working on the rest.

For your tomato salsa to top the enchiladas, grab a sauce pot and place it over medium heat. Put the remaining ½ of your diced onion in the pot with 1tsp of olive oil. Dice your 2 tomatoes and 2 chipotle peppers, and add them to the sauce pot. Add 1.5 T of hot sauce as well. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. You can also add 1T of sriracha for an additional kick!

Once that is reduced, you have all of your ingredients ready to get rollin. Start your oven preheating at 400F / 200C.

Place a tortilla shell on a flat surface and add the beef mixture in a line down the center. Add the sauted onions and peppers on top, 1tsp of the tomato salsa, and a splash of sriracha if you are feelin cray cray (you know if it's Pete and me cooking, it's going to happen).

Roll everything up into a tube and place it in a large baking dish. Once you have filled the dish with the rolls, brush them with 1T of olive oil and bake them for about 5 minutes. You want the top crispy, but not dark brown.

Take the dish back out of the oven, cover the tops with the tomato salsa, and then cover everything with a nice layer of cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and everything is cooked through.  Top with some cilantro and serve!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1.1lbs of beef (.5kg) either ground, or a whole piece to be chopped later
1/4lb bacon (100g)
6 tortilla shells
2 T olive oil
5 canned chipotle peppers in adobo (less spicy =3)
2T sriracha (optional)
2.5T of hot sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup Emmental or another melty cheese
3 medium onions, sliced into moons
2 colorful peppers, sliced into moons
2 medium tomatoes

1 small handful of cilantro

Creativity options:

• Make a green salsa to add to the filling (jalapenos, onion, garlic, cilantro)
• Go greek and use ground lamb and top with a creamy feta sauce
• Use pulled pork and make a green salsa for the top
• Go all-veg and use something like eggplant (aubergine)

Song:  Hugh Coltman - On my hands

Homemade Beef Jerky [Zack]

Sometimes people are adventurous with their food.  Rarely is your food more adventurous than you are.  I'm proud (and/or jealous) to say that my first batch of homemade beef jerky has traveled to the top of the world.  Here it is at the summit of Aconcagua, Argentina - the highest peak in the Southern and Western Hemisphere at 6,962m.

Our good friends John and Martina decided to ditch out on corporate life and take a 7 month hiatus to backpack around the world, climbing the tallest mountains on many different continents.  Even though we were sick with envy, Lauren and I wanted to get them a proper going away present.  But what do you get people who just sold all of their life-long possessions at a flea market for 1 EUR a piece??

Beef jerky was our answer.  It's great for hikers - the weight to protein ratio is amazing and it gives a much-needed boost of salt.  It would also remind them of us because it's very American - imagine a cowboy sitting under a tree in the shade, hat tipped low, gnawing on a piece of beef jerky.  Cowboys had it figured out - if they let strips of beef dry in the sun, they would became much lighter to carry and wouldn't spoil.

I was surprised at how great homemade beef jerky tasted and how simple it was to make.  In summary, you pour all of the ingredients into a bag, let the meat marinate for 1 day, then put it in a low-heat oven to dry it out until it feels like beef jerky.

It's preferable to use a cheap cut of meat because any fat creates a chance for it to spoil.  Save the rib-eyes for the grill!

Process:

Below a picture of the necessary ingredients:

Trim any fat off of your beef.  Place it into the freezer so it firms up.  It’s a lot easier to slice the meat evenly if you put it in the freezer for about an hour.   It’s important to try to maintain the same thickness for all of the slices of beef because you want even drying.

Dice or chop your ginger, garlic, onion, and chiles.  Place them in a large zip-lock bag.  Measure out your soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and brown sugar.  Stir to mix and pour it into the bag.

Take your steak out of the freezer and make sure it’s firm to the touch, but not a solid brick (or else you won't be able to slice it).  Slice each piece ~1/8 inch thick and place into the marinade bag.

When you are finished, squeeze out as much air in the bag as possible and massage the marinade around the meat. Refrigerate for 1 day.

Take the meat out of the bag and drain off the marinade. Place the meat on a grated oven rack, leaving a little space around each piece.  I put a tray below it to catch the marinade that drips off during the drying process.

Put into the oven at 150 F / 75 C for 3-4 hours.  The time really depends on the thickness of your slices.  If you've ever had beef jerky before, just take it out when it feels like the stuff you get out of the package.  The low temperature will dry out the beef strips and you’ll be left with jerky in a few hours!

Bag it up for your hiker friends, or place it in a covered container.  It should last for a few weeks, but it's doubtful that it will make it through the first evening.

Ingredients:
1/2 inch ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 birdseye chiles
1/2 red onion

3/4 cup light soy sauce (or 1/2 cup regular)
2T rice wine vinegar
1/2 T sesame oil
4 T honey
2T brown sugar

2 lb steak (900g)

Creativity Options:
Add lemongrass and cilantro to the marinade for a Thai feel
Smoky paprika will give a nice deep flavor
Tons of freshly cracked pepper is a great variation

Song:  Robin Thicke - Compass or Map