Umami Meatloaf

Winter- here we go again. Darkness at 3:30, cold toes, even in the house. All those cute lounge around the house shorts and tank tops- now flannel, wool socks and hoodies. Bye, bye summer sexy.

On the other hand, it's comfort food season.

In honor of this season, I give you meatloaf. We're calling this umami meatloaf. Now, a brief science-foodie lesson from Wikipedia: There are five basic categories humans can taste, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Scientists debated whether umami was indeed a basic taste ever since Kikunae Ikeda proposed its existence in 1908. Finally in 1985, at the first Umami International Symposium in Hawaii, the term umami was officially recognized as the scientific term to describe the taste of glutamates and nucleotides. Now it is widely accepted as the fifth basic taste. Foods rich in umami include tomatoes, mushrooms, cured meats, fish sauce and MSG. Generally umami is used as a flavor enhancer. Thus the widely used MSG in Chinese food. Contrary to now-popular belief, MSG isn't an unnatural chemical from our modern world, doesn't mean you have to love it, but it's not poison. I digress.

We are calling this meatloaf "umami" due to the number of umami ingredients used. Unlike any other meatloaf I've ever had, we used 1/2 bulk hot Italian sausage and 1/2 ground beef as the base. Black beans, tomatoes and mushrooms were cooked together with spices and stirred into the meat. Of course we used our two favorite cured meats, coppa and bacon fat. Finally, it's glazed with a combination of Heinz 57, red wine vinegar, cayenne and chipotle and brown sugar. The loaf was "free form", meaning unencumbered by a pan, and baked to crispy, umami goodness. The dish was was rich, moist and unbelievably flavorful.

Ingredients
1/2 lb bulk hot Italian sausage
1/2 lb ground beef- 80% lean.
1/8 pound hot coppa, minced fine.
1/3 c minced onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c diced grape tomatoes
1/3 c minced crimini mushrooms
1/4 c black beans (cooked in cumin sauce- Kuners)
1 tbsp bacon fat
1/4 c cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp Worchestershire
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1.5 c Panko flake
1 egg  
1 tbsp of Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp of dried chipotle chile
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp brown sugar
 
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with release.

In a large bowl, mix the sausage, ground beef and coppa together.

In a frying pan over low heat, saute the onion, garlic, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans with the bacon fat until soft and no extra liquid remaining.  Let cool for a moment and then add to the meat mixture.

Mix the cilantro, Worchestershire, fish sauce, black pepper, cayenne into the meat mixture. Next mix in 1 egg. Once all the ingredients are well incorporated, knead in the panko flakes. Form a loaf, and place on the baking sheet.

Combine Heinz 57, red wine vinegar, chipotle chile, cayenne, brown sugar together. Brush or spoon the mixture over the loaf, making sure the sides are coated as well.

Bake at 350* for one hour, or until the internal temperature is 160*. Let sit for 10 minutes or more. Serve.

Steak with Mushroom Sauce and New Potatoes

Everybody likes a good steak. AlphaChef has stumbled upon the following technique that renders a perfect, medium-rare, crispy on the outside, sirloin. We served it with rosemary new potatoes, a rare treat in our house. For some reason we never have white potatoes. I'm not complaining, AC just thinks they're boring. In this case, they were perfect. Salty, savory, crispy on the outside, soft inside.

The cooking technique is an adaptation of the now tried and true, sear-then-bake method. It will work with any cut of beef, bones may complicate the matter, so go boneless.

Steak

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and heat a frying pan on your stove top over high heat. The pan has to be HOT, so wait until you think it might be too hot before touching the meat to the surface. To test- splash a drop of water on it's surface and watch it sizzle before disappearing. 
• When the pan is undeniably, super, duper, hot, drop the meat in the pan using cooking tongs. It will kick-up some smoke, so make sure your exhaust fan is ready. After 30 seconds, flip the meat and sear the other side, then, using the tongs to hold up the steak, sear the ends and sides (if they aren't already brown). 
• Place the seared steak(s) on a cooking sheet with a wire rack, put it in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, flip the steak(s) and bake for an additional 4 minutes. 
• As usual, let sit for about five minutes prior to serving. 

Mushroom Sauce

•  Handful (or two) of crimini, also known as baby portobella, mushrooms. Slice into quarters. 
• 1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine.
• Salt and black pepper. 
• 4-5 ground allspice cloves.
• 1 diced habenero pepper.
• Small amount of flour (about a tsp or so).

Put the above ingredients into a frying pan on your stove top. Bring the sauce to a low boil and let it reduce to approximately 1/4 of its volume. Then, sprinkle in flour to thicken, start with a very small amount and increase as desired.

Rosemary New Potatoes

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Same as the steak, so you can throw these in the oven right before you start the steak process. 
• Approximately 8, medium sized, new potatoes. 
• Slice the potatoes into quarters. 
• In a bowl large enough to toss the potatoes, add a tbsp of olive oil and two cloves of minced garlic. 
• Place the potatoes in the bowl and toss.
• Place the potatoes on a sheet pan.
• Mince fresh rosemary and sprinkle over the potatoes, add salt and black pepper as desired. 
• Bake potatoes for 25 minutes. 

Put it all together for an amazingly delicious meal!

Leftovers have never looked this good

We're getting new counter tops, which has been a long time coming. Having owned our 1950's style rambler for over 10 years we've been strategic about the changes we've made, responsibly factoring our home value against improvements we'd like to make. There's the value of making our home the way we want it to be versus the realistic strategy of not wanting to put more money in than we'll recoup in any future sale. We've made a fair amount of changes in the time since we bought this place, including new windows (always a good investment) and a fabulously indulgent bathroom (more because we wanted it). As for the kitchen, we've always assumed we'd put on an addition, break down a wall or move our basement staircase to get the kitchen of our dreams. Because of this, the changes we've made have been fairly malleable. New appliances, a floating laminate floor, multiple color schemes, but nothing that can't be moved or changed (no ceramic tile). Finally, we were going to do it, take out a loan and get the kitchen we've always wanted. We had an architect friend over for dinner (as we do best) and started to dream. We got really excited, showing the plans to multiple friends and family, mulling over the options, and then we involved our contractor. After waiting a couple weeks his bid came in, and we could tell right away that he didn't think he'd ever do this job. It quickly and painfully became apparent that building our dream kitchen would not be prudent. You never want to have the nicest house in the neighborhood and the cost of this remodeling alone would price us out. We first went through denial ( He must have misunderstood, did he price out high-end materials?), then bargaining (another bid?) and then began the process of acceptance, otherwise known in my industry as radical acceptance, the time to stop fighting reality and to take stock of our options. Basically, in order to have the kitchen we really want, we'd have to move. We don't want to move.

We now realize we'll have to make do with what we have, make smaller, less expensive changes that will have impact so we will both enjoy our time here and potentially add value for potential future buyers. So tomorrow we are replacing our counter tops, currently a dark brown laminate mimicking butcher block, with a lighter colored corian. Along with the new counter will be a new sink, so we needed to be able to disconnect all the plumbing prior to installation. Enter the Chateaubriand (read about it a couple posts ago). If you cook something really good, they will come. In this case, a close friend of ours who has plumbing talents. Tempted by the smell of charred beef, he was here, ready to put in cut-off valves so we can disconnect the plumbing with ease. This post is the follow-up, the leftovers. Our plumber talented friend actually indulged in this as well, as he busted a valve the night before...

This time the leftovers were made into a fabulous...look at the picture and read...fabulous, sandwich. Alphachef stopped at our local Byerly's on the way home from work and bought some pretzel rolls, fresh tomatoes (unbelievably good when considering it's still winter) and horseradish. He cut the rolls and layered red lettuce, tomato, slices of the beef tenderloin aka Chateaubriand, the herbed butter from the night before, some red onions, leftover soft brie (see the Antipasto post), topped with a spicy horseradish. So it is just a sandwich, but the motive of this post is tempting you into revisiting the beef tenderloin you wanted to make after reading the post but haven't gotten around to just so you can make this sandwich. There. The sandwich was almost better than the original dish- how often does that happen? Still not planning on the tenderloin? Then let this post inspire you to rethink leftovers and how good they can be with a bit of creativity. How often do you simply throw the leftovers in the microwave to heat up, while contemplating just tossing them and ordering a pizza? Generally guilt kicks in and you eat the "good enough" food. So get out of that rut and start thinking about what else the dish could be. Have some chicken? Add pasta or make a soup (just add it to canned soup- now even you can do that). That burrito/enchilada dish thing? Add an egg for a breakfast dish. Salads are also a nice options, anything can be placed over lettuce as are sandwiches. To kick your day after sandwich up a notch, buy a nice roll and some new condiments. Rainbow and Cub sell "bolero" rolls for less than a dollar each, and make a sandwich feel like something you stopped for on the way home. The point is, it just takes a little imagination and re-thinking the dish to go from uggg, leftovers, to ohhh, an opportunity.

Chateaubriand: Beef tenderloin to you and me

My apologies to my Hindu and Vegetarian friends, but sometimes beef is so damn good. This is coming from a bacon loving member of the tribe.

The difference between Chateaubriand and the tenderloin is slight. The tenderloin is the center foot and a half; you can have the butcher cut a smaller section.  The Chateaubriand is about six inches longer on either side. And when a chef, server or home cook says Chateaubriand with an overcooked faux French accent they deserve to be slapped. That and Chateaubriand is almost impossible to spell correctly on the first pass.

Beef tenderloin is a pricey hunk of flesh. Pork also has a tenderloin. Both can be cooked the same way. Except the pork should be cooked for about half the time and you'll spend about 75 percent less. So I cook pork tenderloin with greater frequency and usually only cook beef tenderloin on special occasions like when I bribe a good friend to help me fix the plumbing in the kitchen.

Beef tenderloin is expensive because on any given steer there isn't much of it, making it kinda rare. Which is also the only way to cook tenderloin. Let me explain.  Beef tenderloin is not a flavorful cut. If you want flavor save yourself a ton of dough and go buy a sirloin.  What it brings to the table is sweet talking, long walk on the beach, watching a beautiful summer sunrise with your new hon following the evening of your third date tenderness. If you get my drift. If you cook a tenderloin past medium rare what you get is flavorless, used to be tender, "why did I ever marry that jerk" tough. Since it doesn't have a lot of flavor, tenderloins just love to get all buttered up and saucy. And that is called foreshadowing.

Tenderloin is easy to cook if you follow the rules. Deviate from the path and your road is a tough road. What separates tenderloin from tenderloin is a crispy charred outside holding in beef that melts in your mouth. So start with the crisp and worry about actually cooking it later. Yeah, you heard me, crisp first, cook later.  I like to show a tenderloin whose boss by tying it up with a bit of string. This step is not necessary. This is more important with pork.  Every 2-3 inches put a loop of string around the tenderloin to make it round. Now the important part starts.  Salt the tenderloin on all sides and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Leave it out on the counter for about an hour to come closer to room temperature.  No, you won't die from eating flesh that is growing nasty bacteria on the outside. Any evil bacterium will meet its maker soon.

After the hour is over, unwrap the beef. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, with the rack in the center. At the same time, heat up a big metal skillet on medium high to high.  Put in enough peanut or other non-smoking oil to easily coat the pan. What we are going to do is put the char on.  First, place one end of the tenderloin into the searing hot pan. Hold the beef with your hands or tongs if you are too freaking scared of the occasional oil splatter. You'll know when its ready, when the beef fairly easily releases from the pan. You might need to use a spatula to help it let go. It takes about 30-60 seconds. Do not force it. If you are leaving good chunks of beef stuck to the pan, it is not ready yet. The char is supposed to stay on the beef and not on the pan. Repeat the process with the other end and then on all four sides of the tenderloin. This whole process should take no more than 8 minutes. What you should have is a beautifully charred, essentially uncooked, hunk of meat.

There is an alternate technique. Use a blowtorch. Its brute force will do the job. And you can use it to sweat the pipes in your kitchen because you had to put in cut off valves so you can replace your counter tops but that is another story. Use the blowtorch to char the hell out it and any evil bacterium.

Place the charred tenderloin on a cooking sheet with a wire cooling rack. Coat the tenderloin with unsalted butter and spice if you wish. Place the tenderloin in the oven on the middle rack and let let it cook for 40-50 minutes, until an instant read thermometer reads 125 degrees. Cook beyond 135 degrees and you'll get shoe leather. Remove it from the oven and resist any temptation to cut into it for 10-15 minutes. It is still cooking and the juices are moving back deep inside the meat from the walls.  While the beef is resting, generously coat it with herbed or spiced butter.  After the tenderloin has rested, slice it into 1/2" thick medallions of goodness and serve.  I like to serve the tenderloin with extra herbed or spiced butter on top. I served this dish with veggies (red onion, bell pepper, apple and dried cherries) I cooked in the same pan that I seared the meat to add a beefiness to it. I drizzled the veggies with a basil and blood orange sauce. I placed the tenderloin medallions on cinnamon clove spiced quinoa- leave a comment if you want those recipes.

Herbed or spiced butter. Can be almost anything your imagination can serve up. Here's the basics. Use about 4-6 tablespoons of unsalted butter.  Bring to room temperature. Mash in whatever you are using to flavor it. Keep about 2-3 tablespoons to rub the tenderloin after its removed from the oven. The other 2-3 tablespoons can be shaped into discs, squares, swans, automobiles, bunny wraps....and then placed into the refrigerator to cool and harden. Use these miniature flavored butter sculptures as garnish.

Possible combinations for flavoring the butter: Use salt if you want.  Clove or two of garlic minced, 1 shallot, and 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley. Or, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass, 1 minced shallot and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper or 2 -3 minced fresh Thai chiles.  Or 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce, 2 chipotle peppers, juice from 1/2 half lime, and 1 clove of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro and 1/8 onion minced. Or make up something yourself. Enough.

Beef Stew: a perfect one pot meal

Our picnic table, photo taken by my neighbor Cathy

Just when I thought it was too late for winter comfort food, we get another 3 inches of snow, I am choosing to look at the bright side. Don't get me wrong, I am still holding on tight to the Spring fever that gripped me last week, I'll just have to wear my fabulous new wedge sandals in the house for a couple more weeks. Sitting at my kitchen table eating stew. That's called making the best of it, people.

My favorite thing about winter is comfort food. Big surprise, I know. There are a number of AlphaChef dishes we only eat when it's cold, and they happen to be some of his best. My favorites are a Mexican pasta dish we haven't named yet, but will post, Thai sweet green curry, chicken soup and beef stew. This stew takes a little planning and foresight, but is simple to execute, using the Minnesota favorite slow cooker aka Crock Pot. The best thing about AlphaChef's stews is he frequently uses fruits and vegetables most people wouldn't think about putting in. My favorites have apple, dried cherries, sweet potatoes and parsnips. Once you get the technique down you can use anything you want, the key is to think out of the box, meaning beyond carrots, red potatoes and celery. How boring. Ironically, this recipe follows the boring, standard fair, but is really delicious. You can add anything, as I named above, or you can stick to the tried and true. What is special about this dish is the broth. AlphaChef uses a technique used in Beef Bourguignon, a French dish which uses wine to marinate the meat and for half the broth. This allows for a layering of flavor that elevates it beyond the typical dish of stew. I'll forgive him for not using fancy ingredients...this time.

He does all the work the night before and the slow cooker does the work all day. Start with beef, we used a pound and a half of chuck, sliced into 2-3" pieces. The traditional way is to marinate the raw meat overnight and then braise it in the morning. AlphaChef is more efficient and wanted to be able to pour it all in the slow cooker in the morning, so he braised the beef first and then put in the dish to marinate with red wine overnight. It turned out amazing, so the shortcut worked. Don't worry about the quality of the wine, in fact if you use good quality red wine, you're wasting it. An inexpensive $5-$8 bottle is fine.

To braise the meat: heat a frying pan to medium high, add 2 tablespoons of oil, like peanut oil which won't smoke and not olive oil. Cut the meat into 2-3 inch sections and throw the meat into the pan. Brown each side of the meat using tongs to turn it. Repeat until the beef is browned on all sides and remove. In a dish with a cover or zip-lock bag , pour red wine over the beef until it's covered. Marinate the beef overnight.

AlphaChef puts all of the following ingredients into the slow cooker where is sits overnight in the refrigerator, next to the beef, marinating in red wine (got it?). For this stew he used some baby carrots, grape tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, 1 sweet potato cut into chunks, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 1-2 bay leaves, 4 cloves, 1 onion chopped into large pieces- sauteed in beef fat (from the braising) until clear. In the morning, put all the vegetables and the marinated, braised beef into the slow cooker. Cover the beef halfway with one part beef stock and one part red wine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours (while you're at work, or whatever you do all day). About 30 minutes prior to serving, add salt and black pepper to taste, 1 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 tbsp dried oregano and mix.

I live in Minnesota, where the cold is very cold and stays around much longer than we like. There is nothing like the energy of Spring and Summer in the Twin Cities, which actually (sometimes just barely) makes the winter worth it. Warm fireplaces, dinner parties with friends, hiring someone to shovel the snow and, for me, rich, warm comfort food, are strategies for getting through. Right now my tulips are peaking out, (yes, they will survive the snow) which means Spring is coming and my fabulous new sandals will soon see the sun.