New to Coffee

Before:



After:

Let's just say that having coffee worked out way better for our steak than it did for Will Farrell*.

Carpool Wars - Battle: Braise!

When I took my pro chef class, I learned the following:

Braising is a cooking technique, seen often in French cuisine, combining moist and dry heat. It uses heat, time, and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue, collagen, in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. Most often the meat is quickly dry seared in a hot pan, then transferred to a pot with liquids to cook, long and slowly, until the meat is utterly and completely delicious.

Carpool Wars - Battle: Braise! 
A long-simmering summary.

It turns out that I have been braising this post*.

Back in December 2012 (!), the carpool moms had another knock-down, all-out, no-holds-barred, gourmet dinner throw-down.  We raised the stakes by adding a new category, Best Wine Pairing.  We required complementary side dishes.

We braised our butts off.

That memorable evening, meat was falling off of bones all over the place.  Rich, long-simmered sauces were ladled over risotto and silky smooth potatoes and creamy, cheesy polenta.  In the midst of all the heartiness, a gorgeous green salad appeared**.

Then much incredible wine was consumed, and I kind of lost track of the details.  But there was definitely a warm apple tart with cinnamon ice cream in there somewhere.

The contenders:

 Christy F's Asian Style Beef Short Ribs, with Melted Leeks and Creamy Mashed Potatoes.  Ginger, garlic, soy and scallions in the sauce, perfectly tender beef, and the barely caramelized leeks went perfectly with the luxurious spuds.  Wow.

Recipe here.

The short ribs were paired with a gorgeous vintage wine from the host's collection

 My Braised Lamb Shanks with Gremolata and Baked Polenta.  The lamb cooked for hours in tomatoes, onions, stock and wine, with a little fennel and rosemary.  Very tasty.  And the creamy polenta with a slightly toasted top crust was killer.  This was the cover recipe from the October issue of Bon Appetit, so this is actually a double theme post:  Carpool Wars and Cook My Mailbox!

Recipe here.

The lamb was paired with a Biale Petite Syrah, Royal Punishers, one of my all-time favorite wines***.  My friend had just given me this bottle, and I couldn't think of a better reason to crack it open.

Christy D.'s Veal Osso Buco with Saffron Risotto.  Can you say decadent?  I thought you could.  Her sauce was deeply flavored, with cloves, bay leaves, sage and thyme.  I loved this one.

Recipe here.

A Shiraz married with the veal.  They were quite well matched, if I do say so myself.

The judges ate, and drank, and considered.

In the end, our hostess' Short Ribs (justifiably) ruled!  My wine pairing received accolades, and Christy D's presentation once again impressed****.   As much as everyone loved Battle: Brunch and Battle: Taco, the consensus was that we'd outdone ourselves yet again.

But that might have been the wine talking.
And the apple tart.

Cook my Mailbox Weekend IV

That whole fall thing?
First it was kinda happening.
Then it was 99 degrees outside.

I took this as a sign that someone up there wanted me catch up on my summer reading, and retired to the hammock. I made excellent progress* on the July issue of Bon Appetit before I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I made this for dinner.

The steaks were melt in your mouth amazing, which I took as a sign that someone up there wanted to reward me for taking the afternoon off.

Carpool Wars: Battle Taco!

Given how intense this thing is getting, I clearly need to update the "Feud" entry on Wikipedia:

"A feud (ˈfjuːd'), referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans.

Famous blood feuds

The Hatfield clan in 1897.

• Three Kingdoms period, (184-280 AD) feuding Chinese warlords during the fall of the Han Dynasty.
• Njál's saga, an Icelandic account of a Norse blood feud (960-1020; Norway, Ireland and Iceland)
• The Mackintosh-Cameron feud (1290s-1665)
• The Battle of the North Inch, Michaelmas, 1396, Scotland; the battle is fictionalised in the novel The Fair Maid of Perth bySir Walter Scott
• The Percy–Neville feud (1450s; England)
• The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487; England)
• The Talbot–Berkeley feud (1455–1485; England) (concurrent with the War of the roses)
• The Gunn–Keith feud (1464-1978; Scotland)
• The Campbell–MacDonald feud, including the Massacre of Glencoe (1692; Scotland)
• The Regulator-Moderator War, (1839-1844, Republic of Texas)
• The Donnelly–Biddulph community feud (1857–1880; Ontario, Canada)
• The Lincoln County War (1878–1881; New Mexico, USA)
• The Hatfield–McCoy feud (1878–1891; West Virginia & Kentucky, USA)
• The Clanton/McLaury–Earp feud (see also Earp Vendetta Ride), also known as the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1881; Arizona, USA)
• The Pleasant Valley War, also known as the "Tonto Basin Feud" (1882–1892; Arizona, USA)
• The Capone–Moran feud, including the St. Valentine's Day massacre (1925–1930; Chicago, Illinois, USA)
• The Castellammarese War (1929–1931; New York City, USA)
• The Great Mafia War (1981–1983; Sicily, Italy)
• The Feud of Scampia (2004–2005; Naples, Italy)
• The Maguindanao Massacre (2009; Ampatuan, Philippines)"
• Carpool Wars (2011-2012; Encino, California, USA)

Carpool Wars: Battle Taco!
The latest skirmish between the carpool clans was brutal, as usual.

First, the battle lines were drawn:

A taco, by definition, is a tortilla folded around a filling, so that's the basic limit. 
Tortillas can be corn or flour, homemade or store bought. 
The filling can be anything -- meat, veggies, combination, etc. 
The tacos themselves can be fried or not, rolled or soft. 
Because condiments are such a personal thing, I'd suggest we each have a "recommended" configuration (including specific toppings, if any), but allow the judges to customize their own if they choose from your available condiments.

Available condiments?
Try five different homemade salsas, freshly chopped mangos, various types of crumbled and grated cheese, quick-pickled onions, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, chopped cilantro, ripe tomato wedges, sour cream, dill cucumber spears, olives, diced white onions, and fresh avocado.

Now picture them rigidly separated into four distinct sections of a big table, and pity the fool that tried to put one woman's cotija cheese on another woman's chicken taco.

Smack!

The tacos themselves?
Two fried, two not.

The tortillas?
All corn.  Some grilled, some freshly heated on a cast iron griddle.

The fillings that could be anything?
Shredded chicken.
Grilled swordfish.
Slow roasted beef brisket.
Smoky sirloin and chorizo.

Homemade guacamole and chips, in a gorgeous authentic molcajete.
Caesar salad.
Seasoned refried black beans.
Fresh Hibiscus tea.
Margaritas, too.
Juicy watermelon.
Mexican bread pudding and salted caramel shortbread bars.

And after all that work?
The verdict was perfectly split, four ways.

Yep, this this particular vendetta may go on for years**.

And now....The Battle Taco contenders!

Carpool Wars: Battle Steak!

FADE IN:

INT.  DINING ROOM - NIGHT

AUTHORITATIVE ANNOUNCER VOICE

Previously, on Carpool Wars...

Overhead shot of dining table littered with large plates covered with remnants of various pasta dishes, a few scattered pieces of blueberry pie with ice cream melting in places, and several EMPTY WINE BOTTLES.  A group of adults, clearly completely stuffed and showing the effects of the wine, are leaning back in their chairs, rubbing their bloated bellies with happiness.

MY HUSBAND

Ribs?

THE CARPOOL MOMS

(Raising glasses to toast)

You're on!

FADE TO:
INT.  KITCHEN - EVENING
Quick montage of Battle Ribs! with properly dramatic, pulse-pounding soundtrack in the background.  Use clever editing to make people feel this has happened just last week, despite the fact that this particular battle happened in November*.

AUTHORITATIVE ANNOUNCER VOICE

Three battles in.  A brand new driver in the mix**.   The most exciting Mom-on-Mom cooking competition in America hits a whole new level of fierceness tonight.  Who will win the coveted "Taste" prize?  Stay tuned.  
It's CARPOOL WARS:  BATTLE STEAK!

EXT.  MY CAR - LATE AFTERNOON
Overhead shot. We see the car turning a corner and overhear the conversation.

MY SON

What do you want to bet that Cindy doesn't even make a real steak? 

MY DAUGHTER

Yeah, she'll probably make, like, duck, and call it steak.  Like the fish burgers.  

ME

Or she could be making steak tartare...

..
A chorus of "Ews!" ensues, along with laughter.  MY HUSBAND looks worried.  I look calm but am secretly dismayed, because I know she will be making a real steak, and I am in trouble.

INT.  KITCHEN - EVENING
Close ups of succulent steaks. We hear CARPOOL MOMS murmuring in the background about their personal relationships with various butchers.  Smack talk all around**.

Christy D's two-inch thick NY steaks from a butcher that sells to the top restaurants in LA, basking in a balsamic-shallot-olive oil marinade.

Cindy's even thicker bone-in rib eyes, with her special skillet, artisan salts, and other spices.  Also bone marrow to be roasted alongside.  (The kids were a tiny bit right)

A clever entry from the new Christy: Flank steak marinated in a vibrant chimichurri sauce.  She's a ringer!

CUT TO:
Sizzling everywhere.  Tantalizing smells are coming from the stove top, the oven and the grill. The guacamole has been demolished, the baked potato bar is being set up, and THE CARPOOL MOMS are well through the white wine and on to the red.

 

PAN TO:
Platters of steak, laid out for the JUDGES to take the first pass through.

 

The judges are pleased.

The grilled balsamic NY steaks, with a decadent peppercorn cream sauce

The rib eye - finished in the oven with the marrow bones, a little thyme, and butter

The INSTIGATOR, enjoying the results of his diabolical plan (and the lack of steak tartare)

The votes come in, including a new category "Tenderness", added perhaps in a kind gesture to my steak, which was completely outclassed in every aspect but this one.

The WINNER for best tasting steak savors her victory by jumping up and down and screaming for joy****.  The OTHER MOMS are outwardly happy for her, each having won a category themselves*****, but we know better.  They waste no time in throwing down the gauntlet.

AUTHORITATIVE ANNOUNCER VOICE

Don't miss the next exciting CARPOOL WARS: Battle Brunch!

FADE OUT.

Domo Arigato, Lomo Saltado*

On the one hand, it's pretty disappointing that an absurdly expensive private high school would stoop to re-using curriculum.

On the other hand, I love this assignment.

Now that we are in Spanish 3, it was instructive to note that at least one of us has matured substantially since the fabled Cuban Dinner Crisis of Spanish 2. 

He chose the dish he wanted to make, before I even had a chance to give him some of my ideas all by himself ahead of time*.  I stayed out of his way until I couldn't help myself and grabbed the knife before he lost a finger he asked me for help. The dinner was delicious, the dessert was even better, and he did all the dishes and cleaned up the whole kitchen except for the half-empty Vitamin Water bottle that was left on the coffee table that he said was his sister's from before and therefore was not his problem afterward.

I gave him an A+ anyway.

 

Spaghetti-less Meatballs

My kids:  What's for dinner?
Me:  Meatballs.
Them:  But what's all that green stuff in them?  And where's the pasta? And the sauce*?
Me:  These are Asian meatballs.  We're having them with rice and the sauce is right over there.  It's teriyaki sauce. You like teriyaki sauce, right?

They stare at me like I'm from another planet.
What is with that?

Another approach to burgers

From The Celebrity Cookbook (1967), via kottke.org:

Things that you grill for $200, Alex

Alex Trebek:  Answer - "This flavorful use for a less popular part of the bird will satisfy both your family's appetite and your own repressed anger at the absence of your daughter."

DING!

Me: What are Mediterranean Chicken Skewers?
Alex Trebek:  Correct!

Mediterranean Chicken Skewers 

A recipe from the grilling class I took a while back.   They are juicy, full of spice, and a cinch to make.  Plus, you get to stab the meat, chanting "you better be nice to her!" or other such comfort phrases, as much as you like.  I served these with a refreshing Tabouleh-style salad made with Israeli cous cous instead of bulgur wheat* and some white bean hummus from Trader Joe's.

1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1/4 c. combined assortment of minced Italian parsley, mint, tarragon and chives
1 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a small bowl until well combined.  Place marinade and chicken into a large Ziploc bag.  Turn several times to coat the chicken, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a day.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, and thread onto skewers. ("Die, evil counselor! Die!")  Heat grill to medium.  Place skewers on the grill, sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning once.  It should be opaque on all sides, but you can check for doneness by cutting into one of the pieces with a small knife.  Serve immediately.

Alex Trebek:   Pick again.
Me:  Things that you grill for $400, Alex.
Alex Trebek:  Answer - "This summer dinner party winner was just one of 101 grilling ideas published recently by Mark Bittman in the New York Times."

DING!

Me:  What is Lime Ginger Soaked Skirt Steak?
Alex Trebek:  Correct!

Lime Ginger Soaked Skirt Steak

Out of all 101 sentences in that post, this one just called to me:  Soak skirt steak in a mixture of soy, lime juice, garlic, ginger and sugar (or mirin) before grilling.

So I did exactly that.  Or almost exactly.  I had some fresh herbs around and threw those in, too.  I've tried to replicate the proportions I used, but definitely just wing it.  I don't think you can go wrong.

One 2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. chopped fresh scallions
1/4 c. of soy sauce
Juice of 4-5 limes
1/4 c. of brown sugar
1/2 c. of olive oil
About 2 lbs. skirt steak, visible fat trimmed, silver skin removed as best you can.
Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients except steak in a bowl, and mix thoroughly.   Put steak and marinade into a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.   Once or twice, give the steak a little massage and move the marinade around.

When you are ready to cook, preheat grill to medium high.    Place steak on grill, and sprinkle liberally with salt.  Grill for 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare, depending on the thickness of your steak.  Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes on a pan or tray that will collect any juices from the steak.   Then slice against the grain on the diagonal and serve, drizzling juices over.

Alex Trebek:  I'm sorry.  That's all the time we have for today.  Mostly because I'm too hungry to continue.  Tune in next time, everybody!

Today's post is in honor of one of my favorite movie moments, from White Men Can't Jump:



*  To make the salad, cook the cous cous as directed.  While still warm, stir in the juice from 2 or 3 lemons, 3 Tbs. of balsamic vinegar, 1/3 c. of olive oil, and about a cup and a half of chopped fresh herbs.  The herb proportions should skew towards Italian parsley, but should have a strong dose of mint and scallions, too.   The nice thing about pairing this with the chicken is how much they have in common, herb-wise.   You can easily chop all the herbs at once for both recipes.  Allow salad to cool completely, then refrigerate, preferably for a least an hour, before serving.  About 15 minutes before you're ready to eat, stir in chopped fresh tomatoes, cucumbers or whatever other veggies you like.  Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed.