Steak Better Than Barbecue

Start with excellent cuts of meat, more than an inch thick. We used Porterhouse, and we cooked two of them.

Season in advance: we used pink Himalayan salt (freshly ground), smoked salt, and freshly ground pepper. Be a little bit generous.

IMPORTANT: Let the meat warm to room temperature while the seasonings are on it, soaking into it. Allow half an hour or more.

Select a cast iron frying pan that’s large enough for steaks you’re cooking to fit comfortably, with plenty of breathing room between steaks, and between the meat and the sides of the pan.

Preheat the frying pan in the oven. Get it very hot. Either leave the frying pan in the oven as you preheat the oven to 500F, or set the oven to broil on high for ten minutes with the frying pan on the top rack.

When the frying pan is very hot, remove it from the oven and place it on a hot burner on the stove (again: on high). Leave the oven hot (500F). Sear the seasoned steaks for 30 seconds on each side: there will be sizzling. There will also be smoke: take precautions against setting off the fire alarm.

Return the hot frying pan with the steaks to the oven. For rare, bake two minutes on each side. Cook slightly longer for other preferences.

Remove the steaks from the oven and from the frying pan; let them rest on a plate for at least two minutes (up to ten minutes). 

Serve with appropriate side dishes and beverages. Enjoy. 

Strange Green Smoothie

 

1½ very ripe bananas

1 cup milk

1 leaf kale

2 carrots, shredded

¼ cup raw cashews

¼ cup peanuts

½ cup white raisins

The carrots and the nuts are a new experience for me. I’m discovering what appear to me to be strange flavors that work well together.

This was quite good, and pretty filling. Guess I'd better experiment some more. 

Veggie Heavy Scrambled Eggs

Service for One

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
2 fresh eggs
2 fresh carrots, grated.
1 leaf fresh kale, julienned
2 leaves fresh sage, julienned
¼ fresh bell pepper, grated or julienned
1 tsp roasted garlic powder
1 tsp roasted onion powder
¼ tsp (or to taste) pepper powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp oat bran
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese (or substitute with goat cheese)

Directions:

Fried veggies, just before adding eggs & cheese.

Heat (cast iron) frying pan. Stir veggies, seasonings and bran in a bowl to mix evenly.
Add oil and veggies to the hot pan. Fry until much of the moisture is gone. Crack eggs into vegetables, and add parmesan. Break yolks and stir briefly.

A side of toast, and a cup of coffee make this complete.

Who knew that carrots were good in eggs. But they’re pretty yummy!

Butternut Squash Fettuccine Alfredo

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

- 3 cups diced butternut squash (about half a squash)

- 1 cup of vegetable stock.

- Butter (4 Tbsp.)

- One small onion (1 cup diced)

- Rosemary (1 Tbsp.)

- Sage (1 Tbsp.)

- Low-fat Milk (4 cups)

- Parmesan (1 cup, plus more for topping)

- Brown Sugar (2 Tbsp.)

- Nutmeg (1/4 tsp)

- Salt and pepper (to taste)

- Water (2 cups)

- Fettuccine noodles (1 16oz box)

Directions:

Melt 4 Tbsp. of butter. Add 1 cup of diced onion, 1 Tbsp. of Rosemary and 1 Tbsp. of Sage. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat until onions soften. Then cook on medium-high heat until the butter begins to brown (be careful not to burn it). Add in 3 cups of diced butternut squash and 1 cup of vegetable stock, stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes (until butternut squash is softened).

Uncover and mash with a potato masher until you’ve squished all the squash. Add 2 cups of milk and stir. Then, add 1 cup of Parmesan and stir. Add 2 Tbsp. of brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and stir until well blended.

You can either cook your pasta beforehand in the pot and set it aside, or cook it in the sauce! Break fettuccine noodles in half and place in the sauce. Carefully cover the noodles with sauce. Then, pour in 2 more cups of milk and 2 cups of water and stir. (Add more water, if needed, to smooth out the sauce.) Stir the pasta continuously (to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot) and cook for 15-20 minutes (or until pasta has reached desired texture)

From  http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-butternut-squash-fettucine-alfredo-238127

Brown Sludge

Brown Sludge is for topping freshly toasted homemade bread.

Ingredients:
1 banana, ripe or over-ripe.
⅓ cup natural peanut butter.
⅓ cup honey.
2 TBSP butter.

Put them together in a small blender cup, and blend them until smooth. Then make some toast and enjoy!

Manly Man Bread

Ingredients:

1½ tsp yeast

1 cup white flour.

1 cup whole wheat flour.

2 TBSP gluten

1 TBSP buttermilk powder

¼ cup milk powder

¼ cup oatmeal, steel cut

3 TBSP butter, warm

¼ cup flax seed meal

¾ cup granola

¼ pound savory sausage, fried.

2 TBSP honey

8 ounces oatmeal stout beer, warm (drink the rest)

1 large egg (brown, to go with the beer)

¼ cup grated cheddar cheese

⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese

Combine the first set of ingredients in the bread machine. When they’re well combined, add the stout and egg. Five minutes before the end of the second mixing, add the cheese.

Observation:  This is really quite heavy, which is to be expected with these ingredients. As a result, it didn't get all the way done all the way to the center. Next time:

• a little more yeast 
• add some dark rye flour
• cook it in two smaller loaves. 
• cheese in chunks, not shreds, 
• more sausage. Maybe some bacon.
• Add the meat very late, also.
• More seeds (especially flax seed).

Polenta & Sausage

Ingredients: 
per serving:

3 slices polenta, cut into ⅜” cubes.

1 sausage or bratwurst, cut into ⅜” cubes.

    (Substitute cubes of firm, marinated tempeh or tofu for vegetarian)

1 large San Marzano (or medium Roma) cut into ⅜” cubes.

⅓ cup broccoli cut into ⅜” cubes.

⅓ cup kale cut into pieces.

¼ cup bell pepper cut into ⅜” cubes.

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste.

1 TBSP olive oil for frying

Heat oil, and cook polenta and sausage, until sausage is done. Season with garlic powder, salt & pepper.

Reduce heat and add vegetables. Cook until they’re only beginning to get soft: two or three minutes. Stir well.

Transfer to plate / plates. Top with Parmesan cheese & broil 6 – 8 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown.

Warn guests that the plates are real hot!

Review: This is quite good. Consider other cheeses (cheddars? goat cheese for cow-dairy free), other meat (pork? chicken?). I'll bet this would make interesting nachos. 

Per person: