Grilled Flank Steak Rolls

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As I typed that title, I am not sure if I like it. It is fairly accurate to what this dish is, but something about it seems off. However, I cannot come up with anything better, so it is staying haha. This is a meal that I made on a whim and had no idea how it would turn out. I figured wrapping vegetables in meat can’t be bad, so I went for it and made a teriyaki sauce to go with it. Turns out it was pretty tasty, but I didn’t count for logistics and how to eat it, as it kind of fell apart as I cut into it. Still tasted good though!

Ingredients

  • Flank steak, pounded thin and cut into large strips
  • Salt and pepper
  • Carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
  • Asparagus
  • Green onions
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • cornstarch
  • toothpicks

Directions

  • Salt and pepper the steak to taste
  • Blanch the carrots and asparagus in boiling water (~1-2 minutes)
  • Roll a carrot stick, asparagus stalk, and green onion in a flank steak strip and close with a toothpick
  • Do this with remaining steak strips and vegetables
  • On a grill pan (or grill, or large frying pan), cook the steak rolls (~2 min each side)
  • Let the steak rolls rest and grill onions
  • For the teriyaki sauce, in a small sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, honey, ginger, vinegar, and sesame oil on medium heat
  • Once combined and simmering, add mix of cornstarch and water to desired thickness
  • Brush the teriyaki sauce over the steak rolls and serve (I served over sautéed kale)

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Poached Cod

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So I always hear that poaching fish is a good and easy way to cook it (ok not always hear, maybe like a few times). Of course when I looked it up, it didn’t seem that hard, and all in all I’d say that it isn’t. However, if I am going to be honest, while it looks pretty in the broth and all the veggies, I probably prefer to pan sear my fish and eat it slightly crispy.  Not everything we make can always be freaking awesome you know? sometimes you strike out, and this doesn’t even qualify as striking out. There was a lot of good flavor in the broth, but I just felt that the fish was kind of bland and lacking. Maybe if I get venturous again I will give this one another shot in the future, but for now, here it is. If you change it up and it comes out tasting great, please let me know what you did differently. I would like hear!

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Ingredients:

  • 6 cups water
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • potatoes, sliced
  • onions/shallots, sliced
  • carrot, sliced
  • 1/2 lemon sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 cod filets
  • 2 bay leaves
  • parsley and/or cilantro

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Directions

  • Combine all ingredients other than the cod in a pot and bring to a boil on high heat
  • Reduce to a simmer on low heat
  • When liquid is lightly simmering, add cod filets, making sure to completely cover them in liquid
  • Poach until cod is opaque and flaky (~7min?)
  • Serve….so simple right?

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

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So I was at the local supermarket just browsing the produce section (that just sounds weird typing that) when I came upon a sale for brussel sprouts. This was not the first time I have seen such a sale, but this was the first time that I stopped at one. Trying to be healthier and more culinary adventurous, I decided to try my hand at them since it couldn’t be that hard right? But I knew that in order for them to be really good, I would have to combine it with bacon (obviously) so then I went to the meats section.  For my first time making these, it turned out pretty good. Definitely more enjoyable than I thought since Asian people don’t generally eat brussel sprouts I feel like.

Ingredients

  • 12-16 brussel sprouts
  • EVOO
  • Kosher Salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Few slices of bacon (who am I to judge how many you use?)
  • Shaved parmesan
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

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Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  • Cut brussel sprouts length wise and rinse
  • In a large bowl mix the EVOO, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic
  • Once the sprouts are dry, toss them with the EVOO and spices to evenly coat
  • Place them in the oven until tender (~20 minutes)
  • Meanwhile, fry the strips of bacon
  • After they cool, chop the bacon and toss with roasted brussel sprouts
  • Shave a few slices of Parmesan on top and enjoy!

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Red Wine Roasted Chicken

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Like I said in a previous post, I pretty much spend free time trolling Yahoo Food and other food blogs/sites.  I came across this one for a roast chicken recipe and it looked good and easy, so I thought I would do it.  I have tried this dish twice now, and I have to say, the first time, I wouldn’t call a disaster, but it definitely didn’t turn out well.  Thankfully, I stuck with it and it was much better the 2nd go around.  A few of the flaws that arose were I didn’t use any potatoes and I also had way more chicken than the original recipe had.  As it turns out, you need those potatoes to soak up some of that water, and when you have about 2x as much chicken as the recipe calls for, it also takes a lot longer to cook.  Who woulda thunk?  Anyways, the 2nd time, I was much better about what I was doing ad while I still didn’t use potatoes, I put in less water and had a much better turn out. I think the one downfall this time around though was that it came out a little too oily in the vegetables from both the water and the chicken juice.

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Ingredients:

  • ⅔ cup red wine
  • 6 tbsp/100 g tomato paste
  • 3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
  • 3 sprigs marjoram, leaves picked, or ½ tsp dried
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I used chicken leg quarters)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 18 oz/500 g baby potatoes, washed (Didn’t do that)
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • 6 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
  • ½ cup water

Directions

  • Mix the wine, tomato paste, marjoram, thyme, and red wine vinegar
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper
  • Place the chicken in a plastic ziploc bag and pour the sauce over the chicken
  • Shake the bag to make sure each piece is well coated and let marinate for at least 30 minutes (I did about 2 hours)
  • Make a bed of vegetables at the bottom of a large baking dish/tray and pour in the water
  • Place the chicken pieces over the vegetables (skin side up) and pour the remainder of the marinade over the chicken
  • Cover with foil and roast in the oven for ~30 min at 400 degrees
  • Uncover the chicken and baste with cooking liquid and roast again uncovered for another ~15 minutes (I had to go ~30min)
  • Pour yourself a nice glass of red wine and enjoy!

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Braised Beef Shank

Hello.  I suppose that I will occasionally post about my own cooking and food, but no promises since I am pretty lazy.  This is the first of those times. Today was supposed to be cold, rainy, and all around crap, so I had planned to make something hot and comforting to balance that. Fortunately, the weather held up and it was a pretty nice day in the Bay. But alas, I already bought the ingredients for this braised beef dish, so what the hell, I made it anyways.  Nobody says you can’t have a hot dish on a warm day anyways, so whatever.

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The Dish:  Braised Beef Shank

Ingredients:

  • ~4 lbs Beef shank (sometimes I use short ribs)
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Onion
  • 2 cups White wine
  • 2 cups Marinara Sauce
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Tomato Paste
  • Rice/potatoes

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Preparing the meal:

This is a recipe I got from my mom because I like this dish so much.  So thanks Mom!

  • Salt and pepper beef generously
  • Dice carrots, celery, and onions to desired thickness
  • Brown all sides of the beef shanks/short ribs in a pan (med-high heat)
  • Transfer the beef to a baking dish
  • Cook the celery, carrots, and onions in the meat juices from the browning (you may need to add a little bit of oil)
  • Add the 2 cups of chicken broth
  • Add the 2 cups of White Wine (remember, 1 for the dish, 1+ for you)
  • Add the 2 cups of marina sauce (You can make your own, but let’s be real, ain’t nobody got time for that.  Thus, I used store bought)
  • Mix the veggies and the broth and let it come to a boil
  • Pour the mix over the beef in the baking tray
  • Tent with foil and bake for 3 hours at 380 degrees
  • Add ~2 tbsp of tomato paste about half way to thicken the sauce a bit
  • Serve with rice/mashed potatoes/carbs – I used rice here because I am lazy and Asian

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