Sunday Dinners

I have really wanted to get into the mode of making nice family dinners. Last week was Halloween so we just had pizza but this week I had a plan.

I had a nice London Broil and decided it was time to make it.

Pepper Crusted Steak with Horseradish cream on Garlic Crostini

Marinade

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon peppercorns, cracked

1/3 cup of olive oil

2 lbs of London Broil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a Large ziploc bag completely covering meat. Let all air out of bag and let sit at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Preheat grill or broiler for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle meat with salt, grill or broil until med rare (or however you prefer your meat to be cooked). Cooking time will depend on thickness of the meat.

Let the meat stand for at least an hour, then slice thin. Serve on Crostini. Top with Horseradish sauce.

For my Crostini I had some roasted garlic from my butternut squash soup that I mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper.

I cut the bread on an angle and then with my silicone brush put the garlic/olive oil mixture on them. I then put in the broiler (Our grill did not have any propane).

The Horseradish sauce I made was

1/3 cup of horseradish

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 pepper

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 cup of sour cream

I also made a Butternut Squash Soup. The recipe is from my husband (who attended Culinary school - The Culinary Institute of America)**

1 Butternut Squash

1 1/2 head of garlic

1 onion

1 leek

salt

pepper

1/2 ginger

2 sprigs of thyme

1/2 lemon

Olive oil

32 oz Chicken Stock

Preheat oven to 350. Oil, salt and pepper squash. Place on a baking sheet and bake, rotating squash every 15 minutes until tender. Sweat the onion and leeks in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When squash is tender, immediately remove squash from skins - very hot but it comes out easier this way. Add squash to onion and leeks. Puree squash, onion and leeks. Simmer 15 minutes. Add warm chicken stock, slowly, pureeing as you go. I tend to like it think but make it a little thinner because you will let it simmer for 20-30 minutes and it thickens up then. You don't need to use all the stock but I usually do. While it simmers I put the ginger (chopped) into a sachet and the same for the thyme (2 separate sachets).

I do another puree in the middle of simmering. Serve warm with Cream Fraiche on top. It is great to keep in the house during the winter. It is one of my favorites. Enjoy.

Enjoy.

Sunday Dinners

As a teenager I recall having Sunday dinners made by my dad. My dad would be making shrimp on skewers with my bestie Jen and I putting it together and enjoying a great meal with my family. Everyone loved coming to my house on Sundays for dinner. I really enjoy having Sunday dinner for my family. It gives me a chance to cook and make fabulous meals (or not so fabulous meals) and at the same time have my children eat outside of their little boxes.

So, on some Sundays I am able to make fantastic meals that the children will try and we both enjoy. Tonight was one of those nights.

Tonight I made a Roast, with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green beans with dill.

We actually had an added guest this evening (son's best friend) and we had a great time (I even made them chicken nuggets in case they wouldn't eat the roast).

Roast Beef with Dijon Caper Sauce

Roast Beef:

• 1 3-pound eye of round beef roast, trimmed of excess fat and sinew
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2 cups low-salt beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons drained capers

For roast beef:
Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix thyme, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Heat oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 130°F, about 40 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; let rest.

For sauce:
Place skillet with juices over medium-high heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; bring to boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, whisking often, about 6 minutes. Whisk in mustard and capers. Season sauce with pepper.

Cut beef crosswise into very thin slices. Transfer beef to platter. Serve with sauce.

Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes

2 lbs of potatoes

1 head of Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Butter

cream

Truffle oil

Cut off the top of the head of garlic, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Place in foil and wrap with top exposed. Put into an oven at 350. Peel and cut potatoes in quarters. Put into boiling water. When tender, remove from water, melt butter and cream.

Add warm butter/cream mixture to potatoes as you mash them, add the roasted garlic (just squeeze the garlic out of the skins and add truffle oil (Fairway has a nice olive oil with truffles that is fabulous). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green Beans with Dill

Melt 1 TBS of butter in pan. Add Green beans. Little salt and Dill, toss. Serve. Very tasty.

It was a fabulous meal by all. I look forward to making some more in the future.

Zizette

Wild Boar

A few weeks ago I spoke of a Wild Boar sitting in my Fridge waiting to be cooked.

We did in fact cook it as a tribute to my baby bro who passed who loved to eat FuNkY Foods.

Now Boar is just a pig but this was a WILD Boar! Wild like my Mike.

I love to cook, my dad is an awesome cook, my husband is a CIA Graduate and my youngest brother loves to cook. So we cooked it together.

We made it like a stew, oh yeah along with some Goat Loin (Hey I have a weird friend who hunts and gave it us).

We cooked it in the Big Ole Le Crueset Dutch Oven on the stove.

We seasoned the meat and seared it in the pan, then with all the good bits added some wine to make a nice sauce.

Threw in some onions, potatoes, carrots and peas.

It came out really nice. A nice Stew. It was one of those recipes where we put stuff in willy nilly so I am sorry not to have a recipe or measurements.

However, I did make a HORRIBLE risotto. I had not planned on making it and my dad said oh, make your risotto. IT STUNK!

I made it in a pot that was too small and I was rushed. You cannot rush risotto so it was like paste because it was overcooked. Never again will I do that (because believe me, a week later my dad still reminded me I messed up the rice).

I am in the mood for a good risotto though, maybe this weekend.

Zizette