What are You Cooking the Week of June 11, 2017?

[BakerAunt]

It is very hot here. It started yesterday, and the coming week has predicted temperatures of 99-100F. Naturally, I headed for the crock pot. I'm trying an experiment that involves chunks of sweet potatoes, a small boneless pork loin, chunky slices of peeled and cored Cameo apples (organic, on sale), maple syrup, and a bit of boiled apple cider. I started it on high, as I was assembling it, then switched to low. (Note: I have an older crock pot, so hot is very hot.) I'll report on how the experiment turns out.

Follow-up: My husband insisted that I let it go for 3 1/2 hours. That slightly overcooked the meat, although it was still delicious. The sweet potatoes were mostly firm but tender, although those toward the top were a little firmer than optimal. With a larger roast (this one was only 1 1/2 pounds), and a longer cooking time, I think that they would have been fine. The Cameo apples held up well; they have a slight tartness. Next time, I will cut back on the water from 1 cup to 3/4 cups, so that the maple flavor comes more to the fore. After I browned the roast, I added 1/2 cup maple syrup to the pan, and let it cook for 30 seconds. I then put the meat back in, and turned it so that it was glazed all over, before I put it on top of the sweet potatoes. I scraped the rest of the glaze over it, then added 1 Tbs. boiled cider.

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• This topic was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Mike Nolan]

It's hot here, too, so I'm doing steak on the outdoor grill and a nice salad for supper.

[cwcdesign]

Sunday night I made skirt steak fajitas for some friends. I found the recipe on serious eats and although Kenzie Lopez-Alt used a charcoal grill, I used my gas grill and it was perfect. I did do the peppers and onions in the oven as I had extras and then I made guacamole to go with. I also made a rose sangria based on a Jeffrey Morgenthaler recipe from Fine Cooking. I used very little simple syrup and a nice dry rose and it was delicious - definitely not sweet, just nicely fruity.

[Mike Nolan]

I remember when skirt steak was one of the cuts that they sold for next to nothing, now it's often higher priced than T-bone steak.

[cwcdesign]

I got a deal at Sam's 🙂 that and flank steak

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by cwcdesign.

[KIDPIZZA]

cwcdesign wrote:

I got a deal at Sam’s that and flank steak

CAROL:
Good morning. Carol, if I am not mistaking in the WEST a skirt beef steak is known as a 'NY STEAK... MY MOST FAVORITE MEAL. I cook it in my Geo. Forman electric grill now a days. My favotite way is to HAVE IT GAS GRILL IT outdoors.

By the way Carol, I am certain you are aware of this tidbit... A NY SKIRT STEAK IS A "T~ BONE STEAK but with the small meat portion along side of it removed from the long bone.

In 1959 I was living in Hollywood Calif. & thru out the early 1960's the Safeway super markets would have T~BONE & NY BEEF STEAKS AGED yet on sale for .88 cents per pound from 1.09 per pound. I used to buy them from to time . It would be about every 5 or 6 weeks rotation sequence.
I would buy 4, steaks at that time because that was all I could afford. My Shiela would remind me to look for the sale. They were her favortite as well
Albertsons has them on sale this week for $4.97 per pound USDA CHOICE cut I am buying 2 about 10/12, oz each & my lady friend GERRY will back from Colorado hiking with friends Sunday. I will bring them over her condo unit & she will gas grill them for the both of us.

Enjoy the rest of the day Carol.

~CASS

[RiversideLen]

Yesterday I made a eye of round roast. It's a good roast during the hot weather as it roasts at a low 225 degrees. And I'll have enough to make sandwiches for the next several days.

[BakerAunt]

On Wednesday, in spite of the heat, I made one of my throw together soups, because I need to use up the broth I have in the freezer, as well as some canned beans. (It's rather like making Stone Soup.) 🙂 I started by sautéing garlic and onion in some olive oil. I added a diced red bell pepper and diced celery. I cut up a small salami and let it cook a bit. Then I added diced carrots and some sliced mushrooms. I added about 10 cups of turkey/chicken stock, two cans of garbanzo beans, and one 14 oz. can diced tomatoes. I added about 1 cup of barley (used it up). For seasoning, I used 1 Tbs. of Penzey's Ozark seasoning, 1/4 tsp cayenne, the rest of the parsley from the refrigerator, 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar, and 1 Tbs. tomato paste. I brought to a boil, then simmered for 40 minutes.

[Mike Nolan]

According to the NAMP, skirt steak is from the plate primal cut. The skirt steak is the boneless diaphragm muscle from the 6th through 12th ribs. It's a flavorful cut of beef, but can be tough.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirt_steak

It is often confused with flank steak, which is cut from further back on the underside of the steer and is the tail of the porter house and T-bone steaks, cut from the short loin primal.

The last several times I've done an eye of round, I started it at a high temperature (475-500) for about 15 minutes, then reduced the temperature to 150 and let it sit until it is 140-145 in the center, because I don't like roast beef too rare. (The recipe actually says to just turn the oven off, but I find that the temperature drops too much, probably an issue with oven insulation/ventilation.)

The only downside with this recipe is that you don't get much drippings for gravy, because eye of round is quite lean, so I make the gravy with roux and beef stock.

In hot weather, I'd generally do eye of round on the outdoor rotisserie.

The Wall Street Journal had an article recently which said that millenials are turning to jobs like being a butcher as more satisfying (if less lucrative.) I wish there was such a renaissance butcher near us! I grew up in a small town where the local butcher raised his own cattle for slaughter, he knew more about meat than any butcher I've been to in over 40 years.

[cwcdesign]

Wednesday I made a spinach zucchini lasagna from myrecipes. It was small which I liked so we had leftovers, but not too much - so simple using ricotta and chive-onion cream cheese, then sauté the zucchini and spinach with garlic. I did salt the zucchini first even though the recipe didn't mention it - I'm glad I did - I think it would have been watery otherwise. Topped with mozzarella. We enjoyed it.

[BakerAunt]

We are busy getting ready for our moving sale, so I needed a quick dinner. I made one of my "what's on hand" grain bowls. I sautéed diced celery and sliced mushrooms. I added some canned white chicken (usually saved for when we are traveling), then I added the leftover rice blend (originally cooked in chicken/turkey broth) that I had made to serve with the leftover Chicken Valencia earlier this week, along with the leftover sauce from the Chicken Valencia. I stirred in frozen peas, then let cook on low, covered, for five minutes. I added sliced green before serving.

[cwcdesign]

Yesterday, I tried a pork butt in the crockpot. It used a dry rub with water and cider vinegar in the bottom of the container. It ended up taking too long so I wrapped it and put in in the fridge. I did the same with the liquid. This afternoon I took it out and shredded it. It was nice, but a little dry. I took the fat off the liquid and then ended up adding it all to the shredded pork - I wish I hadn't - I think it's too wet now. Will hasn't weighed in on it yet.

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