#39 - Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri

Well, we were down to our last two Omaha Steaks after our beef fajitas and our steak and spinach meals. We thought it was a good time to try out another new recipe - a chimichurri sauce.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri

From EpicuriousChimichurri is an Argentine sauce that is great for marinading or topping meat, and it takes a lot of fresh herbs. The main ones we used were cilantro and parsley. Apparently a true chimichurri is supposed to use something called culantro - and herb you can't find easily in the U.S. - but the recipe we found said to use cilantro which you can find at the Wheaton Giant.
To make a chimichurri sauce, it's actually pretty easy. You measure your oil, vinegar, and fresh herbs, and plop it in a food processor.
So while getting those things all measured out, we started cooking our steaks.
Then we turned on the food processor and had a tasty meal all ready for us.
This was a fun meal. The chimichurri added some flavors that we're not used to having on our meat, and it gave the whole dish a nice kick. And besides that, the bright green color makes everything look fresh and exciting. It's the closest that we've ever felt to being actual gauchos.
Get your ponchos, bombachas, and bolas out, and whip yourself up a delicious dinner:

Ingredients

• 1 cup Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 flat iron steaks
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 1/4 white onion, sliced

Preparation

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor and blend until pureed.
2. Let sauce stand at room temperature.
3. Salt and pepper both sides of each steak.
4. Heat grill pan with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the steaks, and cook for 6-7 minutes.
6. Flip the steaks, add the onions to the pan, and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes for medium doneness.
7. Pour chimichurri sauce over the meat, and serve.
   

#38 - Chorizo Quiche

Tonight felt like a quiche and Ligabue kinda night, but instead of going with a regular quiche Lorraine, we felt like changing it up, and since Marcela Valladolid didn't lead us astray with her cupcakes, we went with her Mexican quiche.

Chorizo Quiche

From Mexican Made Easy
This quiche is a chorizo and potato quiche, so the most important ingredient is the Mexican chorizo. It's kind of an international quiche, though, because we went with a Swiss cheese as opposed to finding a more authentic Mexican one.
The first steps are to cook the chorizo and the potatoes.
After that, it's mix everything together, put it all in the crust, and heat her up.
This was a great quiche. Chorizo is always delicious, and it goes really well with eggs. The Mexican crema added a nice silkiness to the final dish, and overall this recipe is a keeper.

And the best part for us is that now we have extra chorizo in the fridge that we're gonna have to use soon.
Get your quiche on by following these steps.

Ingredients

• 1 pre-made pie crust
• 1/2 cup russet potatoes, diced
• 2 links of Mexican chorizo
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Shape the pie crust dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and cook according to the directions on the box for a pre-baked, one-crust filled pie.
3. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water, remove, and cool.
4. Remove the casings from the chorizo, and cook over medium heat until crisp.
5. After having removed the pie crust, raise the oven to 425 degrees.
6. In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, chorizo, eggs, crema, cheese, and milk. Salt and pepper to taste.
   
7. Pour the mixture into the crust, and bake until the quiche puffs and is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
   

#37 - Eggplant Parmigiana

There are a million ways to make eggplant Parmigiana. We felt like having some, so we had to narrow down that list to one. We found a recipe in our Throwdown! book, and it since it beat out Bobby Flay's version, we thought it was worth a try.

Eggplant Parmigiana

From David Greco of Mike's Deli
This recipe calls for breading the eggplant, so besides the eggplant, cheese, and sauce, you're gonna need flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs.
Something interesting about how they batter the eggplant is that they put pecorino and parsley in the egg-wash. We're not sure about how much a little cheese and herbs affected the breading, but those are tasty ingredients, so they couldn't hurt.After dredging and frying the eggplant, you layer it with cheese and sauce (we used the extra tomato sauce that we didn't use in yesterday's Brasato al Barolo), and pop it in the oven. Then it's eating time.
This was a pretty tasty version of eggplant Parmigiana - how could it not be with fried eggplant, tomato sauce, and gooey mozzarella cheese. The problem was it was a little heavy, so we wouldn't want to have this version too often. The good news is that means we we might have another Parmigiana recipe by the end of the year.
Are you ready for a Throwdown?

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 heaping cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 Tbs parsley, minced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 2 eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 1 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of the Pecorino and the parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Coat each of the eggplant slices in flour, the egg wash, and the breadcrumbs, and set aside.
4. Heat the vegetable oil and the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer.
5. Fry the eggplant in batches for about three minutes a side until golden brown, and remove to paper towels.
6. Spread a little of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.
7. Layer the eggplant, about one third of the remaining sauce, and about one third of the mozzarella and Pecorino cheeses.
8. Repeat until you have reached the top of the dish, and top off with a little more sauce, mozzarella, and Pecorino than the previous layers.
9. Bake until the top is lightly crisp, about 25 - 30 minutes.
10. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

#36 - Brasato al Barolo

For our wedding, the Wilkinses gave us this really nice Dutch oven from Mario Batali. We used it once already - to help us make the cajeta from those yummy cupcakes, but today, we made something from the mini cookbook that came with the big pot. The little book had a few recipes, and one of them was these braised short ribs.

Brasato al Barolo

From Mario Batali
The recipe is called Brasato al Barolo - braised in Barolo. We had never heard of Barolo, and after some research, we discovered that it is known as "the wine of kings, the king of wines."

Well, we didn't think splurging on a regal wine to be used for cooking sounded like a good idea, especially for our first attempt. And besides, the Wheaton beer and wine store didn't have any. Surprise. So we swapped that out with an Italian Pinot noir.
We talked about the Barolo, now it's time to talk about the Brasato. What we're braising is beef short ribs.
While the ribs were browning in olive oil, (watch out for extremely painful splattering) we chopped the vegetables and pancetta. It wouldn't be a Hungry Hundred recipe without pancetta.
After the ribs brown, it's time to brown the vegetables. Once those are browned, you add in the wine and tomato sauce. We had made a batch of our own tomato sauce for this, but like we said with the Gnocchi alla Sorrentina recipe, use what you have / want.
Then, once everything is all together, just let it cook for a couple hours, and you're done. Slow and steady wins the braise.
This recipe came out great. Cooking the meat low and slow really made it flavorful and tender. We realized, though, that we should have made something to go with the ribs, like rice or polenta - all we had around the house was frozen French Fries.
Go out and buy yourself the wine of kings and you can eat like one too:

Ingredients

• 6 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lbs boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch cubes
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large Spanish onions, diced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 2 ribs celery, cut into thick slices
• 4 oz pancetta, diced
• 2 cups Barolo or other hearty red wine
• 2 cups tomato sauce
  

Preparation

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking.
2. Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Making sure not to overcrowd the pot, brown the meat in the olive oil, turning frequently until dark golden brown, about 10-12 minutes per batch.
4. Transfer the meat to a plate, and set aside.
5. Pour the excess oil out of the pot, and add the onions, carrots, celery, and pancetta.
6. Cook for about 8 minutes until the vegetables turn light brown and begin to soften.
7. Add the wine and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil.
8. Add the meat and bring back to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer.
9. Cook until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2-2 hours.
10. Transfer the meat to a plate, and bring the cooking liquid to a boil.
11. Reduce the liquid to about 2 1/2 cups, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the meat.

#35 - Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

When her children get married, Mrs. Limarzi thinks a good present for the newlyweds is a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine. Johnny is one of her children, we got married, and so we earned ourselves a subscription. This recipe was on the cover of one of those issues, and we decided to try it out today.

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

From Bon Appetit
If you want to make this recipe, you're going to have to go to the store first. Unless you live on a farm. A farm that has frozen peas.So, yeah, this recipe calls for a lot of vegetables, and therefore, a lot of prep time. You need asparagus.
And peas.
And parsley and green onions.
All in all, this was an okay dish. It was a surprising meal, as every bite brought forth a different flavor. Sometimes you could really taste the pancetta, and then your next taste you'd notice the lemon or the asparagus or something else.

But since it wasn't knock-your-socks-off wonderful, it probably wasn't worth all of the shopping, chopping, and plopping.If you're a pea-freezing farmer, try this:

Ingredients

• 12 oz fettuccine
• 3 oz pancetta, chopped
• 1 1/4 lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced with white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, drain, and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, off of the heat.
2. At the same time, cook the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain.
4. Pour off all but one teaspoon of the drippings from the pan.
5. Add the asparagus, and sauté for about 3 minutes.
6. Add the peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are just tender for about 2 minutes, and remove from heat.
7. Add the vegetable mixture, dark green parts of green onions, Parmigiano, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, half of the parsley, and half of the basil to the pasta.
8. Toss together, adding more pasta water if needed, a tablespoon at a time.
9. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, and sprinkle the pancetta and remaining parsley and basil on top.

#34 - Cajeta Filled Cupcakes

For Mother's Day, we invited Mamu over for dinner, where we made her a Mexican inspired meal. We served some Hungry Hundred classics - rice, beans, and enchiladas - and what we hoped would become an instant classic - Mexican cupcakes.

Cajeta Filled Cupcakes

From Mexican Made Easy with help from Rick Bayless
Marcela Valladolid had a recipe for these cupcakes, and one of the ingredients was cajeta, a Mexican caramel. Well, we decided to go all out and make our cajeta from scratch, using a Rick Bayless recipe. If you're going the store-bought route, you won't need the goat's milk, cinnamon stick, baking soda, or as much sugar. But you'd need a store-bought cajeta.
Making the cajeta was the most time-intensive part of this recipe. You put goat milk, sugar, and a cinnamon stick in a big pot, and with a little love, it magically becomes caramel.
After making the batter and cooking the cupcakes, it's time for the two recipes to become one.
You cut a little wedge out of the cupcake, pour the cajeta inside, replace the top, and cover with the Mexican frosting.
These cupcakes were a lot of work, but they were definitely worth it. They came out so good, and after tasting the yummy cake and icing, getting a bite of the cajeta was a great surprise. Even Mamu, who claims she doesn't really like cupcakes (whoops), thought these were delicious.
If you have a Mexican mother, you should make this for her next Mother's Day.

Rick Bayless' Cajeta

Ingredients

• 1 qt goat's milk
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp baking soda, dissolved in 1/2 Tbs water

Preparation

1. In a Dutch oven, combine the milk, sugar, and cinnamon stick and set over medium heat.
2. Stir regularly until the milk comes to a simmer and all the sugar has dissolved.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the dissolved baking soda. If bubbles form, wait for the bubbles to subside.
4. Return the pot to the heat, and adjust the temperature to maintain the mixture at a brisk simmer. If it's too high, the mixture will boil over, and if it's too low, it will take forever to cook.
5. Stir regularly until the mixture turns pale golden, about one hour.
6. Once the mixture has changed colors, begin stirring frequently as it changes to a caramel-brown and thickens to the consistency of maple syrup. The bubbles will become much larger and glassier.
7. Test a couple of drops of the cajeta on a cold plate. When it cools, it should be the consistency of a medium-thick caramel sauce. If the cooled cajeta is thicker, stir in a tablespoon of water and remove from the heat.
8. Pour the cajeta through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.

Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup cajeta
• Mexican vanilla buttercream frosting
  

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tray with 12 baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla extract.
5. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk.
6. Scoop the batter into the baking cups.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
8. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Using a paring knife, cut a 1-inch-deep piece from the top of each cupcake, and set aside.
10. Fill each hole with 1 teaspoon of cajeta, and replace the cut out pieces.
11. Frost the cupcakes with the Mexican vanilla buttercream frosting.

Mexican Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbs Mexican crema or sour cream
  

Preparation

1. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add the salt, vanilla extract and crema.
3. Increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

#33 - Sauteed Spinach and Onions

We had some more steaks from our shipment from Omaha Steaks, and we wanted to have a new side. Sauteed spinach is always tasty, and after looking a bit online, we found a recipe from Paula Deen, y'all.

Sauteed Spinach and Onions

From Paula Deen
It's a pretty straightforward recipe, and since it's from Paula Deen, you can bet you'll need some butter, y'all.
This really is a simple recipe. You start out chopping onions and cooking them in butter.
Then you make a small batch of The Lady's House Seasoning. Paula's recipe told you how to make a huge amount of the seasoning that you could store for months, but we just did some arithmetic and only made as much as we needed for the spinach.
The most difficult part of this whole recipe is keeping the spinach in the pan. When you first put it in, it will be overflowing, but after tossing it in the butter and onions for a few minutes, it will become a lot more manageable.
All in all, this was a really simple side to make. But boy was it delicious, y'all! It was silky and savory, but it wasn't too heavy, as Paula Deen's meals can be.

Basically, we'll be making this again soon.
If you want to make it soon yourselves, do this:

Ingredients

• 4 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 9-oz bag baby spinach
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the spinach, and toss to wilt for about 1 minute.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Sprinkle the spinach and onions with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder mixture and the lemon juice, and remove from heat.