Category Archives: Meat CSA
Year of the Tiger
Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the Year of the Tiger. Though it is totally unrelated, Survivor’s song, Eye of the Tiger, keeps going through my head. It turns out to have been the #1 song of 1982. Did you remember it was also the theme song for Rocky III? That’s your music trivia for today.
Usually, we make an Asian noodle dish to welcome the Lunar New Year, but this year, the recipes for Stir-Fried Broccoli in the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated inspired a change of menu.
I marinated and stir-fried a flank steak from Codman Farm. Howard prepared Stir-Fried Broccoli with Chili-Garlic Sauce from Cook’s Illustrated. We mixed them together for Beef with Broccoli and served it over steamed rice with an arugula salad with a soy dressing.
Beef with Broccoli
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated (March/April 2010)
Serves 4
3 Tbsp canola or peanut oil
¾ lb flank steak, sliced thin, across the grain and at an angle
Beef Marinade:
1 tsp dry sherry
½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp sesame oil
¼ tsp sugar
1½ lb broccoli, florets cut into bite-sized pieces, stalks sliced diagonally into ¼-inch pieces
¼ tsp sugar
Chili-Garlic Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp canola oil
Broccoli Sauce
¼ cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce (the one with the rooster on the jar)
Combine ingredients for the Beef Marinade: Stir together the sherry, baking soda, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the beef, mix well, and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Combine garlic, pepper flakes, and oil for Chili-Garlic Oil.
Combine ingredients for broccoli sauce: Whisk together chicken stock, sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and chili-garlic sauce.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just starting to smoke. Add beef with any remaining marinade. Sir-fry until beef is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until just starting to smoke. Add broccoli and sprinkle with sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until broccoli is well-browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Push broccoli to the sides of the skillet. In the center of the skillet, add chili-garlic oil and cook until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir cooked chili-garlic oil with broccoli. Add Broccoli sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until broccoli is cooked through and sauce thickens, 30 to 45 seconds.
Return beef to the skillet and combine well with the broccoli.
Super Bowl XLIV
Throughout most of this country, Super Bowl Sunday is considered to be an American holiday. At our house, we’re not football fans. Baseball, yes. Basketball, yes. But not football. However, the one concession we make to Super Bowl Sunday is that we always have a chili dinner.
I have a fun cookbook, Chili Nation by Jane and Michael Stern of Roadfood fame, which comes in handy this time of year. The book has 51 chili recipes, one for each state plus one for my birthplace, Washington, D.C. Our Super Bowl tradition is this. We find out which teams are playing and where the game is being played. Then, we look at the recipes for the three represented states and pick the one that looks most appealing.
This year we picked from Indiana (Sunday Supper Chicken Chili), Louisiana (Mardi Gras Vegetable Chili), and Florida (Havana Moon Chili). Havana Moon Chili won. We’d made it before and rated it an A. Going with the Miami theme had the added bonus of Key Lime Pie for dessert!
This chili was inspired by picadillo which includes raisins. Howard doesn’t do fruit in savory food, so I make it with capers instead. We had plenty of ground beef and pork from Chestnut Farms in the freezer. I made a double batch, but used half the meat called for. I serve this chili as a multi-layer dish, starting each bowl with a bed of rice, then a layer of black beans, topped with the chili.
For the beans, you could use canned or cook some yourself. They could be plain, or you can doctor them up. Me being me, I made them from scratch. I soaked the beans overnight, cooked them with onions, garlic, and spices, and then stirred in a sofrito of onions, peppers and garlic. There was lots of soupy broth, but I served them drained.
Clearly, I’ll use any excuse for a food holiday. February is full of them, so stay tuned. After Super Bowl Sunday we have:
- Chinese New Year (Feb 14) – Noodles
- Valentine’s Day (Feb 14) – Dinner out, plus heart-shaped cookies and maybe dog biscuits
- Mardi Gras (Feb 16) – Jambalaya
- Washington’s Birthday (Feb 22) – Cherry pie
Havana Moon Chili
Adapted from Chili Nation by Jane and Michael Stern
Serves 6 to 8
1 Tbsp canola oil
½ medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork
2 cups beef broth
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, diced, with juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup capers
2 Tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp allspice
½ Tbsp kosher salt
½ cup pimento-stuffed olives, halved crosswise
¼ cup slivered almonds
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Add beef and pork, cook until browned. Drain excess fat.
Add beef broth, tomatoes and juice, vinegar, capers, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. Add olives and almonds and heat for 5 more minutes.
Serve over rice and black beans.
A Plateful of Happiness 