Two Fisted Tales from The Kitchen!

A Simple Steak for One You Will Kill For!

2006-08-29T13:01:00.000-05:00

First you need a steak. I'm not gonna try and tell you which steak to buy, your preferences are your own, but I will say I prefer ribeye and new york strip. I do recommend that you keep the weight around one pound and the thickness in the 1/2 to 1 inch range. The finished steak will be around medium doneness.

- Start off with a cast iron or heavy-clad steel skillet in an oven set to 500 degrees F.
- Also have prepared a large enough piece of double folded foil to cover the finished steak.
- Take your defrosted steak and give it a rubdown with a small amount of oil. Try to use a flavor neutral oil like vegetable or canola. Then give it a coat of salt on both sides.
- Slap that steak down on the skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side.
- Place the finished steak on your plate and over with the foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- After the rest, add pepper if you wish and eat with gusto.

If you are wondering what to serve on the side, you should know better. You're already eating almost a pound of meat, you shouldn't try to let anything get in the way of that! :)

The Chicken and Black Bean Quesedilla Stack (Feeds 2-3 or double if used as an appetizer/side)

2006-08-02T11:15:00.000-05:00

This was a variation of a stacked crepe recipe I saw on the only link I have here that matters: Good Eats, hosted by my culinary superhero Alton Brown. I thought, “It's not really my speed, but I can take the concept and make it something completely different that my wife and I would love.” So I did.

I
Take one chicken breast and brown in a pan. Add salt and pepper as you go and shred the meat with two forks. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

II
In a separate pan on medium heat, add a can of diced tomatoes and puree with a stick blender. Then add a drained can of black beans. Add ½ tbsp of of chili powder and 1 tsp of cumin. Throw in the shredded chicken and let it reduce until it thickens. Take pan off the heat.

III
Have four 10” tortillas ready and a ¼ pound of shredded cheddar and monterrey jack cheese ready. Begin to stack the tortillas with an even spreading of the chicken mixture and cover with the cheese on a cookie sheet. I left the top tortilla alone, but you could cover it with cheese if you want. Bake the stack in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Notes:
The stack is not the most stable so it maybe hard to cut. I used an electric knife and that made things easy, but a good long bread or maybe a carving knife should work too.

Classic Chili (Feeds 2 to 3)

2006-07-27T16:23:00.000-05:00

The recipe is as follows:

I
Blend and put the following into a crock pot set on high. I use a stick blender with the ingredients in the pot, but it's no sweat to blend separately:
1 can diced tomatoes.
2 chipotles canned in adobo. Add 1 Tblsp of the adobo (the sauce).
5 cloves roasted garlic
2 roasted, peeled and seeded red bell peppers
1 roasted, peeled and seeded poblano chile
1 roasted, peeled and seeded anaheim chile
2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

II
Salt and brown 1.5 lbs of stew meat in a separate pan. Put the meat into the crock pot. Stir to integrate the meat with the base. Deglaze the pan with 1 can of beef broth, and let reduce by about half. Add enough of the broth until the meat is just covered by the combination of base and the broth.

III
Cook on the high setting for 2 hours then set on low for 3 hours. After this period the chili is ready. Before serving, I take a fork and shred the meat in the pot but it's entirely optional.

Notes: If the chili is not thick enough for you, you can either stir in small amounts, no more than 1/2 tblsp at a time, of masa (fine ground cornmeal), or add crackers or corn chips in the bowl. If it's too spicy you can remove the chipotles. You should definitely feel free to try different combinations of chiles for different levels of flavor and heat.

Enjoy!

Cafe Zweihander Open for Business?

2006-07-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

I love to cook. To keep track of my culinary adventures and misadventures, I've decided to post them here. Expect recipes and self commentary only from the meals approved by not only me, but my wife, who is a lovely and discriminating eater. I will start in the near future with my Classic Chili recipe and and my new and delightful Black Bean and Chicken Quesedilla stack. Please feel free to not only make them, but critique them yourself and let me know what you think or what can be different.