Seared Steak au Poivre with Brandied Mushrooms and Braised Brussels Sprouts

I ain't gonna lie.  There are few better things than a perfectly medium rare piece of beef.  Don't even argue, it is only THE way to eat it.  Period.  I am from Wyoming and when you cross the state lines there is always a sign that says "Welcome to Wyoming.  Eat Beef".  So we KNOW how beef should be cooked.

The problem with beef is that it kind of gets a bad wrap...and most of it should. But when you are eating grass fed you don't have to feel guilty.  But if you aren't, you should completely feel guilty.  

Anyway, I like my beef simple most of the time...coated in cracked pepper (au poivre) and sea salt is simply wonderful.  But I took it up a notch tonight because I had some mushrooms that needed to be used, and there isn't anything quite like mushrooms with brandy and butter.  Sorry, despite many claims to the contrary, this is no substitution for alcohol.  I mean, I almost puked in my mouth thinking someone out there will surely use, aack, juice, as a replacement.  NOT EVEN CLOSE.  This dish is good.  And I am warning you now that you will crave these mushrooms from now on!

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 bunch Brussels sprouts, cut in half

1/2 c. beef stock

4 new york strip steaks, room temperature

4 tbsp. cracked peppercorns

2 tbsp. butter

2 portobello caps, diced

1/2 c. brandy

1/2 c. beef stock

1/4 c. parsley

2 tbsp. butter

Braised Brussels Sprouts

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  Add shallots, cooking until they start to caramelize.  Add Brussels sprouts, stir well, and cook a few minutes so the edges start to golden.  Add the 1/2 c. stock, put on a lid, and reduce heat to low, simmering until the sprouts are tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Seared Steak au Poivre

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a grill or grill pan over high heat.  Coat the steak generously with pepper and lightly salt.  Sear steak on each side for 1 minute.  It shouldn't take any longer if you have the heat source at the correct temperature.  Place pan in oven, cooking for 8-10 minutes depending on thickness for medium rare.  Allow the meat to rest 3-5 minutes before cutting it.  This is especially true with grass fed beef as you are compromising the excess fat, and moisture, that is generally present in grain fed beef.

Brandied Mushrooms

Heat a saute pan over medium high.  Add one teaspoon of butter, allow it to melt, and then add the mushrooms.  Saute until they start to caramelize.  Add the brandy, fire it up (the pyro in me loves to come out) and let it burn out.  Reduce by half and then add the stock, once again reducing by half.  Add the parsley and butter and whisk until the butter is incorporated.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve over the steak.

Scallops with Orange Reduction and Spiced Vegetable Compote

I adore scallops.  They are not overly sweet, and mild enough that you can pretty much pair them with anything and they will be good.  But, they can be pretty intimidating for most people because they have a very narrow window in which they can be cooked perfectly.  Here is the secret.  HOT pan, quick sear, QUALITY scallops, and generously salt and peppered.

4 tbsp. coconut oil

1 lb. sea scallops

1/2 onion, medium dice

4 small carrots, medium dice

1 zucchini, medium dice

4 ribs celery, medium dice

1 tbsp. Chinese five spice powder

1 tsp. fresh minced ginger

1/2 c. white wine

juice of one orange

zest of two oranges

2 oranges, peeled and sectioned

For the compote, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat.  Add 2 tbsp. coconut oil, and once melted, add onion.  Cook until the onion is translucent and starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrot and celery and cook until they are crisp tender, about another 6-8 minutes.  Then add the zucchini, cooking until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the chines five spice and stir well.  Reduce to low, cover and check once in awhile to make sure they vegetables aren't over cooking while you do the scallops.

Heat a large sauté pan on HIGH heat.  To get the scallops ready make sure they are clean and dry completely, using paper towel.  Salt and pepper generously.  Add the coconut oil to the pan and swirl it so it melts quickly.  When the oil just starts to ripple, but not smoke, add the scallops, allowing plenty of room in the pan in between each one.  Sear on each side for 2 minutes.  Remove from pan, set aside and cover with foil.  Add remaining scallops, cooking the same way.

Put the ginger in the pan after the scallops have been removed, cooking for about one minute.  Add wine to pan, keeping the heat on high.  Allow the wine to reduce by half.  Add the zest and juice, reduce to medium high heat and reduce again by half.  Add the orange sections, and salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon sauce over scallops and serve immediately.

Maple Breakfast Sausage

I love breakfast meats...and now a days, any meat is acceptable, but there isn't anything better than a good sausage patty.  I prefer to make my own and you should to, especially when it is so easy.  Then make your breakfast complete by frying eggs over easy in the pork grease.  Perfection.

1 pound ground pork

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. tarragon, dried

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

 3 tbsp. maple syrup

Mix the pork with the seasonings until well blended.  Form into patties, leaving a slight indentation in the center.  This will allow the patty to cook evenly as it shrinks.  Plan a pan over medium heat and add patties.  It isn't necessary to have the pan hot, as they cook better when started in a cold pan.

Garlic Lemon Braised Chicken

I am always craving something with lemon.  It scores a close second to chocolate.  What better way to enjoy a savory lemon dish than oven braised chicken?  And you can never go wrong with perfectly roasted vegetables.

12 chicken legs

2 lemons, cut into slices

2 heads garlic, cloves removed, peeled and smashed

1 c. chicken stock

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 c. vegetables, uniform in size

For the chicken, preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Generously salt and pepper the chicken and then grill on high heat just enough to start rendering the fat from the skin.  Remove and set in a 13 x 9 pan.  When all of the legs are done, add the stock to the pan, along with garlic and lemons slices.  Cover with foil and place in oven.  Cook for 30-45 minutes or until done and chicken is tender.  Serve with a squeeze of lemon and additional salt and pepper to taste.

For the vegetables, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Chop any vegetable (s) so they are uniform in size.  Coat with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Place in oven and cook 15-25 minutes until they are tender.  It is important to cook vegetables that are similar in crispness so one doesn't get done before the other.  If you want to use a variety, cook the crisper ones for about 10 minutes and then add the others.

Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs

Hello, my name is Ginnie, I don't drink coffee but I have a major addiction to espresso salt.  MAJOR.  And this is my way of cheating...SO GOOD! 

Anyway, I started the Whole30 challenge which is seriously forcing me to be a little more creative in the breakfast department.  It's hard peeps.  I make my kids a great breakfast (they don't follow paleo, but I try to implement as much as I can...sure wish I would have been following it years ago or it wouldn't be a problem. My two year old loves paleo!)  Anyway, for me it is usually some variation of a scramble or my paleo bread with almond butter.  What I really love, though, are poached eggs.  I am an Eggs Benedict girl (which, by the by, I am getting that recipe up next).  But I don't have any ham or bacon out right now, and I happened to have a few halves of vegetables left over, so this is what I came up with.

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 sweet potato, chopped

1/2 c. turkey, chopped  (I just happened to have some turkey slices on hand)

2 eggs, poached

Espresso salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a 12 inch.fry pan over medium high heat.  Add the onion, stirring often, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the sweet potato, cover, and cook for about 3-5 minutes more or until the potatoes start to soften.  Add the pepper and turkey, and continue to cook over medium low while you poach the eggs.

Poaching eggs by hand doesn't make them the prettiest, but it does cook them best.  Get a sauce pan that can hold enough water for two eggs.  Heat the water over medium until it is really steaming not yet at a boil.  Add one egg, and slowly use a spoon to pull the egg edges so they remain in a semi circle, after about 15-30 seconds, slowly turn the egg over.  Once the egg whites start to set a little, add the other egg, doing the same thing.  Cook to your desired doneness. I like mine what I call medium rare, just like beef.  Whites cooked, yolk hot but hasn't started to set yet.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on top of the hash mixture.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

I was totally missing thyme in this dish.  I went to grab my little freezer bag and it is gone.  Don't remember when I used it all, but it would have been a good addition.  Also, the hash is enough for two servings.  So save some for the next day!  Or freeze it and use it another time!

Butternut Squash Soup

Still cold...like really cold.  Which  makes me want to continue along the comfort food path and not ever leave my house...ever.  But I have a darned CrossFit wake up call at 5:25.  So leaving the house is kind of essential.  But I can see how it would be so easy to not go out.  I am ready for spring.

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 onion, small dice

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced small

1 butternut squash, sliced and then chopped

4 c. vegetables stock

1 c. coconut milk, canned

1-2 tbsp. wild porcini sea salt*

pepper to taste

Heat coconut oil in large dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook the onions until they start to caramelize. Add the apple and butternut squash, cooking again for a few minutes or until the apple starts to release liquid.  Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender. Using an immersion blender, mix the soup until relatively smooth.  Return the heat to medium and add the coconut milk.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.

*The porcini salt really helps bring this dish together.  The smokey, earthy flavor tends to balance out the sweetness of the squash and apple.  I buy mine at Williams Sonoma.  So good!

Roast Pork,Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Balsamic Gravy and Roasted Asparagus

It's been pretty darn cold here.  I have had the fireplace going all day, everyday.  Gotta love, or not so much, gas.  I keep thinking I am going to have it adapted into a real fireplace.  Nothing beats the crackle and smell of real wood burning.  Anyway, I just want warm comfort food when it is this cold.  Thankfully I just picked up my 1/2 hog not too long ago and this precious shoulder was just calling out my name.  And the balsamic gravy?  Killer.

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 head garlic, cloves separated, skins removed, and clove smashed with flat side of a knife

6 medium red skin potatoes, halved

 1/2 c. vegetable stock

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 bone in pork roast, 4 pounds

1 c. vegetable stock

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

salt and pepper

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Generously salt and pepper pork roast.  Heat large dutch oven over high with 2 tbsp. olive oil.  Add roast, searing each side.  Put lid on and place in the oven.  Cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender and falls off the bone.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until golden brown.  

Add 1/2 c. stock and potatoes, cooking until potatoes are done, about 25 minutes.

When the roast is done, remove it from the pan and cover with foil while you work on the sauce.  Change to oven temperature to 425 degrees and place the asparagus and 1 tbsp. oil on a sheet pan.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of stalk.

Add 1 c. vegetable stock to the drippings from the pork in the dutch oven and cook over medium high heat until it starts to reduce.

Smash potatoes with a flat bottom cup and then mix slightly.

When stock has reduced by half, add balsamic, cooking for another five minutes.

Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve pork and potatoes with gravy and the asparagus on the side.