Showing posts with label Steaks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steaks. Show all posts

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Free Chinese Style Pepper Steak Recipe

On those busy nights when dinner seems like an obstacle to overcome, you need some good quick dinner recipe ideas that take 20 minutes and taste like a million. What could be easier than a stir fry? A little beef, onion, and pepper stir fried with a few seasonings, and you have one of those sure to please favorites. Once you have the vegetables and meat sliced, everything goes very quickly. A couple of quick stirs and 15 minutes of simmering.
Remember to start the rice before cooking the Pepper Steak. The rice will take a little longer and should be started first. Serve with a frozen egg roll if you like, or perhaps some egg drop soup. Bring out the chopsticks and have a little fun.
Chinese Style Pepper Steak

2 pounds boneless top round steak
¼ cup vegetable oil, or less as needed
3 medium size green peppers, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/3 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, mince
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Hot cooked rice
Slice the steak thinly across the grain. This is easier if you partially freeze the steak.
Brown the steak in a little hot oil in a large skillet.
Add the green peppers, celery, onion, garlic, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables and beef are done.
Combine soy sauce, water and cornstarch; stir well. Add to meat mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve over rice, Serves 8. Chopsticks are optional.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Baked Ham Steak With Pineapple


Are you often rushed in the evenings? Finding it hard to get dinner on the table and still have time for the important things in life? A few easy quick recipes, combined with a little planning will make cooking dinner a pleasure again.
Look for recipes that are simple --with minimum preparation, then let your oven or slow cooker do the work. This recipe features an easy preparation, then cooks quickly in only 20 minutes in the oven while you fix a salad and warm some dinner rolls. Baked Ham Steak with Pineapple is an old favorite that can easily and quickly solve tonight's dinner crisis.


You will find these pre-sliced ham steaks vacuum packed in the meat department of your grocery. Sizes range from 1 to 2 pounds. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 pound, but choose a steak that will serve your family. If it is much smaller, then cook for a little less time. This serves 4 generously.
Baked Ham Steak with Pineapple
1 1/2 pound ham steak
1 can pineapple rings
brown sugar
cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Trim off or slice through the fat on the edge of the ham in several places to prevent curling in the pan.
3. Place the ham steak in a shallow ovenproof pan and place the pineapple slices on top. Pour the pineapple juice over all.
4. Place the ham steak in the oven and bake for 20 minutes (uncovered).
5. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven up to broil.
6. Baste the ham with the pan juices. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the pineapple slices and dust with cinnamon.
7. Return to oven and broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until the pineapple is lightly browned. Serve each ham steak with a pineapple slice.
Serve with a tossed salad and dinner rolls for an easy quick dinner recipe solution. I hope that this menu will find its way onto your table soon.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Vegetarian Recipe - Oatmeal Mushroom Steak


Vegetarian or not, come this way, this is so nummy. This recipe is vegetarian, so you meat eaters might want this with a beef, pork, or whatever meat steak. This is not a recipe for Vegans though, I have not gotten there yet unless I fill up on vegetables and fruit. Hey! what a concept, vegetables and fruit. One should always remember the basics if one wants to stay healthy right?
Years ago for about nine months I was a vegetarian. I bought a lot of veggie stuff.. veggie hot dogs, veggie patties, unknown what they were supposed to be really , anyway you get the picture right? I wanted to be a vegetarian for the animals. I felt to so guilty and I guess I still do, but I eat meat again and I guess close off that part of me that worries about it. Once in awhile I make this dish just because I love it. The consistency is very meaty actually. Try it, I think you will like it Micky!
"Oatmeal Mushroom Steak"


1 TBL. vegex (like a bouillon cube) 1/2 cup hot water 1 tsp. sea salt (yes if you are gonna be healthy make it sea salt, smile) 1/2 sage or poultry seasoning 1 onion chopped 3 TBL. Butter (I always use real butter, the flavor cannot be compared) 3 eggs well beaten 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 soup cans - hot water 1 can mushrooms (I know, I can 'hear' you, canned stuff isn't all that healthy) 2 1/4 Cup uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
Saute the onions in the butter. Combine all except the mushroom soup, 2 cans of hot water and vegex. Mix well. Cover and let it stand for about 45 minutes. Mold the mixture into small meal size patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown. (Gads another unhealthy thing, stop thinking so loud! I can hear you all the way to Hawaii). Pour a little of the soup mixture (all the stuff you did not use to make the patties) in the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish to cover the bottom. Arrange patties on top of mixture and cover the rest with the soup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Yay, you are almost done. Make a little salad and some fruit for dessert, set a lovely table. Yay!
~~*~~
ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
I paint and sculpt female fantasy art and map fairy tale adventures. I dream of beautiful women on canvas and art of exotic women.
I have illustrated for Hay House Inc.,"Women Who Do Too Much" CARDS taken from Anne Wilson Schaef's book. I also illustrated for Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. My paintings are collected worldwide.

Free Tips on Filet Mignon - The Gourmet Steak

Filet Mignon is a gourmet class of steak cut of beef which is the primary choice of the typical affluent beef lover. Filet mignon is carefully extracted from the tenderloin part of the animal and is a definite gourmet connoisseur's delight.


It would be helpful to understand how the famous filet mignon came into being. The word 'filet mignon' is borrowed from French where the word filet means a thick slice and the word mignon means a delicacy. The tenderloin part of the cow extends on both sides of the back bone on the backward side of the rib cage of the animal. This particular area of the animal does not bear weight, and so the flesh does not experience much exercise. Because of this filet mignon typically is a very tender and soft meat.
The only drawback of cutting it from the tenderloin area is that the steak lacks the flavor found in meat which has the bone attached, a fact ignored and sometimes loved by the affluent customer who swear by this beef steak. The tenderness of the filet is so connotative that it is sometimes referred to as a tender filet.
The filet mignon is typically cut with a thickness of about one or two inches and a diameter of about two to three inches. It is cooked in a variety of ways. Some prefer quickly grilling it but it is also possible to broil, pan-fry, roast or even sauté filet mignon. Filet mignon is a dryer cut of beef compared to other steaks. To see if it has been cooked well enough, it is necessary to touch the steak. If the steak feels hard, it is too done. If it is soft enough to receive and imprint from the touch, it is done too rare. A compromise between the two states produces the best possible filet steak. In every form chosen, this version makes for a gourmet delicacy preferred and loved by the affluent diner world wide.
The filet Mignon of beef is also sometimes referred to as Medallions and Tenderloin Steak. It is sometimes misspelled as filet mignon and it is also called fillet steak in UK and Ireland. The filet mignon is the most tender cut of beef, and is also considered as the most expensive one. It is priced relatively very high as an average cow does not yield more than four to six pounds.
Sometimes it is sold whole as it is harvested from the cow. Usually it is available as one to two inch thick pre cut portions which are grilled and served as is. Bacon wrapped filets are also available in stores. In this format, the cut is wrapped with bacon after being cut into portions.
The purpose of wrapping in bacon is that it particularly lacks in fat because of the nature of the region of the animals body the steak is cut from. When it is wrapped in bacon, the bacon enhances the flavor by contributing the necessary fat which keeps the cut from drying out.
The filet is usually served with sauces which tend to go well with its mild flavor. It is either smothered in sauce or the sauce is used as a dip for the filet sauce. There are no specific sauces that are recommended as it tastes good with any particular sauce. The selection of sauces is solely dependent on the personal preference of the diner alone. Some people prefer a marinade to be used during cooking rather than have sauce during dining.
No matter where you have your filet mignon or in which form, this exceptional steak will change your convictions about the steak as a whole and take you into a new world of culinary delight.

Picking a Steaks

As a third generation butcher at B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli, I'm often asked how to pick out a perfect steak. Here's what I tell my customers.
Don't just pick out any steak. That is one of the worst things you can do. All steaks are not the same. Therefore, take your time when picking out a steak. There are steaks that are better for grilling and some steaks are better to slow cook. Generally, if the steak has "chuck" or "round" in the name then it is better to marinate and slow cook. If the steak has "rib" or "loin" in the name it will be a lot more tender and better for grilling. Ask your butcher which types of steaks are best for the way you want to cook your steak.
The thicker the better. Steaks that are cut too thin are easy to over cook. Over cook a steak and you could end up with a dry, tough piece of "leather". It is easy to tell how thick steaks are at an old-fashion butcher shop. In fact, most butchers will cut thicker steaks for customers who request them. Be careful when buying steaks in packs. It can be hard to see the thickness of all the steaks.
It is important to look for steaks with the most fat marbling and streaking. Steaks with the most fat marbling are generally more flavorful and tender. The most marbled cut is the rib-eye. It is cut from the same piece of meat as the prime rib.
Don't cut the fat off! A lot of my customers want all the fat cut off the sides of their steaks. I don't recommend this at all! I tell my customers to leave the fat on while they cook their steaks. Fat helps keep the steak juicy and enhances the steak's flavor. You can cut all the fat off you want once the steak is cooked.
Knowing what to look for in a steak is as important as cooking a steak. Still not sure what to look for in a steak? Ask your neighborhood butcher. They always like to help ensure you get the best steak for your special occasion.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

The 3 Types Of Beef -Omaha Steaks


Alright vegetarians, avert your eyes and cover those ears. This is a topic that could create nightmares for all the granola crunchers out there.
The topic: Omaha Steaks and what cuts make for the best
We all hear and know about the different cuts of beef out there but if you are like me, the cuts, whether they are "Prime", "Choice" or "Select" can be confusing. After all, don't they all sound as if they should be good? And wouldn't it be nice if rather than sprucing up the dialog that inadvertently leads to confusion even to the most adept and well read food snobs, they would instead make the difference easy? (Best, good and worst).
So here it is, for those of you who are mildly confused about what grades are best.....
The first on the docket is USDA Prime. This is the highest grade that you can get. In fact, only 2% of all beef can be labeled USDA Prime.
What makes this Grade so good?
Well, to put it plainly, it is all in the marbling. And if you didn't know, the more marbling there is, the better it tastes (yes, fat makes beef taste good). Of course, there is more to it...for instance there are variables such as feed quality and aging.
Don't expect to find this in your local supermarket though. This grade of beef is normally only found in fine butcher shops as well as some top tier restaurants. It is also offered in some mail order companies.
The second best grade of beef is USDA Choice.
What makes this not as good as Prime? Well, if you guessed that it is less marbling, then you would be correct. The good news is that Choice is only ever so slightly less than Prime. In fact, the upper 2/3rds of Prime probably tastes the same (or nearly the same)...so much that most food snobs probably couldn't taste the difference. And since, you won't have to mail order it or hit the best steak restaurant in town to get it, USDA choice is the perfect candidate for backyard grilling.
The last grade of beef is USDA Select.
Once again, the lack of marble is the reason why select is not as good as its Choice and Prime cousins and this lack of fat not only makes for a less tasty steak, but it also makes for a tougher steak. However, it can be found everywhere and therefore is easy to pick up at the local grocery store.
So, the next time someone says that they are grilling out and they have picked up the finest USDA Select filets, you will know what to expect in a steak.
Mike Di milo is just a regular guy with a huge appetite for all the finer things in life. Whether it is good wine, good music, traveling to exotic locales or simply fine food in the comfort of his home, Mike loves it all.