St. Patrick's Day Dinner

First day of class

First, let me apologize for leaving too much to your imaginations about my progress in advancing to culinary school. Part of me assumed the details were too typical of a woman in her thirties returning to school. My surprise at how many vaccinations were needed, my excitement when I was officially registered for classes seemed to be unexceptional to any other adult student.

So, to catch you up, reader, I'll let you know that I'm sitting in my first class. Our professor, though I understand he needs to be addressed as "chef", is eight minutes late. I have some mild regrets about staying out late last night. After an opera performance that I attended with J. we met her fiance for "just a quick drink." I was here on time, but I sure will miss the coffee I didn't have time to fix this morning.

In any case, chef has now arrived and seems unwell, to judge by his size, gait and labored breathing. He thinks he's funny. He's taught here for 30 years.

This is the end of my in-class ramblings, as I transitioned over to taking the first few of 11 pages of notes, but I am delighted to post a photo of a new addition to my kitchen arsenal, as given by some very gracious friends.

Banh Hoi (Fresh Spring Rolls)

This post was mostly for me to test out the "food" setting on my new camera. If you'd like specific quantities to make this yourself, please be in touch; I'd be happy to share, as always.

shredded carrots
julienned cucumber
Chinese cabbage
cilantro leaves
sweet chili sauce
rice sticks/vermicelli/noodles
chicken sautéd in oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce
spring roll wrappers

Beef Stroganoff*

Serves 4. Published March 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

Steak tips, also known as flap meat, are sold as whole steak, cubes, and strips. To ensure uniform pieces that cook evenly, we prefer to purchase whole steak tips and cut them ourselves. One and a half pounds of blade steak can be substituted for the steak tips; if using, cut each steak in half lengthwise and remove the gristle that runs down the center before cooking. Since blade steak yields smaller strips of meat, reduce the cooking time in step 3 by several minutes. Our preferred brands of beef broth are Redi-Base Beef Base and Pacific. If the mushrooms are larger than 1 inch, cut them into 6 even wedges. Serve the stroganoff over egg noodles.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak tips , trimmed of excess fat and cut lengthwise (with grain) into 4 equal pieces (see note)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce 
• 1 pound white mushrooms , wiped clean and quartered (see note) 
• 2 teaspoons hot water 
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• Ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)  
• Table salt 
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste 
• 4 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white wine or dry vermouth 
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth (see note) 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves or dill

Instructions

1. Using fork, poke each piece of steak 10 to 12 times. Place in baking dish; rub both sides evenly with soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2. While meat marinates, place mushrooms in medium microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power until mushrooms have decreased in volume by half, 4 to 5 minutes (there should be as much as ¼ cup liquid in bowl). Drain mushrooms and set aside; discard liquid. Combine water, dry mustard, sugar, and ½ teaspoon pepper in small bowl until smooth paste forms; set aside.
3. Pat steak pieces dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak pieces in skillet and cook until browned on all sides and internal temperature registers 125 to 130 degrees, 6 to 9 minutes, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Transfer meat to large plate and set aside while cooking sauce.
4. Add mushrooms, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until vegetables begin to brown and dark bits form on bottom of pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until onions and mushrooms are coated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup wine, beef broth, and mustard paste and bring to simmer, scraping ¬bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has reduced slightly and begun to thicken, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. While sauce is reducing, cut steak pieces across grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Stir meat and any accumulated juices into thickened sauce and cook until beef has warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let any bubbles subside. Stir in sour cream and remaining tablespoon wine; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley or dill and serve.

Speeding Up Mushroom Browning

Our recipe calls for a pound of mushrooms, which can take as long as 20 minutes to cook before all their moisture evaporates and they finally brown. The microwave cut that time down significantly.



Microwaving the mushrooms before putting them in the pan reduce the cooking process to a mere 6 to 8 minutes.

Step-by-Step: Keys to Tender, Juicy Meat



1. CHOOSE BEEFY CUT
Steak tips (we buy whole steak) have far beefier flavor than tenderloin. (And they're cheaper.)



2. POKE HOLES
Poking holes in meat allows marinades to penetrate more deeply and contributes to more tender texture.



3. MARINATE
Marinating meat in soy sauce before searing boosts meaty flavor and enhances juiciness.



4. SEAR BIG PIECES
Searing large pieces allows meat to stay in pan long enough to create flavorful fond for sauce.



5. SLICE COOKED MEAT
Slicing rested cooked meat across grain into 1/4-inch -thick slices before adding it to sauce preserves juiciness.