Marinades/Sauces -

by gansie

Empty Nest

My parents have lived in the very same house all my life. I love it. It’s really the definition of home.

I now live in D.C., my brother just moved back home post-college but is planning on moving out in the fall, and my sister is currently home for the summer until she goes back to school. So it’s really just Mom, Dad and Slugger, our lhasa apso.

Well, that clearly leads to needing a brand new, gourmet kitchen and a game room filled with a bar, poker table, pool table that turns into a ping pong table, shuffle board table and a flat screen HDTV, right? I told my parents, if they spring for the Kegerater, I’m moving home.

Regardless, after months of deciding on granite counter tops and back splashes and light fixtures and bar stools, we were finally able to use the kitchen and make a big family dinner in time for my dad’s birthday. With a new Wegmans up the street, my brother and I browsed the enormous super market and decided on mahi mahi (steak for my fish hating mom,) mashed potatoes and an assortment of veggies. I credit the whole fam for making this meal such a success.

Recipes and Game Room pics post-jump

Chimi what?

Chimichurri! This is an Argentine sauce that you eat with steak, mmmmmm…it’s f’in fabulous!

Here’s what’s in it:

Olive oil (about a cup)
Red wine vinegar (about a cup)
Chopped, fresh parsley (lots)
Garlic (lots)
Crushed red pepper flakes (a tablespoon)
Oregano
Salt (optional)

These are rough measurements since I never measure, but you can figure out the mix you like best. Point being that you stir all of this up in a bowl and then when you’ve got your nice grilled steak all sliced up, you drizzle this (or spoon it) onto every bite and good gravy it’s good.

Photo: Tenurecollegerfc

in Red Meat 3 comments

by gansie

JakeSG Love and the Special Sauce

Our friend jakeSG graciously hosted a grill session back on Independence Day. My veggie pasta salad worked as a great side to his kick-ass charred chicken doused in his special sauce. He finally got around to sending ES the recipe…

jakeSG’s 4th of July BBQ Sauce

All measurements are done with my eye. Works best if made a day or two before, as it is better after sitting in the fridge for a bit.

Cut 1 onion into very small or thin pieces
(Optional: 1/2 jalepeno cut into thin slices)
Put in large pot with a few tablespoons of veggie oil and cook on med flame until onions are clear
Add crushed garlic to taste (about 2 cloves)
Salt + Pepper
Cayenne (to taste)
Paprika
Switch to low flame, keep stirring to avoid anything sticking to the pot.
Cook uncovered.
Heintz (obviously) Ketchup. At least 3/4 of a cup
1-3 cups of beer (Yuengling works quite well)
Honey to taste
Worcester sauce or a vinegar (apple works)
(Optional: add a splash of your favorite hot sauce for a bit of a bigger kick)

If you use more beer or need it to be thicker, add some more ketchup.

in Fowl 1 comments

by gansie

Oil Me Up

As I continue to unpack the very many kitchen toys I have accumulated since my food obsession began, I rediscovered my olive oil bottle. Two apartments ago I tried making garlic infused oil, but the garlic became rancid super quick and I lost interest in the experiment. But with a new, clean apartment, extra rosemary and mostly, wanting to procrastinate from cleaning up dinner (80 Proof made a great citrus-tequila salmon,) I decided to try my hand at flavored oil.

Mostly Rosemary Olive Oil

I trimmed rosemary springs at about an inch long, bruised them a bit in my mortar and pestle and then shoved them down the bottle. Next I added some whole parsley leaves and whole black peppercorns. I cracked a handful too and added them in. Poured the extra virgin olive oil just to cover the herbage and I was done. I had 80 put it on a shelf I couldn’t reach as not to be a disturbance while the flavors mingle.

Check back here in about 10 days to find out how my creation evolved.

6 comments