Vintage Grilled Steak for Cowboys and Mercenaries

   When you're on the trail, say on a cattle run from Wichita or Amarillo to the stockyards of Chicago, or on a fighting mission in the jungles of the Congo or Angola, you want MAN food.  And that means steak.  Now you don't have to be a contractor in Iraq or a cow puncher in Nevada to appreciate a man's meal.  You could be a weekend warrior grillin on the patio, a cold one in hand, the game on the TV.  You could have spent a good day working on your Harley and you suddenly get that craving for smoky grilled meat.  When its Summer season, its grilling season and the sultry scent of simmering mesquite is an aphrodisiac that beckons to a man's inner soul with pheromones that rival the mating season of wild Hippopotamus in the Zimbabwe or the Wildebeest running across the Serengeti to ravenous crocodiles waiting for dinner in the Zambezi river .  Steak is primal.  Steak is man food.  

   Now there are many types of grills.  They can be distilled down to 2 categories, gas and charcoal.  I prefer charcoal because gas can leave a distinct scent and besides, if you wanted to use gas, you could cook them inside!  If you're using charcoal, the trick is to arrange the coals into a shallow pile and light them from the side.  Self starting charcoal is far easier and safer to use then the variety that require lighter fluid.  You must let the fire die down before putting the lid on.  Once the fire is out, let the coals burn off the infused fluid and then put the lid down on your grill.  You want a very hot grill.  

   The steaks you choose are a personal choice but I have found that New York Strip or a Porterhouse at least an inch thick, the more the better, makes the best grilling steak.  In choosing the steak, look for marbling, which is fat running through the meat.  USDA Prime is the best with USDA Choice running a close second.  Dry aged beef is second to none.  Let the steaks rest until they have reached room temperature.  Season each side with coarse ground pepper and coarse sea salt.  You can even roll a mug gently over the steak to stick the salt into the meat.  The salt and pepper make a great crust, and that is what you want, chared on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.  

   Place the steaks on the hottest part of the grill.  Grill them for 3 minutes and turn them over.  Repeat the process, grilling for 3 minutes and turning them again at a slightly different angle.  The effect of this is to give a criss-cross pattern.  You turn the steaks 3 times, cooking each side twice for 3 minutes each. This will give you the perfect steak, a perfectly rare 1 1/2" New York or Porterhouse with a nice char and very juicy!   

   Its not rocket science but it does require some timing, and timing is everything in getting that restaurant quality perfect steak.  The kind of steak that top steak houses in New York or Chicago serve.  And the kind you want when you're in the outback, on the trail, on a mission or on a hot summer day in the city.  

   Grilled Steak goes great with ice cold beer, or Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon.  If you prefer wine, a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon works real fine and if you must, so does a cold French Rose.  However the last choice is reserved for the French Foreign Legion somewhere south of Casablanca.  

French Bordeaux and Triple Cream Cheese

Wine and cheese go together like bees and honey, love and kisses and peanut butter and jelly.  They compliment each other, they caress each other and they understand each other.  Sounds like a match made in Heaven doesn't it?  Not so fast.  Not every wine can go with every cheese and to fully explore the art and science of parings would take more than an article, whole books have been written on the subject.  A couple of simple rules would suffice here however.  Rich creamy cheeses like brees and triple creams need a dry mineraly wine and hard sharp cheeses pair well with fruit forward wines and desert wines.   

   There are many places to buy fine wine and I like the specialty stores very much, but sometimes I go to my neighborhood Trader Joes.  You can procure some really good finds there and one of them is Chateau de Seguin Bordeaux Superieur.  The first thing you notice about this wine is the beautiful gold label, which just makes it look rich.  Full bodied.  And the garnet color accentuates that quality.  The nose is black cherry, tobacco, leather and spice.  The palette is deep fruit and a crisp minerality with a hint of fresh bread.  Now to truly bring out this wine's flavor it should be allowed to breath for about 2 hours.  Trader Joes is currently selling the 2008, so its young and if cellared for a couple of years, this Bordeaux would be a really great table wine.  I've had the 2005 and it showed a depth that belayed its price.  At $10 the price is a true bargain.

   Hailing from the coast of France is St. Andre triple cream cheese.  This cheese is made in Coutances by Normandy in the northwestern part of the country.  It is made from pasteurized cows milk with a creamy texture (%70 butterfat).  It has an edible rind that brings to mind truffels.  It is creamy but has a salty tang that derives from the sea air around Normandy within the shadow of Mont Saint-Michel, the island monestary steeped in mystery.  Because of its rich creamy flavor, St Andre pairs well with a mineraly wine that cuts through the silkiness.  At Trader Joes it sells for $10 a lb, at other places perhaps a bit more.  One of my favorite places to find it as well is The Wine Country in Signal Hill Ca,  http://www.thewinecountry.com/

   The last element to make a perfect trifecta is a crusty baguette.  To truly appreciate the rich beauty of the St Andre you should let it sit for an hour at room temp and as mentioned before, let the Chateau de Seguin breath.  Serve the baguette fresh and live the good life!

Grilled Fennel with Balsamic Vinegar

   Fennel is an amazing herb.  Some call it a vegetable.  In the hills above my home it grows wild, sometimes reaching 7 or 8' tall.  In the Spring, the hills are dotted with clumps of fennel, its bright yellow flowers reflecting the sunlight.  Sometimes I hike up there to gather the seeds which when dried I crush and use in Italian red sauce.  It is also an essential ingredient in Italian sausage.  The fern like leaves taste like licorice and the flavor of licorice and anise is what defines fennel.  

   Fennel is native to Mediterranean regions and that is why it is so prevalent in California.  It is also the main ingredient of Absinthe, the drink of choice of Edgar Allen Poe, and steeped in mystery.  Now I'm not going to make Absinthe, I'm going to grill them.

    It is the fennel bulb which I am concerned with.  You can find fennel in supermarkets, their flavor being a bit tamer than the wild variety, but what isn't?  The bulb is eaten like a vegetable or added in dishes like risotto.  You can sauté, fry, roast or grill it, which is what I'm doing today, but you must first par-boil it or braise it to break down the fiber.  Its a tough herb much like celery.  It goes especially well with balsamic vinegar drizzled over it and here's how to do it.

   2 fennel bulbs

   olive oil

   balsamic vinegar

   Cut the fronds off the bulbs and place them in a boiling pot of salted water.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Remove the fennel bulbs and after cooling so you don't burn your hands, cut them down the middle WITH the grain.  Dip in a dish of olive oil and place the four halves onto your grill.  Grill one side until golden brown and turn repeating the process.  Turn a few more times until the fennel, which is  now somewhat black and gold, is tender to the fork.  Drizzle with olive oil during this process if needed.  Plate and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.  There you have it, grilled fennel, a delicious summer vegetable that adds a little panache to your city lifestyle.

Mouthwatering Pork Cutlets!

   Remember when you were growing up and your mom made pork chops for dinner?  Now that was a treat! As you grew up, you'd sometimes go out and have them with eggs for breakfast, very good as well. Unless you grew up in Europe or your parents did, you probably didn't have pounded, breaded pork cutlets, Wiener Schnitzel style without the veal.  Center cut pork chops pounded and breaded and dredged in flour, eggs and bread crumbs and then sautéd in hot oil.  You serve them with lemon halves, the juice of which somehow goes incredibly well with the breaded pork.  The next day they make a delicious sandwich served cold with a beer.  There are many recipes on how to prepare breaded cutlets, I like to keep it simple and here's how I do it. I was shown this recipe from a beautiful woman who hailed from Europe and who was taught it by her mother.  I don't see her anymore, but I sure make those cutlets!  

   4 center cut pork chops

   3 eggs

   1 cup flour

   1 cup bread crumbs

   Gently Pound the chops between 2 sheets parchment paper until they are about 1/2" thick.  Do not use a framing hammer.  Fill a 12" sauté pan 1/2" deep with quality cooking oil such as canola.  Heat on high Until the oil begins to sizzle.  Put flour, eggs and bread crumbs into 3 separate bowls.  Grind coarse pepper on the cutlets and dredge them into the flour first, then the eggs and last, the bread crumbs. Using tongs, place the cutlet into the pan.  Do not crowd, 2 is the limit.  Turn heat down to 1/2 and turn when golden. Sauté the other side and remove to a plate with a paper towel.  Repeat.

   Serve with boiled egg noodles and butter and your choice of vegetable.  A crisp white wine or rose goes very well with this dish as well as cold beer.  Enjoy! 

How to make a Delicious Clam Sauce over Pasta

   One of the quickest and most delicious pasta dinners you can make is Clam sauce over Linguine.  Its good, its hot and it goes well with an icy glass of white wine or a cold beer.  There are many ways you can prepare it.  You can pick up clam sauce already made from Italian delis or high quality supermarkets, you can use canned clams and make your own sauce, you can combine the 2 and also add fresh clams in the shell.  I like to do all of them, and I like to buy my clams fresh, but in this case, I used minced clams and a secret ingredient, salt packed anchovies.  Here's what you will need:

   2 cans minced clams

   1/2 stick unsalted butter

   1/4 cup olive oil

   2 anchovies

   3 cloves garlic

   1 medium shallot

   1 cup dry white wine

   1 can low sodium chicken broth

   1 cup clam juice

   Juice of 1/2 lemon

   1/4 cup creme fraiche

   1/2 cup fresh Italian Parsley, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme combined

   1/2 package linguine

   Filet and rinse the anchovies.  Chop the herbs together.  You can use dry as well, but I usually prefer fresh.  Bring to the boil a pot of water with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add linguini.

   Melt butter in large sauté pan (I use a 12" stainless) then add the olive oil. Add shallot, garlic and anchovies.  Sauté until garlic gets golden brown (be careful not to burn the garlic).  Stir continually so that the anchovies begin to melt into the mix.  

   Add wine and cook down until reduced by half; add chicken broth, clam juice.  Add 1/2 of the fresh herbs.  Cook on low for about 15 minutes.  Add clams and continue to sauté.  Add creme fraiche or heavy cream.  Add lemon juice and taste. At this point you may add more butter, the idea being to reach a balance between the tart sharpness of the wine and lemon and the smoothness of the butter.  Salt to taste.

   Serve sauce over the linguine in the plate.  Of course you have already drained your pasta in a colander and I like mine served al dente, which is slightly firm.  Sprinkle the rest of the herbs over the top along with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Serves 2.  

   A Chateau Anniche Bordeaux pairs well with this dish and you can find it online at The Wine Country, http://www.thewinecountry.com/

   Buon Appetito!