Pan-fried Steak

I'm not really a big fan of red meat, although I do enjoy a nice thick and juicy steak occasionally, especially the slightly crispy edges. My preference is somewhere between medium-rare and medium-done. I don't think I've had any perfect steaks at the restaurants ever. It's either too done, too rare or they'll serve me some non-select prime cut and call it with some fancy-shmancy name like Victorian cut or something. Thanks to Steamy Kitchen, Jaden and her enticingly delicious-looking rib eye steak, I decided to go out and get my own :) Great timing too ! Since it's the 4th of July, I found a great bargain on some thick moist looking rib eye steaks ! Without hesitation, I picked out a pack with the most marbly texture at only USD$4.99 per pound :)

I didn't want to clean up the big mess I'm sure to make after firing up the grill, so I decided to cook my rib eye steaks in a pan instead :) How do you pan-fry steak to perfection ? Make sure you rub your steak with enough oil during the seasoning process. Rub it in and rub it well ! The oil will help seal the juices in. Last thing you want is to overcook a good piece of steak right before your very own eyes, all dried and wasted. Next, get the pan really hot. Don't be a wuss. Get the pan really smoking hot and briefly carbonize the outside of the steak. You'll get a nice brown on the outside, and leave the inside nice and pink.

Here are my cooking tips for pan-frying steaks :

1) Place steak in pan. ( 1 minute per side, total 2 minutes for both sides of the steak )
2) Use your left hand to hold the handle of the pan and tilt the pan at a 45 degree angle, allowing most of the oil to ooze down away from the steak.
3) With your right hand, hold the steak vertically with a pair of tongs. Then pan sear all edges of the steak in the oil to a light crisp. ( 1 1/2 minutes, or until nicely browned )
5) Next, bring the pan back to its normal position, in contact with the stove. Place the steak back in the pan. ( cook for another 45 seconds to 1 minute per side )
6) When the steak is cooked, remove, and let it rest to allow juices to redistribute themselves for that perfect even color. ( 3 minutes )

Total cooking time : ONLY 6-8 minutes.
Resting time : 3-5 minutes.

Pan-fried Rib Eye Steak With Mushrooms And Onions

Ingredients :
1 piece 1/2 inch thick, rib eye steak ( approximately 14 oz )
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce ( preferably Lea & Perrin )
4 tbsp olive oil
7 oz button mushroom, sliced
1/2 a yellow onion, cut into rings

Method :
1) Rub both sides of the steak with salt first. Then with black pepper, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, and lastly olive oil.
2) Refrigerate for an hour or preferably overnight.
3) Remove steak from refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking.
4) Heat pan until really hot. Saute onions until slightly fragrant in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add mushroom and continue stir-frying for 1 minute. Dish up and set aside.
5) Pan-fry steaks in 2 tbsp olive oil using the above cooking tips.

Well that's how I like my steak y'all ... yeee haaa :) I still have a piece in my freezer so let me know if you have a favorite way to cook yours :)

Beef Canape

Previously, I used a few pieces of slow cooked braised beef ribs, pulled, shredded, and stuffed them in my crazy tortilla turned chinese sesame pancake wraps. Check out the flickr slideshow here. Now what to do with the leftover beef ? It's still sitting in the freezer as I recollect that I also have some old bread ! Hmm..perhaps some cute bite-sized hor d'oeuvres filled with deli style beef, sliced, and served with a dollop of ginger and green onion dressing and some cut five spiced tofu. Yes, I'm bringing some tempting Canapes with beef to Melecotte at the Deep Freeze Challenge table.

Speaking of Deep Freeze, how do you store cooked meats safely ?
To store in the refrigerator, you simply wrap the cooked meat in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or store it in a tightly covered container and use within two to three days. For frozen storage, wrap the cooked meat in heavy duty aluminum foil or freezer paper and use within two to three months. If you may have kept the food refrigerated for too long, throw it out. Never taste food that looks or smells strange to see if you can still use it.

How about defrosting cooked meats ?
You can thaw the wrapped cooked meat in the refrigerator. Allow about 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Of course, small packages of cooked meat will take less time to thaw and can be taken out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator at a later time. Once the cooked meat is thawed, plan to eat them within 3 to 4 days.

Reheating cooked meats ?
Frozen cooked meats may be eaten cold or reheated. Only reheat previously cooked meats once. Be sure they are thoroughly reheated to a temperature of 165F or until boiling hot. If you've no time to thaw your cooked meats, alternatively, you can just reheat them in the oven.

Back to the canapes..the recipe is easy. To build a good canape, simply top them with your favorite ingredients, and and these eye-catching hor d'oeuvres will never be seen again. With all the layers of flavors, these bite-sized canapes are inviting enough for a simple breakfast or as an appetizing snack to sizzle up any cocktail party.

So, are you ready to dig into some canape while lounging on your favorite canape ? (Canape also means couch in French)

Beef Canape Recipe

Ingredients :
thin slices of beef ( For Braised Beef Ribs recipe, read below Recap )
ginger and green onion dressing
stripped chinese five spiced tofu
sliced cucumber
cut bread slices for canape base ( For instructions, read below Recap )

How to prepare the Ginger and Green Onion Dressing :
Ingredients :
minced ginger
chopped green onions
sesame oil

Method :

1) Mix ginger and green onions in sesame oil and allow to marinate for at least an hour to bring out the flavor. Store in an air-tight glass jar and refrigerate until ready for use.

Other Use Of Ginger And Green Onion Dressing :
Check out tigerfish latest invention, Soba Noodles With Mushrooms.

Recap :




Braised Beef Short Ribs






Bread for canape base and use of chinese five spice tofu







Cookbook : Canapes And Hor d'oeuvres

Tortilla Wraps For Sesame Pancake

There are a few variations of Asian/Chinese wraps that I crave for from time to time. The Nanjing crispy scallion pancake, Taiwanese pancake beef roll ups, and the ever popular Chinese Moo Shu wrap. I guess today was one of those days when I needed an escape from rice and noodles, so some kinda pancake wrap it is. Well I certainly didn't really feel like going out and getting something too greasy nor did I feel like rolling out some pancake dough. Maybe a simple chinese pancake recipe to conveniently finish up some leftover tortilla wraps will suffice.

For the health-conscious, there are actually low-carb tortilla skins (which are the kind I used). This isn't exactly the traditional way of making Asian pancake wraps, but after a light coating of egg white wash and toasted seame seeds and a quick pan-fry, I definitely find myself preferring this over the thick chinese sesame pancake bread or the fragile thin Moo Shu wraps.

As for the filling, I went with some slow-cooked boneless beef short ribs. Slow cooking or braising enhances the exchange of flavors between the meat and the sauce and is a great way to soften the meat too, especially if you are using a tougher cut. For this chinese-style braised beef recipe, I used aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon and star anise. They are the traditional spices used in stewing beef flank ("Ngau Lam") chinese-style. If you have leftovers, you can even serve it with egg noodles. Braised beef flank with egg noodles is actually quite a popular Hong Kong dish. Lastly, I added a few szechuan peppercorns for that extra punch.

Well, that's it for my chi-mex chinese burrito gone wild episode. If you have any great wrap and roll ideas, don't hesitate to share them. Check out my other Tex-Mex tortilla wrap here.

P/S : Messing around with my wraps on flickr. Enjoy !:)

Melting Wok : Sesame Pancake With Beef Wrap.

Braised Beef Recipe

Ingredients :
4 pc beef short ribs ( boneless )
1 star anise seed
2 cloves
5 szechuan peppercorns
sliced ginger
shredded green onions
3/4 cups low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup water
2 tbsp ABC sweet soy sauce
3 pc rock sugar ( or regular sugar )
salt and white pepper to taste
shaoxing cooking wine
sesame oil

Method :
1) Dump all the ingredients into a crock pot and slow cook for 4 hours or until tender.

Pulled Beef Wraps

Ingredients :
Mission brand low carb tortilla wraps
toasted sesame seeds
egg white wash

Method :

1) Lightly coat one side of the tortilla wraps with egg white wash. Sprinkle some toasted sesame on it and pan-fry on that side until light golden brown.

2) Shred or pull beef and wrap.

Note : Hmm .. I have some leftover braised beef from this recipe. How should I make use of them ?

Spaghetti Stir-fry With The Works ..

As much as I love Asian flair in rice and noodles, I occasionally enjoy preparing just a simple pasta meal at home. No chopping, no dicing, and no leftover herbs. This is my kind of comfort meal ! That, besides a simple custom request to Olive Garden got rejected when I ordered my Alfredo Pasta with Portobello Mushroom with a light wine sauce :P

On a meatball spaghetti night, I love using jarred spaghetti sauce, especially the four cheese kind. Whereas on lighter days, I cannot do without canned tomatoes with all my favorite herbs - Del Monte Organic Tomatoes With Basil, Oregano And Garlic. I usually don't use canned tomotoes in stir-fries. With that, I am determined to put my taste buds to the test. This pasta recipe is an easy, breezy one, makes your summer days less hectic, I promise !

Look .. I found these huge luscious looking beauties - Heirloom Grilla-bella mushrooms.

I love chunks of these loaded up in my spaghetti pasta dish. If you have never had them, you must ! As much as I love all Asian mushrooms, I enjoy grilla-bellas Portobello mushrooms in the summer - light earthy flavors. Portobello mushrooms are great on the grill, or stir-fried, and you can just toss them into your favorite burger or a salad afterwards.

As suggested by Ruth Daniel's Presto Pasta Night, any pasta recipe will do. Go crazy with your noodle dish - hot, cold, spicy, creamy, saucy, and more ..as for tonight, I will be featuring Spaghetti Noodles Stir-fried with Portobello Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Basil, Garlic and Beef Steak. Yes, it was delicious, and I hope you give my spaghetti noodles, with the works more than one go, bon apetit ! :)

Spaghetti Noodles Stir-fry With Portobello Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients :
1 lb cooked spaghetti noodles ( I used Barilla )
14 oz Portobello mushrooms ( sliced )
2/3 can cubed tomatoes with oregano, basil and garlic
10 oz top sirloin beef
olive oil
onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
white wine ( chardonnay )
grated Romano and Parmesan cheese ( optional )

Method :
1) Marinate the beef with onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2) Heat the wok or skillet to a smoky point, pan-fry OR grill the beef on high heat until both sides are browned and cook until two thirds done.
3) Slice the steak to about 3/4 of an inch thick, and set aside.
4) Heat the wok, toss in a generous amount of olive oil, pan-fry the sliced portobello mushrooms until fragrant, toss in the cooked spaghetti noodles. ( at room temperature or slightly chilled, so that it doesn't stick to the pan )
5) Continue stir-frying the spaghetti noodles for 1 minute, add the canned tomatoes, salt, pepper to taste, sliced beef steak, splash the white wine in, give it a quick toss and stir, cover, and simmer for another 2 minutes.
6) Dish up, and sprinkle grated romano and parmesan cheese, and ready to serve.

Cottage Pie

Jack Handy quotes :

"When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy."

(American Writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1991-2003.)

The Cottage Pie recipe traditionally originates from England, perhaps somewhere in Kent or Somerset county. The Cottage Pie is named after the pot they cooked it in, which resembles a thatched cottage. And also when they heaped the mash (or posh food word, pomme puree) on the top, it looked like a thatched roof made of straws (thanks to the info from my online cooking buddy, Scotty, in Rochester, UK, and his mom for sharing her family's secret pie recipe with me). Cottage Pies originally had beef, peas, carrots, swede and mashed spud toppings.

A few confessional ramblings here. First off, I have not baked a pie in 2 years. Secondly, this marks my very second pie quest. Cooking is one thing, but baking pies is yet another culinary skill I need to polish up on. So, after reading Cook Sister's, Waiter, theres's something in my pie, I am totally jazzed and inspired !! As Jeanne said, "So... what are you waiting for? Go and roll that pastry, chop that filling and let your house be filled with the fabulous smell of golden, crispy, delicious, warm pies!" That is exactly what I did. I stormed out and bought myself a brand new pie pan. With my brand new nonstick aluminum dulled finish pie pan which I picked up from Ralph's for a mere $3.29 and a couple of ready-made Pillsbury Pie Shells, I was all set to embark on my Cottage Pie journey and would love nothing more than to share the results with WTSIM.

Unfortunately, my first attempt resulted in a burnt pie shell because I was too busy sprucing up my blog and forgot to set the timer. You would think I have learnt my lesson after the "shrimp paste incident" from my Curry Noodle Rolls recipe :( My second attempt fared better so all that was left was the filling. I rummaged through my fridge and all I had suited for my Cottage Pie were potatoes. Not a mushroom, pea, or carrot could be found :( Anyway, I made the best of it and the end result was quite to my liking - a warm, scrumptious, meaty Cottage Pie covered in cubed taters. Hopefully, my new pie pan will lead me further down this route of culinary journey that I have yet to fully explore :)

For those who are partial to beef, you can substitute beef with lamb, and voila! It's Shepherd's Pie, another satisfying cousin in the meaty pies family. On that note, I'm going to include my online cooking buddy, Scotty's traditional Shepherd's Pie recipe along with my Cottage Pie recipe, which is actually a tweaked version of Scotty's.

Have a hap"pie" time baking, everyone! :)

Tags : pies, WTSIM, Food Blogging Events, waiter there's something in my

Melting Wok Cottage Pie Recipe

Ingredients :
1 9" pie shell ( thawed )
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp minced onion
2 large Russet potatoes
4 dried bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp Bonito fish granules
4 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp white zinfandel wine
2 eggs
1 tsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Method :

1) Spray pie pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F. Place pie shell on pie pan and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2) In a wok, saute a half portion of the listed herbs with butter until fragrant. Add the cubed potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Fry the potatoes until nicely browned. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes and remove from wok.
3) Stir fry the minced onion and ground beef along with the rest of the herbs. Add the fish granules, wine, worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Drain excess oil and set aside.
4) Spread the ground beef filling evenly over the pie shell. Cover the filling with the sauteed cubed potatoes. Whisk 2 eggs until frothy and pour evenly over the fillings to seal them in.
5) Cut a few 1.5 in. thick strips of aluminum foil and wrap the exposed sides of the pie shell to prevent over-browning.
6) Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes OR until crust is golden brown.

Scotty's Shepperd's Pie Recipe

Ingredients :
25g/1oz dripping OR 80 ml olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 small tin chopped tomatoes
100 gm Carrots, diced ( optional )
100 gm assorted wild mushrooms, sliced(optional)
450 gm/1lb minced lamb-beef
125 ml chicken, beef or lamb stock
100 ml red wine
1 tsp anchovy essence ( optional )
10ml/2sp Worcester sauce
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper

Mash Potato Topping Recipe

Ingredients :
700 gm/1 ½ lb potatoes
55 ml/ 2 fl oz milk
75 gm/3oz butter
1 egg yolk

Method :

1) In a large non-stick casserole dish heat 1 oz of dripping or oil. Add the large onion and cook for 5 mins.
2) Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat a little olive oil and fry the mince up evenly and cook until browned. While the meat is frying, break up any lumps with the back of the spoon.
3) Add the carrots and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, in the casserole dish stir the onions and add the wild mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of plain flour (this helps to thicken the juices) and stir. Mix well and add 2 bay leaves, 2-3 sprigs of thyme and the anchovy essence and stir.
5) To the onion mix add the chopped tomatoes,red wine ,stock (keep a little aside, for putting into the mince pan to de-glaze the pan) and Worcester sauce.
6) Add the cooked mince and carrots to the onion mix and then pour the reserved stock into the empty mince pan, scraping off any bits of mince left in the pan. Pour the remaining stock into the pan containing the mince and onion mixture.
7) Bring the mixture to the boil, adding a pinch of pepper and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
8) Boil the potatoes, sieve and put into a bowl. Add the butter and egg yolk, and mash together. Season with salt and black pepper.
9) Pour the meat into an ovenproof dish and spread the mash on top, smooth over and mark with a spatula. Sprinkle some parmasan over the top if you wish.
10) Put the dish into the oven-gas mark 6 until it is bubbling and golden.

Asian Mushrooms Stir Fry Beef

Unlike the cremini or porcini mushroom, this particular Asian mushroom is exotic. I found is only available between winter and spring. I was ecstatic upon rediscovering this navel-like mushroom over the weekend. I spoke to this elderly man who was just as enthusiastic picking out the good ones and learn a thing or two. He suggested choosing the rounder looking ones and to prepare them for cooking by cutting off the root and the tip. After that, to peel and smash them with the palm of your hand. What suits the Asian mushroom recipe, I asked. He told me that in most Cantonese cuisine, the best recipe for these exotic mushrooms is cooking them in a soup, a simple mushroom stir fry with spicy pork, OR a "teppanyaki" (iron grilled) mushroom beef.

I must admit it does not have the shitake mushroom aroma that I prefer. It tastes more like waterchesnut but not as crunchy, but is definitely a far cry from the spongy-textured King Oyster Mushrooms. And yes, it does add a mild mushroom flavor to your cooking if that's what you are looking for.

In the Cantonese dialect, these exotic Asian mushrooms are known as "Chi Goo", which literally translates to "belly-button mushroom" or "navel mushroom". I may be mistaken but I have searched high and low for it's english name to no avail. If you have any information on it, please let me know.

Anyway, I have decided to experiment these exotic Asian mushrooms in a Mongolian style stir fry with my favorite part of beef and a strong hint of black pepper.

Ingredients :
6 exotic mushrooms peeled and sliced
1 lb. of sliced beef flap meat ( I prefer using beef flap meat because it cooks faster and is tender and flavorful )
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp mushroom soy sauce ( OR soy sauce )
green onion strips
white pepper
black pepper
sesame oil
sherry cooking wine ( OR other cooking wine )
cornstarch solution

Method :
1) Season the meat with white pepper, black pepper, oyster sauce and sesame oil, then set aside.
2) Heat wok, saute the green onions and mushroom till fragrant, add the seasoned beef, stir fry briskly until beef is slightly browned.
3) Splash in some mushroom soy sauce and cooking wine and continue stir frying until the sauce starts to bubble.
4) Stir in the cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce. Cover wok and let simmer for 2 minutes.