notes from my food diary

April 17, 2007

What’s in that lunch box? Can you share with me?

Filed under: Main Dish, Beef

For a long time, pasta has been the second staple item in our family besides rice. From simpe to complicated dish, pasta equals comfort. I cooked a simple dish for Daily Tiffin: Show Me Your Lunch Box, which was spaghetti with steak. The original recipe is from an Indonesian cookbook (a compilation of pasta recipes with Indonesian flair!) and the steak’s sauce is actually accented with whole black pepper. I didn’t think that it’d be as enjoyable to eat for the whole family since my son can’t stand spicy foods. Just before I made the dish, I decided to marinade steak pieces with Montreal Steak Seasonings from McCormick brand. As a result everyone liked it and my son was happy not to have to eat spicy foods! :)

I posted the recipe here because I want to share with my Indonesian friends too. I’d be glad to translate the recipe here for those who wish to try it. Just let me know…

The photo was composed for my husband’s lunchbox the next day :)

Here is the recipe translated to English:

Spaghetti with Steak
Yields 4 servings

250 gr spaghetti
Shredded Parmesan cheese

400 gr top sirloin steak, slice thinly
Salt and pepper
1-2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning (McCormick brand)

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
50 gr yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
250 gr beef broth
Salt and a pinch or so of sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch diluted with 1 tablespoon of water

Marinade the steak slices with the seasoning and salt and pepper. Leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Once cook, drain, let it warm while you cook the steak.

Heat the pan with olive oil/butter, sautee the onions and garlic until soft. Add the steak slices and sautee until the meat changes color.

Add tomato paste, oregano, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Pour the broth into the pan and let it boil. Lower the heat and cook with low heat until the steak is tender. Add the cornstarch solution and stir until thickened. Take the pan off the heat.

Put the spaghetti in a dish and add steak and sauce on top of it. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on top of the dish.

Source: adapted from Hidangan Pasta ala Resto book by Sufi S.Y.

June 1, 2006

Rolade Daging A la Picnic Roll

Filed under: Main Dish, Beef

When I think about rolade, my mind immediately draw a comparison between American meatloaf and rolade. They are basically the same kind of food, made of ground beef or ground turkey, or a combination of some other ground meat, eggs, bread crumbs and spices. This rolade is made extra special with the addition of more eggs, turkey bacon and white cheddar cheese slices. I made it more special by adding garlic powder in rolade, the result is excellent! Last night the three of us ate it with green salad and baked potato fries :)

Rolade

Rolade Daging A la Picnic Roll
Untuk 8 porsi

Bahan:
400 gram daging giling
100 gram daging turkey giling (aslinya daging ayam)
3 sendok makan tepung roti
3 sendok makan bawang goreng
1/2 sendok teh pala bubuk
4 butir telur
1 1/2 sendok teh garam
1 sendok teh merica bubuk
1/2 sendok teh garlic powder

3 lembar turkey bacon (aslinya daging asap), dipotong halus panjang
3 butir telur rebus, masing-masing dibagi 2 bagian memanjang
4 lembar keju lembaran (saya pakai white cheddar cheese), masing-masing dipotong 2 memanjang

Bahan Saus:
1 buah bawang bombay, dicincang halus
2 sendok makan mentega
2 buah tomat, diparut
3 sendok makan kecap manis
1 sendok makan saus tiram
1 sendok makan saus tomat
2 sendok teh garam
1/2 sendok teh merica bubuk
1/2 sendok teh pala bubuk
1/2 sendok teh gula pasir
500 ml kaldu
3 sendok teh tepung maizena + 1 sendok makan air kaldu

Cara membuat:
Rolade: aduk rata, daging, turkey, tepung roti, bawang goreng, pala, telur, garam, merica, dan garlic powder

Gunakan loyang bongkar pasang setengah lingkaran. Gunakan bagian tengahnya. Letakkan sebagian adonan daging. Tata telur diatasnya.

Taruh irisan turkey bacon. Diatasnya tata juga keju lembaran. Tutup dengan adonan daging.

Kukus rolade. Setelah matang, goreng sampai kecokelatan.

Saus: panaskan mentega. Tumis bawang bombay sampai harum. Masukkan tomat parut, kecap manis, saus tiram, saus tomat, gram, merica, pala bubuk, gula dan kaldu. Rebus mendidih. Kentalkan dengan larutan maizena.

Sajikan rolade yang sudah dipotong-potong dengan sausnya.

Source: Sedap Sekejap magazine

Tips:
Kalau tidak ada loyang bongkar pasang setengah lingkaran, gunakan plastik dan bungkus adonan setengah lingkaran. Ikat kedua ujungnya.

May 29, 2006

Napoleon Beef On A Skewer

Filed under: Main Dish, Beef

Ahh…Memorial Day weekend is here. What a better way to enjoy the weekend with anything grilled! This is a recipe taken from Madhur Jaffrey’s Step-by-Step Cooking. She is a wonderful cook, writes everything in details, and produces delicious dishes. I’ve tried this recipe before and I’m sure you’ll like it too. In Vietnam, I imagine, people refer to this dish as boeuf brochette or boeuf Napoleon. This tempting dish is cooked over charcoal or wood grill and its aroma is definitely mouth-watering!

This will be my first post to enter Virtual Recipe Club owned by Savory Notebook. This month event of VCR titled Food on a Stick is hosted by Tummy Treasure. I actually didn’t know this event until I visited Gabriella’s blog because she was so nice to drop by and left few comments here. Thanks to you Gabriella!

I served this beef with rice but you can serve it as stated in the recipe, using lettuces. You will have to take the meat off the skewers and then put them on top of the lettuce leaf. On top of the meat you will put all the garnishes, wrap the lettuce and dip it into Fish Sauce Seasoned with Lime Juice and eat it. The way I eat it is to serve it with warm cooked rice, put some salad of cucumber, radish, carrots and lettuce on the side. You could add tomatoes to it too. Drizzle the salad with your favorite dressing, Asian style preferably, and enjoy your meal!

Napoleon Beef On A Skewer

Napoleon Beef On A Skewer (Thit Bo Lui)
Serves 4

1 stick fresh lemon grass
90 gr (3 1/2 oz) onion
75 gr (3 oz) red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
450 gr (1 lb) lean steak, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick

To Serve
about 12 crisp inner leaves of iceberg, cos, or other crisp lettuce (optional)
some sliced spring onion (optional)
cucumber slices (optional)
few fresh mint leaves (optional)
few small fresh coriander sprigs (optional)
few small fresh bean sprouts (optional)
Crisply Fried Shallot Flakes (recipe below)
Roasted Peanuts, crushed
Fish Sauce Seasoned with Lime Juice (recipe below)

Slice the fresh lemon grass crossways as thinly as possible, starting at the bulbous end and going up about 15 cm (6 inches). Discard the straw-like top.

Peel and coarsely chop the onion. Desseed and coarsely chop the red pepper. Combine the lemon grass, onion, red pepper, salt, black pepper and chilli powder in an electric blender. Blend to a smooth paste, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary.

Put the oil in a medium, preferably non-stick, frying pan and set it over a fairly high heat. When the oil is hot, add the paste from the blender. Stir and fry for 6-8 minutes or until the paste has darkened in color; lower the heat towards the end of this cooking time to avoid over-browning if necessary. Leave the paste to cool.

Hold a large knife at a 135 degree angle to your work surface (45 degree for left-handers) and cut the piece of meat against the grain into very thin slices (i.e. at a slight diagonal). Cut these slices into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces and put into a bowl.

Add the paste and oil from the frying pan and mix well. Cover and set aside to marinade at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours if possible, refrigerating as necessary. (you may put the meat on its skewers before you set it aside, if that is more convenient).

Wash and dry the salad leaves and herbs, if using. Wash the bean sprouts and immerse in a bolw of cold water until ready to use, then drain thoroughly. Arrange the salda and herbs, if using, on a serving plate.

Preheat an indoor grill or an outdoor charcoal grill. Thread the meat fairly tightly on to 2-4 skewers – the number of skewers required will depend upon their length. Grill the meat about 13 cm (5 inches) from the heat source for about 5 minutes on one side, then turn and cook on the opposite side for 3-4 minutes. Serve as suggested.

Crisply Fried Shallot Flakes

7 shallots, or 2 medium onions
Salt
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Peel the shallots, cut lengthwise into fine slivers, and place in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss lightly. Pour on 2 cups water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.

Heat a 2-inch depth of oil in a wok set over a medium heat, or heat the recommended quantity of oil in a deep-fat fryer to 375 degree F. When the oil is hot, add the shallots, and fry for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to medium-low, or the deep-fat fryer to 325 degree F and continue to fry until the shallots are reddish-brown and crisp; if using a wok, keep stirring.

Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon and spread them out on paper towels to drain. Use at once, or leave until cool and crisp, then store in a screw-topped jar until needed.

Fish Sauce Seasoned with Lime Juice
Serves 4

1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar, or less to taste
3 to 4 fresh hot red or green chillies

Peel and mince the garlic. Combine it with the fish sauce, lime or lemon juice, sugar, and 4 tablespoons water. Mix well and pour into 4 individual bowls. Cut the chillies into very thin rounds and divide them among the bowls.

November 7, 2005

Superfast Salisbury Steak

Filed under: Main Dish, Beef

Superfast Salisbury Steak
It’s an easy dish to whip out when I don’t have enough time to cook. Very tasty and not surprisingly a choice to have for dinner during autumn season. I served it along with roasted potatoes and carrots.

Superfast Salisbury Steak
Yield: 6 servings

3/4 pound ground round
3/4 pound ground turkey breast
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Madeira wine or dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed French onion soup (such as Campbell’s)

1. Combine first 4 ingredients. Divide meat mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch thick patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 6 minutes or until browned, turning after 3 minutes. Remove patties from pan; keep warm. Stir in water and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; add patties. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes).

Source: The Best of Cooking Light






















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