Teriyaki steak, satay for the rest of us

This is a really simple recipe, but sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest.

1 steak 3 people, how to stretch a steak for 3 people with balsamic and naan

3 people one strip steak, what's one to do.  

First spiral cut the steak into one long strip. Place in bag with a little olive oil and 3 or 4 spoonfuls or balsamic vinegar. Mix it around and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Heat your grill to 400 degrees and grill long strip, turning once, about 2 minutes a side or less.

  

Cut into small pieces and place aside.

Place naan bread (Costco) on grill for 1 minute a side or until warm 

Remove and spread with ranch dressing

Add the steak pieces

Then some tomatoes, these are purple tomatoes but you can use whatever king you'd like.

 Add a little corn relish.  (Recipe at bottom.)

fold over, eat and enjoy, It should  be enough for almost 4 sandwiches of goodness.

Cook well and have a great summer, 

Rob

www.youtube.com/cookingfordads

Here's our favorite Corn Salad recipe (inspired by the Barefoot Contessa's version)

in a large bowl combine:

• 4 cups of frozen corn niblets
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion 
• 4 spoonfuls cider vinegar
• 4 spoonfuls olive oil
• 1/2 spoonful coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 spoonful freshly ground black pepper
• When ready to serve, add the basil, toss and serve.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Rob Barrett

Lemon Steak, using lemon juice to tenderize your steak

Here's a great way to tenderize your steak and give it a little zip without making it taste lemony. Try it and let me know what you think.  I really like these chuck eye steaks when you can find them.  Make sure it's a chuck eye and not a chuck steak, big difference.

cook well,
Rob Barrett
Cooking for Dads

Easy French Dip sandwiches in under 5 minutes

Trust me, you will really like these. Try 'em and let me know what you think.

Cook well,

Rob Barrett

Cooking for Dads

Top 10 tips for grilling after a long winters solstice

1. Clean the grates, take them inside to the kitchen and give them a good cleaning. You can also put them in the oven and use the cleaning cycle. Start the season fresh.

2. Oil the grates. Take a paper towel and apply a liberal dose of oil to the grates before grilling. The cleaning probably removed some of the natural lubrication.

3. Buy a new brush, Your old one is probably really grody. New brushes are $3 at Rainbow.

4. Check your hoses. Turn the gas on at the tank first and listen for any leakage before opening up the burners. If you hear gas escaping but haven't opened up the burners, turn off the tank and replace your hoses.

5. Buy a meat thermometer. Make a deliberate effort to not over cook you rmeat this summer. Meat thermometers are $29 at the Kitchen Store in the Eden Prairie mall and really help take the guess work out of grilling meat. This especially helps with thicker cuts of meat. Chicken is the most likely to be over cooked. Remove chicken when the thickest part is at 165 degrees.

6. Whenever possible, try to use only fresh meat. Frozen steaks never get their texture back due to cellular damage from the freezing process. Buy steaks the day you need them and avoid freezing them. If you must freeze them be sure to squeeze out any air before placing the bags in the freezer.

7. But grown up salt - coarse kosher salt. The taste is much cleaner than iodized salt and do you really need more iodine?

8. Get a good pepper grinder. Most meats need nothing more than kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Try one of the dual slat and pepper grinders from Chef'n.

9. Get some firewire. The flexible grilling utensils are great for marinating meat in.

http://www.firewiregrilling.com/

10.Learn at least one new recipe a month. Here's my favorite.

Rob's Flank Steak Marinade

1 - 1.5 lbs flank steak

1/2 C soy sauce (2/3 C)

1/2 C canola or vegetable oil

4 spoonsfuls molasses

2 spoonfuls fresh ginger

2 spoonfuls mustard

1 spoonful sugar

6 garlic cloves, chopped

Mix together all the ingredients. Marinate flank steak for up to 24 hours but at least 1 hour. Grill over high heat for 3 minutes each side. Let rest and then cut across the grain and on an angle.

© 2008 Cooking for Dads

Cook well, It's worth it.

Rob Barrett

Cooking for Dads

Grilling a Steak in MInnesota

Grilling steak in a Minnesotan winter offers unique obstacles to overcome but there are principles that anyone can use for just normal grilling.

Grilled Meatballs, chewy balls of goodness

Johnsonville contest and prizes, Big prizes!

As many of you know, last summer we had a brat tasting contest and Johnsonville won. This summer they are doing a fun promotion where you can play an online game or submit a video and win some of the $30,000 in prizes and give aways. All you have to do is register and play the game to be entered in the drawing for the prizes. Just go to

http://www.shareyourville.com/

Before July 20th, register and play.

For my Cooking for Dads friends they’ve offered up a secret word.

This Week’s Johnsonville GRILLVILLE Secret Code Word is – Brats.

So enjoy, win some prizes, and grill well.

Rob Barrett

Cooking for Dads

3 Chili Recipes In 5 minutes. Magical Chilis with an unexpected ingredient.

When I was asked to do a segment on a local TV station where I start off with a vegetarian chili base and then add ingredients to make 3 different chilis I was a little worried. Most of the chilis that I have had taste similar so I wondered if I could differentiate them enough.

Here’s what I came up with and I have to admit they are some of my favorite recipes to date. They all start with the base, a bean choice, add meat and then one special ingredient. (On the video we kept that from the hosts to see if they could guess it. They couldn’t)

Here’s the link to the life video.
http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1389358.shtml?cat=10743

Seafood Chili, Steak Chili and Meat Lovers Chili.

Base:
1 29oz. can tomato sauce
1 29 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 spoonful italian seasoning
1 spoonful chili powder
1/2 spoonful salt
1/2 spoonful pepper
olive oil

Place a little olive oil in the bottom of a big pan. On medium heat fry onions and garlic for 3 minutes or until just cooked.
add rest of ingredients and stir. Let simmer on low.

Bean options:
add just one of either:
1 16 oz cab Bush’s Chili beans medium
1 16 oz can Bush’s homestyle Baked Beans
or 1 16 oz Bush’s Red Beans (drained)

For Steak Lovers Chili
cut 1 1/2 lb of top sirloin steak in to small cubes. Fry on high heat until just browned, about 2 minutes, add to chili.
unexpected ingredient – 1/4 red wine

Let cook for a couple minutes then serve.

For Seafood Chili,
fry 1 1/2 lbs sea food, (1/2 lb deveined shrimp, 1/2 lb langostinos, 1/2 lb bay scallops) in a pan with a little butter. add to chili
unexpected ingredient - 1/2 log Philadelphia Cream Cheese, stir until melted.

Let cook for a couple minutes then serve.

For Meat Lovers Chili
Fry a red pepper (cut into small squares), 1/2 lb bacon cut in to small pieces, 1/2 lb italian sausage, 1/2 lb ground beef until meat is cooked. Drain and add to chili.
add 1/2 cup of your favorite Barbeque Sauce
unexpected ingredient - 2 spoonfuls Semi sweet chocolate chips

Let cook for a couple minutes then serve.

© 2010 Cooking for Dads

Prime Rib on a Hamburger Budget

Prime Rib in a 2010 World.

Recently I've done some experimenting with the salt crust cooking method. I've wanted to find some alternatives to the Prime Rib roast that taste great but aren't as expensive. I've had good and bad times and I know what it's like to not be able to afford Prime Rib roast even for Christmas. (I remember not being able to afford meat for long periods of time.)

So here are two options.

Watch this video to learn about cooking with a salt crust (great taste and not salty) and then try it with these options.

Advanced Prime Rib Video

Chuck Roast: $3.26 a pound or less.

As you can see it came out great. The taste and texture was wonderful although you have to cut around some of the fattier, tougher parts. Easy to do and you can save a lot.

Bottom Round Roast $2.86 a pound:

This worked well when it was cut thin and was hot, but once it cooled it got tough.

So those are some options for a nice tender roast for that big meal that won't break the bank.

Cook well and have a Happy New Year.

Rob Barrett

www.cookingfordads.net

Satay, Saturdays, and The Weekend's Looking Up

It's friday night, and I'm getting gas at Costco.

That's the start of an exciting weekend, I tell you. I can foresee a trip to Home Depot and maybe a nap on Sunday afternoon. Living the dream.

So I call my wife, tell her I'm at Costco, and ask if she needs me to pick up something for dinner.  She says she has no plans so I offer to make something.  Luckily Costco has packet of only 2 flank steaks so i get those (normally they come in packs of like 20.).  Of course, I have no plan, but now I have steaks.

On the way home I'm reminded of a Peanut Satay recipe I made about a year ago.  These flank steaks would be perfect. 

We end up having everything I need.  1/2 can coconut milk, 2 spoonfuls curry powder, 1 sp salt, 1 sp sugar, a little pepper and 1/2 sp coriander seeds, ground in a mortar and pestle. 

The freshly ground coriander smells so amazing.  It makes the dish.

I cut the steak in strips and throw them in the marinade.  It is at that time I realize we have way, way too much food.  So I tell my wife (who is a saint, a saint I tell you.) to hit the phones and see who wants to come over. It's 6:30 already.

I make some sticky rice, a quick homegrown tomato salad, and then an easy Thai Peanut Sauce (click here for the recipe). I fire up the grill, put the steak satay on skewers and await our guests.

What a fun night.  Everyone likes eating satay off the skewers and the tomato salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar goes over well. Everyone spreads the peanut sauce over their sticky rice because it makes such a great combination. 

Later, we ended up making some more sticky rice, Jan ran and got a mango so we could have Sticky Rice with Mango, one of our favorites. Recipe below.

Maybe the weekend won't be so bad after all.(See video and all recipes here)

Cook well,

Rob Barrett

www.cookingfordads.net

Sticky Rice with Mango.

In a rice cooker or bamboo steamer make 3 cups sticky rice.

In a small pan heat 1 can of coconut milk, 1/3 cup sugar and a t of salt.  Bring to a boil and stir until combined.  Turn off heat.

Cut up a mango into small pieces.  

Add coconut mixture to rice and stir to coat.

Scoop rice mixture into small bowl add mango pieces and enjoy.

Cooking for Dads 2 Year Anniversary

2 years ago today I posted my very first Cooking for Dads episode. 

I had this little idea for a video recipe for visual learners but never thought it would go any where. Finally I called my friend Jonathan, he came over and we shot 2 episodes, thisone and the red pepper pasta. I edited this together, and let Jan see it. When it ended she turned around, gave me a high 5, and said go ahead and post it, let's see what happens.

It funny to watch it now. I made so many mistakes I turned it into a game. I even said cream is our friend. It isn't. I had only made this recipe one time before and at the end I wasn't even sure it tasted good, you can see it on my face.

Who would have thought this would go all the way to the Today Show, USA Today, a Barbara Walters' Special, and many TV cooking appearances.  What a ride.

Thanks for all the support and help over these past 2 years and 82 episodes. It means a lot to me.

Here's that fateful first episode.   Cheesy Chicken, Peas and Potatoes.

Cook well, it's worth it. Rob

Dinner and a Rub

If you've ever wondered what dinner is like at our crazy house, here's a little glimpse.  Not every meal is like this but way too many are.  

Tonight I'm working on a coffee/cocoa rub for pork so I made 1 pork chop with a rub from Great Lakes Tea Company (a great and known entity) and 1 pork chop with my own rub. Tonight is my first go at it.

Rob's Coffee and Cocoa Rub

2 spoonfuls freshly ground coffee

2 spoonfuls unsweetened cocoa

2 sp. brown sugar

1 sp. salt

1 sp. minced onion flakes

1/2 sp red pepper

I rubbed it on the pork and also some ribeye.  

I also am working on a new citrus marinade for shrimp;

the juice of one orange

the juice of half a lime

2 sp canola oil

1 sp sugar

1/2 sp salt

a little black pepper 

and a couple shakes of red pepper.

I marinaded a pound of 16-20 ct shrimp and then grilled them up.  Ellie cut up some peppers, I made some rice and we were ready to go.

We invited over some friends, as there was a lot of food, and I got feedback from everyone. The rubs got good ratings as well as the shrimp.  I need to make some adjustments but it's a good start.

a little bit of everything.

So that's how we roll.  If you've ever around during meal time, be sure to call, there may be testings we could use your help with.

Rob Barrett

Cooking for Dads

How To Sear Tuna and Steak on a Hot Rock

I think this one speaks for itself.  Try it it's really fun. 

Steak As Therapy, or Keeping It Simple

I have an itch, and it's an itch only a steak can scratch.  

We just came back from a 3 day concert/camping festival. Each night when we'd get back to the campsite the guys next to us would throw some steaks on the hibachi ...  at 12 midnight.  How could I sleep with that wafting through the tent? So today we got back home and I hopped on my bike and headed to our local grocery store for some red meat: a ribeye for me and strip steaks for the girls. (Life isn't fair) Since I biked there I allowed myself to splurge on some real meat.

I decided to keep it simple, no marinades, no rubs, nothing fancy, just kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Steak at it's finest - plain and simple just like God designed it.

But then...

Hmm, that Signature Beef  Seasoning by Lunds & Byerlies would be really good, too, Maybe just a little of that.

You know what would be really, really good, is some onion powder sprinkled over the top, and just a little more pepper.  How about some....

Stop!

I had fallen into the trap.  Too much of a good thing. 

So I grabbed control of my culinary enthusiasm and hit the grill for 4 minutes a side on medium high heat. 

Some red potatoes and a great salad by my wife (with Litehouse Jalapeno Ranch Dressing, our new fav) and it was a meal to sooth the itchiest beast.

Now if I could only find those guys from the campsite.  This is a steak!

Cook well.

Rob