Herb-Rubbed Steak with Corn Saute

It's time for another Mystery Box Madness over at I Heart Cooking Clubs. This time around the ten mystery ingredients were: Any Red Fruit, Corn, Tortillas, Skirt or Flank Steak, Oregano, Heavy Cream, Goat Cheese, Pumpkin Seeds, Baby or Fingerling Potatoes, and Caramel/Cajeta. We simply pick at least three of the mystery box ingredients and choose a recipe from one of our twelve IHCC chefs.

I've been loving Jacques Pepin's recipes so I chose to cook with him. I definitely wanted to chose corn since it's just coming into season so I opted for Pepin's Corn and Pepper Saute. A simple saute of bell pepper and fresh corn with butter and salt and pepper. It's a delicious way to celebrate local and seasonal produce.  To go along with the corn I made Jacques' recipe for Herb-Rubbed Steak using flank steak and oregano. The steak had a wonderful blend of herbs and spices: dried thyme, dried oregano, dried rosemary, and cayenne pepper. The dried herbs are aromatic and flavorful and the cayenne adds a nice touch of heat.

The Herb-Rubbed Steak paired perfectly with the Corn and Pepper Saute for a light summer meal. We also enjoyed this mixture inside of corn tortillas, which just happened to be another ingredient in our mystery box this month. This was a delightful and flavorful meal that I would most definitely make again.

Herb-Rubbed Steak Over Corn Saute

Adapted from Essential Pepin

by Jacques Pepin

Serves 4

1-1/2 pounds flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin slices

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup chicken or beef stock

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Remove all the surface fat from the steak.  The trimmed steak will weight about 1-1/4 pounds. Crush the dried herbs between your thumb and finger and mix them together with the black and cayenne pepper. Pat the mixture on both sides of the meat. When ready to cook, sprinkle the steak with the salt. Heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof skillet (cast iron for best results). When it is hot, add the meat and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the steak to the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Add the chicken stock to the pan and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Serve with natural juices and corn saute.  This beef is also great served inside corn tortillas.

Corn and Pepper Saute

Adapted from Essential Pepin

by Jacques Pepin

Serves 4

1 large red bell pepper

2 tablespoons butter

3 large ears corn,husked and kernels cut off (about 3 cups)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, remove as much of the skin as you can from the red pepper. The firmer the pepper the easier it is to peel. Cut the pepper into sections at the recesses.  Remove the seeds from each section and peel off the remaining skin. Cut the pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. You should have about a cup. Heat the butter in a large skillet until hot. Add the corn and pepper pieces and saute over high heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper and serve.

Themes: Mystery Box Madness August 2015

Jacques Pepin's Coquilles St. Jacques

I'm fairly certain there are no words, or pictures, that are good enough to describe how magnificent Pepin's Coquilles St. Jacques were. This classical French recipe exceeded our expectations. It's fair to say it blew our minds!

Don't make the same mistake as me and wait too long to make this one.  Add it to the top of your list, move it to the top of your list, or do whatever you gotta do...but make this and make this soon!

Coquilles St. Jacques, or gratin of scallops, is fit for royalty! It's very impressive on the plate and oh so heavenly. It all begins with a mushroom puree that cooks down for 25 minutes resulting in a very earthy and concentrated mushroom flavor. This mushroom base is the first layer of flavor and this layer is so flavorful you need little seasoning elsewhere. Next up is a beautifully seasoned poaching liquid whereby the scallops are poached until perfectly tender. This poaching liquid is then reduced and added to a velvety cream and Gruyere cheese sauce that is the stuff of dreams. Seriously.  Layer this heavenly sauce over the scallops and broil until browned and bubbly for a sensational first course, or even main course, fit for entertaining royalty.

This is my selection for this months Mystery Box Madness over at IHCC. We were given a list of ten ingredients (Scallops, Tarragon, Sour Cream, Walnuts, Capers, Asparagus, White Beans, Gruyere, Yeast, and Rice) to cook with and had to chose at least three. I chose scallops, tarragon, and Gruyere simply because I have little experience cooking with scallops and I'm so happy I chose to make Pepin's Coquilles St. Jacques. It's one of our new favorite dishes!

Coquilles St. Jacques

Recipe found on Saveur

by Jacques Pepin

Serves 6

 8 oz. button mushrooms, minced
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 small shallots, minced
2 tbsp. minced parsley
1 tbsp. minced tarragon, plus 6 whole leaves, to garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup dry vermouth
1 bay leaf
6 large sea scallops
2 tbsp. flour
½ cup heavy cream
⅔ cup grated Gruyère
½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

Heat mushrooms, 4 tbsp. butter, and ⅔ of the shallots in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat; cook until the mixture forms a loose paste, about 25 minutes. Stir parsley and minced tarragon into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture among 6 cleaned scallop shells or shallow gratin dishes. Bring remaining shallots, vermouth, bay leaf, salt, and ¾ cup water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add scallops; cook until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Remove scallops; place each over mushrooms in shells. Continue boiling cooking liquid until reduced to ½ cup, about 10 minutes; strain. Heat broiler to high. Heat remaining butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add reduced cooking liquid and cream; cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add cheese, juice, salt, and pepper; divide the sauce over scallops. Broil until browned on top, about 3 minutes; garnish each with a tarragon leaf.

Theme: April Mystery Box Madness

Chickpea Saute with Creamy Harissa Sauce

This week we introduced a brand new theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Mystery Box Madness will be a new theme that runs each month.  During Mystery Box Madness week, participants will create a dish using at least three of the ten mystery box ingredients.  This week's ingredients were harissa, eggs, saffron, pumpkin, maple syrup, dates, rose water, oranges, spinach, and chickpeas.  Participants can also chose a recipe from any of our eleven IHCC chefs.  

Now that I've explained the mystery box portion it's time to talk about the madness.  Decision making is not my strong suit. In fact, I'm quite sure anyone is better at decision making than me.  So when I think about ten possible ingredients and the recipes of eleven chefs... well, it's almost as if my mind is afire with possibilities.  Which three ingredients will I chose? How many different ways can I combine them? Who should I cook with? Can I use more than three ingredients? What if I tried to use all the ingredients and make a three course meal? Madness.  Sheer Madness.

Finally I ran out of time and had to come up with something and here it is.  The ingredients reminded me of the six months we spent cooking with Yotam Ottolenghi so I picked up one of his cookbooks.  When I saw his recipe for Chickpea Saute with Greek Yogurt I was sold.  A quick mixture of chickpeas, carrots, spinach, herbs, and warm spices topped with a cool tangy yogurt.  The recipe did not include harissa, but I decided to add it into both the veggie mixture and also into the yogurt topping.  I also added a sliced hard-boiled egg on top for some additional color and protein.

So here I am squeaking in at the last minute with this hearty vegetarian main dish.  This dish is very comforting and satisfying without weighing you down.  Very much like a lightly spiced veggie chili topped off by a very zesty and creamy harissa sauce.  I'm looking forward to the leftovers already! 

Chickpea Saute with Harissa Sauce

Adapted from Plenty

by Yotam Ottolenghi

Serves 4

3/4 pound (8 cups) Swiss Chard, Kale or Spinach

1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 teaspoons cumin

1-1/2 cups freshly cooked chickpeas 

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons harissa

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

2 tablespoons harissa

1 tablespoon olive oil

hard-boiled egg, for garnish

Separate the chard, or kale, stalks from the leaves.  Blanch the stalks in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Add the leaves and continue cooking for 2 minutes, then drain everything.  Refresh under cold running water and squeeze dry, then chop roughly.  (If using spinach no precooking is necessary.  Roughly chop the spinach and it can be added directly to the pan with the chickpeas).

Heat up the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan.  Add the carrots, caraway seeds, and cumin and saute for 5 minutes on medium heat.  Add the chard, kale, or spinach along with the chickpeas and continue cooking for 6 minutes.  Now add the garlic, herbs, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of harissa.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir to incorporate.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

To serve, mix together the yogurt, the additional 2 tablespoons of harissa, 1 tablespoon olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Pile the vegetables on serving dishes and spoon the harissa/yogurt sauce on top.  Garnish with slices of hard boiled egg, if desired.

Theme: Mystery Box Madness