Herbi vs. Carni

This is a funny contrast of a post: herbivore vs. carnivore bliss.

Herbivore Bliss
The other day the boy wanted to make pizza. This is one of "his meals" and he normally makes the dough and dictates the toppings without any fuss from me. However, he never came home. So I worried he would be sad and went ahead and made his special dough recipe for him. When he came home very late and realized there was no pizza dough (it has to rise for like at least an hour), he was so sad...then I surprised him and said "it's ready to go!" He was happy, and I had also made a veggie crumble tomato sauce and gathered yet another eggplant from the garden, two tiny green peppers, some fresh basil and oregano and some onions for toppings. He decided midstream that we should make calzones instead of pizza. So we did. Just using the same dough and placing ingredients inside and folding over the dough . I brushed egg yolk on top to make it golden...oh, they were sooo lovely when they came out. And they were even better to eat. Though the boy determined I should never ever put cumin in the sauce again (even though it tasted great) because it "started to taste like chili"...but the veggies, cheese and sauce, the moist inside and crisp outside bread, were just wonderful. Wonderful.

General Notes on Preparation of this meal

Use this dough recipe

Our ingredients were: 1 eggplant, sliced, sprinkle slices with salt and let them sit while waiting to join the calzone ingredients, two small green peppers chopped, 1/2 onion chopped

Sauce: simmered 1/2 chopped onion, 3 gloves chopped garlic, 1/2 bag of Morningstar veggie crumbles, sauteed in olive oil till soft and moist. Add 1 13oz box or can crushed or diced tomatoes, (I used two cubes of frozen fresh herbs from my garden) but you can use as much basil, oregano, parsley fresh or dry as you like. Simmer for at least a half hour. If too wet, take lid off and simmer a bit till thickens up.

After you roll the dough per recipe and add ingredients (make sure not TOO wet) folded over top and brush with one egg yolk beaten.

Cook in preheated oven at 420 (heh) for 20 minutes. Handle carefully when you take it out and let it cool a bit before you dig in...

Carnivore
Today I got sucked into Trader Joes, and they really do have nice prices on fine meats, wine and some veggies. Amongst other things, I got two filet mignons, some haricots vert and a bottle (okay several), but this one was a $6 Il Valore Red Zin...very drinkable. I found the most genius way to prepare the filets, blanched the verts and whipped up (literally) a bearnaise to go with the steak. It was all PERFECT. Okay, not perfect, but sooooo good. The boy took too long coming to the dinner table, so the bearnaise broke emulsion, but it still tasted decadent; it just looked like a train wreck. I am still impressed by the steak. I never splurge on beef. I don't know why, and because I always buy poor cuts of it, we tend to always be dissatisfied with it. This time I bought a good cut, prepared it in an appropriate way, and the result was the best steak I have ever prepared in this house, perhaps the best ever. I sat and drank wine for a while contemplating the meal at the dinner table, even after the boy had left to work on school things. In this case, it really was the technique of preparation that made all the difference.

Steak
Take two filet mignons and rub them in olive oil, bring to room temp. Heat a heavy pan with 1tb olive oil in it to "screaming" hot. Meanwhile soften 2 tb butter and chop two garlic cloves, mix together. Drop your filets in the pan and cook exaclty 2 min on each side. No more. Take the pan off the heat, top the steak with the butter/garlic, and place tinfoil in a tent over the steaks. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. Touch to test doneness. If it leaves a fingerprint it is rare. If it leaves a fingerprint which springs back, it is perfectly med rare, how you want it.

Easy Bearnaise
2 tb tarragon vinegar + 2 tb sherry or red wine vinegar in saucepan
Simmer until reduced to 1tb, remove from heat and cool.
Whisk 3 egg yolks into vinegar.
Place pan over another pan of boiling water (of if you have a double boiler, use it)
Whisk 1 stick softened butter, 1 tb at a time into the yolk mixture.
After all butter is in, add 1 tb tarragon, 1 tb parsley and a tiny pinch of cayenne.
Serve immediately. If you let it sit, it may break. It is a persnickety sauce, but soooo good,

Haricots Vert
Snip ends. Wash. Bring pot of water to boil. Plunge beans for two minutes. Drain and serve, or drain and rinse with cool water, and then reheat when needed by sauteing with butter in a pan.

Today we are grateful for: the boy was grateful for his paycheck which he lost and then found again. I am grateful for the recent opportunities I have had at work as well as the good prices on this filet mignon and the joy of shopping at Dollar Tree.