Sirloin Steak Tacos w/ Red Pepper Sauce and Blue Cheese + Root Vegetable Salad with Oregon Chardonnay Vinaigrette: Valentine’s Day at Home

Cooking with Alyce Morgan
If you haven’t made a restaurant reservation yet for Valentine’s Day, you’re probably too late except for the 3:30 or 10:30 pm slots.
What you’re definitely in time for is a trip to the grocery store, a little cooking action, an attractively-set table, and a relaxed dinner with no one asking
Chocolate, chocolate everywhere and lots of drops to drink.
This gorgeous bark is one that Dave had made for me for Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago. Truth to be told, his bark is better than mine. Candy maker, I’m not, though my toffee was to die for this year. (pat pat)
Make someone happy. This bark is quick, incredibly decadent, makes lots, and is much less expensive than a big box of perhaps elderly chocolates off the store shelf. It’s also a beautiful candy you might want to make together. The recipe came from the Food Network (courtesy Dave Lieberman), as do so many scrumptious things these days. There is hardly an easier dessert to make except perhaps to clean strawberries and arrange them in a bowl come summer. And that’s not really making dessert. Serve with a little port or a coffee laced with brandy.
1/2 c slivered almonds
3 cups chocolate morsels (I like 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 bittersweet)
1/2 c dried cranberries (We like cherries, too.)
1/2 tangerine, zested
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Line a 13×9″ baking pan with aluminum foil.
Lay out almond slivers on baking sheet. Bake in oven until light brown, shaking the baking pan occasionally to mix them around, about 10-15 minutes.
Melt the chocolate morsels in a double boiler over low heat. Mix in the cranberries, almond slivers and tangerine zest.
Pour into prepared pan. Smooth the chocolate mixture out into an even layer. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until hard, at least 1 hour. Use a knife to break up chocolate into jagged, varied sized bars.
… … … …
Lose 10 Pounds in 8 Weeks or Subtract 35,000 Calories — Update
I finally got the crud the rest of the world has had, so I am off schedule a bit this week. 3 pounds so far and even while ill I’ve stayed on the food program. For now, the exercise portion is off-schedule. I’ll be back at it as soon as I’m able to stay on my feet for longer than a few minutes.
Keep cheering!
Sing a new song,
Alyce
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Alyce’s Tuna with Marinara and Spinach with Onions* |
To get you in the mood, kick off with Van Morrison’s “Moondance.”
Or, if you’d rather, “Someone Like You.”
Note: If you right click on the song title, you can open youtube in another window and keep the music playing…………………………………
If you’d rather just order pizza (I know you!) and watch a movie, stop here and look at the best movies of 2011 and call for delivery. Wow, that was a short blog! But…if you’re in the mood for food at home, read on.
Since everyone and their mother is now a food or wine writer, it’s a bit crazy to see just how many articles there are about cooking for Valentine’s Day or drinking for Valentine’s Day. “I Wine You to Wine Me,” is out from Wine Spectator. Phew. The desserts, the bubblies… It’s all somewhat odd, eh? Because the word has always been that one goes OUT for Valentine’s Day–something I’ve seldom done. Why? Too crowded, too expensive, and rushed food. Enough reasons? I will admit, however, that if you have children of any age in the house, going out looks better and better. Who wants to be searing a great piece of salmon while your loved one lights the candles only to be confronted with a dirty diaper, a bloody nose, a soccer practice, or a boyfriend crisis?
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The only kids now at home sleep under the table! |
Because I’m a faithful person and because my (adult) children know I love them madly, I’ll admit I’ve been thrilled to cook at home on Valentine’s Day in the years since they left. THANK YOU, GOD! And, truthfully, we were broke for a lot of years before that, so I cooked for a bunch of those, too. Not only that, I have always made Dave one of his favorite desserts for his Valentine’s Day present. (What do you get a guy for Valentine’s Day??) For us, it’s a bit simple. While embarrassing to admit, I cook better food than most restaurants serve (as do many people) and I can afford the wine in my cellar (or on my counter) because I bought it myself and it’s paid for. So, the food and wine are both better… I’ve saved a heap of money (even the loveliest filet at the butcher is $15 per in St. Paul), I can hear everything Dave says, and dinner can–and occasionally does–take all evening. No one is standing at the entrance to the room eyeing our plates to see when we’ll be done. No server is bringing dessert before I’ve finished my dinner. If there’s any clanking in the kitchen, Dave and I are doing it. And, in St. Paul, no doors are opening letting in the Arctic Circle.
I often plan a meal complete with music (you can get “Sarah Vaughn for Lovers,” “Ella Fitzgerald for Lovers” or just put on Van Morrison’s “Moondance” and be done) and it may start in one room–maybe the kitchen– with a tiny appetizer and a sparkler, later moving into dining room for soup, main course, and salad–and end in the living room with cheese and dessert. A spot of port. While that’s possible in a restaurant, it’s not probable. You don’t have to do all those things, of course; but they’re fun!
So if you can pawn off the kids elsewhere or pay them to stay upstairs… or if you have no kids… dream up something scrumptious and cook at home. Leave the dishes rinsed in the sink for the next morning.
First, you’ll have to decide about the gift dessert— I don’t know what I’m making Dave this year, but here are some of my favorites on More Time:
Apple pie...a great gift for Valentine’s Day
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Lemon Scented Pear-Almond Crostata – Yes!
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There are directions for making this crostata with apples, too, if you like. |
One of my all-time favorite desserts is Brandied Fig Vanilla Pudding from Epicurious. Almost done before you begin, this silky pudding is simple, subtle, supple, and topped with a bit of fig preserves mixed with a spoonful of brandy. Sometimes I offer a tish of hot fudge and berries in placeof the figs, depending on the season. Made on the stove in a few minutes, it can be done ahead or at the last minute. It’s great warm if you’re running late! One note: Brandied Fig Vanilla Pudding is gorgeous in nice, heavy crystal on-the-rocks tumblers; you can see the pudding and the shining golden fig layer at top through the sparkling glass.
Thing is, I think you can often cook as well as the folks in the restaurants, too. You can cook to your own tastes and take your time. You can make the dessert today and just serve a salad and steak tomorrow. I mean, most of us work on Valentine’s Day, right?
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Needn’t be a complex salad to be good. In fact, the opposite is true. |
Just for fun, I’ve looked around at a few available menus to see what exactly IS a romantic menu? I’m not sure I know; so here are a couple I’ve seen around the net lately:
This one, off the Epicurious site, is called:
Other options are:
OR
TUNA MARINARA WITH SAUTEED SPINACH AND ONIONS…(top photo)
While I’m just realizing this, one of my favorite meals to serve Dave or company, isn’t on the blog; the marinara, however, is on my other blog, Dinner Place, as is tuna with spinach and onions.
I think you can figure out how to put it all together from the photo; don’t forget Parmesan at the table.
two-dog kitchen and around the ‘hood
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Last Friday Night’s Table |
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The other lovers. |
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On my kitchen window |
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Tucker–thinks he’s hiding. |
Sing a new song on Valentine’s Day….
Alyce
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I like a pasta bowl for lamb shanks and sides…sit them up in the rutabagas to show them off. |
If you’re a bit unsure about lamb shanks… what they are or how to cook them, here’s the deal: they’re pretty much like cooking a tiny pot roast on a big old bone. Whatever treatment you’ve given beef chuck roast is probably going to work with lamb shanks–which are from way up on the lamb’s leg. Since the meat is tough, it needs to be braised (cooked in liquid) and the braising liquid of choice is often wine, though it needn’t be. A stiff stout would work, as would broth, tomatoes, cider and water…whatever floats your shanks. Add root vegetables and/or onions, celery, garlic, and you’ve an entire meal. Even just onions and wine with a bit of dried rosemary will give you something well worth eating. Most recipes call for two lamb shanks per person; there isn’t a lot of meat on one. I find that given the vegetables and sauce inevitably cooked with them that one is plenty.
I start lamb shanks on top of the stove and finish them in the oven, cutting off about a 1/2 hour cooking time compared to all oven braising. They can also be done totally on top of the stove, paring down the cooking time even more to about an hour total. Because I wanted a simple rutabaga mash as a base, I cooked the rutabaga separately stove top just like you would mashed potatoes, except I added fresh ginger and garlic to the cooking water. You could certainly cook the rutabaga in the pot with the meat for ease of preparation; add them for the oven time only. Or, if you wanted, you could mix up a bit of couscous (in place of the rutabaga) while the lamb rests or even make a salad in place of green beans. I added potatoes mostly because I wanted them for the next day stew. It won’t take much (and actually there are vegetables in the sauce) to finish this meal. Then, there’s
way fast shanks in the microwave
If you’re interested in under an hour (really), folks have also been microwaving lamb shanks with great success since 1989 thanks to THE NEW BASICS COOKBOOK (Workman, 1989) written by Silver Palate gurus Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. These shanks are done in 30 minutes. Just for fun, here’s the info for microwaving the shanks: (And by the way, I microwave my chuck roasts for chimichangas.)
In a 2 qt microwave-safe casserole, cook 2T olive oil at full power for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, 3/4 c chopped onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 sprigs rosemary (1/2 t dried), 1/2 tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper, 3/4 cup dry red wine, and 1T tomato paste. Cook, uncovered, 5 min. Remove 1/2 of the vegetable mixture and set it aside. Lightly oil 3 small lamb shanks with a bit more olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Arrange shanks in a triangle over the vegetables remaining in the casserole. Cover, and cook for 20 min. Turn the shanks and cook another 10 min. Spoon the reserved vegetables over the shanks, cover, and cook 2 minutes. Remove the casserole from the microwave, and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 2-3.
Still a great all-purpose cookbook. ( above recipe courtesy THE NEW BASICS)
If you’d like to try them my way, do what Dave and I did: put on some great music, pour yourself a glass of wine, and throw this in the oven to braise while you put your feet up and talk through the day. While you can sure eat lamb shanks alone, they’re worth sharing. And, wonder of wonders, if you didn’t eat the third lamb shank, you can make a beautiful stew next day…recipe down below.
wine
While the French like Bordeaux with lamb, I am partial to a softer, rounder wine here like Burgundy (Oregon Pinot Noir to be exact; good French Burgundy is out of my price range generally speaking) or a (red) French Côtes du Rhône, which is a Grenache blend. These wines, for my palate, compliment the softer, sweeter notes in the root vegetables. So, yes, you’ll need two bottles of wine for this meal. One for you and one for the pot. (Not a bad deal.) Ask your wine shop about an inexpensive–under $15– Côtes du Rhône; there are lots of tasty values. The Oregon Pinot will be pricier for the most part (though there are some $20-$30 bottles), but really worth it for a splurge or birthday. These wines will be $40-$50 and up and are often cellared for several years before drinking. So if you head toward the Pinot for you to drink, pick up something less expensive for the pot. Which ones: I love most Oregon Pinots, but have soft spots for Prive, Ken Wright and Sineann,
Try this:
alyce’s lamb shanks with mashed ginger rutabaga, new potatoes, and lemon-crumbed green beans serves 2-3
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Raw lamb shank |
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Let them brown well on each side |
4. Return lamb shanks to the pan. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook on stovetop 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Place covered pot in oven and bake another hour or so until meat is quite tender…maybe even coming off the bone if you like it like that. (Meantime, make the rutabaga mash (see below for recipe) new potatoes and green beans–no recipe provided for these. I do like a bit of bread crumbs with lemon and pepper on my beans. What I do is throw a piece of great white baguette in the food processor and then toast those crumbs in a bit of butter and grated lemon peel. When the beans are steamed and salted, and peppered, I top them with the lemon-crumb mixture)
Making a sauce and serving up:
1. Remove the cooked shanks to a warm dish and cover. Place back in oven to keep warm while you make the sauce and mash the rutabagas.
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Cover and return to oven to keep warm while you make the sauce. |
2. In the pan you should have a 1/2 pot of lovely gravy with soft carrots, onions, and so on. If you can do it, spoon off a bit of the fat and remove the small sticks leftover from the rosemary and thyme. Taste and see if it needs seasoning. If you have an immersion blender, haul out the power tools and blend this sauce a bit—as smooth as you’d like. If no immersion blender, you can carefully transfer some of the sauce and veggies to a food processor or simply mash away with a potato masher. Taste again and adjust seasoning if needed.
3. In a large shallow bowl, place half of the rutabaga mash and carefully sit a lamb shank, bone up, in the mash, so that it stands at attention. Spoon a generous serving of sauce on meat and mash. Repeat with the remaining serving(s).
4. Add steamed potatoes and green beans, if serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.
5. Serve hot. Let leftovers cool completely, cover well, and refrigerate 1-2 days until you make stew.
mashed ginger rutabaga 2 servings
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Cut up the cooked new potatoes for the stew; they go in toward the end or they’ll disintegrate. |
two dog kitchen and what else I’ve been cooking:
Pan-Roasted Brussel Sprouts and New Potatoes with Parmesan and Onions
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I blogged this on my other blog, Dinner Place, The Solo Cook |
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When do we get to walk? This computer stuff is getting old, Mom. |
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Testing a new bread machine. |
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Leftover grilled chicken with pomegranate seeds, berries and cabbage-spinach salad with sherry vinaigrette |
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Our Gab |
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Zabaglione…will make again and blog… |
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Chickadees, in bitter cold, grab seeds and break them with their beaks while standing on metal feeders. Brr. You think you have food problems.
Sing a new song, and cook lamb! |