Whip it Up Challenge: Take 2 & 3
August 24, 2008 | Whip It Up Challenge
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There’s nothing like a cooking challenge to make me fail spectacularly. Oh well. Week One turned out great. We still make this summery pasta every other week or so.
Then we kind of fell into a Bertolli bag slump, and when those ran out, we made early evening trips for burritos and burgers. We’re not proud.
This morning I decided to crack open my favorite cookbook from Williams-Sonoma and find a new steak recipe. At the grocery store, I picked up some porterhouses, and the rest of the ingredients were those already found in our pantry!
Steak with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper
1 sirloin steak, 1.5 pounds (I used 2 porterhouses)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 T honey
1 T freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, olive oil, honey and pepper. Place steak(s) in a gallon-sized plastic bag and pour in mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Heat up the grill. Remove the steaks from the marinade. Sprinkle with salt. Place the steaks on the grill, turning once, for 6 minutes total for rare, or until done. Eat nummy num num. We served the steak with sweet potato fries, warm french baguette and sauteed swiss chard (see below for the recipe).
Was it easy? Ridiculously easy!
Did it taste good? YES! Our 2.5 year old normally doesn’t like meat, but he loved the steak. When my husband gave him a small piece off the grill, Jojo said, “let’s go inside and eat more cut up into small pieces.” Ok then!
Would I make again? Heck yes! Even our toddler loved it!
—–
Week 3: Sauteed Swiss Chard
I’ve always steered clear from the larger-than-my-own-head vegetables at the store, such as swiss chard, bok choy and leeks, but at a barbeque on Saturday, my friend’s father brought over an incredible assortment of beautiful vegetables from his garden. He encouraged me to try the swiss chard and promised me that I needed this much swiss chard.
Let me assure you — that amount of swiss chard was too much for the Squirrel family, yet probably not enough for the Duggar family.
What you need:
1 bunch of swiss chard
garlic
olive oil
I’m not sure the correct way for cleaning/chopping swiss chard, but here’s what I did: rinse and wipe off the chard. Remove the leaves from the stems. Keep these separate from the stems you will chop.
Chop off and discard the base of the stem (about an inch or two). Then cut on a diagonal the stalk/stem like you would with celery.
Heat the largest pan you own with the oil and crushed garlic. Toss in the stems and saute with the garlic and olive oil for a few minutes. Next add in the leaves. You might have to add a handful or two at a time; they will reduce (like spinach does), then you can add more. Continue to mix the garlic and oil around and remove when the stems and leaves are at the consistency you desire.
Was it easy? Yes, although the big ass leafy vegetable intimidated me. Next time, I know who’s boss.
Did it taste good? “It was ok,” says my husband. Ditto, I say. The stems were cooked perfectly, and I really enjoyed the unusual taste…like an earthy, somewhat spicy celery. The leaves, however, I did not care for; that could be because I didn’t saute them long enough.
Would I make again? Yes, but I’ll probably use a lot less and check out a couple other recipes to see how they cut the vegetable and if they use other spices.
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August 24th, 2008 at 10:10 pm, Ashlea Says:
Wow those recepies look delicious. I think i am going to try them out!
August 25th, 2008 at 7:44 am, Julie Says:
Swiss chard would scare me - heck, parsnips scare me!
Who runs the “whip it up challenge”? I need a kick in the butt to start cooking more at night.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:04 am, Liza Says:
Swiss Chard leaves do taste a little bit bitter. I would recommend chopping them into fairly small pieces and sauteing them on a high heat with oil or butter, lemon juice, salt, and maybe some almonds or pine nuts.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:40 am, RA Says:
Good for your for jumping back on the wagon! Those steaks sound delicious, and I am totally envious of your Swiss chard. My husband is anti any slightly bitter green, and I long for them.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:24 pm, Jennifer Says:
hm.. I don’t each much meat, but I do make a broccoli dish similar to the swiss chard one you made. I just put a little olive oil in the pan over med-low heat, add slivered garlic and a bit of red pepper flakes (maybe a 1/2 tsp) cook for a minute, add chopped broccolli and a splash of water or chicken stock. Put the lid on and cook til tender. It’s so good. And healthy, too!
August 25th, 2008 at 1:59 pm, Rhi Says:
Have I had Swiss Chard before? I do not think I have!
Also, the steak sounds YUMMY.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:06 pm, Ree Says:
Stacey - have you ever had stuffed grape leaves or stuffed cabbage? Stuffed swiss chard is yum.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:16 pm, Definitely RA | The Final Whip It Up Wrap-Up Says:
[…] Squirrel’s Steaks with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper were such a success that her toddler asked for […]
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm, Audrey Says:
That steak sounds sooo good! Ever since the first week of WIU I have been having a love affair with balsalmic vinegar. I can’t wait to try these Jojo-approved steaks!