Five Star Meals at Home

Man, I wish I had taken pictures of these excellent dinners. The following links are to entree's that I've already proven to be easy and delicious. A lot of them are from Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, whose FoodMadeFast series are an excellent resource for the amateur chef.

Steak With Parmesean Butter, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugula

This is one of the best entrees that I've ever made. It takes less than 30 minutes to prep, cook and serve. Ultimately, you get a perfectly cooked Ribeye steak topped with mouth-watering parmesean butter which is complemented by the sweet and tangy bite of a balsamic glaze. The glaze is simply your pan drippings, butter, shallots, dark brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar. The steak is served over a bed of arugula and parmesean cheese shavings, all of which is drizzled with a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice. I served this simply with some homemade garlic bread. Talk about a mouthgasm....

Beef & Asparagus Stir Fry

If you're like me, you like Stir-Fry. Beef or chicken with some asparagus, bell peppers, carrots, onions, garlic, whatever. Myriad types of sauces can be made with the Asian basics: Soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, etc. If you don't already own a Wok, get one. $30 will get you a decent wok which will vastly improve your stir-fry's. It makes mixing the meat and vegetables easy, and with all the drippings that gather at the bottom, a great sauce is only minutes away.

If you are more of a chicken person, I'd recommend trying the Lemongrass Chicken and Asparagus. It's use of lemongrass (or lemon zest and juice) with freshly minced ginger lends a nearly floral, citrusy flavor. Another favorite at my house is the Sesame Chicken and Sugar Snap Peas stir-fry.

Beer Braised Beef

And how could I forget the dish with my two favorite things built right into the title: Beer and Beef. Mmm delicious. This slow-cooked dish turns 3 lbs. of ordinary beef chuck into a super tender, flavor loaded meal. And all those carrot, onion and celery pieces that you initially caramelize before cooking the beef practically disintegrate into the sauce, releasing their succulent sugars that help tenderize the beef. I got this recipe from GQ and copied it here. I served this with Skin-On Red Mashed Potatoes, Creole Seasoned Snow Peas, and Homemade Cornbread.

3 lbs. Beef chuck in chunks
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Beer
Chopped carrots and onions (I also added a few celery ribs)
3 sprigs of parsley

1. Generously season the beef with salt and pepper.
2. Over medium flame, heat enough olive oil to evenly coat the base of a large heavy-bottom pot. When the oil is hot, add the beef and cook on all sides until evenly brown and crispy. Remove and place on a plate uncovered.
3. Pour in a bit of beer. Let simmer and scrape up the tasty brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the vegetables. Use enough to make a deep bed. Maybe two large onions and 3 big carrots. You can also add unpeeled garlic. Fennel and ginger are a nice touch with pork. Cook on low flame, stirring occasionally for about 45 mins. til well-carmelized.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Place the beef back in the pot nestled among the vegetables. Add the parsley. Pour in the rest of the beer so it comes about half way up the sides of the meat. You may need more than 1 can.
6. Cover. Place in the oven and cook for 2-3 hours until the meat is meltingly tender.
7. Remove the meat and place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Pour the cooking liquid through a mesh strainer and discard the vegetables. At this point you can serve the liquid as is or you can put it back on the stove in a smaller pot over medium heat to intensify the flavors.
8. To serve, keep the meat in chunks or shred it, and place it on a platter. Pour some of the cooking liquid over it. Serve the rest on the side.
*(suggested sides) Serve with buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes or pureed celery roots.