Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I once loved knowing that the sandwich came to be because of some card-playing English aristocrat. The story says that he wanted to eat something without getting his hands dirty. I always felt certain I knew the history of the word, but considering the information came from a children's television show, it wasn't entirely accurate. No matter who the inventor, sandwiches are pretty freaking awesome.


Personally, this sandwich is an ideal laid-back dinner. The peppers and onions add nice complexities that sandwiches normally don't have. Obviously, it's best eaten hot and right away, but we also packed it as a cold lunch.


Cheesesteak Sandwiches
adapted from Seth Koslow
Serves 6

Ingredients

Marinade/Dressing:

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Sandwich

• 2 lbs flank steak
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded, sliced
• 1 small sweet onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 6 soft sandwich rolls, split open
• 12 slices of provolone cheese
  

Directions

Combine the mustard, balsamic vinegar, and chopped garlic in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Slice meat very thinly and put the flank steak in the mixing bowl with the marinade. Let the steak marinade at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile...
*Heat 1 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs of butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Saute sliced mushrooms until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Place in bowl and set aside.

*Heat 1 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of olive oil in same saute pan over medium heat. Cook thinly sliced onions for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and the sliced green bell pepper. Cook peppers with onions about another 10 - 15 minutes, or until onions are golden brown and caramelized. Place in bowl and set aside.

Place pan back over high heat. Using a slotted spoon, place all of the sliced meat into the pan. Stir often, making sure to cook meat on both sides. Cook for about 5 minutes. Drain, and discard, any excess juices. Return meat to the flame and mix in the onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Stir together, and continue cooking until meat is cooked through.

To make sandwich, take roll and place two slices of provolone cheese on the bottom half. Top the cheese with steak and vegetables.

Creamy Beef Stroganoff

Week 13, and we’re cooking Russian.

A little bit of internet research informed me that Strogonaff, or “Stroganov”, would fall into this category. I knew that it was the right choice. The boyfriend is a fan, and it was something we had only once or twice growing up, never from scratch.

This recipe has you put things in the pan, take them out, put something else in the pan, take it out; it’s a bit of a process, but with a very yummy result.

I made some changes to the original recipe, and ended up with a spicier than normal Strogonaff. As mentioned before, I have no problem with spice. If you don't like feeling like your mouth is on fire, you can scale back the two teaspoons of crushed red peppers.


Rich and Creamy Beef Stroganoff
adapted from SanFranCook

Ingredients
2 lbs. beef chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch thick strips
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 stick of butter, (1/2 cup), divided into tablespoons
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (feel free to use less)
1/3 cup light sour cream
3 ounce light cream cheese (or Neufchâtel), softened

Directions
*Place beef in large bowl. Stir in the 1/2 cup of wine, teaspoon of salt, and half teaspoon of ground black pepper. Let the beef marinate for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, place meat on paper towels to pat dry. Reserve remaining marinade.

*Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook beef until browned, (about 5 - 7 minutes), then place on a plate. Drain any fluid from skillet and discard.

*Melt 2 tablespoons of butter into the same skillet, and cook the onion and garlic. Stir often, cooking the onions until they are translucent. Set the onion/garlic mixture over the beef.

*Melt another 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet. Cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, until tender. Place cooked mushrooms in a bowl. Set aside.

*Melt the remaining four tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Whisk in the 1/4 cup of flour. Cook the flour for about 5 minutes, or until it no longer tastes raw. Slowly whisk in the beef stock. Stir mixture constantly, bringing it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the reserved wine marinade, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the beef and onions.

*Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 hour.

*Stir in mushrooms, 1/3 cup of sour cream, and 3 oz of cream cheese 5 minutes before serving. Combine well.


Serve over rice or egg noodles, enjoy!

Garlic and Herb Sirloin Roast with Guinness Gravy

One thing about our house is that we are very carnivorous. Ben's not a fan of cooked vegetables, and sometimes I think raw veggies are pretty boring, so we end up making hamburgers more often than we should, and salad doesn't happen enough.

I was running out of dinner ideas when I noticed my local grocery store ad. Tri tip roasts were on sale, and all I could think of was a delicious slow cooked roast my mom had made, with carrots and potatoes...

I picked up a 2.5 lb roast, a roast pan, meat thermometer, and pulled out my copy of The Joy of Cooking. While this isn't the same roast that my memory salivated for, it is definitely a delicious meal.

Garlic-and-herb Studded Sirloin Roast
adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1 boneless tri tip roast (between 1 and 3lbs)
2 large garlic cloves, thinly slivered
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Toss slivered garlic with thyme, salt, pepper.
2. Make slits in the roast and insert seasoned garlic slivers.
3. Rub the reamaining seasonings over the meat, then marinate the meat, covered, between 30 min and 2 hrs at room temperature or up to 24 hrs in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven at 425 degrees (F)
4. Roast beef in oven until internal temperature is 120-125 degree (F) for medium-rare.
(between 10 and 20 minutes per pound)
5. Remove meat to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let stand for 15-20 minutes before carving.
6. Carve roast into 1/8-in to 1/2-in slices.

Guinness Pan Gravy
adapted from The Joy of Cooking's "Pan Gravy for Meat"

2 tablespoons reserved fat from roasting pan
1-2 tablespoon AP flour
1 cup Guinness
Dried thyme, rosemary
Salt
Ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter

1. After pouring and reserving far from the roasting pan, place roasting pan on a burner over medium heat.
2. Pour in reserved fat and stir in all-purpose flour.
3. Cook, whisking or stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits from bottom and sides of pan, for several minutes to remove raw taste of flour and smooth the mixture.
4. Add Guinness, herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook, whisking of stirring, until slightly thickened.
6. Swirl in butter and continue cooking to desired consistency.

We enjoyed our gravy-topped roast with a side salad and a piece of corn bread.