What's for Dinner?

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Sorry for all the pix -- couldn't leave any out!
We recently bought a bunch of grass-fed beef from a local rancher, and tonight was our first steak from this batch. Check out how red that NY Strip is! (But little marbling, quel domage). I dry-brined it and seared it in butter. It was accompanied by roasted artichokes (EVOO and lemon); braised lacinato kale (onions, red pepper, chicken stock, marjoram); and twice-baked russet potatoes (fontina cheese, co-jack cheese, sour cream, milk). This was all washed down with the dregs of yesterday's WE Eclipse OVZ, and some WE Eclipse Stag's Leap Merlot. The latter was better than the former!


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@JohnT's truck must have taken a wrong turn and ended up in my area. Beef tenderloin for $5.99/lb, this one is just under 6 lbs. The possibilities are endless, though if I'm stingy I can make 3 meals out of it (Five people, youngest daughter doesn't eat much). Now I'm sure Varis would have to buy two more of these to satisfy his clan! :) Of course I had already bought a bottom round roast that was rubbed last night, so the tenderloin will just have to wait (the sell by date is May 27th, so I'm good for a while)!

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Not to brag from this rookie, but that, I think came out great, tender, medium well (yeah, I switched gears from liking well done in the past to now medium well.....lol).
But in all, very juice and tender, and flavorful..!!

Learning a lot from y'all gurus...LOL
 
More of those famous lamb rib/shoulder chops tonight! Brined, seared, then seasoned only with fennel, garlic powder, and black pepper. Combo was actually very nice. Also, leftover polenta and blue cheese, and leftover roast artichoke halves. Rounded out with Swiss chard (onions, EVOO, coriander). All washed down with the 2nd half of the WE Eclipse Stag's Leap Merlot.

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Gave wifey the option of picking the dinner menu tonight. She's not my Mom, but she's a heck of a Mom, if I say so myself. She picked chicken fajitas and corn.

Third image is of a two chile salsa, not tomatoes but rehydrated chiles (ancho and chipotle), charred red onion, green, red and jalapeno peppers, some fresh cilantro and garlic, then more garlic. Made a nice dressing for the fajita.

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Damn, Craig! The fajitas and salsa look great. Bottom round ain't too shabby either. You had a good weekend.
 
Folks,

This was a crazy weekend. Had some old friends from my high school days visiting. We all eventually went out to Arthur's Tavern for old time sake. We used to hit this place all the time when we were kids. Happy to report that the place and quality of the food has not changed a bit (although the prices sure have changed).

Arthur's is famous for steak. They do offer just a few other things (for any PITA picky eaters that might stroll in) but really they mostly sell 24 ounce Delmonico steaks. For the truly hungry, they also offer the 48 ounce as well.

Every table has a bucket of the most wonderful pickles you every tasted! They are free and unlimited. I think I was crunching on my first one even before my butt hit the chair.

We all went for the 24 ounce steaks. Came with home fries and a pickled cherry pepper. The steak was so tender the I could actually pull it apart with a fork (no knife required). Had a nice pint of Guinness to wash it down.

Also had carrot cake and coffee for dessert.

I do not think that I will eat again for a week!


Here are the pickles. I could eat about a thousand of them. Soooooo Yummy!

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OK, Although all of your recent steak pictures look nice, It is time to show a real steak!! No some girly steak that is only 1 inch thick, but one that will make my heart "pump me up". The read spear means rare.
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Funny, nobody ever asks for seconds! thumbnail4.jpg

Best part of the meal was the carrot cake. You would think that you couldn't possible eat another morsel, but surprisingly we can!
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Finally, fired up the grill for a salmon steak! My DW scored a quite thick steak, maybe 1.5-1.75". I paired this with risotto, made with ho-made lobster stock seasoned with marjoram; and charred/braised baby bok choy. I also made steamed artichokes, and whipped up a butter/garlic/lemon/salt dipping sauce that upstaged everything else!

The salmon was marinated in soy/lime, and then grilled on high heat for ~3 mins/side. Came out charred on the outside, and rare on the inside. It was just farmed atlantic salmon, but it was oleaginous and delectable. Really bite-by-bite delicious. But, as I implied above, I actually preferred the artichoke and dipping sauce! :)

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Quick and easy. Purdue Shortcuts chicken, sautéed in EVOO with fresh garlic. Add some roasted red peppers and olives, then heat through. Toss with a bunch of chopped parsley and serve over Angel Hair pasta.

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Had a feast tonight. DW picked up a monkfish tail (aka "poor man's lobster"). I butterflied it, some S&P, then grilled it on moderate direct heat. This was smothered in a salsa made with ho-made preserved lemons, chopped olives, capers, parsley, and oregano. We had a side dish of mustard greens, (blanched, then mixed with sauteed shallots, white balsamic vinegar, and a bit of sugar to offset the bitterness). Another side dish was our reliable smashed ‘taters (simmered, flattened, then fried up crisp, seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning). Finally, we had this wonderful dish of fresh fennel and onions (sauteed in EVOO), then braised in chicken stock and sherry; let that boil off, then caramelize the veggies; when browned, add lots of cilantro and roasted pistachios. It is an outstanding combo.
My DW and I deemed this meal "restaurant worthy," which is the highest award level in the Grapes household! :)


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I wasn't going to post this, as normally I'd be doing pizza on a Friday night (a.k.a. pizza night), but it just tasted too darn good to not mention. Took the afternoon off, sometimes you just need a break from the monotony, but more importantly I needed to do some wine work. (Had part of a batch of Cab Franc start showing the tale tell signs of becoming red wine vinegar. I quickly tasted all of the aging wines, and fortunately that was the only one having an issue. Had an older bung that let too much O2 through, noticed some icebergs on the top of the wine, tasted it and, low and behold, Cab Franc vinegar. Also noticed that my Kmeta was from 8-2016 and I've heard that it can loose potency over time. Now, I'm actually thinking, since I screwed up so bad, to bottle some of it in some 375's and give it away as presents next Christmas, as it actually tastes really good, just not as a sippin' wine. Should add some character to any dish that needs some vinegar, for sure.)

Okay, back to dinner. Took some boneless pork ribs and marinated in some ho-made mojo (rub plus citrus). Started up the kettle grill and cooked low and slow till it reached about 165*F. Then made up a sauce using the rub plus the citrus and a lot of garlic, brought to a boil and cooled. Later slathered on the inside of the rolls before adding the insides for the sandwich. This was requested by my wife (in place of pizza) and since it was our anniversary yesterday, and she's letting me get away with lunch tomorrow at Longhorn Steak house, any reasonable request was gonna be met.

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