Author: Dave Tappan

Steak Fajitas

2 lbs. flank or skirt steak, 1 small tri tip or your favorite steak

1 cup pickled jalapeno peppers

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 medium white onion, halved and sliced into half-moons

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

4 poblano peppers

2 red bell peppers

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Grilled flour or corn tortillas, guacamole and pico de gallo, for serving

Put the steak or tr-tip in a baking dish and toss with the pickled jalapenos; let marinate at room temperature, 1 hour.

Preheat a grill to medium high. Brush the jalapeno mixture off the steak; season the steak with salt and pepper and grill until charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest.

If you’re using tri-tip, heat up one side of your grill. Sear on both sides, then move to the cold side of the grill. Cook for about 45 minutes or until the internal temp of the meat reaches 135 degrees. Remove from the grill and let rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the poblanos, onions and bell peppers on the grill and char on all sides, about 8 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel off the skins, stem and seed. Cut the peppers into strips.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Thinly slice the steak on the bias, against the grain. When the skillet is hot, coat the bottom with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and oregano and saute about 1 minute. Add the steak, onion and pepper strips and toss to heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortillas, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Coney Island Hot Dogs

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

2 cups water, or as needed

1 white onion, diced

⅓ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste

1 teaspoon celery salt, or to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

8 good quality, all-beef hot dogs

8 good quality hot dog buns

Prepared yellow mustard

Combine ground beef, water, 1/2 cup diced onion, ketchup, butter, garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, celery salt, and cayenne pepper together in a pot. Mix with a potato masher or spatula over medium-high heat until mixture has a finely ground testure and begins to bubble, about 10 minutes.

Bring beef mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and reduces, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook hot dogs in boiling water until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange hot dog buns on a baking sheet. Cook buns in the preheated oven until soft and warm, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place 1 bun on a plate. Place a hot dog in the bun and top with meat sauce. Drizzle yellow mustard and a portion of remaining diced onion over the meat sauce. Repeat with remaining hot dogs.

Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

Chili Gravy

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Mexican or regular oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth. More, if needed

Enchiladas

1 twelve-ounce block cheddar cheese, shredded

12 corn tortillas

1 twenty-eight-ounce can red enchilada sauce.

1 white onion, chopped

Handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Make the Chili Gravy

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. When browned add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed evenly.

Add the flour and stir in with the seasoned ground beef.

Pour in the broth and bring it up to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It smells really good at this point. When it thickens up, then it is ready to pour over the cheese enchiladas. If the gravy is too thick for your liking, add a little more broth.

Heat The Tortillas

In a skillet, heat the enchilada sauce to barely boiling, then turn down to a slight simmer.

Submerge each tortilla in the hot enchilada sauce to make it soft and pliable before adding the cheese and rolling it.

Enchiladas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Ladle about a half cup of the chili gravy into the bottom of a 9×13 pan.

Add about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on the lower third of the sauced tortilla. Then tightly roll the tortilla around the cheese and place seam side down in the 9×13 baking dish. Repeat until you have rolled all enchiladas.

Pour the remaining chili gravy over the enchiladas, and sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the top of the enchiladas.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Serve the enchiladas hot, and top with chopped onions and chopped cilantro just before serving.

One-Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake

4 tablespoons butter

2-3 sweet onions

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup red wine

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

3 cups chicken broth + 3/4 cups water

1 pound of your favorite short cut pasta

2 bay leaves

2-3 fresh thyme sprigs

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

pinch of cayenne pepper

6 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Heat a large high-sided Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the onions + brown sugar and cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. At this point you want to slowly add the Worcestershire sauce and the wine, let them cook into the onions, add more and continue to cook. Do this until the the wine is gone or the onions are caramelized to your liking. Make sure the wine has evaporated.

Preheat the broiler to high.

Toss the mushroom and garlic in with the caramelized onions, season with salt and pepper, cook another 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft.

Pour in the chicken broth + water and bring to a boil. Add your pasta, bay leaves and thyme, cook, stirring often until most of the liquid has been soaked up by the pasta and the pasta is al dente. If you feel your pasta needs more water to continue cooking, add around 1/2 cup.

Stir in the cream and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir in half the Gruyere cheese and the Gorgonzola cheese. Cook 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Top with the remaining cheese and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve warm, top with fresh thyme and parsley if desired.

Caramelized Hoisin Chicken Wings

3 lbs chicken wings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 honey

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 cup hoisin sauce, prepared or homemade

4 garlic cloves, minced

Garlic salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Preheat oven to 375°

Place chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Mix the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, hoisin sauce, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.

Bake at 375° for one hour or until sauce is caramelized.

Serve wings on a large platter garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Hoisin Sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch of black pepper, or to taste

Whisk soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper together in a large bowl until well combined.

Al Roker’s homemade version of McDonald’s McRib Sandwich

FOR THE PATTY MIXTURE

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork ‘picnic’ or pork butt, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

TO ASSEMBLE SANDWICHES

2 cups tangy-sweet red BBQ sauce (preferably Hunt’s Original)

4 soft hoagie-style deli buns, split lengthwise

2 large dill pickles, each cut into 4 lengthwise slices

1 cup sliced yellow onion

To make the patties: Place ingredients for the patty mixture into a food processor and process until mostly smooth, about 1 minute.

Line a sheetpan with parchment paper and spray lightly with oil spray.

Divide patty mixture into 4 equal portions and place onto parchment, spaced apart.

Shape each portion into a flat rectangle about 6 ½ x 3 ½ inches.

Use a chopstick or the handle of a table knife to make 5 crosswise impressions in each patty, forming ‘ribs’. Press down firmly, without going all the way through the patty.

Place sheetpan in freezer for 2-3 hours until patties are frozen solid.

(Do ahead: Patties can remain frozen for up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.)

To cook the patties: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 or 2 frozen patties rib-side-down and cook 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn over and cook another 3 minutes to brown the other side.

Repeat until all patties are browned.

Transfer to sheetpan and generously coat with bbq sauce on both sides. Cook in oven about 6 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and thickened.

To assemble: While patties are in oven, toast the inside of the buns in the same skillet the patties cooked in. Remove patties from oven and place one patty in each bun. Top patties with sliced pickles and onions, close the top of the bun and enjoy.

Ruthie’s Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup sliced green onions (or more to taste)

For the sauce:

½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger

4 cloves garlic , minced

½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

⅓ cup apple juice

1 ½ tablespoons honey

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup ketchup

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ cup water

¼ cup Bourbon (I like Maker’s Mark)

¼ cup soy sauce

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Egg noodles, cooked per package instructions, for serving

Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Place chicken in slow cooker, pour sauce over top. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or on high 3 hours, or until chicken is nice and tender.

Remove chicken and chop into bite sized pieces and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine 3 tablespoons water with cornstarch. Turn slow cooker up to high. Whisk cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Cover and allow to thicken, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Stir chicken back into the sauce and add in green onions.

Serve over egg noodles.

Not a Philly Cheese Steak

Ingredients for 2 sandwiches::

4 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, halved and slice into thin half moons

1 lb large fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 red or green bell peppers, sliced into long strips

1 pound rib-eye steak, frozen for 45 minutes, then thinly sliced

Hot pepper sauce (I like Pickapeppa)

6 slices good quality provolone cheese

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 good quality, soft hoagie rolls, buttered and toasted

Melt 2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until tender. Push onion to the side of the pan, and add the mushrooms. Cook and stir until softened, then add the bell pepper and cook just until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet. Don’t clean the pan, just let it heat up a little bit. Place the sliced steak in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. The steak cooks really fast, just a couple of minutes. Once the steak is mostly browned, return the onion and pepper to the pan. Cook until heated through.

Turn off the heat, and place the slices of cheese over the top of the pile and cover the skillet so they can melt. Separate and scoop the piles into the toasted bread, making sure to pour some of the juices onto that wonderful sandwich. Hit the sandwiches with a few dashes of the pepper sauce.

Chorizo-Shrimp Tacos

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. chorizo, bulk or cut from casings

1 lb. medium shrimp-peeled, deveined, tails off

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1 can diced pineapple

1 bunch scallions, sliced on an angle

2 jalapeños, thinly sliced

1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped plus more for garnish

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shots silver tequila

Juice from one lime

Lime wedges, for squeezing

12–16 6-inch corn tortillas

Red or green cabbage, shredded

Your favorite hot sauce, for serving

In a large skillet, or on your Blackstone, heat oil over medium-high to high heat. Add chorizo and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until crispy at the edges, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper; add pineapple and toss with tongs until the shrimp is opaque in the centers and the pineapple is lightly browned, about 3 minutes more.

Add scallions, jalapeños, cilantro and garlic; toss until the garlic is aromatic and the scallions wilt, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the tequila; stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add lime juice and remove from the heat.

Char the tortillas directly over a gas flame or on your Blackstone.

Serve the shrimp filling with the tortillas, cabbage, hot sauce and lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Chicken Parmesan

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 large eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs, or more as needed

1 cup grated Parmesan, divided

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Olive oil for frying, as needed

1 cup jarred or homemade Marinara sauce

Fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Fresh basil

1 cup provolone, grated

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2-inch.

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Using a sifter or strainer, sprinkle flour over chicken breasts, evenly coating both sides

4. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside. Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a separate bowl, set aside. Dip a flour-coated chicken breast in the beaten eggs. Transfer breast to the bread crumb mixture, pressing crumbs into both sides. Repeat for each breast. Let chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Heat 1/2 inch olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken in the hot oil until golden, about 2 minutes per side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.

6. Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Top each breast with 2 tablespoons of sauce. Layer each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella, fresh basil, and provolone. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over top and drizzle each with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.

7. Bake in the oven until cheese is browned and bubbly and chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees.