4 buns, toasted with butter in a skillet or on a grill pan.
1. Cook the beef, onion and pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat breaking the beef up as you cook it, drain excess grease if you want to.
2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
3. Add the mixture of the corn starch and broth, followed by the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning and cook until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Place the provolone on top of the beef mixture, then put the skillet under the broiler until it has melted. Mix the cheese into the meat.
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
6-7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
A pinch of cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
3 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
THE PATTIES
2 lbs ground beef
2 tablespoon Christopher Ranch jarred minced garlic
2 eggs
2 packages Lipton soup mix
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
In a bowl, combine the patty mixture until combined. Shape into 6 oval patties.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a cast iron skillet, if you have one.
Add the patties, cook until browned on each side (about 3-4 minutes per side, the patties do not have to be cooked all the way through as they will finish cooking in the gravy) remove to a plate.
To the same skillet, add sliced onion and mushrooms; cook stirring and scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the skillet; cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the onions are softened. Add flour and cayenne pepper or pepper flakes; stir for 2 minutes.
Add in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper; bring to a simmer stirring continuously until bubbly and thickened (at this point, add the beef bouillon powder).
Add the patties back to the skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes turning the patties over once halfway through cooking. Serve right away.
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.
Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Quick Pickled Onions & Cucumber
& Chipotle Crema
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons garlic salt
A few dashes of Tapatia hot sauce
12 ounces beer.
3 (8-ounce) cod fillets, cut into chunks
8 (8-inch) corn tortillas, lightly charred over a gas flame or on a grill
Lime wedges for squeezing
Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber, recipe follows
Fill a large pot with oil halfway up the pot. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Slowly whisk in beer until thick, but not runny. Add a few dashes of Tapatia to the batter. Dredge fish in remaining flour first, then dunk in the batter. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper-toweled lined plate.
Serve fish in tortillas topped with Chipotle Crema and Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber
Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
1 large red onion, medium dice
1 large Vidalia onion, medium dice
1 English cucumber, medium dice
1 habanero chile, seeds removed, minced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. Add onions and cucumber and continue to cook a few minutes more. Remove from heat, add chile, and transfer to a bowl. Let cool slightly then chill covered, for at least 1 hour.
Toss in the tomato and cilantro, 5 minutes before serving.
For the Chipotle Crema:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotles in adobo
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves
pinch of salt
squeeze of lime
Plastic squeeze bottle, for dispensing the crema
For the Chipotle Crema, add the following ingredients to a blender or food processor and combine well: 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 chipotles in adobo, 2 garlic cloves, pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lime. You might need to add a splash of water to get it to combine. If you want more heat, you can add more chipotles or some of the adobo sauce. You can substitute some of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt. Use a plastic squeeze bottle to dispense the crema. It looks really nice on the tacos.
In a medium bowl, add wings and toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt and pepper.
Place them in an even layer in the air fryer basket. Cook them in batches. Cook for 10 minutes at 390 degrees. Flip the wings and cook for another 10 minutes or until crispy on the outside and they an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Honey Buffalo Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk buffalo sauce, honey, and Worcestershire sauce. Toss the hot wings in the sauce and serve with lime wedges and chopped parsley or cilantro.
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.
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.
Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Place 5 slices of cheese in between two slices of bread (two on each side and one in the middle of one slice). Spread about 1 tablespoon butter on each exterior side of the bread. Place the first side in the pan (cooking in batches if necessary) and “dome” with an inverted large metal bowl or pan lid to create the proper vortex of heat. I use an electric, non-stick skillet with a glass lid. It works great! Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until the cheese is gooey and bread is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes more.
Cut and slowly separate. It’ll be a cascade of hot molten yellow lava, ooey-gooey, good ol’ American cheese goodness! Serve with the Tomato Soup.
Tomato Soup:
Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, onions, carrots, celery, chile flakes and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Sauté until translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Deglaze with the sherry while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and stock. Simmer until everything is cooked through and very tender, about 1 hour.
Discard the bay leaves and blend the soup until completely smooth and uniform in texture using an immersion blender. Add the heavy cream and adjust the seasoning. Serve!
Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, Susan! She wants steak tonight!
Rib Eyes with Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
2 boneless rib-eye steaks, about 2 inches thick
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 sprigs thyme
Garlic salt, to taste
Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
Extra virgin olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter, separated
8 ounces shiitake, cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, finely diced or red onion, halved and sliced into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
8 sprigs thyme
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef broth
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Fire the grill for two-zone grilling at about 500 degrees. While the grill is warming up, coat the steaks on all sides with olive oil and liberally season with garlic salt.
Place the steaks on the grill over the fire. When you see a nice crust form, move the steak to the indirect side of the grill and top with butter and thyme to finish cooking.
Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches your desired internal temperature. For rare, remove when it’s 120 degrees at the thickest part of the steak and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
Place a cast iron skillet on the grill over direct heat and add the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. When it’s melted and slightly smoking, add the mushrooms. The pan will be hot, and you will hear a sizzle. Let the mushrooms sauté for about 3 minutes and then begin stirring them. After 3 – 5 additional minutes, the mushrooms should be browned. Next, add the shallots or onion and stir for 2 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
Add the wine. It will immediately start to simmer. Then add the broth, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and salt. Stir and close the lid. Let the sauce come to a simmer and reduce by half (about 4 minutes).
After the sauce has reduced in half, remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to melt the butter. The sauce will start to thicken. Serve the sauce over the steak.
