Parmesan Crusted Steak

Makes 1 serving*

Over the weekend I enjoyed a parmesan crusted steak at a local restaurant and I had to duplicate the recipe when I got home. This is an easy way to turn a backyard barbecue into and Italian feast by simply topping the steak with parmesan cheese. Just imagine a juicy steak crusted over with a layer of salty parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

Kosher Salt

8-10 oz Sirloin or Rib Eye Steak

2 TBS Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese*

¼ tsp Dried Parsley

Lightly sprinkle kosher salt over the top of the steaks and let them rest in the refrigerator uncovered for 1 hour.

Heat your grill to high heat.

Mix the grated parmesan and the dried parsley in a bowl.

Place the steaks on the grill until they have good grill marks (~ 2.5 – 3 minutes). Flip the steak and cover each steak with 2 tablespoons of the cheese and parsley mixture. Cook the steak for another 2.5-3 minutes or until it reaches the level of doneness you desire. I always use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness.

Beef:
Rare	120° - 125°
Medium-Rare	130° - 135°
Medium	140° - 145°
Medium-Well	150° - 155°
Well Done	160° and above

* Pronto Substitutes

Serving – Just multiply this recipe by the number of steaks you are serving.

Parmesan – If you want a stronger cheese flavor use 1 TBS of grated parmesan and 1 TBS of grated Romano cheese

To print a copy of this recipe go to Parmesan Crusted Steak.

Restaurant Review: Rock-Ola Café Asheboro, NC

«««««

1131 East Dixie Drive

Asheboro, NC 27203-8813
(336) 626-4001
http://www.rock-olacafe.com

Yesterday, while returning from the mummy exhibit in Charlotte, we decided to stop for dinner at the Rock-Ola Café in Asheboro. While my expectations were not very high when we stopped I was thrilled with the excellent level of service and the quality of food I enjoyed. The wait staff was exceptional, anticipating or needs, while giving us prompt and friendly service. I have not experienced this level of services in a very long time.

The food was also very good. I ordered a parmesan crusted 10 oz. sirloin steak. The steak was tender and cooked to perfection and the parmesan topping really took it over the top. You can be sure that I’m going to try to recreate this dish at home. My wife’s fajita salad was a treat for the eyes and well as for the mouth.

Irish Soda Bread

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 and you don’t have to be Irish to enjoy this holiday. My mind immediately turns to corned beef and Irish soda bread. The Irish soda bread we eat today has little resemblance to the soda bread of the 1800s that actually used soda ash as a leavening agent. The quick bread that we identify with today as “Irish Soda Bread” differs in that it uses soft wheat and bicarbonate soda as a leavening agent. What developed was today’s sweet quick bread loaded with raisins and caraway seeds. A neighbor’s nanny, who had just emigrated from Ireland, reluctantly shared her mother’s recipe with my mother and we have made it on St. Patty’s day every year since. It’s the perfect accompaniment to corned beef and cabbage, balancing the saltiness of the corned beef with the sweetness of the bread. All that’s needed to complete this meal is a good stout.

Servings: 1 8" round of bread

1.5 C All Purpose Flour

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Table Salt

½ C Sugar

1 ½ TBS Caraway Seeds

1 C Raisins

¾ C Buttermilk (room temp)

½ TBS Melted Butter

1 Large Eggs

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour an 8” cake pan. 

Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the remaining dry ingredients (baking soda through caraway seeds) until thoroughly mixed.  Add the raisins to the dry mixture.  In a separate bowl, mix the room temperature buttermilk and the melted butter together, and then beat in the eggs.  Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients at a time to the buttermilk mixture and mix until incorporated.  Do not over mix. 

Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is a dark golden brown. Insert a toothpick in the center to test for doneness.  The toothpick should come out dry. The bread must have a dark brown crust or it will not be cooked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Remove from the pan and complete cooling it on a wire rack.  Serve at room temperature.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Irish Soda Bread.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Icebox Cake

Growing up, one of my favorite desserts was icebox cake. This no-bake dessert is easy and versatile. My mother used chocolate instant pudding instead of the hazelnut-chocolate spread used in this recipe. You can use any flavor of pudding or graham cracker—let your imagination run wild. Be warned—the chocolate and hazelnut flavors in this recipe combine to produce a very rich intense flavor. A little piece goes a long way.

Makes 12 serving

1 ½ C Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread *

1/3 C Frangelico Hazelnut-flavored Liquor *

2 C Heavy Whipping Cream

18 Whole Chocolate Graham Crackers

2 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (optional)

8 inch Square Baking Pan

Combine the chocolate hazelnut spread and the hazelnut-flavored liquor in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until combined. Add about ½ C of the heavy cream and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides frequently since the hazelnut spread will stick. Add the remaining heavy cream, increasing the speed to medium high. Continue to beat until very soft peaks form. Do not overbeat or it will deflate. It will not have the consistency of whipped cream.

To build the cake place 4 ½ chocolate graham crackers on the bottom of the baking pan. Pour 1 C of the hazelnut filling over the crackers. Spread out the filling to the edges. Add three additional layers of gram crackers and hazelnut filling ending will all of the remaining filling. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours in advance.

Before serving, dust the top with cocoa powder. Cut into 2” by 2” squares. This cake is very rich, you do not want to serve too large a piece. You can top with an optional dollop of whipped cream or toasted hazelnuts.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – You can find this in the peanut butter section of the grocery store. The most common brand is Nutella^®.

Hazelnut-flavored Liquor – You can use Frangelico^® or any generic brand you can find in the liquor store. You can also substitute 1 tsp of vanilla extract in place of the hazelnut-flavored liquor.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Chocolate-Hazelnut Icebox Cake.

Homemade Tomato Sauce “Gravy”

What in the world tastes better than homemade tomato sauce and family gathered together? Sundays, at my house always meant pasta and gravy for dinner (Italians call tomato sauce "gravy"—I think it's a Brooklyn thing).  We would usually start dinner at 2:00 and eat and talk for hours with lots of Italian bread, meatballs, and sausage.  While my family no longer eats dinner at 2PM on Sundays, we still eat dinner together as a family almost every night. Family dinners are not an obligation, they are a chance to catch up on the day’s events and we look forward to them.  They have always been a time of sharing and bonding, a tradition that I have continued with my own family.

The tradition of making your own sauce is quickly disappearing with the advent of jarred tomato sauce, but one that should be cherished. Every Italian family has their own recipe for gravy. God forbid I try to change it; I’d have a revolt in my house. But of course our family’s recipe is the best—or so my family tells me.

Makes 8-10 serving with 2 pounds of dried pasta

Ingredients

1 TBS Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

½ lb Ground Beef (93% Lean) *

1 28oz Can Hunts Tomato Puree plus ½ can of water

1 28oz Can Hunts Crushed Tomatoes

2 TBS HuntsTomato Paste

2 TBS Grated Italian Cheese

1 tsp Dried Parsley

2 Bay Leaves

½ tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1 tsp Table Salt

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Overcooking the garlic can make the sauce bitter. Add the meat and break it up into small pieces with your spoon.  When the meat is completely cooked (no more pink), add all the other ingredients (tomato puree through salt) and stir until it comes to a boil.  Turn down the heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour (I will sometime cook it for up to 2 hours) uncovered, stirring frequently.  Do not rush this or your sauce will burn and will not thicken properly.

Vegetarian Version for Lent: Omit the meat for a meatless marinara. 

Freezing:  Tomato sauce freezes very well.  In fact, in our house we preferred the taste of the tomato sauce after it has been frozen.  Just put it in a freezer container for up to two months.  We will usually make a very large pot of tomato sauces (see photo) and freeze it in separate containers to last us for up to two months.

Italian Sausage: We frequently add Italian Sausage to the sauce.  Precook the sausage (Italian Turkey Sausage is also good and a lot more healthy) in the microwave on high for 5 minutes in a microwave safe container.  Brown the sausage in a large pot before you start the sauce.  Remove the sausage and pour off any excess fat from the pot.  Add your olive oil and garlic and continue as above. Add the sausage back to the pot once all of the other ingredients have been added.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Tomato Sauce.

Steamed Antipasto Buns

The steamed antipasto bun appetizer was inspired by my recent trip to China. I had a lot of great food on my trip but one of my favorites were the steamed buns filled with everything from barbecued pork to vegetables. My east meets west appetizer is a light and fluffy bun encasing a salty, sweet antipasto filling. This would make a great first course or it can be served as finger food for a party. The unexpected taste of the antipasto filling will surprise your guests who are expecting a Chinese filling.

Makes 24 Buns

Buns

3 ½ C All Purpose Flour + more for dusting

1 TBS Sugar

1 Package Active Dry Yeast

½ C Milk (120°F-130°F)

¾ C Water (120°F-130°F)

24 Pieces Wax Paper (4” x 4”)

Antipasto Filling *

2 12 oz. Jar Roasted Red Peppers (drained)

8 oz. Proscuitto (thinly sliced) 

12 oz. Fine Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 TBS Fresh Parsley (chopped)

4 Bamboo Steamers

Buns

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and yeast. Heat the water and milk to between 120°F and 130°F — use a thermometer to verify temperature. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Scrape the sides until it comes together into a ball. If it does not come together, add water 1 tablespoon at a time (120°F-130°F) until it forms a ball and starts to climb the dough hook. Continue to knead the dough on low for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes then knead for 1 minute. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray covered with a damp kitchen towel. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk.

Antipasto Filling

Drain the jars of roasted red pepper then slice them into ¼” strips, then into ¼” squares. Cut up the proscuitto into ¼” squares. Chop the parsley. In a large bowl mix together the diced peppers, proscuitto, parsley, mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil. Cut 24 4 inch squares of wax paper.

Filling the Buns

When the dough has doubled, punch it down and transfer it to a floured cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 inch wide log. Cut the log into 6 equal pieces. Using your fingers, flatten each piece of dough into a 3.5” – 4” circle. Place 1 tablespoon of antipasto filling into the center of the bun by picking up opposing sides and pinching them together. Once you have pinched all the sides together give the middle a little twist. Place the bun on a piece of waxed paper pinched side up and place it in a bamboo steamer. Let the filled steamer racks sit for 15 minutes. Place the filled steamer racks in a wok or frying pan that has water in it. The water should reach up to one inch below the bottom steamer level. Steam for 20 minutes. If the water level drops add more hot water. Let them sit for 5 minutes before you try to take them out—they will be hot!

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Filling – You can easily change the ingredients in this filling. You can add olives, substitute salami for the proscuitto, and change the cheese. The choice is only limited by your imagination.

Left Over Buns

You can easily prepare the buns in advance. Leave the buns in the steamer basket and resteam them for 10 minutes or until warmed. If you have any leftover buns they can be frozen in zipper bags. Thaw them out in the plastic bag and re-steam them for 10 minutes.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Steamed Antipasto Buns.

Shredded Beef Brassiole Subs

Shredded Beef Brassiole Subs

If you are having a crowd over for Super Bowl Sunday, skip the chili and serve these Italian inspired shredded beef (brassiole) subs. What could be better at half time than subs topped with shredded beef that has been slow cooked with parsley, garlic, parmesan cheese and pine nuts then topped with sautéed mushrooms and melted mozzarella. The best part is you can make the beef up to two days in advance and just heat it up at game time.

Servings: 12-16 Servings

Shredded Beef Brassiole

2 1.25 Lb Skirt Steaks or Flank Steaks *

2 C fresh Italian Parsley (not the curly kind)

4 Cloves of Garlic

2 TBS Olive Oil

¼ C Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ C Pine Nuts (Optional)

Canola Oil for browning

8 C of your favorite Tomato Sauce

Sautéed Mushrooms

1 lb White Mushrooms (sliced thin)

1 TBS Olive Oil

½ tsp Kosher Salt or ¼ tsp Table Salt

1 clove Garlic (minced)

Other

Sub Rolls or Baguettes

Shredded or Sliced Mozzarella

Place your steaks in the freezer for 30 minutes.  This will make it easier to cut them.

Using a very sharp knife, cut each steak into two very thin steaks.  You may want to have your butcher do this for you. You will end up with 4 steaks.

Place the parsley, garlic, olive oil, and cheese in a food processor and pulse until it forms a paste.  Spread ¼ of the paste over each steak, then sprinkle with the pine nuts.  Starting with a long end roll up the steaks with the filling in the center.  Secure the meat rolls with tooth picks or string (see photo).

In a heavy sauce pan heat about 2 TBS of canola oil over high heat, and brown the brassiole.  Do not overcrowd the pan or they will not brown properly. 

After you have browned your brassiole place them in a large pot with enough tomato sauce to completely cover them. Bring it up to a boil then lower it to a light simmer. They must cook slowly for several hours in the tomato sauce to complete the cooking process and tenderize.  You can do this on the stove top but you must stir the sauce frequently so that it does not burn, about 4-6 hours.  I prefer putting the brassiole in a 325°F oven in an oven proof pot for 4 hours to 6 hours stirring every hour. You know they are done when you can shred the ends.

While the brassiole is cooking you can sauté the mushrooms. Clean and slice the mushrooms thinly. Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking add the sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, and the salt. Stir until they are tender.

Put a heaping mound of the shredded brassiole on a sub roll, a Kaiser roll, or a baguette. Top with some sautéed mushrooms and mozzarella. If you like your cheese melted place the sub on a cookie sheet and place it under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Skirt or Flank Steak – If you prefer, you can substitute a pork tenderloin for the beef. You will need to cut it in a spiral and then pound it thin.  

To print a copy of this recipe go to Shredded Beef Brassiole Subs.

Sweet Treat on a Stick

While in Beijing I enjoyed a local treat where they put fruit on a long stick and dipped it in a hard candy shell. I could not identify the small round fruit that I enjoyed but they also had grapes, strawberries, and some other unidentifiable fruit. If you have a sweet tooth you would be sure to enjoy this delicacy. 

Foods I Would Not Eat In China

Gecko

There were certain foods that I would not eat—not even on a bet. When I was in the market bazaar in Beijing I saw the most exotic choices for food that I’ve ever experienced in my life. These deep fried treats for the Chinese included scorpions, starfish, seahorses, beetles, and geckos. I also avoided street vendors in general because of concern about food safety.

Seahorses, Scorpions, Starfish

Beetles

Hot Pot in Beijing

Hot Pot

By far the meal that was the most fun and tasted great was Hot Pot in Beijing. It is similar in concept to going to a fondue restaurant in the US where you cook your food in a hot broth. The similarity ends there. The pot, as you can see in the picture, is a tall cone filled with hot coals that is surrounded but a pot that is divided into two sides. On one side is a simple plain broth on the other side is a very spicy broth which is where I cooked most of my food. You are given a sesame dip that reminded me of thinned out Tahini paste in which I added scallions and cilantro.

Throughout the trip my chopstick skills increased dramatically, but thankfully with this meal they gave us a slotted spoon in which to cook the meats which melted away in the broth once you cooked them. I was able to use the chopsticks to fish out the vegetables and tofu. The meal consisted of the following meats and vegetables:

• Thin sliced mutton, beef, pork
• Scallions, Mustard Greens, Chinese Cabbage
• Tofu
• Potatoes

The taste of the food was exceptional. The meat melted in your mouth and was spicy from the broth but was smoothed out by the taste of the sesame dip.

They also served sesame buns that were moist, tender and were infused with the taste of sesame throughout.

Sesame Dip

The Chinese do not serve water or any drinks with their meals. If you want water you can order a bottle of room temperature water, no ice, or a bowl of hot water. If you want tea you can order it separately. For this meal we enjoyed tea that was infused with the sweet taste of dates. It was a perfect complement to the spicy flavors of the meal. If one of these restaurants existed in the US I would visit it frequently.

Sesame Rolls

Breakfast in Beijing

Qing-Feng Steamed Dumpling Shop

My host family took me out to breakfast at a local breakfast restaurant in the suburbs of Beijing called the Qing-Feng Steamed Dumpling Shop. It was like nothing I have ever experienced for breakfast before. This restaurant was known for their steamed buns and I was able to watch them prepare the dumplings through the window.

Staff making dumplings

Steamed Pork Dumplings

The meal we ate was more like what I might order for dinner at home. We had steamed pork and vegetable dumplings which were incredible. They just melted in your mouth-I have to learn to make them when I get back home. We also had oil bread, which remined me of the fried dough from the fair or Pizza Fritta which Italians make, and Wonton soup. What I did not mention was any sort of beverage. That because they don't serve beverages with most meals. But that will be another posting. Needless to say I did not get my caffeine that morning.

Oil Bread

Wonton Soup

Favorite Chinese Fast Food

There were some days where I had an upside down day, eating my big meal at lunch with colleagues and a small meal at night. I was lucky enough to be only a couple of blocks from a mall with a food court, Chinese style. While I tried many thing, by far my favorite Chinese fast food was a barbecued pork bun. Picture a crispy bun, hot out of the oven,  covered with sesame seeds and stuffed with sweet, tender barbecued pork and onions. I fell in love with this dish after my first bite and enjoyed this treat on more that one occasion . This gets 5 stars for fast food in China.

Beijing Roasted Duck

Duck being carved

The last two days of my China trip were spent in Beijing with a coworkers family. This was certainly the highlight of my trip. The Lu's were the most wonderful people. If the weren't taking me somewhere they were feeding me. Their hospitality reminded me of my own Italian family. My first night with them we went to a local restaurant and had my favorite meal of my trip-which they told me was a typical New Years meal. The meal started with a chef coming to the table with a Beijing Roasted Duck, or as were call it Peking Duck, which is now considered one of China's national foods. The chef carved it right at the table and it was served with paper thin pancakes, hoisin sauce, scallions, and slivers of cucumber. The meat is sweet but the best part is the seasoned crispy skin which dominates the flavors of the dish. I've prepared this at home myself but this was the first time I've seen it served in the traditional manner. This was definitely a 5 star dish.

The presentation

Needless to say there was much more food. We also had a chicken dish, a beef dish, and a dish with bamboo shoots and mushrooms. While all of them reminded me of some of the dishes were would get a Chinese restaurant here, they were by far superior to anything I've ever eaten in the US.

The duck was served on a paper thin pancake with scallions, cucumbers, hoisin sauce and then wrapped up

The chicken, beef dish, and bamboo shoots with mushrooms

One thing I must explain about the family I stayed with, they do not speak English. We communicated with hand signals, phrase books and a handheld translator that Miss Lu used to translate from Chinese to English (it did not always translate very well). Despite the language barrier we were able to communicate and have a wonderful time together.

Octopus Frenzy

One of the most unusual items I had to eat in China was Octopus Frenzy. Picture a sweet danish topped with two fish balls stuffed with octopus sprinkled with dried fish flakes. It may sound undesirable to some, I found it edible but not something I would ever order again. Eating in China reminded me of an old Italian cookbook that I purchased. Both countries went through great periods of poverty when the population learned to eat every part of every animal. This frugality kept the poor alive and fed. While many of these traditions were dropped when the Italians came to the US a few were kept such as baccala, the salted cod, or the octopus salad that are commonly served for Christmas Eve.

Ordering at a Shanghai Restaurant

Spicy Deep Fried Green Beans with Ginger

Before I went to China I was very apprehensive about going to restaurants. How will I know what to order?

The answer has been very simple, just look at the pictures. I was lucky enough to have a restaurant down the street from my hotel that has good food and a simple ordering process. The menu has pictures of each dish and an English translation. They give you an ordering sheet and you check off the the number of the items you want to order. This is very handy since everything else on the ordering sheet is in Mandarin. The waitress then takes your order sheet and the food starts to come, but not the way we are used to in the US. Basically they bring you your food as it's ready. For example one night I ordered spicy deep fried green beans with ginger, shrimp dumplings, and dessert parfait. Well the first thing that came to the table was the dessert parfait and a pot of tea. They do not serve water with your meal so I ordered a beer which did not come until the end of the meal. Then ten minutes later the beans were served, and five minutes later the shrimp dumplings. While the food was good this style of serving takes some getting used to.

Menu

The other thing that made it easy to eat was the food court at the Mall down the street. They had sit down restaurants, a bakery, Cold Stone Creamery, a fast food tempura stand, and my favorite, the barbecued pork bun stand.

Now there are plenty of things I would never eat but there was a huge variety of excellent food available. I can even go down the street and get a pizza if I so desired.



McDonalds



Fried Pork Cutlet Sandwich Value Meal - $4



Oriental Pearl Tower


After 5 days of Chinese food I decided that I wanted some American food. I took the subway, which was amazingly easy to navigate, to the Oriental Pearl Tower which has become the symbol of Shanghai. Everything in the subway system is done in both Mandarin and English, including the announcements on the train. When I got out of the subway there was a McDonalds so I though I would give it a try. The menu was very similiar to the US with the addition of a fried pork cutlet sandwich and corn in the Happy Meal. Since I don't like Big Macks I opted for the pork. It was amazing. The pork was breaded and fried and it was very spicy with an oriental flair-the bun even had black sesame seeds on it. The fries were just as good as the ones back home but were a bit saltier. If they had this sandwich at home I may actually go to McDonalds.

You'll notice from the picture of the Pearl Tower that the polution in Shanghai is pretty bad. This photo was taken at noon on a cloudless day. I'm told that this is typical during the winter. From the viewing tower I was only able to see about 1/2 mile.

Deep Fried Sweet & Sour Whole Fish

Deep Fried Sweet & Sour Fish

Whenever you take a whole day tour in China, lunch is provided. The food is tailored for tourists-translation is that it's pretty bland and not good by Chinese standards. Our meal at the Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory included 9 different dishes and was unremarkable except for the deep fried sweet and sour whole fish. As you can see the head was prominently displayed on the plate. The fish was battered and deep fried and was covered by a sweet and sour sauce. The meat was tender and just fell off the bone. It had a wonderful taste and I would definitely have it again.


9 Course Lunch



China Tea

Juliet Jasmine Tea

Juliet Jasmine Tea Buds

The Chinese take their tea very seriously. I had the opportunity to attend a Chinese tea ceremony where they brewed 6 different kinds of tea for me. I was able to try everything from green tea, to oolong, to black tea. Each was brewed in a different way using different type of pots and all were serve straight up without any milk or sugar. The most unusuall tea was the juliet jasmine tea. As you can see in the photo it looks like a large flower bud. What they actually do is wrap the jasmine tea around a jasmine flower bud. You drop it in hot water and watch as the jasmine leaves slowly uncurl and the jasmine flower is rehydrated and blooms in the water. It was so good I had to buy some to bring back home.