Let them eat steak!- An Omaholiday Giveaway!

This is the time of year when thoughts go to Christmas cookies, and glistening hams and roasted turkeys or maybe even a goose the shade of one of the Real Housewives of Orange County. But here is something designed to help you escape the monotony of leftovers during the holidays- a $50 giveaway from Omaha Steaks. If you are not familiar with Omaha Steaks, they are a large company specializing in the processing and delivery of prime steaks, meats and other gourmet foods. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska (imagine that) Omaha Steaks has many retail outlets as well as shipping their high-quality meats all over the world. Their mail-order business has soared with the interest in food as a gift, perfect for those people that you have no idea what to buy for. Like many I have heard of the company, they have been around since 1917, so when they contacted me to see if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate, I jumped at the chance. As a bonus they sent me a box of filet mignons, so that I could write about their product.

Good meat needs very little in the way of seasoning, the meat should be the star, yet there are ways to complement a good steak, bringing out its flavor. When my filets from Omaha came packed with dry ice, we were looking forward to a great dinner. My steaks benefitted from my recent Julie and Julia experience- I learned that to sear meat you must dry the surface first. I used only some fresh ground pepper and kosher salt and then seared the steaks and cooked them until rare (for me) and medium rare (for my husband). I decided to make tow complementary condiments for my beautiful steaks - one, sauteed mushrooms with port wine and the other, avocado butter. Both of these added a different dimension to the delicious, tender beef.

Mixed Mushrooms with Port - Slice 2 cups assorted mushrooms into fairly uniform pieces (I used hen and chicks and button mushrooms). Melt 2tbsp butter, and saute the mushrooms until just tender, then add a tablespoon each of soy sauce and worcestershire sauce, and then 1-2 tablespoons of port wine. Stir until liquid is reduced by about half. Serve with steak.

Avocado Butter - Mash 1/2 a ripe avocado with 1/2 cup softened butter (since my husband is a diabetic, I use Smart Balance, and it works just as well). Form into a roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Cut slices and serve with your steak- this is amazing- adding a richness that complements the beef perfectly.

So you want to win some steaks of your own to complement with these or other condiments? From now until December 31, do the following to win a $50 gift certificate from Omaha Steaks to create your own memorable meal:
1) Leave me a comment telling me your favorite complement to a great steak
2)Sign up to follow Omaha Steaks on Twitter @Omaha_steaks and ReTweet the contest details using the hashtag #OmahaHoliday.

The winner will be selected at random, and can start the new year with some fabulous beef!

Where's the Beef?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was asked to be a judge of a contest cosponsored by the Junior League of Hampton Roads and Certified Angus Beef Brand, in conjunction with the Michelob Ultra LPGA Open at Kingsmill May 5-11. The Michelob ULTRA Open partners with the Junior League of Hampton Roads to present the "Fairways and Runways" Fashion Show and Luncheon presented by Certified Angus Beef®. A recipe contest that focused on dishes made with Certified Angus Beef was held and the winner's dish was served at the Fashion Show Luncheon.

There were more than 20 entries and they were winnowed down to 5 semifinalists that were prepared for a panel of judges (including me). I took a long lunch from the salt mines (aka nuclear physics lab) and travelled up to the Eagle's Nest Clubhouse at Kingsmill, a treat in itself since it was a sunny day, and the Williamsburg area, and specifically Kingsmill is absolutely gorgeous in the Spring (especially after the 4-5 consecutive days of rain that we have had, greening up the golf courses). Now, I have to admit I am not a big golfer, but I am a big fan of golf courses since they are gorgeous expanses of green grass, sparkling water, and lush woodlands- what's not to like. But the Michelob Ultra Open is really a big deal. Forty-nine of the top 50 women golfers compete in this event, which takes Open organizers a full year to prepare for.

When I arrived, I was met by Jennifer from Certified Angus Beef who introduced me to the other judges, including two members of the Junior League of Hampton Roads (Patty and Rebecca),Nicole Lee, the Sales and Marketing Manager for the Open, the Corporate Executive Chef for Farm Fresh stores Bob Hirasawa and Certified Angus Beef Corporate Chef Scott Popovic. We were given a feedback form for each of the dishes, and one by one they were plated by Chef Scott and brought to us for our opinion. Table conversation centered around, of course food, places and people that the two chefs had cooked with and questions about food blogging and how I got started. In assessing each recipe we looked at how well it showcased the Certified Angus Beef, how easy it was to recreate at home, flavor and originality.

After about an hour and a half of tasting(and great conversation) Jennifer tabulated the results and a winner was chosen. Now you can see and taste for yourself the dishes we judged :

Lisa Moore – Petite Sirloin Tapenade Tapas
Mary Anderson – "Cowboy Up" Round Beef Supper
Samantha Bishop – Colorado Flank Steak
Holly Hage – Beef & Scallion Rolls
Sue Kerr – Teriyaki Steak With a Twist

The winner according to the esteemed panel of judges was Lisa Moore's Petite Sirloin Tapanade Tapas, a delicious tidbit of beef that is great for a cocktail party or a tapas-style meal. Lisa won $50 a month for the next year in Certified Angus Beef for her recipe as well as having her dish served at the Fairways and Runways event(Lisa and CAB Corporate Chef Scott Popovic, pictured right)

While you are at the CAB website check out their file other delicious beef recipes. They even have a feature on grilling, now that it is the season for fire and charcoal! Congratulations to Lisa and all the other finalists, and those of you who are beef fans, start now working on your entry for next year!

Photos courtesy of CAB (Don't those Thai Spring Rolls, upper left look great?)

How to pick beef (and I don't mean at a singles bar)

One of the hardest things to do for a beginning cook, especially on a budget, is selecting meat. It is no fun to spend a lot of time planning and making a meal only to have the meat be tough or stringy or chewy. This is your chance to benefit from my years of experience in buying meat, what cuts are good for what dishes and how to save money on meat at the supermarket.

Ground Beef - There are several cuts of beef that are affordable but delicious. Of course one of the most versatile cuts of beef is ground beef. It can form the basis for a great chili or lasagna, a family meatloaf, Sloppy Joes, tacos or make a great hamburger. Usually you will see ground beef, ground chuck or ground round. Ground chuck is good for most recipes that call for ground beef and if you get 80/20 (80% lean to 20% fat) you will have a burger that is moist but not greasy. Here is my recipe for a great hamburger:

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch Burgers
Mix 1 tbsp of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (dry) into each pound of hamburger.
Make into patties , season with pepper and grill or broil.
Serve with mayonnaise mixed crumbled blue cheese. Great either on or without a bun.

Steaks - Steaks are a very popular meal whether it is a ribeye for a backyard barbecue or a filet mignon for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. Filet mignon or beef tenderloin is the most tender and most expensive cut. I normally buy a whole tenderloin when my local Harris Teeter has it on sale (last time it was featured it was $8.88/lb). Rib eye and New York strip steaks are both very good for grilling or broiling, but can be expensive if you are feeding a crowd. If you are on a budget, a good steak to broil that can feed several people and has a great flavor is a flank steak. When I buy mine at Costco, I take them out of the package, sprinkle both sides with unflavored meat tenderizer, and put in Ziploc freezer bags to freeze for when I need them. That way while they are defrosting the tenderizer has a chance to work.

Easy Workday Flank Steak

1 defrosted pre-tenderized flank steak
Seasoning mix (You can use Montreal steak; Six Pepper Blend, Garlic Pepper blend, or any other blend you like)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Put the steak on a broiler pan. Sprinkle with seasoning mix and drizzle with olive oil
Broil 2-3 inches from top of oven, watching closely. After top is brown and sizzling(5-10 minutes), flip over, season and oil other side, and broil till this side is lightly brown. Remove from oven and put on cutting board or platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve with Blue cheese mayonnaise (above) or guacamole.

Roasts

Beef roasts are great whether you are looking for an elegant family meal or a casual dinner that can serve a crowd. For a special meal, a rib roast or tenderloin cannot be beat, but for most of us, it is not an every day dish. You often see eye of round roasts that are inexpensive, but they are really not ideal for roasting since they do not have much fat and can turn out dry and tough. Chuck or pot roast can be very good especially cooked in a crockpot. This is one of my favorite ways to fix pot roast in the crockpot.

Smothered Pot Roast

1 large onion, cut in chunks
1 3-4 lb chuck roast
1 can Contadina tomato paste (I like the one with roasted garlic)
2 beef boullion cubes
2 cups hearty red wine

Place onions on the bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle meat tenderizer on both sides of meat and lay on onions in pot. Spread tomato paste on meat. Dissolve cubes in wine and pour over meat. Cover and cook in crockpot on low for 8-9 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice. Serves 4-6

Hopefully this post will help you answer when someone asks ,"Where's the beef?"