TENDERLOIN OF BEEF

Here's a foolproof way to cook a beef tenderloin. It works every time. And it doesn't matter how many pounds it is, this recipe works for any size. I recently found a small piece in my freezer left over from some fancy dinner party from long ago. It was just enough for two people. I thawed it, and cooked it in my usual way - like here - and it was just as delicious as I had remembered it, from long ago. Beef tenderloin is expensive so I only serve it a few times a year but the ones I buy at Costco are just as good as the ones at Eddie's and somewhat less expensive. If you get a whole one, and it's a pound or two more than you need, just cut off the end and freeze it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then put it in a plastic bag, sucking out as much air as possible from the bag. Then thaw it when you're ready.  It makes a lovely dinner for two on an ordinary Monday night.

This cooks at a very high temperature - when I open my oven, my smoke/heat alarms go off; I warn my guests that this will happen - so it's a good idea to  be sure your oven is clean. I serve my tenderloin with roasted cherry tomatoes and something green, like sugar snap peas or green beans with an herb butter.

 

BEEF TENDERLOIN

this recipe serves 8 - 10

 

1 whole file of beef (4-5 pounds), trimmed and tied (get your butcher to do this)

2 T unsalted butter at room temperature (important; it needs to be soft)

1 T salt (I use Kosher)

1 T coarsely ground black pepper

 

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

 

2. Put the beef on a baking sheet and pat it dry with paper towels. Spread the butter all over the beef with your hands. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for exactly 22 minutes (no matter the size) for rare, or 25 minutes for medium-rare.

 

3. Remove the beef from the oven and cover it tightly with aluminum foil to keep  it warm. Let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes to let the juices redistribute within the meat. Remove the strings and slice thickly.

 

4 Yum!

 

 



BASIL CHICKEN HASH

As I may have said before, I like to entertain at brunch. The food can usually be prepared in advance and popped into the oven at the last minute (although this one cannot), leaving me free to visit with my guests while they enjoy their Bloody Marys. Here's a recipe from Ina Garten that I've always wanted to serve for brunch but have to admit I haven't. But it remains in a folder next to the stove where I keep things I want to try. Just in case you think of hash as made of leftovers, or low-rent, remember that Truman Capote served it at his famous White Party at the Plaza all those years ago, albeit perhaps wanting to contrast his glittering guests with this humble food. But humble needn't indicate boring. This is really good.

The recipe describes a way to cook chicken that is good for any dish, not just this one. Instead of leaching out all the flavor by poaching - and then adding it back by using white wine, or whatever - in this method, the bones add flavor and the skin bastes the meat as it cooks. Okay, so a few more calories. But who cares, if you're achieving great flavor? I write a blog on losing weight but I always cook my chicken in this fashion. And breasts with bone-in and skin-on cost less than boneless ones at the grocery store.

Sometimes I substitute thyme for the basil, just scattering it over the breasts rather than forcing it under the skin. Either way, the result is delicious.

BASIL CHICKEN HASH

serves 4

 

2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

16 fresh basil leaves

olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 T unsalted butter, divided

2 lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and large dice

2 red onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 t fresh thyme leaves

1 t paprika

1 T tomato paste

4 minced scallions, white and green parts

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley, either kind

 

sour cream, shredded Cheddar and sliced lemons, for serving

 

1. Preheat oven to 350.

 

2. Place the chicken breasts  on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the middle of the meat with your fingers, leaving the sides of the skin attached. Place 4 basil leaves under the skin of each breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won't dry out. With your hands, rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is  lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones. Cut the chicken into large diced pieces and set aside.

 

3. Melt 4 T butter in a large sauté pan. Add the potatoes and onions, 1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper, and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through. (If you want a crust on the potatoes, leave them alone for a minute or two before turning.)

 

4. In a separate skillet, melt the remaining 2 T butter. Add the peppers, garlic, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, 1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the edges of the peppers are seared.

 

5. Add the reserved chicken and pepper mixture to the potatoes and heat through. Add the scallions and parsley, toss together and place on a serving platter.





EASY LAMB CHOPS

I learned how to do this from a long-time friend who loved lamb chops. Buy rib chops, of normal thickness. Cut a piece of garlic in half and rub both sides of the chops with the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Broil for four minutes on each side for medium rare. Simple. Easy. Good.

THE BEST TOMATO SOUP

No. I'm not kidding. And I'm not prone to superlatives. But this soup really is the best of its kind I've ever enjoyed. It's quick and easy and so good you'll want to serve it to guests. It comes from my new best chef, Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, who lives on an isolated ranch in Oklahoma with her hot cowboy, Marlboro Man husband, Ladd (with blue eyes that rival Paul Newman's), and their four children and dogs and cattle and horses. How bad can that be? Her recipes are simple and straightforward and her cookbook provides photographs of each dish as it's being constructed. She's on the Food TV channel most days at noon, where I discovered her. Try this. You'll not only like it; you'll LOVE it!

SHERRIED CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

serves 8

 

1 medium white or yellow onion

6 T unsalted butter (3/4 of a stick)

2 14 1/2-oz cans diced tomatoes

1 46-oz bottle or can of tomato juice (not flavored)

3-6 T sugar

1-2 T chicken broth, or 3 chicken bouillon cubes

freshly ground black pepper

1 C sherry (optional, but so good)

1 1/2 C heavy cream

1/4 C chopped flat leaf parsley (or the curly kind, whatever you have)

1/4 C chopped basil (fresh, please)

 

1. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

 

2. Dice the onion and sauté it in the butter until translucent, about 5-7 minutes (don't let it brown).

 

3. Dump in the tomatoes and stir to combine.

 

4. Dump in the tomato juice and stir to combine.

 

5. Add 3-6 T sugar - this is an important step; the sugar not only adds flavor but also neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes.

 

6. Add 1-2 T chicken broth or 3 chicken bouillon cubes.

 

7. Stir and bring the mixture almost to a boil. Turn off the heat.

 

8. Add the sherry (or omit if you're feeding kids or those allergic to alcohol) and stir to combine.

 

9. Add the cream and stir again.

 

10. Add the parley and basil and stir again - lots of stirring, but that's about the only labor aside from opening cans. My kind of meal.

 

Note: the first time I made this, I had stewed tomatoes in my pantry so I used those instead of diced tomatoes. And I only had 2 chicken bouillon cubes so I added a vegetable one. I'm not sure how this might have tasted if I'd followed the recipe exactly, but my result was so good, I'd make it this way again. This is the kind of soup you can alter to your own desire or taste. No salt, please; it's not needed. But use lots of pepper.



CRAB MARYLAND

I enjoyed this dish at a friend's dinner party many years ago. It was so good, and looked so easy, that I asked her for the recipe. It's similar to Imperial Crab but somewhat simpler and can be made in a casserole dish, which makes it less fussy than having to make separate crab imperials. This would be good, alone, for brunch, or you can use it as the main course at dinner. I've served it many times, each to rave reviews, and most recently with roasted cherry tomatoes and roasted asparagus with parmesan. All in the oven, all at once. How easy is that? This recipe is said to serve four so I often double it for my usual 6. That makes enough for leftovers. However, if you're having sufficient accompaniments, you can probably make this serve 5, just as it is. It's rather rich so small portions are just fine. Who wants to have leftover crab?

The first time I enjoyed sherry with my crab meat was at lunch at the old Merchant's Club where the Bagby brothers, my employers in the 60's, went for lunch each day. Mr. Bagby took me there soon after I went to work for the company and he recommended the open-faced crab sandwich, served with sherry on the side. What a treat!

CRAB MARYLAND

serves 4

 

3/4 C regular (or light) mayonnaise

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1/4 C finely chopped green pepper (I've also used red, or yellow)

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1 roasted red pepper (you can make this yourself, or buy it prepared), rinsed and chopped

2 t Dijon mustard

3 T dry sherry

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 lb lump or backfin crabmeat

 

1. Mix together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire, green (or red) pepper, onion, roasted red pepper, mustard and sherry. Stir in the egg.

 

2. Pick over the crabmeat and remove any shells or cartilage. Gently fold the crabmeat into the sauce mixture, leaving the lumps.

 

3. Spoon into an ovenproof casserole and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven, until hot and bubbly. Serve at once.

 

Note: This can be made earlier in the day, covered with foil and refrigerated before cooking. Just allow the dish to come to room temperature and remove the foil before baking.

 





OVEN STEAMED CHICKEN BREASTS

OVEN STEAMED CHICKEN BREASTS

WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

serves 4

This recipe comes from my dear friend Posey, who was once our national sales manager at Larsen.  She served this when I visited her and her husband several years ago in Connecticut. (She's moved now to Iowa where her husband, newly ordained, has been posted to a church. But that's a different story, and for a different blog.) At Larsen, we had a crack salesman in Kansas whose last name was Bloom. We kidded Posey by saying if she married him, she would be Posey Bloom. Anyway. Perhaps you had to be there. I served this dish recently to guests, one of whom asked if the recipe was included in my blog and I thought it was, but discovered that it was not. So I'm adding it here.

Cooking this way, in airtight packets, has several noteworthy advantages. For one thing, since nothing escapes during cooking, you get a wonderful concentration of flavors. For another, the packets can be made up in advance and refrigerated for up to a day. And, finally, cooking time is short and does not require any careful watching, all qualities I find advantageous.

 Use either foil or parchment paper; I've done this both ways and both work. You can open the packets in the kitchen and spread the chicken on a platter, pouring the sauce over it. Or you can place the packets right on your guests' plates. In that event, I'd use parchment paper. It makes a better presentation. And provide a big bowl at the table so your guests can place the used packets in something.

This recipe is for four. To make it work for six, just increase the quantities by half.

6 sun-dried tomatoes, preferably dry-packed
1 t dried dill
1 t dried tarragon
2 medium shallots (1 oz. total) peeled
4 T unsalted butter
1/2 C whipping cream
1 t fresh lime juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 whole, boned and skinned chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lbs.), split.

1. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Cut four 15-inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil or parchment paper.

2. Soak dry-packed tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry. If you're using tomatoes packed in oil, rinse them under hot water and pat dry (do not soak these). Whichever you use, cut them into 1/8 inch strips.

3. Mince the dill, tarragon and shallots together in a food processor or by hand.

4. Melt the butter in a 1-quart, non aluminum pan. Add the shallot mixture and cook gently until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the cream, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside, off the heat.

6. Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and press with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy pot to a uniform thickness. They don't need to be thin, just even.

7. Spread 1 tablespoon of the sauce on the center of each foil or parchment square. Top with a chicken breast and  season with salt and pepper. Spoon another tablespoon of sauce over the chicken. Fold the packets closed so they are airtight, leaving a little air space between the chicken and the foil (if using). The packets can be assembled a day in advance and refrigerated. Let them come to room temperature before cooking. (I take mine out an hour ahead of cooking time.)

8. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Fold back foil and serve directly from the packets or transfer the chicken and sauce to heated serving plates.

To fold the packets: bring the two long sides together and fold them over several times until the foil or parchment is near the top of the chicken. Next, make diagonal folds of the other two sides to form a flap and fold that flap under the packet.



 

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

This recipe takes me back to the early 60’s, to my days of early hardship in a third floor walk-up in the 900 block of Calvert Street. It’s one of the first dishes I learned to make when I arrived from the Eastern Shore to take a job at The Bagby Furniture Co. It seems odd that I now sometimes dine at The Fleet Street Kitchen, which is where the old Bagby shipping dock once was, and that I should now be eating tuna in so many more glamorous ways, even at the Kitchen. But this dish is a classic and their chef has nothing on Mrs. W. V. Smith from whom the recipe comes, in the What’s Cooking in Hurlock, Maryland cook book, produced by the WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) of the Unity-Washington Church.

 

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

6-8 servings

1 lb. package of macaroni

½ lb. extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus a handful, grated

½ C whole milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small can of tiny peas

2 cans tuna fish, drained (I use the kind packed in water)

Small bag of potato chips

1.    Preheat oven to 350.

2.    Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain and season with salt and pepper. Place macaroni in casserole dish.

3.    Mix milk with cream of mushroom soup; add to macaroni; stir

4.    Add the peas and then the tuna to the mixture and stir thoroughly

5.    Cut the cheddar cheese into flat chunks and spread on top of the casserole

6.    Mix grated cheese with crushed potato chips and sprinkle mixture over the top of the casserole.

7.    Line the sides of the casserole with whole potato chips, if desired.

8.    Dot the casserole with butter.

9.    Bake until cheese is melted and casserole is browned, about 30 minutes.

Mrs. W. V. Smith