Let them eat STEAK!

Howdy folks. For those of you who know me, you know that I was born and raised in Texas. For those of you who know Texans, it's in our DNA to love steak. In the panhandle you will be challenged to eat 4.5 lbs of steak in under an hour. In El Paso you can eat a steak cut to order while gazing over thousands of acres of ranch land. Pardon my french, but in Texas, steak is a big f***ing deal.

The only problems are that steak is expensive (if you're buying something better than dog food) and if you regularly eat an entire steak, you're likely on your way to having a gut as big as the lone star state. If we look a little south of the border, we can find the solution to our weeknight steak cravings. TACOS! This is a great way to use one steak to feed several mouths.

Caribbean Jerk Steak Tacos
Ingredients:
1 New York Strip Steak for every 3 people (for the huge steak I got, that's only a few dollars/person)
Flour or corn Tortillas
1 Tomato
1 Avocado
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Brown Sugar
2-3 tsp Caribbean Jerk Seasoning (I buy mine from the store. One day I'll come up with a recipe)
1 TBL Olive Oil

Mix the jerk seasoning, salt, and sugar in a bowl. The sugar helps the outside of the steak to caramelize. The jerk seasoning is a secret to having great flavor (still can't believe how delicious this comes out every time). Mix these ingredients with a teaspoon of olive oil to make a paste.

Let's talk about steak selection. Typically, one would use flank steak for tacos. Which is fine, but it doesn't really make me think "Texas Steak" for whatever reason. A New York Strip is easier to prepare, more tender, and it makes you feel like your eating a juicy steak rather than fajita meat.

Cover the outside of the steak with the paste (make more paste if necessary). Put a teaspoon or two of olive oil in a pan (preferably cast iron) and turn the heat to medium-high. Now let's cook our steak.

1. When it comes to cook times, it really depends on the thickness and the shape of the steak. If you have a steak that isn't uniform, then cut it into uniform pieces so they all cook in the same amount of time. The only way to tell when the meat is done is by measuring the internal temperature. So, get a meat thermometer (only $10). No, seriously, get one.
2. Put the meat in the ALREADY HEATED pan. You should hear a lot of sizzling.
3. If your steak is thin, it should cook in 4-5 minutes on either side.
4. If your steak is thick (like mine was) then you cook 4-5 minutes on either side then it goes into the oven at 450 degrees.
5. In the thick or the thin case, we are looking for 120-125 degrees (medium-rare) for the internal temperature. Always measure temperature by sticking the thermometer in the middle of the thickest part of the steak.
6. After the steak is done, let it rest for at least 5 minutes so all the juices can redistribute and stay in the meat.

Cut into slices and put on a tortilla with slices of avocado and fresh tomato.

I apologize for my sub par photography.

The spiciness of the steak is cut by the rich, creaminess of the avocado. The tomato adds some acid to even everything out. I hope you enjoy.

xo,
Levi

Happy New Year - I hope you ate your peas

Hello there. Welcome to food party. Here I will blog recipes for your information and your enjoyment (I hope).

It's a bit of a new years resolution to catalog recipes as I prepare them. I figured a good way to start is with a traditional New Years Day dish - Black Eyed Peas.

I made one of my first black eyed pea dishes this new years and I got excellent reviews from my guests and I really enjoyed them. Here goes:

ingredients:
11 oz package fresh black eyed peas (you could get frozen or dried...but it's worth it to get fresh, I promise)
2-3 strips bacon
1 green bell pepper
1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2-3 stalks celery
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 TBL tomato paste
2-3 TBL fresh parsley
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (only if you like spicy)
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

First step (same as many of my soups or stews) is to cut the bacon into 1/2" pieces. This will help it brown faster and it's easier to stir. Put this in a dutch oven (big pot) and turn the heat to medium-high.

Secondly, go ahead and put the peas into some water and cook as directed on the package (since you took my advice and you're using fresh, you don't have to soak over night or defrost or anything).

Dice the onion, pepper, and celery into whatever size you want in the soup. Congratulations, you've just made the cajun trinity.

Once the bacon is crispy take it out of the pan but leave all that bacon-juice goodness in the bottom. Put the trinity (remember, that's onion, celery, and peppers) into the bacon fat with a little bit of salt so the veggies can sweat. after about 6 or 7 minutes, add the chopped garlic. this will burn in about a minute, so be ready for the next step.

Now that you have all your veggies and bacon goodness in the pot, you want to add the tomato paste. After you add the paste, you should stir regularly for about 5-10 minutes. The tomato paste should change from bright red to brick red.

After I cooked the peas as instructed on the package they were still a little underdone. I drained them and cooked them the rest of the way in the broth. Which brings us to our next step. Add peas, chicken broth, cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, and parsley and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, sprinkle the pieces of bacon over the top of a bowl of soup. If you still crave spice, I recommend adding some tabasco over the top as well.

When you eat you'll bite into the bean and it will be creamy and wonderful (because you used fresh beans, remember?) and the flavorful broth will cover your entire palette. After each bite you'll be hit with spice that will wake you up and make you want another bite!

Black-eyed peas (when consumed on the 1st) are said to bring you prosperity for the rest of the year. While I wish we could all be prosperous by eating some magical beans, for now I'll be satisfied with a delicious meal that can be enjoyed on any chilly day of the year, not just the first of January.

Happy New Year,
Levi