Herb crusted steaks with fire roasted shallot and german blue cheese butter

Oh brother, I almost ran out of space writing this title. Impressive description for an impressive taste. I like the overall taste of this steal, although I feel that the blue cheese butter hides the taste of the marinade :( I used Angus New York Strip steaks, my favorite, but you can use also Rib eye or our favorite cut.

Ingredients (for 4 people):


* 4 steaks (New York Strip, Rib Eye...)
Marinade:
* 1/2 cup Virgin Olive Oil
* 2 tbsp steak sauce
* 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
* 3 tbsp Roasted Garlic marinade
* 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Blue cheese butter:
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter
* 6 oz Blue Cheese
* 4 shallots
* 1 tbsp chopped parsley
* 1/4 tbsp salt
* 1/4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 tsp French Whole-Grain Mustard
Herbs for steak:
* 2 tbsp chopped parsley
* 2 tbsp fresh chives
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and pour them over the steaks in a bowl. Marinate in the fridge a minimum of 1 hour, but 4-5 hours would be ideal.

Let's make the butter. Coat slightly the shallots with olive oil and roast them in pain, until the outside is blackened and the inside semi-soft. Set them aside, let them cool and peel and quarter them. We'll use them in a moment.

Dust your handy food processor, cut the butter and blue cheese in chunks (remove the rind from the cheese) and puree in the food processor to blend it. Add the shallot and pulse until combined with the mixture. Then add chopped parsley, salt, pepper and the Dijon mustard and blend it together. Place the butter mixture on a piece of parchment, roll it and then wrap it in plastic and chill.

Get the steaks, discard the marinade. Pat the herbs mixture on both sides of the steaks and fire that grill! Once you have the steaks cooked, serve with a pat of butter on top.

Preparation time: 45 minutes (plus marinade time)

Friday dinner

Menu for tonight: lemongrass skewered, marinated grilled shrimp, sake-teriyaki marinated lamb chops served over grilled garlic toasts, corn and zucchini fritters on the side with a duo of dipping sauces (herb mayo and sweet chili cucumber relish) and for dessert, zabaglione with berries and orange. Finger still messed up :( Recipes as soon as I can :(

Stuffed squids (Calamares rellenos)

In Spain we love squids and cuttlefish and we have many recipes with those funny looking cephalopodi. If you want to save time, try to buy the squids already clean, if not here is how you clean them. Not for weak souls, this is going to sound like Serial Killing 101. First, grasp the head of the squid and firmly but gently, pull it. Don't pull too hard or you may break the ink sac. In your hand you will have the head of the squid with the tentacles and the ink sac. Cut the tentacles from the head and in the center you will see and feel the beak of the squid; just squeeze it and it will pop out. Rinse the tentacles and set them aside. Set the ink aside too, you can freeze it in a small Ziploc bag to use with other dishes, like Black Rice. Peel the outer skin with your hand, just pull it down like a sock. Feel inside the top of the squid and you will find a hard piece of cartilage, just pull it out. Then, rinse the body with cold water, especially inside, making sure it is clean. I will give two versions of the recipe, one with tuna and one with ground beef.  

Ingredients:

        To stuff with tuna

* 6 tiny squids or 4 medium ones

* 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

* 1 cup crushed tomato

* 1 can of tuna in water or in olive oil
* 1/2 cup of popcorn shrimps

* 1 boiled egg, minced

* 1 egg 
* 1/2 cup all purpose white flour

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* Pinch of salt

* Pinch of black pepper

* Olive oil

        To stuff with beef

* 6 tiny squids or 4 medium ones

* 1/2 medium onion, minced

* 1 cup crushed tomato

* 1/4 pound ground beef
* 1/4 pound ground pork
* 1 boiled egg, minced

* 1 egg 
* 1/2 cup all purpose white flour

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* Pinch of salt

* Pinch of black pepper

* Olive oil

Clean the squids. Heat the oil in a frying pan and once hot, over medium heat, sautee the onion. Once it gets color, add the tomato, sautee 3 minutes and add the tuna and shrimps (or the beef and the pork, depending on what version you are cooking) Cook the tuna and shrimps for 5 minutes (or if it is the ground beef and pork until they get color) and set aside. Add the boiled egg to the mixture and stuff the squids. Secure the opening with a toothpick. Beat the egg and in a separate dish mix the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper. Dip the squids in egg, roll them in the flour mix and fry them in hot oil over medium heat, until the batter looks gold and crunchy. 

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Escalopa Milanesa

A simple yet very tasty dish to prepare, loved by grown ups and children alike. It can paired with some veggies or some mash potatoes and fries, it goes well with everything. For me, what it makes the difference and it is important is to marinate the meat with lemon juice and use fresh parsley with the bread crumbs. I do not know what the heck do they pass as crushed dry parsley in a bottle (dry crushed parsley, probably) but the flavor is not even a shadow of what the original gives you.

Ingredients:

* 4 thin sliced beef steaks (top sirloin, sliced 1/4" approx.)

* 1 cup plain bread crumbs

* 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

* 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

* 2 eggs

* 1 lemon

* Pinch of salt

* pinch of black pepper

* Olive oil

Season the meat with salt and pepper and marinade it in the juice of the lemon one hour before you cook the dish. Beat the eggs in a shallow container, to dip the meat more easily. In a separate dish combine the bread crumbs, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Some people add garlic but personally I do not like it with the Milanesas, I think they overpower a little bit the nice balance of lemon, Parmesan and parsley. Make a couple of teeny tiny horizontal cuts on each side of the steak; this will prevent the meat from curling when frying. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. The oil needs to be very hot.  Dip the meat in egg, roll it in in bread crumbs. Repeat the operation. This double coating is a technique I learned from a dear lady, Conxita, who sadly left us this year. It works wonders, the breading does not fall apart so easily. Put the breaded steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium-low: you want to cook the escalopa but not to burn the exterior. When it looks nice, crunchy and golden, drain them on a paper towel, to remove the excess of oil and plate them with you side of choice. Try not to overcook them, or they will get tough and chewy. 

Preparation time: about 30 minutes (and 45 minutes-1 hour to marinate)