Chimichurri Steak Topper

Grilled up some sustainable beef from Missouri Legacy Beef tonight and topped them off with this great fresh Chimichurri Sauce topper.  This recipe gave me a chance to use my new Emile Henry Mortar and Pestle that tops any food processor in results for this sauce bar none!

Ingredients (for 4 medium to large steaks)

€        4-5 Garlic Cloves, peeled

€        1/2 Cup – fresh Cilantro leaves

€        1/2 Cup – fresh, Parsley leaves

€        2 Tbls. – fresh Thyme leaves (sub 1 Tbls. Ground Thyme)

€        1 Tbls. – fresh Oregano leaves (sub 1 Tbls. Ground Oregano)

€        1-2 Tbsp. --  Red Pepper Flakes

€        Lemon Zest – (Sub Lemon Juice)

€        4 Tbls. – Red Wine Vinegar

€        ½ Cup – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

€        Coarse Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt

€        Freshly ground Black Peppercorns

€        4 - Kansas City Strip Steaks

Directions

1.    Chimichurri Sauce

a.    Mash the garlic in a Emile Henry Mortar and Pestle

b.    Add the cilantro, parsley, thyme and oregano and continue to mash with the mortar until all herbs are ground coarse.

c.    Remove ingredients into a glass bowl and add the red pepper flakes, lemon zest (or juice) and vinegar.

d.    While mixing drizzle in the EVOO

e.    Add salt and pepper to taste.

2.     Grilling the KC Strips

a.    Season the steak lightly; we use Adams Jail Break rub.

b.    Fire up your grill (BGE) to medium-high heat

c.    Cook steaks to desired temp/finish and remove from grill to rest.

d.  Plate the meat and spoon on Chimichurri sauce and serve.

Pork and Hominy Stew

A tasty twist on beef stew this pork stew uses some different peppers and hominy instead of some of the more traditional stew ingredients like potatoes, etc.  Serve with warm corn bread or spoon over steamed rice with dinner rolls. We used organic meat and veggies where available.
Ingredients

•1 Tbls plus 2 Tsp Chili Powder
•1 Tsp Sea Salt
•½ Tsp ground Black Pepper

•2 ½ Lbs. Boneless Pork (Shoulder, Butt, Roast, Boneless Spare Ribs) cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
•4 Slices, Bacon, cooked and chopped
•1 Large Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
•1 Cup Diced Ham (not smoked)
•2 Medium Carrots, peeled, chopped/sliced
•6 large garlic cloves, chopped
•2-3 Anaheim Peppers, seeded, cut into 2 x 1/4-inch strips (or sub your favorite, Jalapenos, poblano chilies,*)
•2 Cups, drained canned White Hominy (or Yellow)
•1 Cup canned Diced Tomatoes in juice
•1 Cup Beer
•1 Cup Chicken Broth (low sodium)
•1 Tsp. dried Marjoram
•¼ Cup chopped fresh Cilantro

Preparation
1.Mix 1 tablespoon chili powder, salt, and pepper in bowl. Rub spice mixture all over pork. Sauté bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Working in batches, add pork to drippings in pot and sauté until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl.
2.Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, ham, carrot, and garlic to pot; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits. Add chilies; stir 1 minute. Stir in hominy, tomatoes with juices, beer, broth, marjoram, pork, and remaining 2 teaspoons chili powder and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until pork is very tender, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill bacon. Cool stew slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.
3.Simmer stew uncovered until liquid is slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Optional: Season with salt and pepper.
4.Transfer to bowl.
5.Sprinkle with reserved bacon and cilantro.
*These fresh green chilies, often called pasillas, are available at Latin American markets and also at some supermarkets.

Pico de Gallo (Organic)

In Mexican cuisine, Pico de Gallo (Spanish for "rooster's beak") is a fresh uncooked condiment made from chopped tomato, onion, and sometimes chilies (typically jalapeños or Serrano’s). Other ingredients may also be added, such as lemon or lime juice, fresh cilantro (leaf of coriander), cucumber, radish or other fresh firm pulpy fruit such as mango. Pico de Gallo can be used in much the same way as Mexican salsas or Indian chutneys, but since it contains less liquid, it can also be used as a main ingredient in dishes such as tacos and fajitas.

Ingredients
2 Large Tomatoes - Organic

½ - 1 Vidalia Onion (to taste) or, 4-6 medium Green Onions - Organic

3 Cloves Fresh Garlic (minced)

Juice of one lime

½ tsp. Parsley

1 Tbls. EVOO

1-3 Tbls. Chopped fresh Cilantro (half if using Dry Cilantro Spice)

1 Tsp. Fresh ground Sea Salt

½ Tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper

Optional: 1 Fresh Jalapeno peppers (or more to taste)

Directions - Seed and dice tomatoes. Chop onion and mince the jalapeno and garlic. In a glass bowl add the fresh cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Best if served the next day.

BLOODY MARY RIBEYE

This recipe combines two of my favorite things, Steak and Bloody Mary’s. The sauce is sufficient for 4-6 steaks but the cook demonstrated here is two Ribeyes.

Ingredients - Recommended
2-4 Ribeye Steaks (or Delmonico)

Marinade

2 Tbsp Lite Soy Sauce
4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp EVOO
6 Minced Garlic Cloves
Garlic Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Bloody Mary Sauce2 lb Ripe Tomatoes
½ cup Vidalia Onions (or sweet)
3 Green Onions (or scallions)
1 tsp Cilantro
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Lime Juice (fresh)
½ cup Beef Broth (or consume)
4 Tbsp Vodka (high end)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preparation
Marinade-Mix ingredients, coat steaks, cover and chill, turn steaks once (chill a minimum of 2 hours).

Bloody Mary Sauce-Boil water and pour over tomatoes; let set for 30 seconds, drain and peal skins from Tomatoes. Quarter tomatoes and place in food processor. Place all ingredients and chop fine. If tomatoes were not ripe enough add tomato puree

Cooking
1. Remove steaks from refrigerator an hour before cooking to get to room temperature
2. Preheat BGE to 500 degrees (open flame); Remove steaks from marinade and discard remaining
3. Place Ribeyes on direct grate for 90 seconds on each side and remove, let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Place sauce in pot and simmer on grill for 5 minutes, remove from heat and keep warm.
5. Place steaks on grill for 3-6 minutes per side (depends on thickness and your taste for Rare, Medium, etc.); Remove from grill and plate, drizzle healthy serving of Bloody Mary Sauce and Serve.

Recommended Side Dishes-Corn on the cob, Garlic Mashed, French Bread, Asparagus spears