Kentucky Bourbon Flank Steak

 

Photo by Richard Uhlhorn

For best results, marinate the steak for 24 hours before cooking. Although the recipe includes instructions for broiling the flank steak, you can also flame broil or barbecue it -- especially if the weather allows and you'd rather be outside!

Prep time: 25 minutes

Marinating time: 24 hours

Cook time: 16 minutes

Serves 2

Bourbon marinade:

5 tablespoons olive oil

2-1/2 tablespoons A-1 Steak Sauce

1/2 tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire

Bourbon sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons A-1 Steak Sauce

2 tablespoons Bourbon Whiskey

2 tablespoons honey

Steak seasoning

1 pound beef flank steak

1 teaspoon of your favorite steak seasoning

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons dry vermouth

½ cup portabella mushrooms, gills and stems removed, cut into strips

¼ cup yellow onion, cut into strips

½ teaspoon whole peeled garlic

1 tablespoon butter

Marinate the flank steak, preferably for 24 hours. Brush the steak with oil. Diamond-score the steak, sprinkle with steak seasoning and broil (or barbecue) on each side for about 8 minutes to get a medium rare steak. Let the steak rest.

In a skillet, sauté mushrooms, onion and garlic in the olive oil and vermouth. Add the butter and the bourbon sauce. Once the butter is blended into the sauce, pour over the center of the steak. This flank steak goes well with red potatoes and fresh local asparagus.

Recipe contributed to Savoring Chelan: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes by Troy Nesvacil, chef at Campbell’s Resort.

Wine pairing suggestions:

Nefarious Cellars Syrah Defiance Vineyard Lake Chelan AVA*

Tsillan Cellars Columbia Valley Bellissima Rossa Red Blend

Tunnel Hill Estate Syrah

Long Beach Clam Chowder

It's about that time...time to start eating warm, filling soups that will help sustain you through the winter months. This recipe was contributed to Savoring Chelan by Jean Haskell of Antoine Creek Vineyards in Chelan and will do just that. 

This is a clam chowder recipe that we made with Razor clams from the Washington Coast when we had John and Jan Little of Rio Vista Wines for dinner. It goes well with their white wines that use our grapes.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 10-12

1/2 pound diced slab bacon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, peeled and diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups clam broth, or 2 jars (2 cups) clam nectar
4 pounds diced potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Ground pepper
24-32 cleaned Razor clams, coarsely chopped
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Cook bacon in soup pot over low heat until wilted and slightly browned. Add butter and onions; cook until onions turn clear. Add flour and cook another 5 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, thyme, and pepper. Simmer until potatoes can be easily pierced with fork but are still firm, adding more water as needed for preferred consistency (up to 2 cups).
Add the clams and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Add the milk and cream. Stir constantly over very low heat until the soup is hot but not boiling; if it boils the soup will curdle. Serve immediately, topped with fresh parsley.

Local wine pairing suggestions:
Rio Vista Viognier (Antoine Creek Vineyards)*
Hard Row to Hoe Primitivo
Tsillan Cellars Estate Pinot Grigio

Easy Minestrone Soup

They say the first hard frost will be tonight...there's nothing like the hearty minestrone soup Jan Little from Rio Vista Wines contributed to Savoring Chelan to ward off the pending winter chill.

"This easy soup is just bursting with the flavor of fresh vegetables, which can be varied depending on what is seasonally available. If time allows, substitute fresh veggies for canned. My 11 grandchildren clamor for me to make this. What better way for them to get their vegetables?" ~ Jan Little, Rio Vista Winery

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves 12

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion (about 1 cup), chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans
1 can (12 oz.) whole-kernel corn
2 stalks celery (about 1 cup), sliced
2 cups shredded cabbage     (about 1/4 head)
2 small zucchini (about 2 cups), sliced
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni or broken spaghetti
3 cups water
1/2 cup red wine or water
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and garlic in Dutch oven or skillet until beef is light brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), kidney beans (with liquid) and remaining ingredients; break up tomatoes with fork.
Heat to boiling; reduce to medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until macaroni and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Serve in large soup bowls topped with grated Parmesan cheese with the breadstick recipe below.


Recipe Tips
After browning beef, stir in all ingredients except macaroni, cover and refrigerate. 20 minutes before serving, add macaroni and continue cooking.
Substitute any fresh or favorite vegetables that are in season, such as asparagus or carrots.
To make breadsticks to go with the soup, cut a loaf of French bread in half, then into 4-inch long pieces. Cut each piece into 3 sticks. Brush cut sides with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake sticks on ungreased pan at 450˚F until golden brown, about 8 minutes.         Makes 30 bread sticks.

Fruit Salsa Salad

The great thing about salads is that you can throw in whatever fruits and vegetables you find at your local farmer's market, in your garden, or in the grocery store if need be. This recipe, from the owners of the Culinary Apple in Chelan, lends well to fresh substitutions.

Fruit Salsa Salad
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves 6

Fruit Salsa
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 medium diced Fuji apples
2 cups blueberries
1 fresh orange, peeled, sectioned and cut into small pieces

Dressing
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons apple juice
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Garnish
1 1/4 cups mixed baby salad greens
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Gently stir all fruit salsa ingredients together.
Whisk dressing ingredients together, pour over the fruit salsa and let stand for 10 minutes.
Divide the greens onto 6 chilled plates, spoon fruit salsa over salad greens and top with cheese.

Recipe contributed to Savoring Chelan: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes by Mary Weldy of the Culinary Apple in Chelan. Click here for their website and to buy Savoring Chelan from their online store.

Goodbye, Oprah: Comfort Food You Wouldn't Approve Of

I won't lie: I'm not an Oprah fan. I don't mean that as in I don't like her, I mean very simply that I am not part of her fan club, and I don't regularly watch her show. Nevertheless, I understand the momentousness of the fact that Oprah will not be a television staple anymore: whether you want to or not, you have to admit that she is a media icon that has not only shaped popular culture but has made some lucky artists, writers and everyday people incredibly famous.
So even though I am not part of the Oprah fan club, this blog post is dedicated to all my friends and acquaintances whose lives became a less awesome because Oprah is retiring. Instead of telling you to buck up, I'm going to do something very un-Oprah-esque: recommend super carb-heavy, creamy comfort food.
Last week I said that the pork tenderloin is my favorite recipe in Savoring Chelan, but it is very closely followed by Fire Pasta.
The Fire Pasta recipe came to me from Campbell's Resort in Chelan, but its fame did not start there. The Fire Pasta sauce was originally found on Breasts of Fire, a chicken breast dish served a Gucci's, a well-loved but now defunct restaurant and bar in Chelan. In all of its incarnations, it is a local Chelan favorite, and was once made for me on a second date as a way to sway my affections. (It worked).
Fire Pasta is not for the weak of tongue: the main sauce ingredients are Frank's hot sauce and >>swoon<< whipping cream. (Perhaps you will best appreciate this meal if you are also a little angry that Oprah is abandoning you...I'm not a therapist, but perhaps the fiery heat could help you release your inner cranky abandoned child). It is very good if you saute some of your favorite vegetables, but the beauty of the Fire Pasta is that it is incredibly good with no other accompaniment than some bread to soak it up with and possibly a glass or two of your favorite wine. So goodbye, Oprah. Best of luck in all your future endeavors, and I hope you don't hold this comfort against me.

Photo by Richard Uhlhorn

Fire Pasta
Recipe contributed to Savoring Chelan by Troy Nesvacil, chef at Campbell’s Resort.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

One 12 oz. package pasta, preferably fettuccini or linguini
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups chicken (1 pound), cut into 2-inch strips
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1-1/4 cups Frank’s hot sauce
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Hotel butter: whip the following ingredients until doubled in volume
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove fresh minced garlic
Pinch salt and pepper

Garnish
Parmesan
Parsley

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While it’s cooking, sauté olive oil, chicken, salt and pepper in a pan until the chicken is browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the pan; set aside. To deglaze, add the Worcestershire and hot sauce to the pan with the leftover oil; mix all ingredients until hot and blended. Add in the whipping cream and red chili flakes and add the chicken to finish cooking. Simmer the mixture until it is reduced into a thick sauce; adding 2 tablespoons of Parmesan will quicken the process. Drain the cooked pasta and toss with hotel butter first, then add in the sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley.

My Last Meal: Caribbean Pork Tenderloin, Amongst 8 Other Courses

The news has been overtaken the last couple days with The Rapture: the idea that the world is going to end at 6 p.m. EST on today, May 21. According to the theory, the estimate is based on calculations from the Bible, and it will start with a series of earthquakes that will systematically destroy the earth. Believers will be whisked away to heaven, but non-believers will be left behind for an additional five months of torturous living before the world implodes on October 21. Or so they say.
Someone asked me what I would do differently if it WERE the last day of my existence, and honestly there's not much I would change...except what I eat.
My last meal would be so huge, I would be in a food coma by the time the first earthquakes hit. Since I love food and wine, this should not surprise you. The more I thought about it, though, the more food I realized I want to eat again if the end is nigh.
It's a long list and includes many courses. I'd start out with chipotle butternut squash soup -- a new concoction of mine I came up with last year -- followed by about 4 main courses. My mom's prime rib is definitely on the top of the list (it's smothered in kosher salt and baked until the outside is a fatty, crusty goodness that makes your mouth water and your hands swell from the sodium content) and Kaspressknödel, a fried German potato pancake-type delicacy with three different types of cheese in it. Creme brulee would also be on my list, plus some good tequila and a Piña Colada.
But since I also have room for additional main courses -- it's my last day on earth, why not? -- I have to admit I would also want some Caribbean Pork Tenderloin.
It's hard to say, but here I go: it's my favorite recipe in Savoring Chelan. There's something about the stacks of marinated pork tenderloin topped with apple and sweet potato sauteed in butter and cinnamon that makes my mouth water every time I think about it.
That's not to say I would include a couple more of the recipes from the book if I had a last week to survive before the stores were looted, (can you say Fire Pasta and Chocolate Truffles?) but since I'm coming onto the rapture party a little late in the day, this is the one that makes the cut.

Caribbean Pork Tenderloin

Contributed by Ray Sandidge, winemaker for C.R. Sandidge Wines.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Marinade time: 1-2 hours
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Two whole pork tenderloins

Marinade
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

Sauté items
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 whole apples, cored and cut into rounds (4 rounds per serving)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into rounds (4 rounds per serving)

Garnish
Fresh chopped cilantro
Chopped pecans
Olive oil
Chopped green onion

Mix marinade items in a large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Cut pork tenderloins into 1 to 1-1/2 inch medallions and toss pork in the marinade until well coated. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove pork medallions from marinade and grill 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. Sauté the apple and sweet potato slices in the butter with the brown sugar until lightly browned and softened.
Alternating sweet potato, pork, apple, sweet potato, pork and apple, make two stacks on the plate; you may need toothpicks. Garnish with cilantro, pecans, olive oil, green onion and serve with salad greens. Serve hot.