Wednesday, October 30, 2013

NEW RECIPE: Herb Butter New York Strip with Fondant Potatoes (50th Recipe Special)

© Constantine William Spyrou

....Wow. I can't believe that just about 10 months ago, this blog was getting started. I've been creating tons of new ideas since then. And you've all been supporting me since then. Seriously, thank you all. Getting to 50 new recipes that I've come up with is an accomplishment in and of itself. Here's to many more to come!

Anyways, getting on the topic of this recipe... Since 50 is a significant number of recipes to reach, I wanted to create a dish that really brought the punch and knocked all of the other recipes I had out of the park. I came up with this recipe as a result of that - Herb Butter New York Strip. 

In fine dining restaurants, New York Strip is arguably one of the most popular steaks because of its marbling and great flavor. Chefs in these restaurants cook the steaks to perfection each time, but also can do it quicker through a method they have learned. Many restaurants now baste their steaks as they are cooking to help speed up the cooking process. The ingredient they utilize for this? Butter. It has a great nutty flavor that enhances the richness of the steak. This got me wondering about how it would taste to make a great herb butter for a rich steak, and this is what I got as a result. 

This steak is served with potatoes, but cooked in an amazing way- fondant style. Basically, they are seared off and then roasted in an oven with stock to help soften them. It's an amazing way to enjoy potatoes if you've never done it before! 

Recipe Serves One.  

For the Steak: 

1 8-oz New York Strip Steak (take out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking)
2 cloves of crushed garlic, skins on
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to season
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Herb Butter:

1/4 stick (1/4 cup) salted butter
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to season

For the Fondant Potatoes:

2 potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to season
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Start off by making the herb butter. Allow the butter to partially soften, then mix in the chopped parsley, thyme, lemon juice, and season. Let chill in the fridge overnight so that the flavors can marry.

2. Preheat the oven to a little under 400 degrees F (200 degrees Celsius). Take your halved potatoes and season them liberally. In a deep roasting pan (about 2-4 inches deep), place on high heat and add the olive oil. Cook the potatoes until they get a nice golden brown color on each side, about 1 minute per side. Before turning the potatoes, add your sprig of rosemary and butter into the pan.

3. Once all of the butter has melted, shake the pan around to ensure even distribution. Add your chicken stock, bring to a boil, then roast in the oven for 12 minutes. Cool once done.

4. Season your steak with salt and pepper and the dried thyme leaves. Press the seasoning into the steak to make sure the flavor penetrates all the way through the meat.

5. Add the olive oil to a hot pan on medium high heat. Just when it starts to smoke, add in your meat. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, then turn over. During these inital 2-3 minutes, add the garlic into your pan and allow its aroma to mix with the beef's as it cooks.

6. This is where it gets exciting. Take a generous spoonful of your herb butter and place it on top of the steak once it's turned over. The heat from the steak will melt the butter into the steak and throughout the pan. Place the garlic on top of the steak, and spoon the butter back over the steak as it melts out. Finish cooking (about another 3 minutes), then take out and let the steak rest. It should achieve about a medium-medium well cooking temperature with these times.

7. Serve the steak together with the fondant potatoes.

I got really hungry again typing up this recipe because it just sounds so amazing! You get the freshness of the herbs and the lemon to cut through the richness of the steak and the dense, soft potato. This great balance really makes for a delicious flavor for this awesome steak.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! enjoy! =) 


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

NEW RECIPE: Mom's Greek Orzo Salad

© Constantine William Spyrou

It's definitely been a longgg while since I posted last. Mainly because of college. I've been extremely busy most days, and this is the first time I've found in a while to relax and write a blog post, which I'm really happy about.

This blog post goes to home for me. It's my favorite recipe of all time that my mom made. The weeks that she made orzo salad, I would eat it for pretty much every meal because of how much I loved it! I tried making it in my apartment this past week, and I was able to replicate it pretty well. This is the version I came up with. It's really delicious and lasts a long time (given it's not eaten for 3 meals a day, although it definitely can be). This orzo salad packs in protein, vegetables, plenty of great flavor, and a close-to-home feel that I enjoy when I eat it. I get my childhood back. 

Recipe will serve up to 15 people.

Ingredients:

1 large package of orzo (about 8 oz uncooked)
2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups diced cucumbers
2 cups diced cherry tomatoes (sun-dried tomatoes are a great alternative to this as well)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced kalamata olives
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons garlic powder
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Cook the orzo to package specifications. This usually means boil in hot water with some salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil for around 9 minutes.
2. When the orzo is cooked, drain and add the remainder of your olive oil along with ample amounts of salt and pepper. Let cool for 30 minutes.
3. While the orzo is cooling, prepare your chopped vegetables and cheese. Once the orzo is cooled, mix all of your ingredients together well, and serve!

This is an extremely simple recipe that is so much fun to make and completely enjoyable. I have a great love for this dish, and plan to make it a lot more now that I'm in my apartment and can have a lot of freedom with cooking.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)