Some of you know that Mrs. Rural Gourmet is the Sparrow Club adviser at the local high school. Sparrow Club is a wonderful organization which allows students to "adopt" a child who has a significant, sometimes life threatening illness. Through adoption, students raise money and provide hope and support for the child and his or her family.
Each year, Mrs. RG and I contribute a dinner for 4 to the annual Sparrow Club auction. The winning bidder gets to select from a menu of 6-8 main courses which includes an appetizer, dessert and a wine pairing. We prep most of the meal here at the house, but it is finished, and served at the winning bidder's house.
This year, we did Greek Pastitsio or Greek Lasagna. Instead of doing the healthier option, we went for the more traditional option (using cream and whole milk). It was excellent! We still used a mix of elk meat and turkey as ground lamb is difficult to find here, and frankly, we have a lot of both. As a twist, we used a bucatini type of pasta which was very nice.
The entire meal consisted of
Appetizer
Olive Tapenade served over toast points and topped with fresh cucumber slice and feta cheese
Salad
Greek Salad (which was excellent). I will need to get Mrs. RG to post the recipe. It is a keeper!
Main
Greek Pastitsio
Dessert
Greek Lemon Cake
For the wine, we decided to serve Tempranillo mainly for its structure but it was very complimentary to the spice in the pastitsio. We had two lovely wines, one from Northwestern Spain and the other from Abacela in Southern Oregon. Both were great choices.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tri-tip roast and creamy sun dried tomato polenta
March starts tomorrow and spring sports at the school are already underway. People are making plans for spring break and the hearts and minds of the populous are on things like flowers, sun and baseball. What do we have here in our little town? Wind, freezing temps and 6 inches of snow on the ground!
When I got home from work tonight, it was snowing hard and I was thinking comfort food. My friend Phil loves making lamb shank with creamy polenta "one pot" style. While I didn't have lamb, (it is still a little early out here for that), I did have a nice Tri tip roast in the fridge.
Tri tip is sometimes called a roast, sometimes a steak and I have seen it cut as a roast or in strips, similar to a strip steak.. It is a bottom sirloin muscle which for a long time was simply used for ground beef. My old boss Richard Kronman from Malibu, California introduced me to trip tip in the early 1990's. In Southern California, it was a very popular, moderately priced cut of beef, but it was nearly impossible to find even in the Portland, Oregon area 25 years ago. He loved grilling a long marinated Tri tip (roast) for guests. Careful grilling produces meat that is medium to well on the ends while medium rare in the middle. Frankly, it is a happy cut of meat!
When selecting tri tip, look for good red color and good marbling. After cooking, make sure to let the meat rest, and do not overcook. Cut across the grain for best results.
Tri tip roast served over creamy sun dried tomato polenta.
One tri tip roast
Dry rub of choice
3 cups beef broth
1 cup (dry) Bob's Red Mill polenta (aka grits)
two heaping tablespoons of sun dried tomato (julienne style or chopped), rinsed
Olive oil for browning.
Salt and pepper to taste.
In an earlier post, I have raved about how much I love the french oven I got for Christmas. This is a perfect dinner for that oven but a large casserole will work just as well. Dry rub your Tri tip roast and heat olive oil up in french oven on the stove top (or skillet if using casserole). Sear until brown both sides of Tri tip roast. Meanwhile, in french oven, combine beef broth, dry polenta and sun dried tomatoes. For a richer meal, add some heavy cream or half an half to the mixture. You may want to put some fresh tomatoes in the polenta as well. Place browned roast on top of mixture (it will be watery), cover french oven and bake in preheated 325 for 65-70 mins.
After 45 mins, check consistency of polenta. Water, broth or cream may be added here if polenta is looking too done.
When done, remove roast from polenta and let stand 10 mins. Slice meat crosswise. Plate the meal by serving a cup of polenta with three thin slices of beef on top and side it with some steamed carrots, or a salad. A good wine choice would be a full bodied Italian red such as an Aglianico or Barolo.
When I got home from work tonight, it was snowing hard and I was thinking comfort food. My friend Phil loves making lamb shank with creamy polenta "one pot" style. While I didn't have lamb, (it is still a little early out here for that), I did have a nice Tri tip roast in the fridge.
Tri tip is sometimes called a roast, sometimes a steak and I have seen it cut as a roast or in strips, similar to a strip steak.. It is a bottom sirloin muscle which for a long time was simply used for ground beef. My old boss Richard Kronman from Malibu, California introduced me to trip tip in the early 1990's. In Southern California, it was a very popular, moderately priced cut of beef, but it was nearly impossible to find even in the Portland, Oregon area 25 years ago. He loved grilling a long marinated Tri tip (roast) for guests. Careful grilling produces meat that is medium to well on the ends while medium rare in the middle. Frankly, it is a happy cut of meat!
When selecting tri tip, look for good red color and good marbling. After cooking, make sure to let the meat rest, and do not overcook. Cut across the grain for best results.
Tri tip roast served over creamy sun dried tomato polenta.
One tri tip roast
Dry rub of choice
3 cups beef broth
1 cup (dry) Bob's Red Mill polenta (aka grits)
two heaping tablespoons of sun dried tomato (julienne style or chopped), rinsed
Olive oil for browning.
Salt and pepper to taste.
In an earlier post, I have raved about how much I love the french oven I got for Christmas. This is a perfect dinner for that oven but a large casserole will work just as well. Dry rub your Tri tip roast and heat olive oil up in french oven on the stove top (or skillet if using casserole). Sear until brown both sides of Tri tip roast. Meanwhile, in french oven, combine beef broth, dry polenta and sun dried tomatoes. For a richer meal, add some heavy cream or half an half to the mixture. You may want to put some fresh tomatoes in the polenta as well. Place browned roast on top of mixture (it will be watery), cover french oven and bake in preheated 325 for 65-70 mins.
After 45 mins, check consistency of polenta. Water, broth or cream may be added here if polenta is looking too done.
When done, remove roast from polenta and let stand 10 mins. Slice meat crosswise. Plate the meal by serving a cup of polenta with three thin slices of beef on top and side it with some steamed carrots, or a salad. A good wine choice would be a full bodied Italian red such as an Aglianico or Barolo.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Game On! Diet by the numbers
Game on! Diet by the numbers.
This is the last day of the Game On!
Diet, Winter 2012. A whole month of playing a game while getting
healthier. Looking back, I am amazed at what I and others have
accomplished. I thought I would share some statistics with you.
In the last month:
I drank a little over 23 gallons of
drinking water, only a little with a little lemon or lime wedge.
I had no soda, diet soda or any
artificial sweetener what so ever.
I consumed 128 smaller, healthy meals
with a carb unit, protein unit and healthy fat.
I consumed 5 high calorie high fat
meals, on my days off of course.
I got at least 20 minutes of exercise
26 of the last 30 days. This has included everything from cross
country skiing to walking a short trail out and back three times in a
storm.
I have written something non work
related 25 times in the last month.
I have stopped myself exaggerating at
least 300,000 times in the last 4 weeks.
As of today I have lost 9.4 lbs and
have gained significant strength in my upper body.
I have gained better control over my
time. I now leave work and fit in exercise on a regular basis. I have
never put work aside to exercise before.
Finally, I did all of this while
regularly taunting my competitors mercilessly!
Thanks folks! It has been a fun ride!
May the best team win!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Pork Loin with tangy pear sauce
Alright! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow is my last day on the Game On diet and I have to say I am pretty excited about it. I did pick up some good habits including working out on a regular basis and I discovered some great ways to make food better for you without sacrificing taste. One of the best finds I came across is non fat greek yogurt. This stuff rocks! It has a nice tangy bite like sour cream, is thick as all get out so it works as a spread, thickener whatever and it is loaded with protein. Definitely a keeper!
To get back to the post title, when I made the tangy pear sauce for the chicken, I had a few extra pears and so made more than I needed. I kept the sauce for a couple of days and roasted a lovely Oregon grown pork loin last night. Remember when cooking pork loin, get it to and internal temp of 140 -145 degrees then pull it out! Even the best pork loin gets dry so do not overcook it!
Anyway...the pear sauce was good on the chicken. It is excellent on the pork! It even looks better because the sauce is kinda redish brown which blends nicely with a browned pork loin but contrasts to a relatively white chicken breast.
Well there you have it!
To get back to the post title, when I made the tangy pear sauce for the chicken, I had a few extra pears and so made more than I needed. I kept the sauce for a couple of days and roasted a lovely Oregon grown pork loin last night. Remember when cooking pork loin, get it to and internal temp of 140 -145 degrees then pull it out! Even the best pork loin gets dry so do not overcook it!
Anyway...the pear sauce was good on the chicken. It is excellent on the pork! It even looks better because the sauce is kinda redish brown which blends nicely with a browned pork loin but contrasts to a relatively white chicken breast.
Well there you have it!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Try something for 30 days
I learned to cook in college. I was on an off campus program studying political science and American art in Washington DC and living with a roommate in a run down, but furnished, extended stay hotel. For my first week there, all I ate was frozen pot pies and the occasional plate of spaghetti or mac and cheese. My roommate's mother had sent him a book (which I would love to find again) which had a title something like The Single Guy's Guide to Cooking. He barely glanced at it, but for some reason, I read it cover to cover. That was in September. By November we had cooked a 5 course turkey dinner in our little apartment for ten of our friends! I will never forget it.
I remember thinking (way back then) that I wanted to learn to cook. Being on my own 3000 miles from home seemed like the perfect time to give it a shot. If I failed, so what? I would be heading home in a few months and could go back to eating in the dining hall. But I didn't fail. From those humble beginnings, I started a love affair with food that continues to this day.
I am not the best cook in the world by any stretch. However, I have learned so much about my life, who I am, what I like to do, and they types of people I enjoy hanging out with, much of that through cooking!
I am still learning! With this Game On Diet, I have learned how to make some healthy, yet still tasty dishes, I have lost some weight and I am in better shape. Best of all, because I did it for 30 days this coming Wednesday, many of these healthy patterns should stick (hopefully).
As you travel down this road of life, I encourage you to take the time and take some risks. Do something you have always wanted to do, for 30 days. See how it turns out! Heck you can do anything for 30 days!
Here is the video that inspired this post:
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html
I remember thinking (way back then) that I wanted to learn to cook. Being on my own 3000 miles from home seemed like the perfect time to give it a shot. If I failed, so what? I would be heading home in a few months and could go back to eating in the dining hall. But I didn't fail. From those humble beginnings, I started a love affair with food that continues to this day.
I am not the best cook in the world by any stretch. However, I have learned so much about my life, who I am, what I like to do, and they types of people I enjoy hanging out with, much of that through cooking!
I am still learning! With this Game On Diet, I have learned how to make some healthy, yet still tasty dishes, I have lost some weight and I am in better shape. Best of all, because I did it for 30 days this coming Wednesday, many of these healthy patterns should stick (hopefully).
As you travel down this road of life, I encourage you to take the time and take some risks. Do something you have always wanted to do, for 30 days. See how it turns out! Heck you can do anything for 30 days!
Here is the video that inspired this post:
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html
Thursday, February 2, 2012
My Drunk Kitchen
Well it is not really MY drunk kitchen, although it may have been once, but I am not telling. One of my goals was to write something non work related every day and I didn't have much to write about today. I did see a new episode of My Drunk Kitchen (MDK) for short. I think this woman is hilarious! Fair warning the videos would probably be rated PG-13.
Have fun!
http://hartoandco.com/my-drunk-kitchen/
Have fun!
http://hartoandco.com/my-drunk-kitchen/
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Trusty Stir Fry
I have to say I was not super inspired tonight for dinner. I was hungry for something savory but needed to cook light. The solution? Trusty Stir Fry!
I like vegetables but I do not love them, except in stir fry! Tonight I put almost everything we had in the new wok I got for Christmas (thanks Sal!). Onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, celery, snow peas yum! Since I needed some protein, thinly sliced chicken breast.
Now you do not need a wok for good stir fry but it is easier. Here is how I do it. As always, I appreciate your comments.
First, I cook the sliced chicken breast until all of it is cooked through. I use frozen breasts often so if there is residual water, drain it. While the meat is cooking I slice up all the veggies I am going to use and reserve them. I then remove the meat, toss in a little oil, get the pan pretty hot (medium high heat) and toss in the tougher vegetables such as broccoli and peppers and carrots, then I toss in the softer veggies such as celery. I cook them for about 8-10 mins until they start to soften up. Then I put in the following:
Powdered ginger - mmmm nice flavor
Crushed garlic - cant get enough of it
Celery seeds - What you ask? Trust me they are good!
Red pepper flakes to taste - what is life without a little heat?
Give all that a stir and then add your soy sauce or what I have been using lately, liquid aminos (sounds weird but it is very similar to soy sauce without all the salt). I like the stuff over wild rice but hey, it can be eaten plain, over noodles, whatever. Enjoy!
I like vegetables but I do not love them, except in stir fry! Tonight I put almost everything we had in the new wok I got for Christmas (thanks Sal!). Onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, celery, snow peas yum! Since I needed some protein, thinly sliced chicken breast.
Now you do not need a wok for good stir fry but it is easier. Here is how I do it. As always, I appreciate your comments.
First, I cook the sliced chicken breast until all of it is cooked through. I use frozen breasts often so if there is residual water, drain it. While the meat is cooking I slice up all the veggies I am going to use and reserve them. I then remove the meat, toss in a little oil, get the pan pretty hot (medium high heat) and toss in the tougher vegetables such as broccoli and peppers and carrots, then I toss in the softer veggies such as celery. I cook them for about 8-10 mins until they start to soften up. Then I put in the following:
Powdered ginger - mmmm nice flavor
Crushed garlic - cant get enough of it
Celery seeds - What you ask? Trust me they are good!
Red pepper flakes to taste - what is life without a little heat?
Give all that a stir and then add your soy sauce or what I have been using lately, liquid aminos (sounds weird but it is very similar to soy sauce without all the salt). I like the stuff over wild rice but hey, it can be eaten plain, over noodles, whatever. Enjoy!
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