Spicy Peruvian Lima Bean Succotash – Recipe

Spicy Peruvian Lima Bean Succotash – http://www.nerdsteak.com

Here is a tasty recipe using Peruvian Lima Beans. They are quite a large bean that ends up having a very creamy consistency when cooks, so be gentle when mixing.  I soaked them overnight, then boiled them for about 1-1/2 hours for this recipe.  Watch them close when boiling because they can go from cooked to a mushy mess in a few minutes.

Spicy Peruvian Lima Bean Succotash

5 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons Aleppo chile flake
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked Peruvian Lima Beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup picked cilantro leaves
1/4 cup roughlly chopped arugula

Fry bacon on medium heat in a large skillet until crispy, then remove to drain on a paper towel, leaving excess rendered fat in the pan.
Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add garlic, chile flake, salt and pepper and sauté just until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Add cooked Peruvian Lima Beans, tomatoes and corn to pan, and cook just until tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes.
Finish by adding sherry vinegar, then turn off heat, fold in cilantro and arugula and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes about 6 servings

Cajun Dirty Rice and Andouille Stuffed Pork Loin – Recipe

Cajun Dirty Rice Stuffed Pork Loin with Andouille and Collards

Here is a very easy recipe using D’allesandro Cajun Dirty Rice Blend.  You can also add more filling before you roll the loin, just make sure it is tightly tied with twine.

Cajun Dirty Rice-Stuffed Pork Loin

2-1/2 to 3-pound pork loin
1 cup cooked Cajun Dirty Rice
1 cup cooked andouille sausage, crumbled
1 cup thinly sliced collard greens, picked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Butcher’s twine

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prep pork loin by slicing across it lengthwise, stopping 3/4 inch from the other side. Open halves, laying pork flat. Starting from the center, slice each half lengthwise, again stopping 3/4 inch from the other side. Again, open so pork is flat. You will have made one large, flat piece of pork 3/4 inch thick. Make sure to keep it in one piece.
Evenly cover flattened pork loin with prepared Cajun Dirty Rice, andouille sausage and collard greens, then tightly roll it jellyroll-style so that the loin returns to its original shape.
Tie with butcher’s twine to keep the filling inside and to cook evenly.
Rub outside of meat with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and bake until internal temperature reaches 155°F, about 1 hour.
Increase heat to 500°F and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until exterior is crispy and browned.
Slice and serve.

Makes 8 to 12 servings

Chilled couscous with kale and cucumbers – recipe included

Chilled Couscous Salad with Kale and Cucumber

Super easy, light, tasty, and it will make all your dreams come true.  If you can’t find Couscous, click on the link and you can get it shipped right to your door!

Chilled Couscous with Kale and Cucumber

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon crushed Aleppo chile
2 teaspoons finely chopped mint, plus additional whole leaves for garnish
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups cooked Couscous, chilled
1 cup shredded kale, trimmed
1 cup diced baby cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Combine garlic, lemon juice and zest, crushed chile, mint, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Slowly whisk in olive oil until evenly incorporated.
Separate Couscous by rubbing between your hands, and add to bowl along with remaining ingredients.
Let sit for 30 minutes before serving, and garnish each serving with a fresh mint sprig.

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Seared Scallops with Funghi Porcini Risotto

Seared Scallops with D’allesandro Foods Porcini Risotto

Here is a recipe I created using an already seasoned Porcini Risotto from D’allesandro.  It’s very simple to make, and you only need water or broth, and about 20 minutes to cook.  It comes out nice and creamy without having to add extra cream or cheese.  If you want to give it a try, you can buy it right here!

Seared Scallops with Funghi Porcini Risotto

4 cups cooked D’allesandro Funghi Porcini Risotto
12 sea scallops, patted dry
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed
Scallion oil or extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
Shaved parmesan, for garnish
2 tablespoons chile threads, for garnish

Cook Funghi Porcini Risotto according to package instructions.
Pat the scallops on both sides with paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
Heat grapeseed oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat, then sear scallops on both sides until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Do not overcook.
Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.
To serve, place some risotto on each plate and drizzle scallion oil or extra virgin olive oil around the plate.
Sprinkle with shaved parmesan and place three scallops on each plate. Top with a pinch of chile threads and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Let me know if you make it at home and how it turns out!

NERDSTEAK product review – Oloves™ olives

The people at Oloves™ (http://www.oloves.com) were nice enough to send me some samples to conduct a consumer review.  I received the samples last week and here is what I thought:

• Packaging Apparence – These olives come in a cool silver pouch with a tear away top.  It was very easy to open and all of the samples held up very well in the shipping box without the need for much extra packaging. This was obviously produced outside the US with the UK ingredient and nutritional statement on the packaging, but still easy to follow.  They have a very nice product shot on the front with a, ’50 calorie snack’ tag on the front.  It has a very simple yet upscale feel, along with enough support to be a great traveling snack.
• Product Appearance – The olives themselves held up pretty well being in a soft pouch with little excess oil or brine, but you will notice that they don’t have the integrity of olives in a glass jar, which is to be expected.  I will note that the Mediterranean flavor variety was a much darker green than the Hot Chilli Mama and the Lemony Lover varieties.  Nothing on the package noted a different olive variety.  I liked that the olives were not swimming in oil or brine making it a better quick snack option.  The Mediterranean and the Lemon varieties had the appropriate amount of garnish for what I expected, however the chile version looked like it was lacking in chile flakes.
• Eating Experience – Starting with the Mediterranean, I felt it had a great flavor with notes of garlic and basil, however the texture of the olives were overly soft.  They had just the right amount of tangy brine flavor and did not over saturate my mouth with oil like other olive brands.  Still, the olives being extra soft made this my least favorite of the three varieties and If they were the same texture as the other two, it could have easily been my favorite. Next was the lemon variety which had a much better olive texture.  There were some interesting lemon pieces in the package which tasty more like candied lemon than fresh squeezed lemon juice, but was still a nice little treat you would not normally find.  For me, I could have used just a touch more garlic flavor as well as a more natural lemon flavor in the olives. Last was the chile variety.  My first tasty was perfect, great olive texture, just the right amount of heat and a touch of lemon, however my next piece was over the top hot.  I noticed that the chile flakes were not evenly distributed over the olives, which makes me believe they added the chile flakes after the olives were brined.  This allows for ‘hot-spots,’ not an even amount of heat throughout the product.  Also, on their ingredient statement, it showed lemon pieces are supposed to be mixed in with this variety as well, but I did not find any in my particular package. All around experience was very favorable, but felt there could be some small tweaks to make it even better.  I will note that I did not find any pits or stems which you can sometimes find in other brands of olives.
• Value – From what I researched, the cost of these seem to be in line with other pre-portioned olives out there.  You will get a better value buying olives in bulk, however with these, you get the convenience of an easy open and transportable snack. They also promote being all-natural, gluten/dairy/nut free, vegan and kosher.
• Overall – I had a very favorable experience with Oloves™ olives.  I enjoyed the easy-open and fancy looking packaging, the lack of oil/brine to pick though, along with some good flavors.  I felt that if the Mediterranean variety used the same olives as the other two, if the lemon variety moved away from the candy lemon flavor, and the chilli variety had a more even heat, this would have been quite the product!  I give Oloves™ olives a 3.5 out of 5.

NERDSTEAK is more than happy to review any food, beverage, restaurant, CPG or equipment items you have to offer.  Feel free to contact Mike directly at chefman316@aol.com to arrange for shipping of samples, or to schedule a review.

Jim Gaffigan on BACON!

Short Rib Lunch

Red wine braised short rib, aleppo pepper polenta cake, caramelized pearl onion, oven-dried tomatoes, roasted asparagus

Bacon Poem – Thou Art Loving Pork

 

 

 

 

 

If it’s first thing in the morning
Or the last thing at night,
Bacon will make life better
Even if it’s just a bite

You might bake it in the oven
Or crisp it in a pan,
Salty, smokey, fatty goodness
Brings the joy only bacon can

The aroma will fill a room
instantly gathering a crowd,
Your bacon will magically disappear
as if ascending to a cloud

Bacon has found its way
into many culinary creations,
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts,
Even some odd libationsSo if you need a tasty snack
the ultimate in food inventions,
Grab a slab of bacon
You’re welcome, with good intentions

Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger Crusted Filet – Need I Say More?

I would like to state right here and now, that I am the originator of the ‘Burger Crusted Steak’.  I used the same burger meat I created yesterday, and packed it around a beef filet, then made magic happen.  This is how you do it…(dun da dun da dun dunnnnnnn):

First you make your bacon bleu burger mix:

• 2 pounds of 90/10 ground chuck (90% lean)
• 1-1/2 pounds raw applewood smoked bacon (pureed in food processor into a paste)
• 8 ounces gorgonzola cheese
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 Tbsp. granulated garlic

Take a 6 ounce beef filet and flatten it to about 1/2 inch thickness, then season with salt.  Take your ground meat mixture, and liberally pack it around the steak:

On a grill set to super high, grill for about 5 minutes on each side, turning 90° half way through:

Place the burger-steak-beast on a small sheet tray, and bake in a 375°F oven for about 6 more minutes to have a nice medium-rare center (you can adjust your cooking time here to your preferred doneness).  Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting into this bad boy and having a party in your mouth!

If  winning was a Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger Crusted Filet…this would be it.  Hopeful this starts a new trend with all the hipster-foodies out there, and I get the occasional shout-out.  \\..//