Its amazing what a little wood can do in a kettle grill. I picked up some red oak a while back because I'd heard it is less intense than hickory, while more flavorful than apple wood. And tonight I thought I'd give it a shot on some rib eye steaks. Bert and I were brainstorming how we could have done better in the Grillin on the Bay beef category last weekend, and he recalled a steak he seared and then smoked over mesquite. Sounded good to me, so I set to work on a similar version. Here's the lowdown: 

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Tried making risotto for the first time this weekend. If you've done it before you know the deal, but I was surprised at the amount of mundane work/time it takes. Though it was delicious.

Quick layout of ingredients (2 cups arborio rice, 1 medium yellow onion diced, 5 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup dry white wine, a head of broccoli, big handful of fresh peas, 1 chopped scallion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and 1 cup grated parmasean cheese):

I sauteed the onion for 3-4 minutes in some olive oil, and then added the rice and strirred around for a few minutes:

I then added a half cup of the white wine, and stirred it around untill it cooked off entirely. From this point on, I added half cup increments of warmed chicken broth to the pan and stirred constantly untill it cooked off. I did this 10 times, which took 25-30 minutes. Here's the rice about 15 minutes into the stirring process:

I then added the cooked broccoli (steamed for 5 minutes over white wine), raw peas, scallion, and parsley, and stirred this around for a minute or two. Then I added the grated parmasean and stirred to coat:

I think I added another 1/2 cup of chicken broth to get the consistancy. Here's the final plate :

This was unlike anything I ever made. no meat, no sides, just the one thing. It was really rich and nicely salty. I think I actaully preferred it as a side to my grilled cheese lunch the next day, but I'm excited I can now make risotto. Mushroom version needs to be next. Maybe with some crispy shallot rings.

This kinda kicked most pizza joints ass. Mushroom artichoke:

Chicken, BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda and red onion:

Both were on the house sourdough crust. And the chicken one is getting me excited about making some kind of pulled pork and smoked cheese pizza this summer. Stay tuned!

This was fabulous. Coat two fillet (2 inches thick) with a little olive oil, and then press in 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper and 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary. Also coat 4oz crimini mushrooms and three plum tomatos (cored and halved lengthwise) in a little olive oil. Put everything in a literally smoking hot cast iron pan, and cook the meat 3 min per side. Stir the mushrooms and tomatos a few times throughout. Then add in a 1/4 cup dry red wine, and an 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar. Stir to coat eveything, and toss the pan in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir/baste a few times while cooking. Take the steaks out of the pan, let rest for 5 minutes (loosely covered with foil) and return the pan (with the mushrooms and tomatos) to the stove. Cook over med-high heat stirring constantly to thicken up the sauce for 3-4 minutes. I plated this over a mound of simple mashed potatoes. It's a rich meal, but great for a cold night sitting in front of a roaring fire. Good stuff!

Tried a black bean soup recipe from Sara Foster tonight (yes, i'm somewhat obsessed with her, and Bittman, and Waters). Overall i thought this didn't have enough kick, and my limes were on steroids clearly (though somehow organic), but still a solid bb soup. Definitely not the thick, guinessy pub version. This is fresh, bright, tangy, but also somewhat hearty. Look at this first step of ingredients:

After cooking 2 cups of dried beans (cooked in 3 inches of water for 45 minutes), i sauteed one diced red onion for about 10 minutes:

Then added in 2 diced carrots, 4 stalks diced celery, 2 diced jalepenos, 1 diced red bell pepper, and sauteed for another 10 minutes or so. I then added 8 gloves of minced garlic for about a minute:

Next i added 8 cups chicken broth (definitely could have been vegetable broth if going vegetarian), 4 bay leaves, a tablespoon of dried basil, teaspoon of salt, and 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced:

This is it fully in the pot:

After coming to a boil i reduced to simmer and cooked for about an hour or an hour and a half uncovered:

I then took about half of the soup out, and blended it in a food processor, and returned it to the pot along with the juice of 3 gargantuan limes: 

Thickish (but not thick enough... i later went back to my remaining pot of soup after dinner and cooked it on low for another hour or so to reduce and thicken it up. )

Proof, these limes were huge. (I dropped the juiced lime halves in the food processor because i didn't want to get the counter all limey. They didn't go in there for any recipe reason))

The final bowl, topped with chopped cilantro:

In retrospect, i should have realized my limes were enormous and cut it by half. I also think this would have been great with a few slices of avocado and raw red onion on top. We ate it with a few slices of sourdough bread, but it'd be great with some simple cheese quesadillas... maybe heavy on the chipotle for some contrast. I'd definitely make this again with these modifications... but like Lori says, "never doubt Sara Foster." Ya, this was pretty great. 

 

 

$18: Crisp, amlost like tin, and a little sharp. Refreshing. I love this wine.