Coming in from the slopes rosy-cheeked and hungry, wouldn’t it be nice if you thought ahead and had this hearty dinner ready for warm-up in the oven? Fennel seed adds a bright sassy note to this age-old favorite.
My mother spends the summer in a small cabin on Wolf Lake, in the Catskill Mountains. Though only two hours from New York City, it is truly “peace on earth”… that is until company arrives.
And company comes all summer long. My brothers and I, with families in tow, make an annual sojourn back to the lake. We eat too much, drink too much, and laugh enough to make up for lost time together. We revisit old memories and make new ones. Those who live close by, visit weekly. I call my mother and hear the new stories. Stories that I am not a part of.
Last weekend, my brother Jim and his family were at the lake and my mother served steaks with Smith and Truslow’s Organic Tarra·Cardamom Rub (her favorite). I was touched that my nephew Corey liked the rub so much that he ordered some as a gift. It made me feel like I was a part of the gathering, even though I wasn’t there. Half-way across the country, I felt connected.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Directions:
The chaos from our most recent renovation project finally ruffled John’s feathers. Everything we own - from wine and bread crumbs to bike pumps and ski helmets - was strewn throughout the living/dining room in our new loft. Clutter from our once organized pantry occupied every surface in the kitchen. Paint cans, rollers and brushes were piled in the sink to dry. We had just finnished priming the shelves in the soon to be “coolest pantry in Denver.”
We were both tired, cranky and starving. The early evening sun was just low enough in the sky to make our new sun umbrella totally useless. The air was hot and still and the sun was bright. Still, we opted to eat on the deck to escape the chaos inside.
I had taken two steaks out of the freezer that morning. While John fired up the grill, I surveyed the sparse contents of our refrigerator and found 1/2 an onion and some frozen peas. I chopped up the onion and threw it in a pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. When the onions became translucent, I added one teaspoon of our organic Tarra·Cardamom Rub, two teaspoons of Black Currant Vinegar and about a cup of red wine. I brought the whole thing to a boil then reduced it down. Mushrooms might be a good addition, but I didn’t have any.
Though I take credit for this amazing sauce, it could not have been created without the genius input from Reese Hay, the chef du cuisine at the 8100 Mountainside Grill in the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek and the creator of our Tarra.Cardamom rub.
While the sauce reduced, I picked through a jumbled pile in the living room and discovered a treasure – a bottle of Cristom (a wine with a history, a memory of one of our first dates). It’s an awesome pinot noir with “intense berry flavors, firm acidity, and light almost feminine tannins – near perfection in a glass”. [ The words of Conde Cox of the Portland Monthly Magazine, not mine - to me it just tastes real good.]
The meal was the perfect end and reward to a tumultuous and labor-intensive day. The steaks grilled to perfection, drizzled with my new favorite red wine reduction sauce, and a great bottle of wine. The sun finally dropped behind Union Station, the sky lit up in reds and oranges, and a gentle breeze softened the heat of the day.
Who cares if the peas were frozen?
This is adapted from Pierre Franey’s recipe in Cooking with the 60-Minute Gourmet. As usual, I up the red pepper flakes, and make mandatory the optional jalepeno. As Madonna says, “if you can’t stand the heat, get off of my street”. (From her song I Love New York). To echo the festive Santa Fe feeling that the cumin, cilantro and chili inspire and to cool yourselves down, serve with frosty margaritas.
The chaos from our most recent renovation project finally ruffled John’s feathers. Everything we own—from wine and bread crumbs to bike pumps and ski helmets—was strewn throughout the living/dining room in our new loft. Clutter from our once organized pantry occupied every surface in the kitchen. Paint cans, rollers and brushes were piled in the sink to dry. We had just finished priming the shelves in the soon to be “coolest pantry in Denver.”
We were both tired, cranky and starving. The early evening sun was just low enough in the sky to make our new sun umbrella totally useless. The air was hot and still and the sun was bright. Still, we opted to eat on the deck to escape the chaos inside.
I had taken two steaks out of the freezer that morning. While John fired up the grill, I surveyed the sparse contents of our refrigerator and found 1/2 an onion and some frozen peas. I chopped up the onion and threw it in a pan with 2 Tablespoons of butter. When the onions became translucent, I added 1 teaspoon of our Tarra·Cardamom Rub, 2 teaspoons of Black Currant Vinegar and about 1 cup of red wine. I brought the whole thing to a boil then reduced it down. Mushrooms might be a good addition, but I didn’t have any.
Though I take credit for this amazing sauce, it could not have been created without the genius input from Reese Hay, chef du cuisine at the 8100 Mountainside Grill in the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek and creator of our Tarra·Cardamom rub.
While the sauce reduced, I picked through a jumbled pile in the living room and discovered a treasure—a bottle of Cristom (a wine with a history, a memory of one of our first dates). It’s an awesome pinot noir with “intense berry flavors, firm acidity, and light almost feminine tannins—near perfection in a glass.” [ The words of Conde Cox of the Portland Monthly Magazine, not mine. To me it just tastes really good.]
The meal was the perfect end and reward to a tumultuous and labor-intensive day. The steaks grilled to perfection, drizzled with my new favorite red wine reduction sauce, and a great bottle of wine. The sun finally dropped behind Union Station, the sky lit up in reds and oranges, and a gentle breeze softened the heat of the day.
Who cares if the peas were frozen?
An easy, elegant and delicious special occasion entree, adapted from a Paula Deen recipe. Timing is the important factor here. The roast stays in the oven the majority of the day, nicely infusing your house with an exquisitely fragrant aroma. This particular rub works wonderfully with a beef filet roast as well, but since standing rib roast was on sale at Whole Foods at half the price of fillet, economy prevailed. The wine reduction sauce is optional as the roast stands, no pun intended, on its own, but it’s so easy and quick, why not?
Note: If you are partial to beef fillet roast, also known as beef tenderloin, apparently Costco carries the most reasonably priced, high quality product, according to America’s Test Kitchen and Alton Brown on Food Network.
Ingredients:
We custom blend our Organic Tarra·Cardamom Rub for the chef de cuisine of the 8100 Mountainside Bar and Grill in the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, CO. He rubs the blend on elk and cooks it over a wood fired grill. It is absolutely fabulous. When I can beg some elk off a hunting friend, I do. Otherwise I use this rub to make the best hamburgers around. Tarragon and cardamom combine to bring out the earthy flavors of the meat. Serve with a dark beer, or a bold red wine such as a hearty zinfandel.
3-4 Servings
Ingredients
Directions