Pan Seared Steak with Red Wine Sauce

I was looking for something else to go with my salmon dish for Christmas Eve and found this at Canadian Living.   It's gonna work just great.   I'm switching the All-Purpose Flour out for Cornstarch to make it gluten free.


Pan Seared Steak with Red Wine Sauce

4 rib grilling steaks (6 to 8 oz/175 to 250 g each)
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (250 mL) red wine
1/2 cup (125 mL) beef stock
1 tbsp (15 mL) brandy (optional)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cracked black_peppercorns
2 tsp (10 mL) butter, softened
2 tsp (10 mL) cornstarch
2 tbsp (25 mL) minced fresh parsley

Preparation:

Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. In large skillet, heat oil over high heat; fry steaks, turning once, until browned and medium-rare inside, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate; tent with foil and keep warm.
Drain fat from skillet; add wine and bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits. Boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add beef stock, brandy (if using), thyme and peppercorns; return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
In small bowl, mash butter with flour; whisk into sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Slice steaks if desired; serve with sauce.

Source: Adapted from Canadian Living Website

Red or Green Pepper Jelly

At the request of @muddybootsblog on Twitter, here is my recipe for Red Pepper Jelly.  Far better than store bought.


Red or Green Pepper Jelly

5 cups granulated sugar
2 cups finely chopped or pureed sweet green or red peppers
1 1/2 cups white vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
1 bottle (6 oz/170 ml) liquid pectin

In large saucepan, combine sugar, green or red peppers and vinegar.
Stir and bring to full rolling boil.
Boil over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, skimming off foam.
Remove from heat and blend in pectin. Stir for 2 minutes.
Pour into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Seal with paraffin wax.
Cover with lids.
Makes about 6 cups.

Indian Butter Chicken

Okay, so this isn't traditional Indian Butter Chicken, but it is pretty good, and it was easy to make. I threw it in the crockpot, made a pot of rice, and voila. Both my wife and daughter came back for more.

Indian Butter Chicken

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp green curry paste
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1 cup ground plum tomatos (fresh from my garden)
3/4 cup coconut milk
8 skinless bone-in chicken legs

Melt the butter and pour in slow cooker. Add and stir in all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken, turning to coat. Cook on high for 2.5 hours, or low for 5 hours.

Source: Adapted from Canadian Family Magazine Oct 2009

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The Other Raspberries

The last raspberries were cultivated. Planted in neat little rows with most of the sharp thorns bred out of them over the years.

These are the bad boys of raspberries. They can put out shoots and move over 20 feet a year, vropping up where you didn't want them. But, they taste great, and seem to be quite plentiful in my small suburban backyard. Oh, and the thorns on these are 10 times more aggresive than theose last raspberries.

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