Saturday, July 7, 2007

The Best Way to a Man's Stomach...

is not through his stomach, not even the nether regions down there, but through his liver. Yes ladies, through his liver.
The answer to a man's undying loyalty to you, and your relationship is an ice cold bottle of his favorite beer opened, and waiting for him the second he walks in the door to give you a kiss. In my case, his is San Miguel Pale Pilsner from the Philippines.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to actually cook a decent dinner for my boyfriend. This dinner fortunately did not include chopped meat, hamburger buns, plastic cups and/or a special sauce. I had slaved the whole afternoon marinating rib-eye steaks in a rosemary-infused olive oil marinade and making warm potato salad of tri-colored baby potatoes, but the thing is, the lure of meat pales in comparison to the appeal of ice cold beer.
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Rib Eye Steaks Marinated in Rosemary-Infused Olive Oil
Steak purists might cringe with the thought of seasoning a perfectly good steak in nothing more than salt and pepper much more marinating it in soy sauce, but the soy makes for a good caramelization base for the crust of the meat, and the subtle hint of rosemary seeped in is just spectacular.
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2 Rib Eye Steaks
3/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 springs fresh rosemary
4 cloves crushed garlic
3 tbsp. soysauce
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. fresh ground pepper
Gently heat olive oil and rosemary over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until the rosemary sprigs have stopped sizzling. Set aside and let cool. The last thing you want to do is to pour hot oil all over your steaks and cook them right away.
When the oil has completely cooled off, mix all the ingredients together, in ziploc bag, throw in the steaks in them, gently massage for a bit and leave in the fridge anywhere from half an hour to 4 hours if you have the time.
Grill the steaks for 3.5 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Let sit for a good 7-10 minutes before serving so the juices in the meat could redistribute.
Herbed Butter
1/2 stick salted butter, softened
2 tbsp chives, chopped finely
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
salt and pepper
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Mix all ingredients in one bowl. Roll mixture in plastic wrap and shape into a log. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into discs right before serving
Warm Tri-Colored Potato Salad
1lb. Tri-Colored baby potaoes (or any kind of waxy baby potatoes will do)
1 small shallot,minced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
chives, choped finely
flat-leafed parsley, chopped finely
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Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds, drop them into a pot of cold water and salt.
While the spuds are boiling, prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients except the fresh herbs in one bowl.
Check the potatoes for doneness after 10-12 minutes by piercing a piece with a fork. When the potato is tender in the center, drain.
Fold in warm potatoes in the bowl with the dressing using a rubber spatula to prevent them from falling apart. Let the potaotes soak in the dressing, then add the chives and the parsley.
Serve either warm or room temperature.

1 comment:

tye said...

Ayan, Laura Esquivelesque ka na naman! Nga pala tinag kita. Punta ka sa blog ko. :-)