Well it's me Zo. Yes my name is Zo though derived from Zora. What kid would ever want to be named Zora? What was my mother thinking?
Anyhow this blog will basically be about me cooking dinners in my kitchen at night for my husband and myself.
I did not go to culinary school nor have I had any cooking lessons of any kind other than what my mother tried to teach me. I say tried as anyone who knew me when I was young also knew that when she slipped on her apron I was out the door. My apron hung next to hers but it was always clean. I did not want to spend time in the kitchen...........SO BORING. I preferred catching frogs while wading in the pond with my shoes on no less, not a fave of my Mom's believe me. I loved sitting in the apple tree in the back yard reading books and jumping in the hay piles in the barn. So what did I learn in those formative years about the preparation of food? Absolutely NOTHING!
Well I am now a cook of some standing with family and friends. It took years but I learned to love everything about the process of cooking.
I like to make out my weekly menu on Monday and shop for my ingredients on Tuesday, that squares me away for the week.
So I have a great adventure every evening in my kitchen. Me, myself and I. Oh sometimes I do get hubby to participate. We are in each others way for the most part but have a gay old time regardless.
Last nights menu was my version of an old fave, swiss steak. Actually I think of it as a bowl of heaven. Mashed potatoes with sour cream, butter and garlic are topped with a serving of tender sirloin steak that has slowly simmered in a deep rich,red sauce for hours. Just add some crusty bread for dipping up the extra sauce and no more be said, except OMG. My recipe will follow.
It was a nice day yesterday so hubby and I sat outdoors with our faces to the sun. We live in the pacific northwest so experiencing the warmth after the chill of a wet winter is so appreciated.
Well as the day progressed and the sun continued to shine we thought perhaps a little wine would be in order.It was nearing time for dinner prep so it all worked. I love sipping wine while cooking it relaxes me and makes my creative juices flow.
I starting by slicing my meat through the middle making several steaks about a quarter inch thick out of the one steak. Just like you would do making a cutlet. Then the meat is salted and peppered and dredged in flour and fried in olive oil till browned on both sides. Remove the meat from pot and in the drippings add chopped onion, chopped anaheim pepper and three cloves of garlic minced. Saute till the onions are translucent. Do not use high heat as the garlic will burn and that is nasty. Next add the canned tomatoes noted in the recipe, the tomato sauce, the wine, ketchup, balsamic vinegar the meat and the rest of the ingredients. Cover with a lid and simmer for approximately two and half hours. I use my big red heavy pot with a lid.
Now at this point I am through with the preparation for a while. So I can attend to the kitchen mess and set our little bar for this evening. Sometimes we dine at the dinning table, the nook table or I hate to say at the large square cocktail table in the front of the telly. Not a good thing but most times we save that for pizza and such.
I have an assortment of interesting dishware as I like to mix and match. I like to use my two deep medium size red bowls for this dish. Two small plates that I like make good bread plates they were find at a thrift store and unique. I normally use my Grandma's old sterling silverware, reminds me of her and keeps her close in my heart. I even put the silverware in the dishwasher, it does not harm it. Red and blue plaid napkins, a red candle and red wine to go with and we are set.
Now there is time to relax with my hubby and watch the news or whatever while dinner simmers away. No worries.
About a half hour before the swiss steak is done, peel your potatoes and chunk them cover with water to boil. I add two cloves of garlic at this time to the potatoes. This way the garlic cooks right along with the potatoes and becomes mild. Just be careful not to dump the garlic into the sink when you drain your potatoes. Then mash the spuds with a dollop of sour cream and a good size wad of butter add salt and pepper to taste. Do not add milk to the potatoes, keeping the ingredients simple makes the potatoes thick and creamy.
That is basically it. A meal that you can throw together in a pot or two and be visiting your guests while all simmers away.
Here are the ingredients for simmered swiss steak:
one and half pounds approximately of sirloin steak or sirloin petite steak.
four for dredging
three cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1 14oz.of mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 14oz.of italian style stewed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 quarter cup red wine (a cabernet or red zin works well)
chicken broth if needed to extend sauce to cover meat while simmering
one half anaheim pepper seeded and chopped
one half small onion chopped
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
a healthy squirt of ketchup
1 teaspoon of paprika
the last ten minutes of cooking turn the heat up a little and take the lid off the pot to reduce the sauce somewhat.
ENJOY!
Well that is it for today.
I know what I am fixing tonight and you will read about it on tomorrows blog.
Zo
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