IPA Marinated Skirt Steak with Chimichurri

This week is about cooking with beer. I had a case of Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA and a skirt steak in my freezer, so it seemed like the logical choice to make a South American inspired dish.

A few notes – the skirt steak I used was very thin, so I just cooked it on the stovetop. This recipe would work well with a thicker cut like a flank steak, or even something like London broil. You’ll want to sear a thicker piece of meat on the stove, and then transfer it to the oven to finish. Or you could just grill it, in which case I’m envious of you.

Also, I know what you’re thinking – chimichurri is made with parsley. Well, my parsley is just starting to bloom, but I have tons of arugula and a decent amount of cilantro already sprung up, so that’s what I went with.

Steak:

1 two-pound skirt steak

1 cup India Pale Ale

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup lime juice

3 chipotles in adobo, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup diced white onion

2 teaspoons oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

Mix everything but the steak together in a large Ziploc bag. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the steak, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the meat from the marinade, and wipe off any bits that are sticking to it. Salt the meat liberally, and cook on a cast iron skillet over medium-high/high heat, flipping occasionally, until the meat reaches 125-130°F.

Chimichurri:

¼ cup arugula, chopped

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ cup India Pale Ale

¼ cup white vinegar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients, whisk well before serving at room temperature. Can be kept refrigerated, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 weeks.

Bacon-wrapped Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers

This was inspired by atomic buffalo turds – an unsavory name for a great appetizer consisting of cream cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon. I decided to make these entrée sized, possibly because I had too much Guy Fieri on the brain.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

8 oz. cream cheese

½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Frank’s hot sauce

½ large white onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 tbsp cumin

½ teaspoon black pepper

5 to 6 poblano peppers

5 to 6 slices of bacon

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While that’s going on, trim your chicken breasts of any excess fat. Place them on a large piece of (food safe) plastic wrap, sprinkle some salt on both sides, then wrap the breasts in plastic wrap, twirling ends and tying them together.

Place the chicken into the boiling water, turn off the heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from the water, and take off the plastic. Let the chicken cool until you can handle it, and shred the meat with your hands. Add to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add the onion, celery and garlic to a large pan over medium heat. Sweat for about 5 minutes, adding some salt, and then add to the bowl along with the chicken.

Add the cream and cheddar cheese to the chicken bowl. Add hot sauce (how much? Well how much spice do you want? I just poured in a generous amount), cumin and black pepper. Mix to combine everything with your hands.

For the peppers:

Place an oven rack on the upper part of your oven and set the broiler to low. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet and broil, until the skin starts to blister and blacken in spots, then flip and repeat the process. Took me about 5 minutes per side, your mileage will vary depending on your broiler so don’t forget about these!

Once the peppers are done broiling, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Remove the skin, running the peppers under water (makes it easier). Next, cut a slit down one side (so you can stuff them) and remove all the seeds.

Use a large spoon to stuff the peppers with the filling. Wrap a slice of bacon around each stuffed pepper. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan, and put the peppers on. Bake the peppers in a 400°F oven for 25 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and starts to crisp.

Arroz con Pato Chiclayano - Peruvian Rice with Duck

In Peru they use the native Muscovy ducks, but since I could only get my hands on a Pekin duck here in the states, I used that instead. With the Muscovy, throw in all the duck pieces along with the braising liquid when you get to that step. I held back the breasts in the fridge, since the ones on a Pekin don’t need all that long to cook (especially after being browned). Also, if you are buying a whole duck, I highly recommend you trim the excess skin and render some delicious duck fat in a pan. And make some duck stock with the carcass, because why not.

Rice with Duck: (serves 4; cooking time: about 1 hour 15 minutes all together)

1 large duck, ideally a Muscovy

2 dried aji panca peppers (or guajillo)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

6 large garlic cloves, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup white wine

1 quart water

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup long grain rice

Remove the stems and seeds from the aji panca peppers, and place in a small pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add to a blender and puree.

Cut the legs and breasts off the duck. Brown in a dutch oven over medium heat – I did this in two batches. Pour off excess fat and reserve, but leave some in the pan. Add the onions and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Add in the ¼ cup of wine, and cook for a minute, until reduced by half. Add in the aji panca puree, and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add the 1 quart of water, the legs of the duck, the red wine vinegar, and the salt/pepper/cumin. Bring to a boil, the simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Reserve the duck breasts in the fridge.

Rinse the rice under cold water. Add the reserved duck fat into a large pan over medium heat. Add the rice and toast for 3 to 4 minutes.

Chop the cilantro, then ladle 1 cup of the broth from the duck pot into a blender, along with the cilantro. Puree. Add back to the pot along with the rice and the duck breasts. Cook for 15 minutes, until the rice is finished. Turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

An extremely rich mashup of two recipes:

http://www.marthastewart.com/314726/fudgy-chocolate-brownies

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peanut-Butter-and-Chocolate-Cheesecake-Brownies-351049

Brownie Layer:

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1.5 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

Cheesecake Layer:

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Brownie Layer:

Make a double broiler by filling a medium pot halfway up with water and placing a large bowl on top. Turn the heat on to medium, and add in the chocolate and butter. Stir until both have melted, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Stir in the sugar, then whisk in the eggs one by one. Add in the vanilla. Fold in the flour and salt.

Prepare an 8”x8” baking pan by placing a piece of parchment paper into it with about 1” overhang on all sides. Pour in the brownie mixture.

Cheesecake Layer:

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Add in the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Add the cream, then the flour. Pour 2/3 of the mixture over the brownie mixture, and spread even with a rubber spatula.

Place the 2 oz. of chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on low for 10 second intervals until melted. Stir the melted chocolate into the remaining cheesecake mixture. Add the chocolate batter on top of the other cheesecake batter, and swirl with a butter knife.

Bake at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are puffed and the center is set. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.