My Mother’s Wonton Soup

Since my mother moved back to Shanghai a couple months back, I’ve found myself not only missing her (terribly) but reminiscing back to all the Chinese traditions that she’s instilled in me over all these years.  I almost feel less Chinese without her — no more ancient Chinese medicines, no more meditation practices, no one to speak Chinese to, no one yelling over my shoulder “AIYA JOY put that back, why you always buy buy buy??  SAVE MONEY!”   It feels weird to not have my mother completely accesible — I’ll pick up the phone to call her with a question only to realize she’s 13 hours ahead of me.

Marinated Skillet Steak and Roasted Rosemary Purple Potatoes

I decided to make my fiance the ultimate MAN MEAL last night: Steak and Potatoes! I love making this dish because it’s really simple and the results are always amazing.  The trick that makes restaurant steaks so good is that they pan sear it, and then cook it the rest of the way in the oven with a nice pat of butter.  You can really use any cut of steak you want and same with the potatoes.  I chose a Premium Choice Angus Sirloin Steak and some beautiful purple potatoes that I found at Central Market.

Ingredients for Rosemary Potatoes:

• 1 pound potatoes, quartered or halved into 2″ pieces (Red, Idaho, Purple, any kind of potato works)
• 3-4 sprigs of rosemary
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400F.

For the Rosemary Potatoes, give the potatoes a good scrub to remove dirt and impurities from the skin.  I enjoy eating the skin for fiber and nutrients, but if you prefer you can peel them beforehand. Be sure that the potatoes are cut in uniform size, so they cook evenly.  Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper or foil.  Place the cut potatoes in the roasting pan and drizzle with oil be sure to potatoes are thoroughly coated.  Pull off the leaves from the sprigs of rosemary and mix with the potatoes.  Place potatoes in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and can be cut by a fork.  You can sprinkle some salt either before you put it in the oven or after.  I prefer to sprinkle the salt after it comes out so you don’t have to use as much of it, limiting your salt intake is beneficial to your health!

Tips:

• You can quicken the cooking process of the potatoes by adding about 1/4 cup of water into the roasting pan and covering the pan with foil.  Remove the foil the last 20 minutes to brown the outsides.

• 20 minutes before your potatoes are about to be done, start on your steak so both dishes will be hot when you serve them.

Ingredients for Marinated Skillet Steak:

• 1 or 2 8 oz steaks ( you can pick any cut)
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter (cold)
• small handful of parsley, minced
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven 400F.

In a large bowl, pour wine and minced shallots and garlic.  Place the steak in the mixture and be sure they completely immersed  in the marinade, add more wine if needed.  Allow to marinate for 10 minutes.  Heat iron skillet on high heat, you can test the temperature by adding a couple drops of water to the skillet, if it sizzles then it is ready for action.  Take the butter and cut into two pieces, roll it in your parsley mixture and set aside.  Remove steaks from marinade and sprinkle each side generously with kosher salt and pepper.  Sear each side of the steak for 2 minutes throw parsley butter on each steak and finish cooking the rest of the way in the oven.  Serve immediately with Potatoes.

Tips on cooking Steak:

• By generously sprinkling each side of the steak with kosher salt and pepper, the combination of the high heat and butter will form a crust around the steak.  It will have a nice caramelized outside while keeping all the juices inside the meat.
• Allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes before cutting it, this allows the juices in the steak to redistribute instead of seeping all over your plate.
• If you do not have a cast iron skillet you can use a frying pan.  Make sure it is at high heat when you are searing your meat.
• If you like your steak rare, place it in the oven for no more than 2-3 minutes.  If you like your steak medium rare place it in the oven for about 6-8 minutes.  If you like your steak medium place it in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes. If you like it well done leave it in there for 12-14 minutes.  Remember, the steak will continue to cook after you take it out so plan accordingly.

If you have any leftovers from this meal, you can make a nice salad.  The one I made (pictured above), I simple added some field greens and topped it with some pine nuts and goat cheese, then drizzled it with a little bit of raw honey.  It was a nice combination of savory and sweet.  Girls you can make this too if you feel meat and potatoes are too heavy for you!

You can also use leftover steak and potatoes for a nice breakfast in the morning, steak and eggs and then some potato hash.  The possibilities are endless so be creative! 🙂