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E-mail StoryRoasting the competition: Check out our Eye Cook meat entries
| Wednesday, Jul 2 2008 11:15 AM
Last Updated: Thursday, Jul 10 2008 7:55 AM
Emily Falke took a chance entering a Martha’s Vineyard fish recipe in a Kern County cooking contest.
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WHAT: Eye Cook finals
WHEN: Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday
WHERE: Urner’s Appliance Center, 4110 Wible Road
WHY: Free food and prizes
Chicken Vera Cruz, Frank Butkiewicz
1 large cut-up chicken
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
5 large fresh tomatoes
8 black peppercorns
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 small (11⁄2 oz.) box raisins
20 small whole green pitted olives
Roast tomatoes on grill until skin is blackened. In blender or food processor, blend tomatoes, peppercorns, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
In large pot or frying pan, brown chicken in the olive oil. Remove chicken from the pan. In the same pan, fry jalapeno peppers, garlic, onions and mushrooms.
Return chicken to pan. Add blended ingredients. Add raisins and olives. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
Serve with white or Mexican rice and green salad.
The judges said: “I knew when it fell apart so easily it would be good.”
Pancetta (Stuffed Flank Steak), Sandi Torigiani
1 flank steak
1 lb. lean ground round
1 box frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained (or fresh spinach)
1 cup fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 egg
1 white onion, chopped finely
1 cup Italian bread crumbs (preferably Progresso)
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl, add the ground round, spinach, cheese, egg, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic and spices (go light on the seasoning if you prefer a mild flavor).
Mix well.
Cut flank steak on the long side, forming a pocket while being careful not to cut through to the other side. Fill the pocket with mixture and it will resemble a belly (pancetta). Sew the pocket shut.
Rub olive oil on flank steak and season with salt and pepper and a little garlic and parsley. Put in a roaster and bake to sear approximately 400 degrees until seared a deep brown. Lower the temperature to 325 to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour.
Let the steak stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting. Slice into bigger chunks like a meatloaf. Top slices with mushroom wine sauce (see recipe below) or beef broth (if you want a lower-calorie option).
Mushroom Wine Sauce (optional)
2 to 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. fresh white or brown mushrooms (or a mixture of both)
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Soak mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and chop finely. Melt butter in skillet. When butter foams, add mushrooms and sauté over high heat until golden. Add marsala.
Cook until wine reduces, then stir in cream. Cook for a few minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and keep sauce warm on low heat. Serve sauce over sliced steak.
The judges said: “When you tastes the mushrooms on the outside, it’s like you’re in a whole ’nother world.”
Grilled Halibut with Lobster and Coriander Sauce, Emily Falke
4 halibut steaks or fillets, 5 to 6 oz. each and 1 to 1 1/2-inch thick
Marinade:
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Mix oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and mustard together. Marinate fish for 1/2 hour in marinade.
Lobster sauce:
1 cup lobster stock (To make lobster broth, boil lobster shells — claws, bodies, etc. and, if desired, crab shells — in water to cover along with a bay leaf, garlic clove, pickling spice and slices of onion, carrot and celery. Simmer for hours until flavorful. Strain broth. Set aside.)
1/2 cup Best Foods mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup or less dry white wine or cooking sherry
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Cayenne pepper and paprika
Salt and pepper
In a double boiler pan, heat the lobster stock, mayonnaise and sour cream, whisking to blend. Add egg yolks, continuing to whisk so as not to curdle the sauce. Add wine or sherry and lemon juice to taste. Add pinch of cayenne and paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
Coriander sauce:
1 14 oz. can tomatillos
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1/4 to 1/3 cup canola oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, washed and without stems
1/2 to 1 tsp. coriander spice
Salt and pepper
In a food processor, crush tomatillos and blend with lemon/lime juice, oil, garlic, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a saucepan and heat on low heat.
To grill the fish, heat the barbecue or grill. Cook halibut quickly so that it is well-seared but not overcooked inside. (Time depends on thickness of fish — about 3 to 4 minutes each side for 1-inch thick and 5 minutes for 1 1/2-inch thick.)
Remove fish from grill. Pour each of the sauces on separate sides of the plate and set fish on a small bed of brown or Basmati rice down the middle of the plate. Garnish with baby grilled or steamed vegetables and cilantro sprigs.
The judges said: “Is this halibut from Bakersfield?”
Photos:
Frank Butkiewiez's Chicken Vera Cruz.
Sandi Torigiani's Pancetta (Stuffed Flank Steak).
Emily Falke's Grilled Halibut with Lobster and Coriander Sauce.
Leave it to a risk-taking artist. Falke, curator at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, saw her Grilled Halibut with Lobster and Coriander Sauce make the cut in the meat category during The Californian’s second annual Eye Cook semifinals earlier this month.
Falke will advance to the Eye Cook finals July 12 at Urner’s Appliance Center.
There, the contestants will prepare their dishes for celebrity judges in an “Iron Chef”-style cookoff. The public is invited to watch and sample.
General Electric is donating the grand prize, a GE Energy Star Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator with icemaker valued at nearly $2,000. Three category winners will win a GE Profile Deluxe Wine Center valued at $549.
On June 7, newspaper staff dished out the top 10 entries in each category: meats, sides and desserts, at a laidback tasting for contestants and their kin at The Californian’s Eye Street headquarters.
All 30 Eye Cook semifinalist recipes will be published in The Californian and on Bakersfield.com.
Falke’s halibut, Frank Butkiewicz’s Chicken Vera Cruz and Sandy Torigiani’s Pancetta (Stuffed Flank Steak) topped the meat category.
Falke concocted the recipe in her late 20s at her mother’s house on Martha’s Vineyard. She was blessed with a productive vegetable garden and fish just a catch away. The self-taught chef experimented with seafood broths.
“We ate so much lobster back then, I thought it was a waste to have those shells all around,” she said.
The entree reflects a bicoastal life. Mild halibut teams with a New England-inspired cream sauce, while the coriander is a tribute to California’s fresh, authentic Mexican food. The green sauce adds a spike of color.
Sandy Torigiani’s pancetta comes from an old Italian recipe. In bygone days, frugal Italian mamas stuffed flank steak to stretch their lira. This pancetta is stuffed with spinach — a colorful touch for presentation — and topped with a mushroom sauce.
“It’s really appealing when you cut it across the grain,” said Torigiani, a real-estate agent.
Raisins sweeten Chicken Vera Cruz and Spanish olives give a salty tang. Cinnamon is common in Mexican entrees, said the chef, attorney Frank Butkiewicz.
He enjoys cooking Polish dishes for his father, such as hearty meats and traditional Christmas cookies made with nuts and honey.
His Mexican-born wife expanded his culinary horizons, but he’s been known to tweak her recipes, like Chicken Vera Cruz.
“‘I wonder what’ll happen if I do this?’” he said. “You might find something in the refrigerator. Some of the greatest stews I ever made were from what’s in the refrigerator.”
MORE EYE COOK SEMIFINALIST RECIPES
KICKIN' COWGIRL MEATLOAF, Melissa Gum
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage (regular)
1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Hawaiian sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup red, yellow and orange bell peppers, finely chopped
4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey chipotle barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tsp. stone ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Pack mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Unmold onto parchment-lined pan. Spread 1/4 to 1/3 cup more barbecue sauce on top of meatloaf. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until thermometer inserted in middle reads 160 degrees.
The judges said: “Sweet, soft and crispy with vegetables, but doesn’t lose the strong meat flavor.”
WILLIEBOY'S CAMERONES DIABLO, Michael Willis
11⁄2 cups chopped white onions
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
11⁄ lbs. shrimp (16 to 20 count)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. Tabasco (or 3 or 4 shakes)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Lime wedges for garnish
Preheat large skillet on medium heat, dump in the chopped white onions and minced garlic. Dry sauté for 3 minutes (the garlic and onions start to brown). Add shrimp, sprinkle cumin, chili powder and saute for an additional 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and add butter, salt and hot sauce. Stir until the butter melts. Stir in lime juice and green onions. Garnish with lime wedges.
The judges said: “Slightly spicy, not greasy, fresh with cilantro and green onion.”
ZESTY PORK RIBS, Greg Gilli
1 cup Cattlemen's Smoke House Barbeque Sauce
1/2 cup A1 Steak Sauce
6 oz. beer
1/2 cup Jack Daniels whiskey
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. seasoned salt
2 tbsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. habanero hot sauce
3 tsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. dark molasses
2 to 3 pounds Santa Barbara Style Pork Ribs
In a large bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, steak sauce, beer, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, black pepper, dried onion, basil, oregano, habanero hot sauce, curry powder, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and molasses.
Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with approximately half of the marinade. Cut rib slab in half (or smaller pieces to fit flat into dish) and place in the dish, cover with the remaining mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) before grilling.
Preheat grill. Remove meat from marinade and discard marinade. Grill over indirect heat with Jack Daniels Smoking Pellets (or other smoking pellets of your choice) for approximately 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
The judges said: Giving the ribs the highest appearance rating because “the singular rib placed in front of the judge screamed, ‘Try me, I dare you!’”
POLLO DE GITA, Olga Dunford
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 to 3 white truffles (depending on size), chopped finely (or finely chopped, lightly sautéed baby portabella mushrooms)
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Bacon
1 tsp. olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place iron skillet on burner and begin to heat.
Combine goat cheese and truffles. Pound chicken breasts between wax paper until about 1/3-inch thick and season liberally on one side with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (You may need to butterfly the fat end of the chicken breast before pounding to ensure even thickness.) Place cheese mixture on unseasoned side of chicken in a log shape. Roll up chicken, wrap with bacon and secure with butcher's twine.
Add olive oil to hot iron skillet (if using a gas stove, remove skillet from flame before adding oil). Sear chicken until bacon is crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Roast chicken in iron skillet in oven, until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size and thickness of chicken.
The judges said: “Loved the fresh thyme and truffles.”
CHEESE STEAK STUFFED BELL PEPPERS, Shelley Evans
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 bell peppers, plus 1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 lb. steak (for cheese steak sandwiches)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small can stewed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
Shredded cheese
Celery salt and pepper to taste
Slice tops off bell peppers and clean out membranes and seeds. Boil peppers in water until almost soft.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a pan, heat oil and saute onion, garlic, chopped bell peppers, and mushrooms until almost soft. Set aside. Brown steak and cut into small pieces. Stir in vegetables, rice, tomatoes, paste, water and spices. Heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Put cooked peppers into baking dish, fill with meat mixture, top with cheese. Cover and bake for 15 minutes, remove cover and bake additional 5 or 10 minutes.
The judges said: “Cute play on Philly cheese steaks.”
MARINATED ROASTED RACK OF LAMB, Audrey Barger
1 or 2 frenched racks of lamb (about 11⁄2 lbs. each)
Marinade: In a small food processor, combine the following:
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Make a few shallow slits on meaty side of rack. Pat dry.
In a small food processor, combine the mint leaves, garlic, orange marmalade, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
In a zip-top bag, pour marinade over racks, making sure all surfaces are covered. Refrigerate 3 hours or longer. Bring racks to room temperature before roasting (takes 2 hours).
Place roasting rack over broiler pan. Preheat pan and roaster in a 400-degree convection oven, or conventional oven at 450 F.
When oven is ready, place lamb on rack, meaty side up. Roast for 10 minutes.
Turn oven off. Allow lamb to continue roasting for another 15 minutes. (medium-rare).
Transfer lamb from oven to carving board. Tent with foil to rest 10 minutes before carving.
What the judges said: “Very tender, perfectly cooked. Mint is a nice touch.”
'BEAT THE HELL OUT OF IT' CHICKEN, Sheila Johnson
5 to 6 boneless, chicken breast halves
2 cups of White Cheddar Cheez-its
2 cups of corn flakes
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On cutting board, use smooth side of meat mallet to break down chicken breast — “beat the hell out of it” — to half-inch thickness. Cut each breast piece in half for better coverage and manageability. In gallon freezer ziptop bag, pour crackers and corn flakes. Beat with smooth side of mallet until crushed with no large pieces intact. Add seasoned salt, cheese and bread crumbs. Seal bag and mix well.
Quickly dip each chicken piece in melted butter and firmly press into crumb mixture, trying to retain larger crumbs on chicken. Place pieces on stone baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. If greater crispness/browning is desired, broil for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
What the judges said: Points for using a sweet crust. The crust was unusual in its sweetness, but it works.”