A Meal Inspired

Today's meal has an interesting story. I have been housesitting for some friends that are out of town. As payment for my services rendered, I get access to their wonderful vegetable and herb garden. I'm lucky that summer squash and zucchini have been sprouting like weeds to past few days, so I am utilizing a lot of those vegetables in my daily meals (more on this in a later post). For dinner, I planned on baking some bread, frying up some of these truly local veggies, and baking a whole fish or something (something I saw Wolfgang Puck do on the Travel Channel late light night). I put some garlic in the toaster oven to roast, and started mixing my bread ingredients for the auto-lyse period. While the bread was doing its thing, I headed out the door to get the ingredients for the rest of my meal.

My meal plans changed a little bit after hitting up my regular, bi-weekly (thats every other week, not twice a week) wine tasting. During the wine tasting, I browsed a few inexpensive whites to drink with the fish- a good, semi-dry Muscat blend from Spain, some oaked California Chardonnays, etc. Maybe it was because Bruce, my local wine store proprietor, was being a little generous on his pours or maybe it was because I prefer red wine to white wine in all cases, generally, but I ended up buying a great blend of red wine grapes from Australia. This bottle was the last wine featured in the wine tasting, and its taste and inexpensive price left the most lasting impression on me. So I snagged this bottle, and hit the closest Food Lion on the way home. I bought a two-pack of porterhouse steaks to pair with the wine. The two-pack was only $8 on reduction. As the picture shows- these steaks are not super thick. But what these steaks lack in thickness, they certainly make up in length-if you know what I mean. Anyway- the meal came together and turned out to be one of the most delicious creations I've made. 

The lynchpin(s) of this wonderful meal is certainly the inspiration ingredient. It inspiration began with the fresh rosemary, zucchini, and summer squash from the garden, the lasting finish of a good wine,  and a good price on a good steak. Now that you know the backstory, let's get on to the details.

A Feast Tied Together w/ a Sprig of Rosemary

Rosemary-Garlic Bread

• 2cups of flour (I used a 60/40 ratio of King Arthur Bread to All-Purpose Flours)
• 2 tablespoon of SAF yeast (This may be a little overkill, maybe 1.5tb is better)
• 2tbl of kosher salt
• 2tbl of sugar (To supplement my excessive yeast levels)
• 1c of warm water
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, stripped off the stem and diced
• 1 head of garlic, roasted (cut the top off of the bulb so that the cloves are exposed, cover it in extra virgin olive oil, wrap it in foil, and let that sucker fry in the oven at 400 degrees)
• Corn meal (optional- you can use AP flour for dusting)
• Extra virgin olive oil

• Spin all of the ingredients in a mixer, except the garlic and rosemary, until well blended. Let it all sit for about an hour. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a towel so it doesn't dry out. You should notice that the mixture will double or triple in size. 
  
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, use it now. If not, then use a cookie sheet on a rack.
• Gently scrape the mixture out onto a cutting board that is well-dusted with AP flour. Sprinkle the roasted garlic cloves and rosemary onto the dough.
• Knead the dough for about 2 minutes and try to incorporate the garlic and rosemary throughout the bread.
• If you have a pizza paddle, sprinkle it with AP flour or corn meal (as I used). Place the dough on the paddle and make sure it isn't sticking to the paddle. Brush or spread some extra virgin olive oil on the top of the dough to help it brown slowly. Otherwise, the top will be burnt and the inside with be raw.
• Place the dough on your pizza stone or cookie sheet. Let it bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
• Serve it with some butter or a extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper for dipping.

Zucchini and Summer Squash w/ Rosemary

*Note- eyeball the amount of vegetables you'll need. For my big appetite, I used a fourth of a huge zucchini and a fourth of a squash

• summer squash, cut into fourths and then diced into medium chunks
• zucchini, cut the same as the squash
• extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt, pepper
• red pepper flakes
• garlic powder
• lemon juice (optional- it adds a little brightness)

• Cook the veggies on medium-high for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season them with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic power. 
• Turn the heat off after 2 minutes and cover the pan. The veggies will continue to cook for at least 5 minutes, or until the steaks are done, but they will still retain a little bit of crunch. 
• Squeeze a little lemon juice right before serving if you desire (I did). 

Rosemary-Rubbed Steaks

• Pick your favorite steak (I recommend a rib-eye, but I used a porterhouse because it was affordable)
• Kosher salt, pepper
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, stripped off the stem and diced fine

• Take the salt, pepper, and rosemary and grind them with the side of your knife or a mortar and pestle if you have a set. The rub should be mostly salt- you don't want the rosemary to completely dominate the steak. The salt and pepper act as an abrasive that will release the essential oils from the rosemary.
• If you like your steaks on the rare side, take them out of the fridge and let them sit out on the counter for at least 30mins before cooking. This ensures more even cooking.
• Use a cast iron pan if you have it- if not then use what you have. Whatever cooking vessel you use- turn it up the heat to high.
• Cover the steak with the rub. 
• Spray the pan with non-stick canola or vegetable spray. I prefer this to olive oil because the non stick spray does not burn quite as easily as olive oil.
• Cook the steak. I will not get into specific cooking times because stoves, steak thicknesses, pre-cooking temperatures- all vary. I usually just let my steaks cook 2-3 minutes on each side, just until you start seeing a little brown. I try not to overdo it because I hate a well-done steak, but that's me. 
• Let the steak "rest" on the plate for at least 2 minutes after cooking. This retains the natural juices in the meat, not on your plate. 

That was it- one of the most fantastic meals I've cooked...myself, if I may say so. But there's more!

What I am Drinking- Bleasdale, Langahore Crossing (2006) - $9-12

This Australian wine is a blend of cabernet (52%), malbec (27%), shiraz (15%), and petit verdot (6%). Those Aussies love their blend of old world and new world grapes and flavors. This red has a blackberry and slight spicy nose, and a cassis or currant taste on the tongue. The finish is dry, but quick. Not too many lasting tannins here. It really does a good job taming such a strong, woody herb like rosemary. Overall it is absolutely delicious, easy drinking, and very affordable.