Valentine`s Day Beef Tenderloin with Green Peppercorn-Brandy Sauce for Two

It's Valentines Day! Do you have plans of going out with your special someone? Or do you want to have a simple dinner at your home? Whatever what you were planning, it is important to make this day special for your special someone, your family or your friends. In this article since today is a special day of hearts, why not we try doing a steak with a special peppercorn brandy sauce. So why steak? There are lots of reasons to eat meat specially beef, here are some of the facts.

1. Meats are healthy specially beef. Beef has nutrients like zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins and half of the fat found in beef is monounsaturated, the same heart-healthy fats found in olive oil.

2. It's Easy to prepare. Using recipe websites or blogs like this blog, http://yummyliciouscuisine.blogspot.com, beef is easy addition to your balanced meal. Just fire up the grill or the slow cooker and you've got a simple meal that have meat.

3. Affordable. Calorie for calorie, beef has more nutrients compare to vegetarian protein options like tofu or peanut butter or beans.

4. It will make you feel sexy. Food without protein as the center of the diet, you will have no energy for the rest of the day. Yup, veggies and fruits are great but without protein, you feel week. And of course, being strong is being sexy.

So why don't we try this as a Valentines Dinner for today.

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz. ea) beef tenderloins
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 Tbl. green peppercorns
* 1 cup beef broth
* 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons brandy
* 2 tablespoons chopped chives for garnish

Directions:

Salt and pepper beef on both sides. Heat butter in medium skillet on medium heat. Add beef; cook 5 min; turn, cook another 5 min. Remove to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, add shallots and peppercorns. Cook 2 min. or until soft. Add broth, mustard, cream and brandy. Cook 5 min. or until reduced to 1/2. Place beef on serving plates. Top with sauce, garnish with chopped chives.

From Yummylicious, Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy your every meal.

Paella

I am so excited to introduce to you my featured dish on this article since it is one of my favorite and definitely an all time favorite of mine because it has a lot of ingredients in it. I am a meat lover, not all kinds of meat but don't get me wrong I also love eating vegetables but on this article, I will be featuring Paella. Paella which is originated in Albufera in Valencia, is discovered in the mid 19th century. During the Spanish colonization in Philippines, most of the Spanish had influenced Filipinos their culture including food and of course that includes this recipe.  Most of the non Spaniards thought that Paella is Spain's national food but actually they (Spanish) only recognize it as Valencian's regional dish.  This dish has a lot of versions too but the traditional Paella are composed of land meat that includes rabbit, chicken, land snail and duck but in this article we will be trying to cook a mixed Paella.

The ingredients are:

12 black mussels
125ml/4fl oz white wine
11⁄2 small red onions, chopped
125ml/4fl oz olive oil
1 small skinless chicken breast
fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
12 raw prawns, peeled and
deveined
100g/4oz cleaned squid rings
100g/4oz skinless cod fillet, cut
into bite-size cubes
1 rasher smoked back bacon,
finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and finely
chopped
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
75g/3oz chorizo, thinly sliced
pinch of cayenne pepper
200g/7oz long-grain rice
1⁄4 teaspoon saffron threads
500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
75g/3oz fresh peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper

The procedure:

Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and pull out the hairy beards.
Discard any broken mussels or open ones that do not close when tapped
on the work surface.

Heat the wine and onion in a large pan. Add the mussels, cover and
gently shake the pan for 4–5 minutes over a high heat. After 3 minutes,
begin removing any opened mussels and set aside. At the end of
5 minutes, discard any unopened mussels. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen
paper, then cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the
pan and set aside. Add the prawns, squid and cod to the pan, and cook
for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the bacon, garlic and red
pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomato, chorizo and cayenne.
Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid, then
add the rice and mix well.

In a heavy saucepan, blend the saffron with the stock and mix well.
Bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for
15 minutes, without stirring.

Put the peas, chicken, prawns, squid and cod on top of the rice. Using a
wooden spoon, push pieces into the rice, cover and cook over a low
heat for 10–15 minutes until the rice is tender and seafood cooked. Add
the mussels for the last 2 minutes to heat. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Braised Beef

This is another delicious Chinese Recipe and can be found on your favorite fast food restaurant. What is Braising by the way? Braising by the way is a combination of cooking methods using both dry heat and moist, typically the food is to seared at a high temperature first and then finished in a covered pot with a certain amount of liquid which results a particular flavor. 

How do we cook it? Well, it only requires a small effort to cook this certain kind of dish and it is necessary that most of the ingredients especially vegetables are to be cooked in their own juices without extra liquid required. 

For the Ingredients we will be needing:

2 lbs beef chuck or brisket, cubed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and ground black pepper to taste


The procedure: 

Heat a cooking pot and pour-in olive oil.
Sauté onion until soft and add dried thyme then put-in beef and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour-in red wine and bring to a boil.

Pour-in the beef stock and simmer until the beef becomes tender.

This can be done using the following methods:

Slow cook for 4 to 5 hours using a Crockpot; Cooking in low heat using stovetop or burner; note that 2 to 2 1/2 hours is the average time to tenderize the meat and try to add water as needed; If you don’t have the time, you may pressure cook the meat for 40 minutes.

Add the carrots and celery then cook until the vegetables are tender.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve with cooked rice.

Spicy Indian Curry

One dish I really like is something spicy. Why? That's because it keeps giving me great appetite if the food that I am eating is a bit hot or spicy. One of those dish that I like is Curry. Curry has a lot of version and can be found anywhere in the world. The word curry is adopted from the Tamil word kari which means "sauce" and is to be cooked with vegetables and meat without using gravy. According to the history, kari was first encountered in mid-17th century by the members of the British East India Company trading with Indian merchants along the Coast of Coromandel of Southeast India. Lot's of version have been seen over the years like Thai Curry, China Curry, Japanese Curry, Curry from the Philippines etcetera. But since it's originated from India, let's cook it the spicy indian way. 

First we will be needing some ingredients like:


1kg skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (125ml) cooking oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon water
470g crushed tomatoes
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125ml) water
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Procedure:

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with 2 teaspoons salt.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat; partially cook the chicken in the hot oil in batches until completely browned. Transfer the browned chicken breasts to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat under the fry-pan to medium-high; add the onion, garlic and ginger to the oil remaining in the fry-pan and cook and stir until the onion turns translucent, about 8 minutes.

Stir the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of water into the onion mixture; allow to heat together for about 1 minute while stirring. Mix the tomatoes, yogurt, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander, and 1 teaspoon salt into the mixture. Return the chicken breast to the frying pan along with any juices on the plate. Pour 1/2 cup (85ml) water into the mixture; bring to a boil, turning the chicken to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the garam masala and 1 tablespoon coriander over the chicken.

Cover the frying pan and simmer until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve with rice or Naan. 

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a very popular dish from Korea and is also listed as 23rd on the list of the World's 50 most delicious food compiled by CNN Go in 2011. Bulgogi is derived from the Pyongyan dialect meaning "fire meat". The equivalent word for the South Korean is neobiani. Originated in Goguryeo (originally called Maekjeok) with the beef being grilled in a skewer. During the Joseon Dynasty, it was called neobiani which practically means "thinly spread" meat and was traditionally prepared for the wealthy and noble people during that era. But today, you will be feeling noble with this dish served right on your table by following these simple instructions. 

The Ingredients we will be needing are:

400g scotch fillet or porterhouse steak

2 sticks green spring onion, chopped

2cm piece of ginger, chopped finely

1-2 cloves garlic (1 if big, 2 if small), chopped finely

1 teaspoon ground sesame seeds*

5 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons vegetable oil for frying


1 teaspoon white sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Slice the scotch fillet very thinly, it is easier to slice thinly if it is semi frozen. You can also buy thinly sliced beef at Asian supermarkets in packets (which is what we used). Combine the rest of the ingredients (except for sesame oil and sesame seeds in a bowl) and mix together. Marinade beef in the mixture overnight.

Heat a barbecue, grill or a frying pan onto high heat. Add the sesame oil to the beef mixture and mix to distribute. Add the vegetable oil and fry the beef until browned and cooked through. It will cook quite quickly as the pieces are very thin. 

But that doesn't stop there. In my opinion it is best served together with a special side dish and this side dish is Kimchi. Kimchi also spelled as Kimchee or Gimchi is a fermented side dish from Korea made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings and spices. It can be sour or spicy sometimes. In traditional preparing for kimchi, it is fermented on a jar and kept underground for months. 

Ingredients for the kimchi are:

2 medium size napa cabbages (about 8 pounds)
1-1/4 cups coarse sea salt (less if using finer salt)
6 cups water
1 Korean radish, mu (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
5 - 7 scallions, roughly chopped

For the seasoning we need:

1 cup gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)   
1/3 cup saeujeot (salted shrimp), finely minced
4 tablespoons myulchiaekjeot (fish sauce)
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

1 tablespoon sugar

You will also need: 

large bowls (preferably at least 7 - 8 quarts) 

large colanders

kitchen gloves

airtight container(s) or jar(s) - about 1-1/2 gallons

The Method:

Cut the cabbage heads into quarters and remove the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter crosswise into bite sizes (about 1-1/2-inches).

Place the cabbage pieces in a large bowl(s). In a smaller bowl, dissolve 1-1/4 cups of salt in 6 cups of water. Pour over the cabbage. Toss well to wet the cabbage pieces evenly with the salt water. Let stand until the white parts are bendable, about 2 hours, turning the cabbage pieces over occasionally.

Cut the radish into bite sizes (about 1-1/2-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick). Sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt. Toss well. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Drain. Do not wash.

Mix the chili pepper flakes with the remaining seasoning ingredients along with 1 cup of water.

Rinse the salted cabbage three times and drain to remove excess water.

In a large bowl, add the radish, scallions and seasoning to the salted cabbage. Using a kitchen glove, mix everything well by hand until the cabbage pieces are well coated with the seasoning mix. Place the the kimchi in an airtight container(s) or a jar(s). Rinse the bowl with 1/2 cup of water by swirling around, and pour over the kimchi. 

Leave the kimchi out in room temperature for half a day to a day, depending on how quickly you want your kimchi to ferment. Then, refrigerate.

Bulgogi is best served with cooked Rice while the Kimchi is best served cold. Bob-Muk-Ja (밥 먹자).

Breakfast Burrito

Burrito also known as taco de harina is a popular Mexican-American food. Did you know that the word "burrito" comes from a Spanish word meaning donkey? The name Burrito was applied to the food possibly because the appearance looks like a bedroll and packs that donkeys supposed to carry behind their back. This food is consist of wheat flour wrapped or folded into a cylindrical shape to enclose it's filling. The tortilla usually is lightly grilled or steamed to soften to make it more flexible. Anyway, I'm a bit hungry of eating this dish so why don't we start. 

What do we need:

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces Ground Beef and should be at least 90-96% lean
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/3 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese blend or shredded Cheddar cheese
4 medium spinach or plain flour tortillas (a size of 10-inch diameter), warmed
Salsa

You can optionally add Lime-Cilantro Cream if you want.

Lime-Cilantro Cream

1/2 cup reduced-fat dairy sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

The Procedure: 

Combine all the Lime-Cilantro Cream ingredients in small bowl, if desired and set it aside.
Heat large non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add Ground Beef with bell pepper, onion, chili powder and cumin; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into small crumbles and stirring occasionally. Remove from beef mixture from the skillet and keep it warm. 
Mix eggs, water and 1 tablespoon cilantro in a medium bowl. Spray same skillet with cooking spray. Pour into skillet; cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, if desired. Stir in beef mixture and cheese; cook 1 minute or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Spoon beef mixture evenly in a row across center of each tortilla, leaving 1-inch border on right and left sides. Fold right and left sides of tortilla over filling. Fold bottom edge up over filling and roll up; cut diagonally in half. Serve with Lime-Cilantro Cream and salsa, as desired.

Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed Ground Beef. Ground Beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF / 71ºC. Color is not a reliable indicator of Ground Beef doneness.

Serve and Enjoy! Vamos a comer!