Marge Perry's A Sweet and Savory Life

A Healthier Steak Dinner: London Broil with Chipotle and Brown Sugar Rub

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London Broil w Chipotle and Brown Sugar Rub

This is our go-to, ready-in-20-minutes beef dinner. You can make it with London Broil or flank steak: both are leaner than many other cuts of steak, (relatively) moderately priced, and especially tasty. Along with all that good meaty flavor, these steaks have some chew to them, so they are best served at medium rare. Cooked to medium, they get tough.

If you happen to cook for a “mixed” household, where some people like their meat red and rare and other want it gray and well done, here’s a neat trick for satisfying everyone without making the steak too chewy. After you slice the steak, put enough slices for the well-done people back under the broiler for a minute or so– just long enough that the cut surface is no longer pink. You won’t have cooked it through to the point where it is impossibly chewy, but it will no longer be pink. (Note that if you were to put an unsliced portion of the steak back under the broiler, you would have to cook it much longer for it to lose it’s pink color. )

Please note that this recipe is ideally suited to grilling as well as broiling, and the total cooking time will vary based on how far your broiler pan or grill rack is from the fire. Use a thermometer to guarantee the steak comes out exactly as you like it.

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 London Broil with Chipotle and Brown Sugar Rub
Servings 6
Servings 6
  1. Preheat the broiler. Coat a shallow baking sheet pan or broiler pan with cooking spray.
  2. Combine the sugar, salt, cumin, garlic powder and chipotle chili powder; pat the mixture on the entire top and bottom surface of the meat.
  3. Broil 8-9 minutes, until lightly browned; turn and broil until a meat thermometer registers 125 degrees for medium rare, about another 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 248 calories, 33 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 11 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 433 mg sodium

Trudy’s Brisket

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I want to tell you about this brisket.

It is making me want to cry, but the tears and the sobs are stuck, like heartburn, somewhere in my chest and throat, wishing they could escape and offer some kind of relief or consolation.

I learned to make brisket from my friend Trudy, who learned it from her mother. I serve it at every Jewish holiday, and for many family gatherings. When I asked Zak what he wanted me to cook for his engagement party, he said “Mac-and-cheese-and-brisket” as though it was all one thing, but it is not– or is it? These are his tastes of home. His go-to Mom foods.

This year, the confluence of Passover and Zak’s engagement party meant that our house has been filled with the aroma of 50 pounds of simmering brisket for days. Fifty pounds of Sunday dinner at Trudy’s house; fifty pounds of sitting in Trudy’s kitchen while she stood stirring at her old Garland stove; fifty pounds of sharing my deepest, darkest, worst and happiest times with the woman who would treat with equal important the question of whether we should go for a third opinion about chemo and if I would look better in wispy bangs.

I can’t have those conversations with Trudy now: she is in hospice care and no longer able to communicate. I talk to her each time I visit and I don’t know if she understands. I tell her Zak is engaged and I have been cooking her brisket for days: I tell her the smell alone is making me gain weight, and I look for a glimmer of smile around her lips. Some days I tell myself I see it; other days I am sure she doesn’t understand. Every day, I am both sad– so sad– and grateful beyond words to have a friend with whom I have shared the grave and frivolous stuff of life, and who taught me to make the brisket that would become my children’s taste of home.

 

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 Trudy's Brisket
Servings 8
Servings 8
  1. Combine the paprika, oregano, salt and pepper; sprinkle evenly over the entire surface of the meat.
  2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (If the brisket is very well trimmed, add 1 tablespoon of oil to coat the bottom of the pan. If the brisket has fat on it, the oil is not necessary). Add the brisket and cook until browned, about 8 minutes, turning once. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the water, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 3 hours.
  3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and cook until tender, 1 hour longer. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and let stand 5-10 minutes. Cut the brisket across the grain into 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick slices. Return the sliced meat to the Dutch oven and gently simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until the brisket is very tender and the sauce has thickened a bit, about 1 hour longer. (Do not skip this last step)

Ginger Ale, Brown Sugar and Rum Glazed Ham

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I eat beyond my means. If I had to pay for every bite that goes into this spoiled little mouth o’ mine, I’m not sure I could keep my dogs in kibble.

Case in point: not only did we have Kurobuta ham for Christmas, we also had it for dinner and several lunches last week, and we’ll serve it again on biscuits with cheddar and chutney for my son’s engagement party (for 60 people!) in a couple of weeks. Oh, and there is Easter in between. (I think our multi-cultural household will refrain from serving it at Passover.)

Were we carpenters or novel writers, we would likely splurge on Kurobuta for only one of those aforementioned occasions. Luckily, we just happened to meet the folks from Snake River Farms, and they just happened to need recipes developed for their products, and we just happened to be able to oblige them. So we just happened to be able to eat Kurobuta ham any ole time.

At the risk of sounding like an ad for the company– and this is not: they pay us to develop recipes for them, not hawk their products– we should tell you why we love the ham as much as we do. It comes from Japanese Kurobuta, or black hog, pork. These heritage breed Berkshire pigs are humanely, slowly raised on small farms (no hormones, of course). All of that is very important, of course, but ultimately, the flavor and texture have to be worth the effort and resulting price– and they are. While most grocery store hams are plumped up with sodium and extenders, this is entirely different. The pork gets its flavor and texture from marbling and a light smoke over hardwood. The careful, thoughtful process really shows in the end result.

Here is the recipe we developed for Snake River Farms. You can also use this recipe on a regular ham and it will be delicious. (Just not quite as delicious).

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Lemon Chicken, Brussels Sprouts and Potato Skillet: Dinner under 400 Calories

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Chicken, Brussels Sprouts and Potato Skillet

This beautiful dish is not a lot of work, but it is a lot of flavor. It’s not a lot of calories, but it is deeply satisfying. This is a dish to make after a long, frustrating day. Or even a good one. It is in the oven less than 15 minutes after you walk in the kitchen. Then go change into your comfy clothes, come back, pour yourself a glass of wine, and set the table, all the while talking to your peeps. How was everyone’s day? About to get a whole lot better, because you’re now sitting together at the table, and that changes everything. Happy dinnertime.

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Healthy Short-Cut Ingredients for a Fast, Hearty and Meatless Skillet Supper

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Black Bean, Collard Green and Butternut Squash Stew might be disqualified from the category of “fast weeknight meal” if you were to start with all the raw, whole ingredients: certainly dried beans rather than canned, but also a whole squash, and a full head or bunch of collard greens.

Fear not, I am not suggesting you use highly processed ingredients with lots of added preservatives. Instead, buy peeled, cut-up butternut squash, which is sold in the fresh produce section, and bags of pre-washed collard (or other hearty) greens.

About those pre-washed greens: you accomplish absolutely nothing by washing them again, so throw that guilt away and use them straight out of the bag. When greens are triple washed in the packaging plant, they are done so in an environment far more hygienic than your kitchen (no matter how much you scrub). In fact, one food safety researcher I spoke to said that the minute we open the bag at home, we potentially expose the greens to more contaminants than they have known since they came in from the field.

When it comes to buying canned beans, look for low sodium or organic versions. The low sodium are not only better for your body– they don’t have the mealy texture most “regular” canned beans get, and they taste less like salt and more like the bean. Organic versions tend to be lower in sodium than regular canned beans, and also retain their texture and flavor better. (I use Goya low sodium or Health Valley organic).

Given these shortcuts, this robustly flavorful and satisfying “stew” will take only about 10 minutes of prep time, and then will simmer another 20 minutes or so– just enough time to pour yourself a glass of wine and drink a toast to your savvy, healthful and very tasty meal.

Print Recipe
 Black Bean, Collard and Butternut Squash Stew
Servings 4
Servings 4
  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the garlic, onion, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the greens and 1 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted and bright green, 6-7 minutes.
  2. Add the salt, cayenne, tomatoes and squash, cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the black beans and cook 2 minutes to heat through.
Recipe Notes

321 calories, 15 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 19 g fiber, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 951 mg sodium

Pork Chops with Port Wine Sauce: Dinner in 20 Minutes and Under 400 Calories

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I hadn’t thought about this dinner in a while– you know how that is: you get attached to a dish for months on end, you make it nearly every week, and then, somehow, you just forget about it.

Most cooks make the same three to five weeknight meals over and over, week in and week out. It makes perfect sense: you know how to prepare them, you know you (and the people you cook for) like them, and at the end of a long day, you don’t have to think too hard to get any one of them on the table. It also makes grocery shopping easier– you know exactly where those ingredients are the store shelves and can grab them quickly.

The other night, I had these pork chops again for the first time in a while, but not because I made it: my students did. I had included the recipe as part of a new class I designed for ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) called 400-Calorie Fast Weeknight Meals. When we all sat down to eat together at the end of the five hour class, the students declared this was their favorite recipe. I’m going to have to add it back in to my personal rotation.

When I do, it won’t look or taste the same every time. I often tweak my stable of basics based on what I have on hand, my mood, or just a need to do something a little different. Here are some of the variations I do with this recipe:

  • Substitute boneless chicken breasts or thighs for the pork chops.
  • Use cherry rather than plum preserves.
  • Season the pork more robustly: add 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • Add halved grapes and sliced almonds to the pan after the pork chops cook on the first side. (The grapes wilt just the right amount in the time it takes to finish cooking the pork).


Print Recipe


Pork Chops with Port Wine Sauce

Servings 4

Servings 4

  1. Bring the shallots, Port and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan; boil until the mixture is reduced a scant ¼ cup. Add the broth, return to a boil and reduce to ¼ cup. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the preserves, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and cook 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

  2. Combine the coriander, garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and sprinkle over the pork.

  3. Heat the oil over medium high; add the chops in a single layer and cook 4-5 minutes per side (a meat thermometer inserted horizontally should register 145F). Serve with the sauce.


Recipe Notes

357 calories, 33 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 572 mg sodium

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

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Sweet and Spicy Wings

Got a party this weekend? You have to have wings. They are nearly as easy to make as they are to eat– and they get devoured. (In other words, you need a lot of them).

Here’s how you know just how many “a lot” is. There are about 12 wings to a pound, but you are going to cut each wing in half, so you get 24 pieces per pound. When you get them home, cut off the wing tip (that’s the pointy piece with very little meat on it) and either throw it in a bag in the freezer to make soup or throw it out. Cut the remaining v-shaped wing at the joint…just wiggle your knife in between so you don’t cut into the bone. Now each wing is in two pieces: the “drumette” (which looks like a baby drumstick) and the meaty “flat”….

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Grilled Cheese with Cherry Wine Spread: Magic in the Land of Disney

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Grilled Cheese and Cherry Wine Spread

Grilled Cheese is magical. It makes everyone smile, moan with delight, sigh heavily, or wax poetic– and it may even cure pain and heartache. It is also a very good thing to serve to a crowd of hundreds, which is what we did last week in Orlando.

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Chicken, Potato and Chard Skillet Supper

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Chicken, Potato and Chard Skillet

In between all the parties and holidays this year, there are still regular, ordinary, everyday weeknights. They, too, require dinner. And for those of us galavanting our way through the season from one over-the-top meal to the next, those in-between meals need to (or should!) add a little healthful balance to our lives. I’d love to say I will just nibble on brown rice and carrot sticks when I am not gnawing, caveman-like, on a prime rib bone, but that’s not the way it goes.

Have you ever noticed how rich, crazy-decadent meals beget the need for more rich, crazy-decadent food? It’s as though I get on a roll, and the more I eat marbled beef, salty cured meats, stinky cheese, tart tatin topped with crème fraîche (to name just a smattering of my consumption last week)– the more of its ilk I crave. I know I am not alone– I am watching friends and family (who usually demonstrate some restraint) eat as though there are no consequences to these indulgences.

I blame it on the rough year we have all had. The divisive election, the loss of Prince and so many other super stars… Yes, that’s it! We are all blowing off steam after a long, rough year and going hog wild on the holidays.

So here’s what I am thinking. In between the feasts, I certainly cannot or will not sip green smoothies for dinner. I need robustly flavorful food that fits the season, but also contributes vitamins and minerals to shore me up a bit. This one-skillet supper does just that: it is a complete, well-balanced meal as full of flavor as it is valuable nutrients, and it is a cinch to make.

I used a combination of purple, white and red baby potatoes because that is what I had on hand– and the mix of colors delivers a wider array of nutrients. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs work better in this recipe than chicken breasts, which would dry out. If you prefer, you can leave the skin on– it would certainly be tasty, but the skin contributes about 60 calories of saturated fat for each thigh, which I will get tomorrow night from a second sliver of luscious chocolate cake.

Print Recipe
 Chicken, Potato and Chard Skillet Supper
Servings 4
Servings 4
  1. Heat a large cast iron (or other heavy) skillet over medium. Working in two batches, add the damp chard and cook, tossing it with tongs, until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Season the chicken with the salt, marjoram and pepper.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken (skinner/smooth side facing down) and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Turn it over and add the potatoes to the pan around the chicken. Cook until the chicken is again browned on the underside, about 6 minutes.
  4. Pour the broth and vinegar into the pan and cook until it is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Place the chard over the potatoes, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and cook until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through (to an internal temperature of 170-175F, about another 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes

341 calories, 25 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 16 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 552 mg sodium

Juicy, Savory Standing Rib Roast (aka Prime Rib)

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Standing Rib Roast

A rib roast is a beautiful beast. It is a celebration, a statement, a lusty carnivore’s great love, and damn good eating.

Cook it simply. The beast stands on its own: a savory, juicy mass of flavor that needs only to be respected, not over-handled. Coat it lightly with seasoning to bring out its deep, resonant flavor, then put it in the oven and do not hover. Don’t ignore it either– allow it just the right amount of time on its own (a little over 2 hours for a 4-rib, 8-10 pound roast), then check the temperature. At 125°F to 130°F, it will be red (not blue) in the very center– a perfect medium rare.

You may choose to serve your roast with sauce, such as this Bourbon Bain Sauce, which combines the warm flavor of bourbon with the piquancy of chutney and a hint of sweet ketchup. (Make a big batch to also serve with burgers, ordinary steaks, and chicken. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or so, and may also be frozen.) We made this Bourbon Bain sauce to go with our Black Pepper Spice Rubbed Rib Roast: for a quick video tutorial for the sauce and the roast, click here.

I have loved many beautiful beasts over the years. Herb Crusted Standing Rib Roast such as this is classic, and for good reason. The Molasses and Black Pepper Crusted version below is beyond simple, but those two humble ingredients (and just a little dried thyme) have a way of both enhancing and balancing the pure meatiness of the the roast.

My mother used to make roast beef (aka prime rib, aka rib roast, aka standing rib roast) on Sunday nights. She dredged the roast in flour, put it in the oven and, as she said, “an hour before the roast is ready, cut onions over it.” The onions roasted in the meat drippings, which made them rich and savory and sweet. Of all the beasts I have ever loved, my mother’s prime rib was my favorite. After she took the roast out of the oven and transferred it to her carving board to rest, she made Yorkshire pudding in the roasting pan. Some Sundays it would puff into a magical, golden bread at least twice as high as the roasting pan. Other times, as she pulled the pan out of the oven, the pudding would sink down along with her face. (This is why I recommend making Yorkshire puddings in popover tins, which give a far more reliable result.) I have made roast beef many times according to my mother’s instructions, and I will tell you that unless she is here to do it, I will forgo the flour-dredging in favor of these other methods.

Here are some important practical matters to think about for your rib roast.

How much prime rib roast to buy:

Butchers tell you to assume about 1 pound of bone-in rib roast per person. But you don’t usually buy a rib roast by weight, you buy it by the number of ribs. A four-rib roast will weigh between 8 and 10 pounds, and will serve 10 people. If you have a gathering of bone-eaters, you may want to pick up a few extra ribs to throw in the pan. (Not only will you make everyone happy, you will be able to do so while buying a slightly smaller standing rib roast.)

How long to cook your prime rib roast:

After you have spent so very much money on this great celebratory roast, you want to be sure you do not over- or under-cook it. Whatever time a recipe may tell you, it is only a guideline. Doneness is a matter of internal temperature, and ovens, roast size and shape, and roasting pans all may contribute to cooking time. The key is to use an instant read meat thermometer, insert it so the tip is in the very center of the meat, and use the following temperature guidelines:

RARE: 115-120 F. Deep red and barely warm to the touch in the center

MEDIUM RARE: 125-130F Deep red only in the very center; lighter red for most of the meat, with the outermost edges light brown

MEDIUM: 140-145F Pink in the center, gray or light brown elsewhere

MEDIUM WELL: 150F Gray or light brown throughout, with slightly lighter gray/brown in the center

 

 

Print Recipe
 Molasses and Black Pepper Crusted Standing Rib Roast
Servings 8-10 servings
Servings 8-10 servings
  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a roasting pan with cooking spray (unless you are using a nonstick pan).
  2. Season the meat with the salt and place in the roasting pan. Roast in the center of the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
  3. Combine the molasses, black pepper and thyme and brush all over the roast. Add 2 cups water to the bottom of the pan and return to the oven. Cook, adding water if the liquid completely evaporates, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the center (not touching the bone) registers 125-130F-- about another 30-45 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and allow the roast to rest 15-30 minutes before carving.

The Surprisingly Simple Secret To Spectacular Roast Ham (with video)

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Cola and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

This is a Tale of Two Hams. Both are crazy-delicious and outrageously simple to make– and both use the same simple trick to bring them to glory.

We created the Brown Sugar and Cola Glazed Ham pictured above for Anolon, and they in turn made this great video which shows just how easy it is to prepare. (The video has something like 200,000 views!) Go here for the recipe.

Days later, we made this Ginger Ale and Rum Glazed Ham. It has equally robust, great flavor– and a hit of piquant heat from the ginger.

Ginger Rum Glazed Ham

Have you figured out the “secret” to great ham? It’s soda. It might sound crazy at first*, but Southerners have been baking ham with cola for generations, because they know that caramelized sugary liquid does wonders to the salty, savory meat. All you need to do is pour a little soda– cola or ginger ale, depending on your preference– and another liquid (we used orange juice with the cola and rum with the ginger ale) over the ham at the start. You take more of those same liquids and boil them madly in a saucepan along with two or three other ingredients (mustard, brown sugar, jelly, etc) until they become a thick syrupy glaze, then brush the ham with the glaze as it cooks. It’s really that simple and mistake-proof.

Your dinner is taken care of. Now let’s go rejoice. We all deserve it.

*I don’t even drink the stuff, but I appreciate what a great ingredient it can be.

Print Recipe
 Ginger Ale and Rum Glazed Ham
Servings 20 servings
Servings 20 servings
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the excess fat and use the tip of your knife to make 1/4-inch deep scores all over the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern. Place the ham in a large (preferably nonstick) roasting pan and pour 1 ½ cups of the ginger ale and ½ cup of the rum over the meat. Tent loosely with foil and roast 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  2. While the ham roasts, combine the remaining 3 cups ginger ale, remaining ½ cup rum, brown sugar, apple jelly and Dijon in a saucepan; stir until well-combined and bring to a boil. Continue to boil gently until it is thickened to a syrupy consistency, 45-50 minutes.
  3. After the ham has cooked for the initial 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the foil. Brush the ham with some of the glaze. Return it to the oven and roast for 15 minutes, and again brush with glaze. Continue roasting and brushing every 15 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 145F degrees, about another 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes

399 calories, 26 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 25 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 1414 mg sodium

Roast Stuffed Butternut Squash

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Roast Stuffed Butternut Squash

This is for these post-Thanksgiving days, when maybe we all feel a little roasted and stuffed– but not quite ready to give up on the indulging that we’ve only just begun. Ah, the holiday season is here: days of devilishly delicious treats, heaped at our feet as though there would be nothing wrong with consuming large beasts and lakes of salted caramel lava, day after luscious day.

In between the parties, you might want to throw together a little something that tastes like it belongs in this season– but has far fewer calories and less fat than those cute little Santa cookies your colleague brought in.

Roast more squash than you need for just this recipe. The oven will be on anyway, and it is an easy treat for later in the week, when you can reheat it in the oven or microwave, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil and eat it right out of the skin.

 

Print Recipe
 Roast Stuffed Butternut Squash
Servings 4
Servings 4
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a shallow baking sheet pan with cooking spray.
  2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side up on the sheet pan, and use the point of a small knife to make several 1-inch slashes into the squash, taking care to not cut through to the skin. Drape loosely with foil and bake 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes, until very tender when pricked with a fork.
  3. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a ½-inch border all the way around. Mash with a large fork and stir in the butter until it is melted. Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, dried sage, and pepper and stir well. Place the mixture back into the squash shells and sprinkle with the Gruyere. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted, about 3-5 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 188 calories, 6 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 6 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 390 mg sodium