Kids Love the Taste, and Moms Love the Nutrition!

Apparently 15 million pounds of Campbell’s SpaghettiOs with Meatballs have been recalled for something called “under-processing”:

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST 4K,” as well as a “Use By” date between June 2010 and December 2011 ink-jetted on the bottom of each can. These products were manufactured between December 2008 and June 2010 and distributed to retail establishments nationwide. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on FSIS’ website at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/
Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp.

The problem was discovered through a routine warehouse inspection by the company and its subsequent investigation. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses from consumption of these products.

I have no idea what “under-processing” is, but I am pretty sure it’s something disgusting.

- Carlo

A Tale of Two Meals

I’ve been thinking a lot of creative ways to use leftovers lately. This isn’t one of the most complex–in fact, both meals are pretty simple–but both meals are damn good.  They’re also pretty reasonably priced…I got the beans for 99 cents a pound and the steak (the humble top sirloin) for $4.99 a pound.

Dinner

Cooking on the dinner is mostly about high heat.

1. Turn the oven on as high as it can go and insert a sheet pan. Meanwhile, take a nice steak out of the fridge (I used top sirloin, mostly because it’s good and I’m broke, but feel free to splurge on loin if you wish), very lightly rub with oil, and sprinkle with salt.
2. Go read the new Anthony Bourdain book for about fifteen minutes
3. Put a nice, heavy, “hit someone over the head” cast iron skillet over high heat.
4. Trim the ends off a bunch (about a pound) o’ green beans, rinse, dry, and toss in olive oil with salt and pepper.
5. Throw the steak in the pan, two minutes a side (that is, if you like your meat just to the rare side of medium rare). Remove to a wire rack suspended over a plate, tented with foil. This must rest for at least ten minutes.
6. When the steak is done, deglaze with red wine (I prefer a fine jug merlot), add some stock, let it reduce.
7. Throw the beans on the hot tray from the stupidly hot oven, and let them cook until done. Warning: this won’t take long, so you will have to keep checking. The beans will develop some good color, though, and they will be very intensely flavored.  This is the same method, by the way, I use for asparagus.
8. When the stock/wine mixture has reduced enough for your taste, mount that sucker with some butter. Pour your awesome steak sauce into a small container, for spooning over your steak.

yummy dinner

Lunch

Assuming you haven’t been too much of a glutton, there should be some steak, sauce, and beans left. This will make a tasty mid-day meal.

1. About half an hour before you’re ready to eat, take out your steak remainder (in my case, about half a pound), slice thin on the diagonal, and chop.
2. Preheat your same cast iron pan over medium for about five minutes.
3. Take out two slices of whatever bread you like. Spread the sauce over one side of a slice of bread, top with the steak, whatever sauce is left, some grated cheddar (although pepper jack would be nice). Mayo one side of the other slice of bread, and make a sammich.
4. Butter the outer slices of the bread and grill that sucker, just as you would a grilled cheese.
5. Nuke the beans…the world’s quickest side dish!
6. Cut the sammich on the diagonal, stack on a plate with the beans, and enjoy your thriftiness.

sammich heaven

best leftover use ever?

After reading Carlo’s veggie stock post, I was inspired to make my own.  Much of this stock went to an onion and mushroom soup, but the rest played a very important part in my first risotto attempt (which starred mushroom and peas).

The risotto was for a vegetarian pot-luck. Luckily, though, there were leftovers, so the next day, I mixed in a healthy amount of Parmesan, formed the risotto into a patty, fried it in my cast iron skillet, and topped the whole thing with two over-medium eggs.

eggs on risotto

Need I mention that this was awesome?