Earl Cooks Ribeye Skillet Stew

I went to my meat locker (freezer) and found that I had one 8 oz. rib-eye. Not enough for a steak dinner, but I had a brilliant idea! I also had a product I wanted to try that would pair well with that rib-eye, and I could make it all in the same skillet I cooked the ribeeye in! Here is what I did.

Start with PictSweet's frozen vegetables for stew. Add several small new potatoes sliced into
1/4 inch slices. Season the steak with Weber Chicago Steak seasoning.
Trim the fat and dice the ribeye into 3/4 inch cubes. The gravy is for later.

Now that's all done, toss the trimmed fat into the hot skillet. Crisp it up, rendering the flavor into the pan. Move the crispy fat to the side and add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Toss in the ribeye chunks and give them a good crust, making sure all sides get brown and crusty. Now add the Pictsweet veggies to the meat AFTER removing the fat pieces. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water and cover to make certain the stew vegetables cook through. Then add the potato slices. Now add the gravy mix and stir it in until mixed well.  Cover and bring to a boil for just a few minutes, and remove cover and allow to cook down until gravy is your desired consistency.

Results:

This was a quick solution and it was tasty. The biggest problem is one I 've noticed often with frozen carrots. They simply turn into a fibrous lump. I will not buy these veggies again because of the carrots. I had always blamed the microwave for the problem with frozen carrots, but for this dish  I did not use a microwave. This was a tasty stew and took a fraction of the time. 

Earl Cooks Steak & Baked & French Onion Haricots Verts (Green Beans)

I needed to try out a recipe for a green bean
casserole for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast hosted by my youngest and her hubby. I want to let you know here that I have never eaten a green bean casserole, let alone MADE one! This assignment was given to me by my daughter, and I felt I could create something tasty and better than the ones I haven't had. I knew my daughters and wife aren't crazy about mushroom soup, and my grandboys don't eat beans so this would be a tough one. After a bunch of soul searching and Google searching I found something I thought could just be great, but, my wife cautioned, I should make a test batch. This is not about the recipe, which I will post later, this is about what I served with my test batch...

Earl Cooks Rubbed Rib-eye Steaks with Brussels Sprouts

It is almost unbelievable, how much learning about Sous Vide for cooking steaks, has changed our enjoyment of eating them. I have always loved steaks at restaurants, but rarely could I get the flavor I sought at home. 2 things changed my steak cooking/eating life 1)-A Cast Iron Skillet and  B)-The Sous Vide technique. If you like steak, you should try it. Last night I tried one more new thing...Captain Len's Steak Rub...AND IT WAS GREAT. I oven roasted the Brussels Sprouts (I know, it seems like it should be  Brussel Sprouts or Brussel's Sprouts, but it's not). For my steaks, I cooked them in my Hamilton Beach Sous Vide Professional until they reached 140°, "Turkey's" preferred doneness. Then I grabbed my new 15" Cast Iron Skillet I bought just last week for just such an occasion. The details follow:
Ingredients

• 2 8oz. Rib-eye Steaks
• 1 pkg. Captain Len's Steak Rub
• Frozen Brussels Sprouts (if fresh is used adjust cooking time)
• Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper (for the Brussels Sprouts)
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) for Steaks & Sprouts
• 2 tsps real butter for finishing both the steaks and the sprouts

Instructions
—for the steaks

• Remove from wrap or packaging and lightly salt both sides
• Vacuum seal each steak individually (If you don't have a sealer this can be done manually)
• Place in Soud Vide machine (no Sous Vide? No problem, use a slow cooker!)
• Once the steaks reach the desired doneness, allow them to cook for no less than 1 hour. Temp the water at regular intervals.
• Remove Steaks from Sous Vide. There will be moisture/rendered fat in the bags. DRY THE STEAKS WELL. Coat with Captain Len's Steak Rub (or your favorite rub).
• Pour enough EVOO in the bottom of the skillet
• Heat Cast Iron Skillet on HIGH until wisps of smoke rise then turn down to MEDIUM HIGH
• Turn your steaks often. Many rubs include a sugar component that will BURN if you don't.
• Remove from heat and allow to rest 5-10 minutes

—for the sprouts

• Allow 25-30 minutes to cook at 400°
• Cover small rimmed baking sheet with EVOO, pepper & salt
• add frozen sprouts, distributed evenly over an oiled sheet pan. Single layer.
• Top with more EVOO and salt and pepper
• Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes
• Remove and shake them around to make sure all are seasoned.
• Replace and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes longer.

—for both to finish

• Place 1 tsp real butter on sprouts and 1 on steaks to give a finishing richness.

Results

Rib-eye was tender and juicy and I ate 2 portions of sprouts.