Back in the day, the VFW on any overseas base were square, think small-town Elks Lodge, but cheap and entertaining clubs where drinks were a dime and a three course dinner could be had for a buck-fifty. The bar was predominately single males; a couple of flinty-eyed MPs stood nearby to keep the testosterone to a respectable level for dependents. A ubiquitous local orchestra played swing dance numbers and 50’s roll & roll, usually with a great deal more verve and brass than talent, a girl singer crooned and the tables had tablecloths, hurricane candles and fresh flowers. You could treat the trouble and strife to a night out, dance and dine like folks back in the world, for a fin. It was good
The menu was pretty much DOD Mid-Western, surf or turf with “fancy” entrées such as Beef Stroganoff or Chicken Kiev. That the specialties were faux Russian always made us laugh, given that a clutch of SAC B-52’s brooded not five miles away, but I digress. A favorite dish was a mound of tender seared beef cubes with a side of steamed rice or fries, it was $1.25 with salad and pie ala mode for dessert.
In honor of all who betrayed their country by serving in remote bases around the globe, and got blotto at the "V", today's Wictory Wednesday's Wecipe:
Chopped Steak
Ingredients:
2- 1” thick Rib-eye steaks, approx 1.5 lb combined
½ Teaspoon Garlic salt
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
3 Tablespoons safflower or canola oil (Do not use olive oil.)
I have no idea what cut of beef the V used, but I’ve found that boneless rib-eye works best as this is really a quick sear a stir fry, not braising, so you need a very tender cut and rib-eye has just enough fat for good flavor. You could use NY strips or even filet, but you will need to replace one tablespoon of the cooking oil with bacon grease for good browning. Heck, you could use the bacon grease in any case, a little pork fat always ramps up the flavor of any meat dish.
This recipe serves two well, if you double for 4, I recommend you fry and serve in two batches or two pans...which is damned hard to pull off. [However, if you have Viking or a Wolf with mongo iron griddle, go for it.] You will also need a large heavy frying pan, well-seasoned cast iron is ideal, the pan must be large enough to hold the meat in one layer.
Method: Cut the meat into 1” cubes, place in a mixing bowl and season with garlic salt, salt and black pepper, add 1 Tablespoon of the cooking oil and gently toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for up to four hours. Remove from fridge half an hour before cooking, the meat needs to rest at room temperature. Cold meat + hot pan = disaster.
Needless to say, prepare your side dishes in advance, once you begin to fry the meat you have only minutes to serving.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet on high until it just begins to smoke. Add the meat quickly in one layer, do not move it around! Let fry for 2 minutes, then turn the meat as quickly as possible and let crisp for 2 minutes more, then toss the meat for a minute to evenly coat with the crispy bits in the pan. Spoon out with a slotted spoon and plate. The key here is a hot pan, a signle layer of meat and moving quickly, you want to sear/brown the meat so the interior remains juicy.
NOTE: The above timing provides medium cubes, pink and juicy. Cooking time depends on the heat of your stove, the thickness of the pan and how you like your beef, so you may not get the meat cooked exactly as you like the first time, but this is so tasty that you won’t care. If you like your beef well-done then add a minute, or reduce by a minute for rarer beef.
I often spike the finished meat with a shot of soy sauce and a sprinkle of thinly sliced green onions when I serve steamed rice on the side. Sometimes I stir fry an assortment of mushrooms or sweet red onions in another pan before cooking the meat and flip them together when plating…just be sure the veggies are crispy. You get the idea: its basic beef and any side dish you enjoy with a steak works.
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Unless you want to spend the next four years asking "where's the beef?" you better rustle up support for George Bush. Next week is the Republican National Convention in New York, after which, you will not be able to donate to the Bush campaign...so the push is on.
If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays simply by putting up a post like this one every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign. And do e-mail wictory@blogsforbush.com to be added to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which will be part of the Wictory Wednesday post on all participating blogs.
Posted by feste at August 25, 2004 11:00 AM | TrackBack