Virginia Is A Winner!

I was perfectly content thinking about my little Mound’s Cake that won a church bake-off years ago . . . that is, until I met Virginia Anthony and heard all about her cooking and baking and the many contests she’s won . . . the Pillsbury Bake-off . . . Uncle Ben’s National Cook-off, the Alaska-Fetzer Seafood Contest . . . just to name a few . . . and now she’s a finalist in The National Beef Cook-off! She says it’s easy, and fun, and she reminds us “You can’t win if you don’t enter.” A seasonal High Country resident who is a top 20 finalist in the 2005 National Beef Cook-off, Mrs. Anthony will be heading to South Dakota in just over a month to compete for the $50,000 grand prize with her Floribbean Fiesta Steak, a recipe that she is allowing us to share with our readers. Read more about her elsewhere in The Mountain Times, enjoy her unique recipes below (they are all prize-winners!) and in the meantime, wish her luck.

Floribbean Fiesta Steak

Total preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Marinating time: 15 minutes to 2 hours

4 boneless beef chuck eye steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 8 ounces each)
1 cup prepared Mojo marinade
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed, drained
1 ¼ cups frozen corn
1 cup refrigerated or bottled medium prepared salsa with lime and garlic
1/3 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 ripe avocado, coarsely chopped
¼ cup prepared ranch dressing
1teaspoon pepper, divided
Salt

Place beef steaks in food-safe plastic bag. Add marinade; turn steaks to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Combine beans, corn and salsa in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; keep warm.

Meanwhile place cilantro in food processor container. Cover; process until chopped. Add avocado, dressing and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover; process until smooth. Season with salt, as desired. Set aside.

Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade. Season evenly with remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Spray ridged grill pan or large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in pan; cook 12 to 15 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Season with salt, as desired.

Serve steaks with bean mixture. Top with avocado mixture.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook’s Tip: Four beef shoulder center steaks (ranch steak), cut 1 inch thick or beef top blade steaks (flat iron), about 8 ounces each, may be substituted for beef chuck eye. Cook ranch steaks 13 to 16 minutes (top blade 13 to 15 minutes) for medium rare to medium doneness, tuning occasionally.

 

Raspberry-Walnut Chicken with Wilted Baby Greens & Gorgonzola

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 oz each)
¾ teaspoon salt, divided use
3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided use
1/3 cup very finely chopped walnuts (I do in food processor)
1 tablespoon light olive oil or canola oil
¼ cup minced shallots
½ cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
½ cup seedless red raspberry preserves
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh sage or ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried, crumbled
6 ounces mixed baby greens or spinach
4 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Season chicken breasts with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; dredge in walnuts. Coat a large non-stick skillet with butter-flavored cooking spray; add oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute 4 minutes on each side, turning once, or until cooked through. Remove chicken to plate; place in oven.

Add shallots to skillet; saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, vinegar, preserves, sage and rosemary to skillet; cook over high heat until reduced to a light sauce consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place greens in bowl; toss with 6 tablespoons sauce. Divide greens evenly among 4 serving plates.

Remove chicken from oven; pour any accumulated juices into sauce. Top greens with chicken breast half; spoon remaining sauce evenly over chicken and sprinkle 1 tablespoon Gorgonzola over chicken and greens. Serves 4.

(Cook’s note: I created this recipe several years ago for a contest and I won a trip to the Disney Institute. I have never seen it published anywhere. It always gets raves when I serve it. The wine recommendation is Fetzer’s Barrel Select Pinot Noir.)

 

Guava Sauced Chicken Over Beans & Rice

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. dry jerk seasoning
1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
6 tbsp. guava jelly
2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
¼ cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ tsp habanero pepper sauce
1 pkg. (6 oz) yellow rice mix
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
Chopped fresh cilantro

Sprinkle chicken with salt and jerk seasoning. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook 4 minutes; turn and cook 4 minutes more. Remove from pan and keep warm.

To skillet, add onion, green pepper, garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute. Add chicken and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, turning chicken once.

Remove chicken; cover and keep warm. Bring sauce to a boil and cook gently until reduced to a glaze.

Cook rice according to package directions. Stir in beans and let stand 5 minutes. Arrange rice and beans on a platter; top with chicken and spoon glaze over all. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Serves 4.