Hey everyone!
After a bit of a delay, I'm back again with another blog update fully of beefy goodness before the end of 2009! I hope everyone has been enjoying their holiday with family, and friends and continue to do so into the new year! For the most part, I've been enjoying alot of Bayonetta, Alpha 2, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike, catching up on some updates to MGO since I haven't played it in a while due to working on Part Time Shuffle (more on that later!). Bayonetta is by far one of the best games I've played in 2009 and I hope it does well with the American release in 2010!
Similar to my last blog, there will be a chunky section about culinary madness both from my hands, and also the hands of others in a first-time critique by yours truly! Later, I'll talk about the greatness that is Tougeki SBO DVD Vol. 7, and to end it all I'll talk a bit about the current status of Part Time Shuffle! With that said, on with the blog!
As any follower can assume. besides loving the art of drawing comics, and other aspects of visual entertainment I have a soft spot for cooking. While I don't see myself as an expert at all--I do put forth an effort to make good food from time to time and share with you all my exploits in the process or just overall what I like to eat. Drawing comics takes up alot of time, which means that when you're hungry--something quick is usually the best bet. Although truthful, comic artists are human and sometimes we want and need a good meal! In those moments, I like to take time to make something with the same love and care that I put into eating them...today's Beefy Episode is ..." The Kunoichi Steak and Cheese Sandwich!"
Ironically enough, I'm actually pretty hungry typing this out, maybe I'll make one of these afterwards!
When it comes to a Steak and Cheese Sandwich, there's 2 ways you can go--the quick and average way, or the way "I'm giving it a little more time but not spending too much time" way. I tend to go for the latter. When making a Steak and Cheese much like anything--its all about the supplies, so I'll list the essentials:
-Sourdough Sub Rolls
-Mc Cormick Grill Mates "Montreal Steak" Seasoning or Mc Cormicks All-Purpose Season-Salt
-Provolone Cheese
-Chopped Steak meat
-Chopped Onions
-Crisp Lettuce
-2 frying pans brandished by King Raoh
Of course this recipe and method is based on my own preferences etc, etc so feel free to adjust things according to your own prejudices, lol! When it comes to the outer shell of a sandwich--the type of bread is very important. I think that even when you have the foundation of the sandwich (the meat) cooking just right that even the bread that contains the sandwich has either a clashing flavor or off-putting texture it can destroy the sandwich completely.
When it comes to the meaty, and plentiful weight of a Steak and Cheese I usually go with bread that has enough strength to hold the bulk of the sandwich together without falling apart, and still has a flavor on its own that works together to make a tasty sandwich. For this reason, I tend to go with Sourdough Steak Rolls. They pack a wonderful taste on their own, great texture, do a decent job absorbing the flavors from the synergy that goes on with the amazing flavors of good chopped flank steak meat, provolone cheese, and the caramelized splendor of cooked onions!
One thing that I like to do sometimes with the Sourdough Rolls is to just cut an incision on the inside of the roll to allow just a little more meat to be packed into the sandwich. I usually do this if the rolls I have are shorter in length to compensate for more space to pack the sandwich. I do a similar practice when I make twice-baked potatoes but I call it a "flavoring well".
Speaking of "flavoring", a vital ingredient to my sandwich definitely has to be, McCormick's Grill Mates "Montreal Steak" Seasoning. Before I discovered this wonderful seasoning tool, I'd use McCormicks All-Purpose Season-Salt--which isn't bad so if your preference fits either one of these definitely check them out! I use either one of these seasonings while the steak meat is cooking, throwing it in before the meat is fully cooked to let it get settled with the chopped steak meat.
Special note: I almost left this out but, when I'm making this sandwich--I use 2 pans. One to cook the meat of course, but the other caramelized chopped onions. You shouldn't need a large pan for that since you're only using them to contain the cooked onions. I tend to add the onions toward the end since I don't want a risk of overcooking them but getting just enough caramelization to complement the overall flavor.
In terms of meat, there are plenty of options you have but for me I tend to go with frozen steak portions or sliced steak meat. Whatever brands that you can afford or work for you are great. I will say that if you can get steak meat from Sysco, they definitely have good quality meats to choose from. When preparing my steak meat, after it cooks for a bit--I start to slice the portions down while they're cooking. For me, its alot easier to manage how thin I want the meat to be and its multi-tasking which makes the process a little faster. Then again I can't imagine how else you'd do it, lol!
Once the meat is done, I turn the pan down a bit, and that's when I add the Provolone Cheese to the mix, letting it melt together with the meat and seasoning to get a nice bonding agent going on, which makes it even easier to place within the "meat well" of your sandwich!
Now that the "meat of the matter" is done--its all about piecing your sandwich together. Of course, adding the steak/cheese meat neatly into the meat well in your sandwich is key, then topping it with a moderate amount of cooked onions, and topping it off with a nice crisp touch of lettuce to seal deal...but there's also something else. I find that after I place everything together, I like to hold a knife in between the bread, meat etc, to clamp the sandwich together a bit. It releases a little bit of air (don't press too hard!) but doesn't affect the texture of the steak roll and it helps keep the sandwich together, along with careful arrangment of the sandwich overall.
After all the preparation is done--I make an angular cut in the middle horizontally. For some reason, it tends to hold everything together better and its aesthetically pleasing on the plate. Add your favorite chips, or in my case a cold crispy vegetable--and you have yourself a nice meaty meal to feast yourself on!
The timing for the cooked onions is crucial since you want to make sure they're ready when the bulk of the sandwich is done--so you eliminate the need to re-heat them via microwave. The incision in the steak roll isn't a large one--its jsut one to allow more meat to be neatly packed into the sandwich and alleviate overflow.
And if you don't miss combos, your
meal should look something like that: Happy Cooking!
Stay tuned for part 2 of my blog:
MAGMATIC CRITIQUE IS HAPPEN!
BEEFY KUNOICHI vs COUNTRY RIB!
This battle is about to explode....
(I'm not lying because while you're reading this I'm working on the other portion of the blog right now!)
