Older Bolder Life

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Recipe: Proteins

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Thai-Inspired Coconut Steak on a Stick

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Though I have to admit we were somewhat late to the realization that Thai-inspired flavors and spices, along with coconut, often play wonderfully with beef, we’ve become big fans of the combination around our camp.

With cooler weather on the horizon we’ll be slipping these Thai-Inspired Slow Roasted Short Ribs and this Coconut Braised Chuck Roast with Gremolata back into the rotation; fall is indeed just around the corner.

Traditionally we’ve always hosted a get together sometime during this upcoming long weekend; ribs have almost always been on the docket for that crowd, though I couldn’t resist putting these on the menu this year.

I happened to run across an amazing deal on some grass-fed rib eyes, but this will work with a number of other cuts; one of the first times I made it recently we used tri-tip and it was damned delicious.

There’s nothing very complex about the recipe, though do note that this works much better with an overnight marinade in the fridge. And the basting sauce is optional, though you’ll need to do something with the remaining coconut milk from the can (other than stir it into your coffee tomorrow), and basting the steak skewers on the grill really does boost the flavor.

My other best suggestion is to make more than you think you and your guests will eat; this one makes a killer lunch the next day over salad or just on it’s own.

2 pounds rib eye, top sirloin, tri-tip, etc, cut into 1-inch cubes

Marinade
1 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
6 garlic cloves
4-6 red Thai chiles (Fresnos or red jalapeños in a pinch), stemmed, chopped
1.5-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, rough chop
1/4 cup good fish sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp lemongrass puree
Optional: 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Optional Basting Sauce
1/2 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp good fish sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsp lemongrass puree (optional)

Add all the marinade ingredients to your trusty blender and puree until smooth and uniform; pour over the prepared steak cubes in a large bowl, stir to make sure every piece is coated, cover and throw in the fridge overnight.

When ready to grill, drain and discard the marinade and thread the meat onto skewers, just touching, not tightly packed.

Fire the grill, and use that remainder of the coconut milk from the can to make the optional basting sauce; stir the ingredients together over low heat until combined, set aside.

Now grill over a medium fire, turning and basting every 2-3 with the basting sauce if using, for 14 to 16 minutes until done to your tastes.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Spicy Grilled Bacon (Pork Belly) Skewers

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A couple of months ago a friend from Montana sent me a pic of thick-cut bacon threaded onto skewers and slowly cooked on the grill; he was at an outdoor expo and a vendor was cooking these and apparently selling them hand over fist one early summer day in Boise.

My friend is not the handiest guy in the kitchen or around the grill (patience is indeed a virtue, and the lack of it can lead to disaster when cooking over live fire); he didn’t have the best of luck with this one the first time he tried it, leading to him pestering me the past few weeks for help working this one out.

After figuring out that you simply can’t rush these Spicy Grilled Bacon (or Pork Belly) Skewers over too hot a fire, we’ve had great results the past couple of times I’ve grilled these up, including the night before last served over a simple salad with a great guacamole on the side.

When stirring together the basting mixture, note there are three ingredients listed as optional; we think it needs all three, including just a bit of honey to add a hint of sweetness to the heat, and the ginger and lemongrass weave in a couple of other flavor notes that round out the Asian-inspired riff here.

Build a two-zone, fairly slow, live fire or just fire one burner if cooking over gas, and don’t wander off and leave these unattended for long. Keep turning and baste right at the end a few times to build a flavor-packed layer of flavor on that crispy bacon.

1 pound thick-cut bacon or uncured pork belly, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3 tbsp chile paste (sambal oelek)
1-2 tbsp honey (optional)
2 tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
2-3 tsp good Sriracha
1 tsp minced or pureed ginger (optional)
1 tsp minced or pureed lemongrass (optional)

To serve
Your favorite green salsa or chimichurri, such as…
Quick Columbian Guacamole
Tomatillo Avocado Salsa
Quick Columbian Aji Sauce
Our House Chimichurri

Lime quarters

Fire your grill and set things up to cook over indirect heat – bank the coals to one or two sides leaving an unheated zone in the middle or on a gas grill just fire one burner.

Combine the glaze ingredients (the Chile paste, optional honey, rice vinegar, Sriracha, optional ginger, optional lemongrass) and set aside. Thread the bacon/pork belly slices onto wooden (soaked) or metal skewers like an accordion (see the images) and grill over indirect heat for 15-30 minutes, pending how thick your slices are. Turn every several minutes, adjusting position as needed, until beginning to brown.

At this point start brushing with the glaze every 45 seconds or so, followed by a turn, for another 3-4 minutes until they’re nicely colored and maybe even a little sticky.

To serve, set out the salsa and limes, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Ancho Coffee Pork Tenderloin

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Back a few weeks ago when I posted this Crispy Ancho Coffee Chicken recipe I had a hunch that this particular rub would work wonders on a grass-fed/pastured pork tenderloin. I have to admit, and again readily confess I didn’t develop that recipe (see the prior post) – this spice mixture is just damn good (if not great).

In fact I wrote this about it over on our fly fishing blog ChiWulff several weeks ago –

The flavor of ancho chiles has always kinda reminded me of a sorta sweet, sorta smokey raisin, with a little bit of heat added for interest; combined here with the cumin and just a bit of a dark, freshly ground coffee and good salt, the ancho anchors this very interesting, and tasty, crust.

Over the grill these need to watched carefully and managed over indirect heat or the spices will burn; we think the best way to cook a batch of these up is to sauté them in a skillet in EVOO or avocado oil, taking care to give them time to develop a crispy crust before turning.

Amazing in a taco with all the fixin’s, or topping a tostada or a big-assed salad, these were awesome a few days back on a bed of shredded lettuce and a great guacamole. What a great boat lunch on a hot summer day these would make too…

Well, the rub works amazingly well on pork tenderloin as well, and speaking of pork tenderloin, have you tried cooking it medium rare using a sous vide technique? Sous vide is a wonderful tool to use to produce great proteins (and more), and pork tenderloin, along with a great steak (ribeye around our house), might just be the crown jewel of sous vide meats in terms of bang for your buck and return on your (rather modest) efforts.

By all means you don’t have to sous vide these, a careful grill or roast in the oven would work just fine, but if you’re waffling on sous vide, find a friend with a machine and cook this recipe together – you’ll be hooked for life.

And finally, you can serve pork tenderloin any number of ways, but consider a New Mexico-inspired “red and green” plate (as in the image above) using our Easy Romesco Sauce and either this Columbian Aji or this Columbian Guacamole. Wow, was that delicious.

4 parts fresh ancho chile powder
4 parts ground cumin
1 part (scant) good salt
1/2 to 1 part finely ground fresh dark roast coffee

2 pastured pork tenderloins, silver skin removed

Combine the ancho powder, cumin, salt, and finely ground coffee in a small bowl, stir to mix well.

While not really necessary, I like to paint the pork tenderloins with a bit of apple cider vinegar, then rub with the spice mixture. Cover tightly and throw in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

If cooking sous vide, heat your water bath to 130-135 (F), and cook using routine methods for an hour. Remove, drain, and let rest for 15-30 minutes at room temperature before searing quickly in butter and avocado oil on the stove top or on the grill (my preferred). Don’t sweat it when the rub/spice mixture darkens significantly when seared/grilled – it’s the spices and you’re not burning the outer layer. Don’t forget to be quick about this process to preserve that delightful medium rare cook you’ve just done perfectly in the sous vide bath.

If grilling, cook over medium-high indirect heat per routine, until done to your liking (though I’d personally never cook these past medium…). Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Serve as desired, and enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sweet Potato Hashbrown Cheeseburger Pie

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Several weeks ago a friend approached me and asked for help adapting a video recipe she’d seen recently for an upcoming backyard party she was hosting for a group of her daughter’s teen friends.

Apparently they’d discussed doing something “different than the usual burgers and dogs” and wanted a tasty dish that would appeal to teenage palates and yet reasonably accommodate their own recently-adopted paleo/primal food plan.

The video was a fairly uninspired version of this recipe, with store-bought, industrial seed oil-prepared string potato crisps as the bottom layer, devoid of any spice, yet it offered some promise.

We set to experimenting a bit, playing with different versions of sweet potato for the foundation – including crisped up oven fries, sautéed crispy home-style fries (medium dice), though for taste, texture, and interest, finally settling (somewhat to my surprise, I first guessed that homemade oven fries would win out) on this hashbrown version where we essentially made a large sweet potato rosti for the base and then built the cheeseburger “pie” on top of that.

We’ve even served this recently for an informal dinner with friends, where it was a big hit. And as with any burger you can dream up – add whatever tickles your fancy to the stack, like sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, your favorite quick guacamole, pickled onions or jalapeños, and so on…

Don’t be intimidated by making a giant rosti, just pat the grated hash browns out into your largest skillet (preheated with a bit of avocado oil) and cook over medium heat until browned and crispy. Slide the rosti out onto a large cutting board or platter, place another cutting board or platter over and invert, then slide the rosti – uncooked side down – back into the pan to finish. My big skillet is large enough that I needed to cut the rosti in half to fit it onto a sheet pan without overlapping the sides. Easy peasy, and well worth the effort.

2 large organic sweet potatoes, trimmed and grated
1 tsp good salt
2-3 tbsp avocado oil

1/3 pound bacon in 1/4-inch dice
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound grass fed ground beef
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp good salt

1/3 cup avocado oil mayo (homemade is best!)
1/3 cup homemade Primal ketchup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup dill pickle chips, finely diced
2-3 tbsp dill pickle brine

1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese of choice
Handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
Small head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Clean and trim the sweet potatoes, then grate. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add half the avocado oil, and then spread the grated sweet potatoes in the pan, patting into a firm, even layer. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the bottom begins to brown; lift an edge to peek. You may need to turn the heat down if getting too crispy. When browned, turn the rosti as per the last paragraph above. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until browned, then slide onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet (you may need to cut it in half if you have a big skillet as we do).

Now sauté the diced bacon until crispy, remove to drain, leaving the drippings in the pan. Sauté the onions until softened (6-7 minutes over medium heat), then add the ground beef, cumin, chile powder, and salt. Cook until the meat is browned and crisp, breaking it up as you go; set aside when done.

While the meat is browning, to make the sauce combine the mayo, ketchup, sour cream, pickle chips, and brine; set aside when well mixed. Grate the cheese, rinse and halve the tomatoes, and shred the lettuce.

When ready to assemble, fire the oven broiler, then spread the hamburger mixture over the potato cake, top with the grated cheese, and then the bacon. Slide under the broiler until the cheese has melted. Drizzle with the sauce, top with the shredded lettuce and tomatoes, and go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Spicy Thai-Inspired Shrimp Stir-fry

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Growing up years ago, both my wife and I had grandparents who lived, at least part of the time, a stone’s throw from the Texas Gulf coast. We have common memories of beach-combing, big bonfires, hot and steamy summer days, and eating lots of stunningly fresh seafood.

Later living in the northern Rockies (small town Montana) for years made accessing fresh seafood (from anywhere) a surmountable but expensive challenge, though being back down in Texas for a spell has made the seafood game much easier, something we’ve thoroughly enjoyed given the amazing benefits – flavor and health – that seafood brings to the table.

My wife loves good shrimp, and while it’s hard to turn down a big platter of iced and spiced boiled shrimp, I personally probably lean to cold-water fish as being my absolute favorite seafood.

That said, this Spicy Thai-Inspired Shrimp Stir-Fry recipe, recently shared by our friend Chef Libby in Austin, and I believe originally sourced from one similar published in the past several years in Bon Appetit, might just have rolled to the very top of our seafood favorites list.

It’s packed with great flavors, including the herbal heat from the jalapeños (or Fresnos), a hefty handful of garlic, and with lemongrass and fish sauce thrown in to ensure you’ve hit all the taste senses and flavor notes. The wilted basil takes this one over the top, and don’t forget the spritz of lime at the end.

Of note, there’s a little bit of sugar in the marinade to aid in caramelization, leave it out if you wish, but as you’re not cooking the marinade in the final dish, you’ll have minuscule amounts of actual sugar clinging to the shrimp as they’re cooked.

4 red jalapeños (or Fresnos in a pinch), stemmed, seeded, chopped
7-8 garlic cloves, smashed
3 and 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or EVOO
2 tbsp good fish sauce
1 tbsp minced lemongrass or lemongrass puree
1 and 1/2 tsp good salt
1-2 tbsp sugar (see note above, optional)

1 and 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1-2 tbsp avocado oil or EVOO
2-3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 or 2 limes, quartered

Prep the shrimp and set aside.

Into your trusty blender go the peppers, garlic cloves, 3.5 tbsp of your oil of choice, fish sauce, lemongrass, salt, and sugar if using. Blend until smooth, then pour over the shrimp, mixing well (use your hands) to ensure the shrimp are well coated.

Marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes; can cover and throw in the fridge for up to an hour if desired.

When ready to cook, heat a tbsp of oil in a fairly large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1/3 to 1/2 of the shrimp (use a slotted spoon to leave the marinade behind) to the skillet in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes, checking one or two make sure they’re developing some color or char around the edges; then turn and cook for another minute or so.

Remove the first batch to a plate, then repeat with the remaining shrimp. When the second batch is done, remove the pan from the heat, dump the first batch of shrimp back into the pan along with the basil, and stir/toss until the basil begins to wilt.

Plate and serve with lime wedges; if you have a crowd, this is a very attractive dish presented on a large platter.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Spicy Hanger Steak Lettuce Wraps

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Having grown up in Texas and spent much of our adult lives wandering around the Southwest and West, my lovely wife and I have have devoured our fair share of great tacos and wraps over the years.

After becoming adamantly Primally-aligned food-wise now almost four years ago, we very rarely enjoy the occasional corn tortilla (much more often than other traditional versions of the veritable tortilla), preferring to use lettuce instead of tortillas or taco shells to transport great proteins from plate to palate.

Living in Texas again, we’re of course smack dab in the middle of fajita and carne asada country, and love our skirt steak dishes and recipes, though of late I’ve been looking for and cooking hanger steak (as in this amazing Hanger Steak Korean Bulgogi Bowl).

Hanger steak comes from the diaphragm of a steer, as does the skirt, though the hanger is the more tender, inner portion of the diaphragm, the skirt the outer portion. Hanger steaks are also known as the “butcher’s cut”, as they historically have been kept by the butcher for their own enjoyment. Ask your butcher or meat-cutter; they should have some of these around…

Pre-freezing the meat for a short time before slicing makes it a breeze to thinly slice, and as I’ve said many times before, after experimenting for years with a variety of alternative sweeteners, in the big picture considering health and nutrition impacts, I still argue that a bit of sugar in a marinade isn’t harmful and sometimes simply cannot be replicated by alternatives in terms of the chemistry of cooking. Substitute as you wish, or leave it out all together.

Bottom line, this is a nifty prep for your taco (lettuce wrap) night, and you have a chance to let your creativity shine as you build your wraps with your toppings / fixin’s.

2-3 red jalapeño or Fresno chiles
3-inch piece of fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves
Juice of two limes
1 tbsp brown sugar, optional (see above)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp good salt

1 and 1/2 pounds hanger steak (skirt or boneless beef short ribs work well too)
2 tbsp avocado oil for cooking

Your favorite lettuce and fixings for lettuce wraps (or tacos), perhaps including:
Chopped cucumbers
Chopped cilantro, parsley, or even basil
Chopped roasted, salted peanuts
Pickled red onions
Thinly sliced radishes
A batch of your favorite house guacamole
Crumbled cotija
2 or 3 quartered limes
Maybe even a recipe of a tasty cauliflower rice (like this one, or this one)

Throw the meat in the freezer while you’re preparing the marinade.

Grate the peppers (yep, seeds and all), ginger, and garlic into a medium bowl; add the lime juice, brown sugar if using, sesame oil, and good salt.

Now slice the meat thinly (I mean thin, not more than 1/4-inch) across the grain; throwing it in the freezer beforehand for a short time makes this much easier. Now add the meat to the marinade bowl and mix thoroughly, your hands are best here, to make sure the meat is well coated. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temp, or even better, overnight in the fridge (covered of course).

When ready to cook, remove from the fridge and let warm slightly while preparing your lettuce wraps and your chosen fixin’s (use the list above as a starting point).

Preheat your favorite large skillet of medium-high heat, add a tbsp of avocado oil, and half the meat in a single layer. Cook without moving it around for about 3 minutes, or until nice and caramelized. Turn, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the second side matches the first. Remove the first batch of meat, and repeat with the second.

Set out the meat on a platter and let everyone build their lettuce wrap as they wish; you’ll wish for leftovers but there won’t be any…

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Crispy Ancho Coffee Chicken

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I don’t know about you, but occasionally on these blisteringly hot summer days I just don’t feel like cooking through a big production in the kitchen (or on the grill).

That’s one of the reasons we often grill (or sous vide, or sauté) enough protein at a time to eat for several meals upcoming; it doesn’t take a huge amount of creativity to present good proteins in a variety of ways, and what a great summer lunch chilled grilled proteins make too.

A residency mate of mine married a wonderful woman from New Mexico; she was a delightful and skilled cook, and her delicious food was instrumental in growing our appreciation for the unique flavors of the American Southwest.

She would often make a big batch of these Crispy Ancho Coffee Chicken thighs (breasts work too) for parties; she’d set out the crisped chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, and the makings for tacos, tostadas, and salads to pile on your plate and devour with gusto.

This chicken works amazingly well over a spicy slaw, colorful salad, or wrapped in your favorite wrap (I recently trialed some pretty danged tasty keto nearly-corn tortillas that worked really well too – I’ll share that recipe soon). As in the images above, I even like these over a bed of shredded lettuce, topped with guacamole (try our simple House Guacamole if you’re looking for a great go-to recipe), and maybe a pickled onion or jalapeño or two.

And please note, with the ancho chile powder and the coffee in the rub, the crust darkens significantly as these cook, though they’re not “burned”; actually the sweetness of the ancho really shines through in the end.

These are really good cold for lunch tomorrow too, you may want to throw another pound in to make sure there are leftovers…

4 tbsp fresh ancho chile powder
4 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp (scant) good salt
1-2 tsp finely ground fresh dark roast coffee

2 pounds chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

Combine the ancho powder, cumin, salt, and finely ground coffee in a small bowl, stir to mix well.

Toss the chicken with at least half (we use more) of the spice mixture in a large bowl making sure every piece is well coated (use more of the rub if needed). Cover tightly and throw in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you intend to quickly sear these in a skillet over medium-high heat and preferably avocado oil (though I’ve used ghee in a pinch, it was delicious).

Remember you’re building a crispy seared crust here, so place the thighs in a single layer in the skillet and let them sit undisturbed for at 4-5 minutes before turning, and don’t turn them until a good crust forms (peeking is fine near the end). They’ll need 3-4 minutes on the second side to cook through and get crispy.

Let rest a few minutes, cut into bite sized pieces, drizzle with any accumulated juices, and go to it.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken

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Now and again we stumble across a recipe that makes me wonder where has this delicious food been all our lives?

Today’s Sambal Ginger Sriracha Grilled Chicken is one of those recipes; working through some trials to dial this one in has led to my lovely wife consistently stealing all the leftovers for her work lunch, and her insisting this one drop immediately into the weekly rotation.

This recipe, intended I suppose originally for the grill, was crafted to use chicken thighs, given their deep, rich flavor and tendency to not dry out when properly handled quickly over the fire, though chicken breasts, reasonably thinly sliced in long strips and threaded on the skewers work well too – just don’t overcook and dry them out.

That said, rained out one evening I had a recipe version test planned, I seared the chicken up in a big carbon steel skillet and it was outrageously good, so there’s your backup plan if for some reason grilling is out.

Finally, with regard to something to sweeten the recipe, traditionally most would reach for brown sugar here. Count me among those who would rationally argue that a tablespoon or two (or even a little more) of brown sugar in a marinade, over the long run and done occasionally, isn’t something to lose sleep over (though no doubt there are those among the Paleo and Keto police who would disagree vehemently).

We have trialed this one with several different sugar / sweetener subs, and found them all off-putting compared to the recipe as written below using a bit of brown sugar. One of the great things about being a big kid and cooking your own food is that you get to make the call on your own ingredient list – modify to your heart’s content.

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp rice vinegar (best with unseasoned)
1/2 cup hot chile paste
1/3 cup Sriracha
1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetener of choice, see note above
2-3 tbsp finely sliced green onions, white and pale green parts
1 tbsp grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
2-3 tsp grated or finely chopped garlic

1 and 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (skinless, boneless) cut roughly into 2-inch pieces

Combine the marinade/sauce ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well to mix and dissolve whatever sweetener you’ve elected to use. Pour approximately 1/3 of the mixture into a large resealable bag, reserve the remainder in the fridge.

Now add the chicken to the bagged marinade, and squish it around to coat all the chicken. Seal the bag and let is rest in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.

When ready to cook, fire the grill, and thread the chicken pieces onto your skewers of choice (don’t forget to soak the bamboo skewers for an hour beforehand if that’s your cup of tea). I like to use the double skewer technique to keep the pieces from spinning on the turns.

As the grill is heating, pour the reserved marinade/sauce into a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring it to a simmer and slowly reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon, then set aside.

Grill the chicken turning every two minutes or so and basting at each turn with the reduced sauce; these will need 8-10 minutes pending how hot your fire is.

Great hot or cold, and set the remaining sauce on the table for who want to drizzle a little more heat on…

Enjoy.