Iowa’s Date of Statehood – December 28th, 1846
You know, you don’t have to go to a fancy, expensive steak house to get a celebration style dinner. You need only go to Iowa! Take a good cut of beef and coat it in a luxuriously creamy, herby sauce and you have a meal fit for a king (or a Hawkeye!) When you pair that with a crisp salad full of sweet apples and earthy bleu cheese and roasted acorn squash with crunchy pecans well, you’ll find yourself looking for the tuxedoed waiter in your own dining room. YUM!
Tips and Tricks
- To get a good sear on meat, be sure to pat it dry. Water molecules will create steam and that is the enemy of a delicious sear.
- The skin of acorn squash is thin and absolutely safe to eat. Therefore, it isn’t any need to peel it. However, the skin can get a little leathery or sharp after cooking and some people just don’t like it. So, after the squash has roasted, simply cut the skin away from your strips and discard.
- When making a steak and a sauce, always save any skillet or pan juices/drippings and add them to your sauce. It will help create a rich, developed flavor.
- Often a recipe will call for a sauce to be reduced and thickened. The best way to test for this is with the back of a spoon. Dip the back of a spoon in the sauce and flip it over so it faces you. Take a finger and draw a straight line done the middle of the spoon. If the lines one either side of the spoon hold their line, the sauce is thickened enough. If the liquid runs, it needs some more time on the heat.
- How to choose a good acorn squash:
- Choose a squash with a smooth, dry rind with no cracks or soft spots.
- The squash should have a dull rind. A shiny rind means it was picked too early and will not have full sweetness.
- Select a squash with as much green on the rind as possible. Too much orange means the squash is over ripe and it will be dry and stringy
Steak De Burgo
Serves 2
- 2 8oz Filet Mignon, patted dry
- 2 Tbs Butter, divided
- 1/4 Cup White Wine
- 2 tsp Garlic Paste
- 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Sale
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tbs Butter
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the steaks to the pan. Do not touch for 1 minute. Add 1 Tbs of butter to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.
Step 3: Flip the steaks over and cook for 1 minute. Add the other 1 Tbs of butter and cook for 1 minute, spooning the melted butter over the filets as they sear.
Step 4: Remove the pan from the heat and take the steaks out of the pan and place them on a baking sheet. Place the steaks in the hot oven for 10 minutes for medium-rare.
Step 5: Return the pan to the heat and reduce the heat to medium. Add the white wine to the pan and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.
Step 6: Add the garlic paste, basil, thyme, oregano, and salt to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Step 7: After the 5 minutes, add the heavy cream to the skillet and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it reduces and thickens, about 3 minutes.
Step 8: Once the sauce has reduced, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Keep the sauce warm until the steaks are done. Once the steaks are cooked, remove them from the oven, add any juices from the baking sheet to the sauce, stir to combine, and allow the steaks to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Step 9: Serve the steaks hot with the sauce spooned over each.
Orange Pecan Roasted Acorn Squash
Serves 4
- 2 Medium Acorn Squash
- 3 Tbs Butter, melted
- 3 Tbs Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2: Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Then, cut each half in half again and slice into strips, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Place the slices in a large sip-top bag and set aside.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, orange zest, orange juice, and pecans. Pour this mixture over the squash, seal the bag, and gently manipulate the squash until the liquid is distributed evenly throughout the bag.
Step 4: Pour the contents of the bag out onto a large, rimmed baking sheet and arrive the squash slices in a single layer.
Step 5: Place the squash in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the squash is tender and beginning to turn golden brown.
Step 6: Once cooked through, remove from the oven and serve hot.
Apples and Roquefort Salad
Serves 4
Salad
- 1 Bag Spring Greens Salad Mix
- 1 Red Delicious Apple, cored and chopped
- 1/4 Cup Roquefort or Bleu Cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 Cup Pecans, chopped
Dressing
- 2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 4 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, dried thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Arrange individual salad bowls with mixed greens, chopped apples, chopped pecans, and Roquefort crumbles.
Step 3: Serve the salad cold with the dressing on the side.
Fun Facts about Iowa: 1. There are around seven times more hogs than people in Iowa. As of 2013, the state’s hog population was 21.2 million, whereas the human population was just over three million. 2. At 2.4 billion bushels, Iowa produces the most corn of any state, and even more corn than some countries, like Mexico. 3. The hens in Iowa produce close to 15 billion eggs a year. That’s enough eggs to feed everyone in the WORLD an egg a day for two days, or enough eggs to feed everyone in America an egg a day for 47 days. 4. Cornell College is the only school in the nation to have its entire campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 5. The small town of Riverside in Eastern Iowa, is home to the future birthplace of the legendary Star Trek Commander, Captain James T. Kirk. While Captain Kirk isn’t supposed to be introduced to our planet until the year 2228, residents and visitors to Riverside can celebrate his future birthday by visiting the memorial to his name, spending some time in the Star Trek Voyage Home Museum or by participating in the annual Trek Fest that takes over the streets of Riverside every summer in June. 6. Sliced bread was invented in Iowa. 7. Thanks to the University of Iowa and the surrounding community, including the best Writer’s Workshop in the nation, Iowa City is the only UNESCO City of Literature in the United States.
Edible U.S. 