flavoring meat

[cooking4life]

I am a former vegetarian who is just starting to cook meats. I am having trouble with finding ways to add flavor to beef and chicken. Any advice or tips and tricks?

[Semigourmet]

We eat a lot of Chicken. my usuall blend of spices for chicken is
garlic powder
onion powder
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
ground sage
ground thyme

That usually works out great. also I use my roasted chicken seasoning blend.
Makes about ½ cup




Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt (crushed in mortor and pestle), or sea salt
¾ tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ teaspoons ground sage
¾ teaspoon ground thyme




Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well in a bowl. Run through a spice grinder and, store in an airtight container.

[Semigourmet]

For Beef I just like Salt and pepper. But, you can buy some seasoning blends like Smokey Mesquite and Roasted Garlic rosemary seasoning, which also works great on pork, chicken and seafoods.

[Semigourmet]

Also as an addition to the seasoning on Beef or if you leave it plain with salt and pepper. Emeril makes a GREAT Blue cheese butter (and I am not a blue cheese fan)
Emeril Lagasse – Food Network

Makes about 7 ounces



Ingredients

4 ounces blue cheese, softened (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt Ground black pepper



Directions

1. In a bowl, cream together all the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Place mixture on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a fat cylinder and roll up in the plastic wrap, pushing and tucking in as you go to form a tight log. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.




Notes It is very important to use shallots in this recipe. Another little tip is to put the shallots and garlic into the food processor, pulse a couple of times add the butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and blue cheese pulse a couple of times to blend. Then spread on your plastic wrap.

[Semigourmet]

Here is a Great Recipe for chicken that I got from Rachael Ray.

Balsamic Chicken with white beans and spinach
Rachael Ray’s – Express Lane Meals Cookbook

Servings 4 Page 78




Ingredients

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)
4 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, a palmful
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/3 palmful
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (eyeball it)
Salt and black pepper
1 bay leaf
¾ cup white wine (eyeball it)
2 cups chicken stock
1 14 ounce can cannellini beans, drained
1 12 ounce sack baby spinach or ¾ pound from bulk bins, washed and patted dry
½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, a couple generous handfuls, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon




Directions

1. In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic vinegar, about 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, and the grill seasoning. Coat the chicken breasts in the mixture and set aside to marinate while you start the white beans and wilted spinach.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are a little brown, 3-4 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken stock, bring up to a bubble, and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Heat another large skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest a few minutes.

4. Add the cannellini beans to the skillet with the onions and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the beans are heated through. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the spinach, parsley, and lemon juice. Toss and stir until the spinach wilts.

5. To serve, place a portion of the white beans and wilted spinach on each serving plate. Thickly slice each chicken breast on an angle and arrange over the beans and spinach.



Notes Good but cut back the liquid, to 1 cup chicken stock and 1/3 cup white wine (as it came out like a soup)