The other day we went to stay with a friend out of town and arrived late. Being thoughtful she knew we would be hungry when we arrived so she left a huge strip steak to thaw on the counter for us. It looked great but I wasn't sure how to cook it. My first choice would have been to grill it, but no grill was available. I also could have broiled it, but instead I trepidatiously choose to fry it in a pan, using the juices from the pan to make a sauce to cover it with. I looked around the kitchen for the makings for a sauce and found a big bag of dried apricots. I remembered I once worked at an Italian restaurant that made a chicken dish with an awesome apricot sauce, so I decided this was the way to go. I don't know if its the deep orange color or the sweet-tangy flavor, but here is something about the apricot that just seems to capture the harvest season for me.I think I first had dried apricots when I was just a toddler, its one of the foods that remind me of my grandmother who first taught me to cook. I vaguely remember her making something like an apricot glaze or frosting for a cake with them, but most fondly I remember eating them right out of the bag. A few months ago I brought a bag of dried apricots for the purpose of making a sauce with them, but ended up eating them as they were. Next time I buy dried apricots I'll be sure to buy plenty for cooking and for eating plain!This is a simple sauce with a rich and fruity flavor that's not too sweet, it would be a great compliment for chicken or pork as well. I served this over a bed of fresh spinach for a low-carb late dinner, but it would go very well over rice, or with sweet potato.
White Wine Apricot Sauce over Sauteed BeefServes 2@1 Lb tender cut of boneless steak (pork or chicken can be substituted)6-8 dried apricots- chopped small8 oz white wine2 cloves garlic- chopped fine1/2 onion - chopped fine1 Tbsp olive oil1 Tsp corn starchfew dashes of Worcestershire saucesprinkles of garlic powdersalt and pepper to taste____________________• Sprinkle the meat on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a dash of GF Worcestershire sauce, let sit for about 20 minutes before cooking.• Heat a skillet to medium heat, add olive oil• Saute meat until roughly cooked half way through, about 10 minutes depending on thickness, flip over in the pan.• Add the onion and garlic to the pan, saute for two minutes. Add the chopped apricots, about 6 oz of the wine and salt and pepper to taste, mix around, incorporating the scrapings from the bottom on the pan.• Cook the meat until done, for beef you can cook to how done you like (I prefer medium-rare), for chicken or pork be sure to cook all the way through. Remove to a cutting board.• Whisk the remaining wine in a bowl with the corn starch, stir until there are no lumps. Stir into the pan. Bring to a slight boil, and reduce to simmer. Stir occasionally for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. remove from heat.• Cut the meat into 1/3" long slices, drizzle the sauce over top and serve.
This recipe is easy to make and it is a good one for kids, there is something about kids and french fries! We often make these fries for lunch for our children. They taste really great and are actually good for you. I used to fry the sweet potatoes in oil, they taste awesome this way, but they aren't as healthy, and frying anything in my kitchen makes the whole house smell like a fast food restaurant for days! At our house fries are always served with ketchup (my wife and kids wouldn't have it any other way), but another serving suggestion would be to melt a little butter and stir in some honey and dip the fries in the mixture. I've had it this way in restaurants and it tastes great.
