Sunday Cooking with Jeremy: Week 1

2 tidbits I want to put out before I get into the topic:

- I changed my username. I'm going to become a more active contributor moving forward, and feel that a username that is a bit more professional should be used. I'm still the same sarcastic, "Nasty" that I was before, but now a more professional one.

- I am going to do a Sunday Cooking topic every Sunday morning before game day. A lot of these recipes take time, because they are geared for Sunday Night dinner. So if you are interested in the recipe, make sure you shop for this stuff and start before 1:00 because you can't start after the Jets game and expect it to be done. A lot of the prep work can be done before the game and the actual cooking can be done with minimal supervision during the game or after the game. And so, onward.

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There are many reasons why I love football. Excitement, violence, competition, the social gathering of it. But near the top has to be... the food! I love to eat. I'm sure I'm not alone in that respect. Some years ago, I found a Sunday Night Football Cookbook in, I don't know, some store. As a guy who considers himself an amateur chef (really amateur), I took a liking to this book. I'm also a fan of traveling and trying local foods from different regions of the country and the world. Yes, I sometimes watch Bizarre Foods as well. Anyway, the book is broken down by team and division of the 32 teams in the league, so the recipes reflect the different regions of the US. There's also some personal recipes from players in there. So each week, I'm going to post one of the recipes, along with the city from which the recipe came from.  Note that I haven't used this book as much as I should have, as I've really only tried like 8 of the 60 or so recipes in here, so this may be an adventure for all of us.

This week's recipe is one I have done, however, and I can vouch for it.  If you are a steak person, this one is going to perk up your taste buds. This recipe comes from our good friends up north, the Buffalo Bills. It is a creation of chef Andy DiVincenzo, who has since passed away. Mr. DiVincenzo worked for a famous joint called Billy Ogden's, located in Buffalo, NY. These actually don't take very long to cook, but there is a long marinade time so shop for the materials in the morning and let them marinate throughout the Jets kicking the Raiders from goal post to goal post. The recipe is below.

Soy-Marinated New York Strip Steaks

Prep time: 30 minutes

Marinate for 4 to 6 hours (or longer)

What you need:

- Cast iron skillet, flat griddle, or a grill if cooking outdoors
- Heavy duty zip lock bags or other container in which to marinate steaks

Ingredients:

- 4 center-cut New York strip steaks, 14-16 oz (obviously adjustable depending on family size)
- 1/2 cup Chinese light soy sauce (not to be confused with "lite" soy sauce, which is still dark, but is an acceptable substitute)
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup kecap manis (a thick, sweet soy sauce from Indonesia that can be found in Asian markets)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Salt and pepper

Instructions

With a sharp knife, poke holes in both sides of the steaks. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and kecap manis (this is your marinade); divide mixture into 2 heavy duty zip lock bags. Sprinkle sugar on both sides of the steak and place in zip lock bags with the marinade. Allow to sit for 4-6 hours. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or flat griddle to high heat until very hot. Place steaks on skillet or griddle and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. The steaks will look very black; don't worry, it's supposed to be like that. Cover steaks loosely with aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you wish, cut the steaks into thin strips. Serve immediately with side dishes.

If just one person tries this out, to me the post has been well worth it. Enjoy.