Breaking bread with friends and family

Every week, we sit down and break bread with our friends and family. We share a meal and perhaps a good bottle of wine. We laugh and tell each other about our days. We pass a plate and through food share a bit of our lives with each other. Food is the one thing that will bring even enemies together. During the Civil War (or the War between the States for my southern viewers), troops on both sides threw hardtack over the trenches to each other and shared coffee and sugar. At Christmas in 1914, during one of the bloodiest campaigns in France of WWI, there was a one night truce. A soccer game was played between the Germans and English and food and presents were exchanged. Food is the great mediator.

One of the pleasures of having a blog that centers around food is getting to share recipes and discover new foods that you may not have otherwise. Food bloggers tend to read other food bloggers I've noticed. When you look at the links on my sidebar, you will find most of the blogs I read daily have something to do with food and drink. With all that reading, I've collected a quite a few recipes that I have been anxious to try.

Sometimes very good recipes come from the most surprising places. As you may remember, I followed a fellow blogger on his quest to watch 1000 movies he had not seen. Todd, over at the aptly named 1000 Movies in 1 Year did indeed see all 1000 movies. This year, he has surprised some of us by revealing he loves to cook. About a week ago, he posted a recipe for an absolutely delicious pan sauce to be served with chuck steak and tonight I cooked it for dinner.

Now I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical because frankly I thought with both horseradish and Dijon mustard it would be a bit over powering but with this cut of steak it was the perfect zip and zing. I think this sauce would make a good marinade as well as work on a nice pork tenderloin. So, if Todd doesn't mind, I'd like to share his recipe with you.


Todd from 1000 Movies in 1 Year: Pan-Cooked Chuck Eye Beef Steak with Herbed Horseradish Sauce

2 (3/4 to 1 inch thick) boneless beef chuck eye steaks
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature

Brush steaks with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a medium size, heavy skillet over medium heat until hot; add steaks and cook, uncovered, 9 to 12 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
Transfer steaks to serving plates; tent with foil to keep warm. Add broth, horseradish, and Dijon; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, stirring to loosen clinging particles. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and freshly ground pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.