English Archives - Hamell.net

There are few foods that elicit the passion that a good steak can. There are even fewer foods that can have their apparent quality “raised” by proper preparation and spices. Add in the number of different cuts of meat, hundreds of cooking methods, and proper steak preparation can practically become a religion upon itself.

Steak Seasoning Recipes — Picture by Robert S. Donovan, Creative Commons License

Every good cook has their own preparation style, my personal favorite is pretty simple but I’m not above shamelessly using someone else’s style. Celebrity Chef Alton Brown has two great styles, grilled “with out the grill“, and his more famous “Cast Iron Steak” recipe. Another popular cooking style was published in Cooks Illustrated Magazine.

But what really makes steak good is the seasonings, or in many cases, the lack of seasonings. Most cooks like to go with the basic, salt, pepper and “garlic if you really need it,” seasonings. Especially if the quality of meat is excellent in the first place. But if you want to mix it up a little, or have a cheaper cut of meat you’d like to fancy up a bit here are some great options.

*Note; cooking instructions have been left out for each recipe. Feel free to use one of the great ideas above. Just substitute the following ingredients.

Each recipe below assumes 1 1/2 to two pounds of meat. Comment below with your favorite steak seasoning recipe!

Basic
“Generous amounts” of Kosher Salt – use more then you think nesseccary. Salt should cover the meat to the edges.
Fresh Ground Pepper

Brazil (Garlic)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Brazil (Northern)
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

Canada (Montreal)
(This is essentially the famous Mccormick’s famous steak seasoning)
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon crushed coriander
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Canada (Quebec)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup real maple syrup
ground pepper
1 tablespoon beef bouillon concentrate

Chinese (Kung-Pao style)
2 tablespoons Hoisin
1.5 tablespoons sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions, minced
1 ounce white vinegar

English (Pub Style)
1 packet of beef base (soup bouillon)
2 ounces olive oil
1.2 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced

English (London Broil)
5 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey

Japanese (Hibachi)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2″ (5 cm) daikon radish
1½ Tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 green onion/scallion for garnish
3 Tbsp. ponzu sauce

Japanese (Teriyaki)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Korean (Kalbi)
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ onion
1 tablespoon garlic
1 green onion
¼ tablespoon black pepper

Malaysian
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
1 inch ginger, grated
1/2 inch turmeric, fresh, grated
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 stalk lemon grass, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 dried red chili

Mexican (Carne Asada)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried ancho pepper, ground
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
4 tablespoons dark Mexican beer (optional)

Mexican (Tequila Carne Asada)
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

North Africa
2 tablespoons dark chili powder
1 tablespoon harrissa paste
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

Spanish
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 oranges, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Tex-Mex
1 cup ancho chile powder
1/3 cup smoked paprika
3 tablespoon dried oregano
3 tablespoon dried mustard
3 tablespoon dried coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
zest of 2 limes

Other #1
1/3 cup Honey
1 tablespoon whole seed mustard
1/3 cup oyster sauce

Other #2
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
sprinkle oregano

The Inexactness of the English Language

The English Language is a strange beast. First you have the fact that one word can have multiple meanings. Or one object can be defined by many words that have extremely different origins. But not to be outdone, three different words with separate meaning and spellings can be pronounced the same. Then the English language absorbs new words at an outrageous and prodigious rate. With fanciful tales of twenty-thousand new words added per a year even in this modern day, it is a wonder that anyone can speak, read or write English even moderately fluently.

Yet three hundred to four hundred million people speak it as their first language. Actual numbers of writers is more dubious. Secondary speakers are estimated to be any where between two hundred million and almost one and half billion more.

The single most wonderful thing about the English language though is that it can be both very exacting, and very vague. Words can can be mixed and changed to bring new ideas to life.

Swift used the language to spear his detractors metaphorically.

“A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying… that he is wiser today than yesterday.”

Mark Twain forced an entire generation to come to terms with their own racism and frivolities.

“I have no color prejudices nor cast prejudces nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can’t be any worse”

Emerson laid forth the simple truth.

“A man is a god in ruins. When men are innocent, life shall be longer, and shall pass into the immortal, as gently as we awake from dreams. “

Shakespeare observed, reported, coined, and extrapolated human existence.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”

Japanese and Greek are naturally resistent to new words. German embraces new words, but instead invents them out of seemingly thin air. Russian takes the English words and gives it an accent, maybe changing a few letters around. Chinese doesn’t even attempt to disguise it’s borrowing of the English word.

Yet only English embraces all these thoughts and massages it into a cohesive language. It adds another twist by taking a fairly dirty common word and by mere popular use gives it an entirely new meaning. A native speaker may not know even a tenth of the words in the English Lexicon, yet communication is effortless on spoken level.

For example:

“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds ’round my neck.” – Emma Goldman

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

“The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.” – Salvador Dali

“A life with love will have some thorns, but a life without love will have no roses” – Unknown

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Kerr

A mere five quotes about a flower. Yet each one quickly becomes profound in ways that you may never thought before. Such is the English Language. Even words strung together incoherently may have meaning far beyond their original intent.