NATIONAL BEEF COOKOFF
Flavors from ingredients such as dark sesame oil and rice wine vinegar dress up this winning Ginger Beef & Noodle Bowls recipe.
Beef dish brings
Snyder $10,000
Kristine Snyder, Maui's recipe contest champion, has claimed another national prize.
Snyder's Ginger Beef & Noodle Bowls won the $10,000 prize in the One-Dish Meals category at the National Beef Cookoff held in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday.
The win at "national beef," as it's known on the cookoff contest circuit, follows Snyder's success in May at "national chicken" -- the National Chicken Cooking Contest, where she won the grand prize of $26,000 for her Pacific Rim Chicken Burgers.
These and her other wins -- the Sutter Home Build a Better Burger contest ($20,000 in 2001) and a finalist prize at the Pillsbury Bake-Off ($2,000 in 2000) -- make her a "contester," a major player among cookoff regulars.
Snyder is back home, exhausted by the challenges of the cookoff and elated by her win and the pre- and post-cookoff parties. The Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which sponsors the event, knows how to eat.
She said the 20 contestants (chosen from among 3,000 entrants) worked on staggered schedules with strict time limits that were counted down at the last 10-, five- and one-minute marks, adding to the pressure.
But because everyone wasn't cooking at once, she had the chance to observe the competition and cheer on friends she's made on the national circuit.
With her national chicken payoff, Snyder got to add air-conditioning to her house, but sadly, this time the bulk of her prize will go toward paying taxes.
Snyder added that the Food Network is planning a show based on the cookoff, and spent five hours taping at her home the day before she left for Fort Worth.
The contest's grand prize of $50,000 went to Lori Welander of Richmond, Va., for a grilled steak that Snyder called "very simple, but incredibly interesting."
The point of the contest is to promote easy ways to bring beef to the table and contestants were limited in the number of ingredients they could use, and their preparation time. Welander's dish uses prepared cheese spread and balsamic vinaigrette and takes only about 30 minutes.
Grilled Steaks Balsamico
Lori Welander 4 beef shoulder top blade (flat iron) steaks (6 to 8 ounces each) or boneless beef chuck eye steaks, 1-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 package (5.2 ounces) herb and garlic soft spreadable cheese>> Marinade:
2/3 cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup fig preserves or chopped dried figsPlace marinade ingredients in blender or food processor; blend well. Place steaks and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours.
Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 10 to 14 minutes for medium-rare to medium, turning occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Meanwhile, melt cheese in small saucepan over medium-low heat, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve steaks with cheese sauce. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 471 calories, 31 g fat, 564 mg sodium, 111 mg cholesterol, 36 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate.
Ginger Beef & Noodle Bowls
Kristine Snyder 1 pound beef shoulder top blade (flatiron) steaks or 1 beef top round steak, cut 3/4-inch thick
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 14-ounce cans beef broth
2 tablespoons mirin or rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
6 cups cooked Asian-style thin-cut noodles or unseasoned instant ramen noodles
1/2 cup matchstick-style shredded carrotsCut steaks crosswise into 1/4-inch strips; cut strips in half.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add 1/2 of beef; stir-fry 2 minutes or until outside is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining oil and beef. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Add broth, mirin and green onions to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 8 to 10 minutes.
Divide noodles and beef evenly among 4 large bowls.
Return broth mixture to a boil, then ladle evenly over beef and noodles. Garnish with carrots. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 665 calories, 19 g fat, 750 mg sodium, 202 mg cholesterol, 37 g protein, 72 g carbohydrate.
On the Web: Winning recipes will be posted soon at www.beefcookoff.org. A Star-Bulletin profile of Snyder may be found at starbulletin.com/2003/08/13/features/story1.html
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