Flank steak and Eggs burrito with hot peppers

So I am watching Author, and Author with Al Pacino, a movie I have never seen.  All though I feel I am a Pacino aficionado this is a new movie for me.  It brings me back to the times of when I grew up in New York City.   Playing stick ball on the stoop, cooking from scratch bran muffins in my moms diner the (name kept secret).  But I regress, recent information has led me to believe that for some strange reason I am a distant cousin, or let me correct, my father was a second cousin.  I say was, because my father is dead.  Of the infamous and highly celebrated, well lets just say Gambino.  I hope this post doesn't get me whacked.  Either way lets talk food. 

Flank steak a tough piece of meat, I have been skilled in the  art of making a shitty piece of meat editable.  Of course these skills come from the Goddess of flank, my mother. Lets break it down, marinate the flank with oil I have always used vegetable oil only because, you have to broil this steak, and if you use a olive oil it tends to burn and become bitter.  Oil, soy sauce, no salt because soy is salty enough, pepper, and of course fresh garlic, and some type of acidic citrus, oranges work well.  Let your flank marinade if you can for 24 hours.  The most important part is to broil, setting your shelf as high as you can.  Be prepared, have a serving bowl lined with aluminum foil, enough foil, to be able to fold over the top .  This way the meat cooks in its own juices when you cut it rare.  Cook your flank until you see it browning on the outside, then cut slivers, always with the grain.  Put those cuts in your your aluminum lined  pan and pour some juices in and cover.  If I haven't mentioned pour all of your marinate into the broiler pan along with your meat.  Follow and repeat ,and you will be rewarded with a spectacular tasting piece of steak easily served with any starch and vegetables.

For my uses, my perfect wife, who has mastered the art of flank, has pre packaged all ready cooked flank.  I incorporate this in my frying pan with butter, and some hot chili peppers.  now just add eggs, layer a tortilla with your cheese of choice.  Fill, roll and serve. PERFECT..................

As far as the rig goes the daylight driller and his derrick hand twisted off.  The dumb ass tool pusher hasn't learned how to talk, let alone appreciate the people that make his job easier.  The driller that just twisted pulled up, from my understanding the driller spoke with the superintendent.  That means that that piece of shit tool pusher is most definitely, and long over due a run off mother fucker..................

Pork Chops and Green Beans

Day 4 and still no propane, WTF, good thing for the small electric heaters, they keep the room warm enough to sleep in.  Rigs been broke down for a couple hours now the draw works chain busted, as usual no replacement chain is on location.  Half links and full links must be broken down and reinstalled to repair the old chain.  Four bone in 1/2 inch pork chops , seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, onion powder, cayenne pepper, celery seed, comino, turmeric, oregano, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, rosemary, parsley, and sweet basil.  That mixture is better known as Serendipity Seasoned Salt.  I like to liberally season both sides of the chops and leave at room temp for an hour or two.  Put chops in baking pan in a oven set on broil, or course rub it with real salted butter and cook for about 20 minutes.  Since i don't have a meat thermometer i usually just make a small incision as close to the bone as possible and verify that the pork is cooked, meaning absent of pink or red and no blood.  Green beans are easy, choose a well known brand like Dell Monte, empty 3/4 of liquid out, pour into bowl and microwave for 2 min of course season and add butter.  Serve it up and enjoy a relatively home cooked meal. 

If you notice a pattern in my cooking its because I try to avoid starches and carbs when ever possible.  Carbs seem to pack the weight on me so I try to stick to a Atkins type of format.  Dont get me wrong I do indulge myself on occasion.  Also absent are the sugars AE: deserts and candies. 

Well everything seems to be falling into place, propane truck is here, and I hear the familiar drone of the the draw works engines coming back to life, chain must be repaired.  I monitor the Pason drilling screen from my shack and sure as shit the bit depth is changing as the engines turbos kick in.  Time to go to work, or a poor imitation of work................

Steak and Eggs

Happy birthday to my 9 year old Vincent.  Day 3 without propane starting to fester in my own squall er, since no showers are available.  So the definition of irony is when they flare off all the gas that comes with pumping oil, but, we cant seem to get a propane delivery.  Feeling a little disgruntled today and my mannerisms reflect my current mood.   Steak and eggs, well since my wonder full wife had all ready preseasons 3- 8 oz strip steaks before expertly wrapping them up in a manner that would make any high end butcher proud. Simply defrost them on the counter. No microwave this ruins the meat.  All though i find any other way then a searing hot grill, is a complete injustice and should be considered a food felony punishable by death.  I must use the limited resources available and bake yes i said it bake the fucking steak.   So before i submit my precious strips to a 450 degree oven i must rub them down with butter, yes butter not the poor substitute of margarine, not i cant believe its not butter, it isn't, but real salted butter.  Since I have no idea how long to bake a steak I will have to make the often poor maneuver, which causes a person to cut into a steak releasing all the precious juices, just to put it back on the heat, ultimately producing a horribly dry hunk of meat.  My timing is impeccable I cut into one of the 3 steaks and wind up devouring it before i know it.

Eggs i prefer over easy, but since all my eggs froze in the back of my truck on the way up.  I am left with a restaurant sized container. containing scrambled eggs.  Hot pan and of course more butter, Approx six eggs seasoned and scrambled to perfection.  Serve with medium rare baked steak, and you have rig steak and eggs. Both myself and my MWD hand are happy to completely consume leaving no evidence that a horrible food crime had just been committed..

On another note I'm drilling at 12000' all the roughnecks seem unhappy, due mostly to there current state of hangover.  Also the filthy living conditions, don't contribute to there happiness.  Some days you wonder why people subject them self's to work in -40 degree weather covered in oil based mud, oh i know its the $$$$.

And 11 more hours no more tower, also no heat and no hot water in my sleeping shack..............

Sausage and Peppers

So another day in the oilfield, whats for dinner.  I reach into my cooler and pull out a perfectly wrapped package of meat, spicy Italian sausage. Thanks to my wife (who is the best) separates and wraps my portion size chunks of various animal meat, in cling wrap and butcher paper.  Did I mention that my cooler stays outside, the temp is never above zero, out in the frozen tundra of northern North Dakota.   So that means one thing Italian sausage and peppers, or something that resembles sausage and peppers.  With my limited ingredients and even more limited cooking space and equipment I will ATTEMPT what is sure to be a edible meal.  You see when you work in desolate places for weeks on end their isn't much to look forward to, so I use cooking and eating as a means of dealing with the monotony of day to day operations on a drilling rig.  I now must rummage through what meager fresh vegetable I have and concoct a witch's brew of edible food.  2 peppers 1 red and 1 yellow, 1 onion, 3 jalapeno peppers and 8 frozen spicy hot Italian peppers.

The only available pot is a cheap imitation of a stew pot.  I slice all peppers and onions, add them to pot , defrost sausage in microwave, add as well, salt pepper garlic and cook until peppers are reduced to almost nothing.  My shacks smell, reminds me of days of young when mom would make her much better version of the above, (by the way my mom is the best cook in the world).  So I serve myself and my MWD hand a plate of rig made Italian sausage and peppers with a side of warm sliced beets.  As usual nothing remains in the pot for any stragglers that might wonder into my culinary wonderland. 

This blog will be an attempt to capture some of the quirky strange happenings and mysterious meals that are concocted.  I cant promise that it will be anything of interest to anybody or posted with any consistency.   Now back to my Anthony Bourdain book Medium Raw.