Steak with Miso Butter, Asparagus & Shiitake Mushrooms

In the summer we cook steaks on the grill. We do it in the winter too, usually. But this winter the snow and cold has made cooking outside impossible so this is a great way to get your steak fix indoors. 

Sirloin steak is diced into quick-cooking cubes and seared in a pan while asparagus and shiitake mushrooms roast in the oven. Then the steak is coated in miso butter for a rich and tasty sauce. Served over rice this makes a wonderful, meaty meal. 

This recipe comes from Cooking Light. You should be able to find miso paste in any large supermarket or Asian market. Look for white or yellow soybean paste in a plastic tub on the shelf. Refrigerate after opening and it lasts for months. 

Here's what you need for this tasty dinner:

Soy-Ginger Flank Steak with Sweet Slaw

Grilled flank steak is easy to make and takes on the flavour of any marinade.  This recipe from Epicurious uses a soy-ginger marinade and pairs it with a sweet and spicy slaw.  Extremely refreshing and summery!

Leftover Steak Salad

Last Sunday my husband surprised me by making me some massive T-bone steaks, baked potatoes and fresh, local asparagus for dinner.  The steaks were delicious but obviously way more than the two of us could finish.  

I love leftover steak.  

Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji Sauce

Steak? Money's too tight for steak.  

We just got back from a vacation to San Diego where we feasted on sushi and tacos all week, so we’re the last people deserving of a fancy steak dinner but I saw some flank steak at the local market. It is delicious and economical if you have a little time to marinate it. And I did, so I did. 

This recipe comes from Epicurious. I made the aji sauce, which was an excellent accompaniment, easy to make and highly recommended. I skipped the guacamole though.  

Here's what you need for the steak marinade:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steaksalt and pepper
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 thinly sliced green onions
half a 12-ounce bottle dark beer

Coffee-Marinated Flank Steak

This turned out super delicious.  Flank steak is terrific marinated and this coffee bean marinade is very tasty. 

2lb flank steak
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup espresso beans or dark roast coffee beans
large sprig rosemary
several sprigs parsley
2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a food processor add the garlic cloves and coffee beans.  

Add the rosemary and parsley.  

Pulse until coffee beans are coarsely ground.

Add the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, oil and salt and pepper 

and process on high until combined.

Cut the 2lb flank steak in half.  This will serve 4-6 or you can eat half and freeze the other half for 2 or 3.

Cover the steak with the marinade in a glass container or plastic freezer bag.  I did half in the dish and half in a bag for the freezer.

Spread the marinade over the steak, cover and put it in the fridge overnight.  You can flip it half way through if you have the chance.

When ready to cook, scrape most of the marinade off the steak and grill over high heat for 3-4 minutes per side.

Let it rest, covered for about 5-10 minutes.

Then slice thinly against the grain.  Here's an excellent explanation of what slicing against the grain means and what it does if you're not familiar. Basically when you see lines of fibre in the meat you want to slice across them rather than with them because it makes the meat more tender.

Slice it all up.

And serve.  We had some extra crispy carrots and parsnips and steamed green beans.  The steak is so delicious.  And I have the other half still marinating in the freezer for another special treat!

Steak Salad with Mango, Avocado and Jalapeno Vinaigrette

I love summer salads. Grilled meat over fresh greens is such a nice, light treat on a summer evening. 

This salad is probably my favourite.  Tender strips of steak mix with the creamy avocado and tart mango in a spicy jalapeno dressing.  It makes a delicious, filling summer meal.

Here we have steak, mango, avocados, jalapenos, shallots, a lemon (lime if you have it), and a cucumber, radish and greens for the salad.  You'll also need black pepper, salt, olive oil, parsley or cilantro and queso blanco or chevre, which is optional but delicious.

First, season your steaks generously with cracked black pepper and salt.  I also added a little cumin.  Let them sit at room temperature while you prepare the salad and dressing.  I used New York Strip steaks for this, which are delicious. Tenderloin, sirloin or even flank steak are great as well.

Heat the grill to prepare the jalapenos.  Grill the peppers over very high heat until the skin is black and blistered.  You can also do this over a gas stove or under the broiler.

Once blackened, quickly throw the peppers into a plastic freezer bag and seal, or put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  The steam will loosen the skin from the peppers for the next step.

I vary the number of jalapenos I use, based on their hotness.  It isn't easy to judge but if they are super hot sometimes you only need one.  If they're milder, use two or three.  More than once I've made the dressing too hot to handle so I always add one pepper and taste before adding more.  

Let the peppers steam in their bag for about 10 minutes while you prepare the salad. Once they're cool enough to handle, peel the blackened skin from the peppers. I use gloves for this.

Then open the grilled peppers and remove the stem and seeds.  

Add parsley (or cilantro) to a small food processor or blender along with salt and lime juice.

Toss in the seeded, skinned jalapenos. Remember to start with one and add more if you can stand the heat.

Add about a tablespoon of water and about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and blend until smooth.

Now you can grill your steaks.

Grill about 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness until they're medium rare or however you like your steak done.  Let them rest while you assemble the salad.

I assemble the whole salad in advance except the avocado, which I chop at the last minute to avoid browning.  In a bowl toss lots of mixed lettuce with cucumbers, radishes, shallots, and mango.  Just before serving, slice the avocado.

Slice the steak.

Lay the avocado and steak over the salad and drizzle with the jalapeno dressing.

Then sprinkle with crumbled chevre, feta or queso blanco if you can find it.

This salad is so delicious.  I love the spicy dressing and the way the avocado, mango and cheese complement the crisp greens and tender steak.  This is a real winner!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 8 oz steaks such as strip loin, sirloin or ribeye
salt and pepper

2 jalapeno peppers
juice of one lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon water
salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

8 cups salad greens
1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Chevre, feta or queso fresco cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Grill jalapeno peppers over medium heat or use a gas burner on your stove to char the peppers all over. Once blackened, place in a plastic bag and seal. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes until skins are loosened.

Season steaks with salt and pepper. Grill, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare, turning occasionally. Remove from grill and let stand while preparing salad.

For dressing, remove and discard skins, seeds and membranes from jalapeno peppers (use gloves). Place peppers, lime juice, cilantro, water and salt in food processor. Cover and pulse on and off until combined. With motor running, slowly add oil until well blended.

Arrange salad greens on plates. Top with radishes, cucumber, mango and avocado slices.  Top with shallots and drizzle dressing over salads.  Slice steak and fan slices over each salad.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Beef Short Ribs on the Grill

I love to braise short ribs but quick grilling them never occurred to me until I read this article on Serious Eats claiming short ribs are the best cheap steak for the grill.  Short ribs usually aren't that cheap where I shop.  People have caught on that these "cheap" cuts can be very tasty and as a result, they're not so cheap any more.  Luckily I found some reasonably priced boneless short ribs, which I've never seen before.  If you see these, snap them up!  

The big secret to these short rib steaks is not the in the cooking, but merely in the cutting.  As long as you cut them against the grain once they're cooked, they'll be tender and delicious.  The meat is very rich so a small portion per person is enough.  This amount should have served four but it served two gluttons with leftovers.

Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides.

Then simply grill them over high heat until medium rare. Due to all the fat, this cut is more forgiving than other steaks, but don't let it get to well done.

Still nice & pink.  

I served these short rib steaks with leftover chimichurri sauce.  The fresh, acidic sauce was a great counterpoint to the rich, fatty beef.  But you can serve them plain or with whatever sauce you like with beef.   Also, fresh local asparagus and a baked potato will give you an enormous feast your husband will flip for!  Mine did!