Beef Stir-Fry

My husband loves flat iron beef and Iowa Meat Farms here in San Diego sells one of the best cuts of this meat, however it's quite spendy—I believe that they dry age it or something. So, I made this stir fry for him with the half pound he bought and it was quite delish. Usually beef stir-fry contains broccoli, but I was too lazy to go buy it the day I made it, so I omitted it, but you can definitely add about 1/2 cup of broccoli florets if you want.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

Marinade

• 1 tsp. McCormick's Montreal Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb. flat iron steak or flank steak, sliced against the grain into stir fry strips

Stir Fry

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
• Half an onion, sliced into half moons
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup julienned carrots
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
• Steamed, white rice

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl or large zip-loc bag, mix first 4 marinade ingredients, then add the flat iron steak. Marinate 30 minutes, up to 4 hours in the fridge.

In a large skillet with 3" sides or higher, or a wok, heat 1 tablespoon Vegetable or canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the marinated beef and the marinade and stir fry for 2 minutes. Quickly remove beef from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and add the onions. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add ginger, chopped garlic, carrots, green bell pepper and red pepper flakes. Sauté 2 to 3 more minutes or until green bell pepper is tender crisp. Add the beef and its juices back into the skillet and stir fry 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

Finally, add the bean sprouts, soy sauce and cornstarch mixture and stir constantly. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 2 more minutes. Serve beef stir fry over white rice.

T-Bone Steak

I am a master at cooking rib-eye steaks, so when I bought the biggest T-bone Steak (on sale) that I've ever seen, I said to myself, "bring it on!"

As always, I first looked for recipes in my cookbooks, but surprisingly there weren't any interesting recipes. So I made my own wet rub for the steak and served chimichurri on the side and, oh my goodness, it was perfection.

In case you didn't know already, chimichurri is a pesto-like sauce that originated in Argentina. It's bright green in color and a bit pungent and tangy to the tongue. This is an excellent sauce to serve on the side of steaks. I think you can also marinate beef in this jolly green juice. Que bueno!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

DIVA'S RUB

• 1 T-bone Steak, about 1/2 pound (or a bit more) and 1" thick--one of these was enough for Matt and I, but you can double the recipe if you want to make 2 steaks.
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

CHIMICHURRI

• 1 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, washed, stemmed, and dried
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

For the steak: rinse steak in cold water and pat dry. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil all over the steak. In a small bowl combine the remaining rub ingredients and mix to combine. Generously sprinkle the rub all over the steak. Cover steak with plastic wrap and let it marinate in fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before you're ready to cook it to bring it to room temperature.

For the chimichurri: finely chop the parsley and garlic in a food processor. Add the onion, vinegar, water, salt, oregano, pepper flakes, and black pepper and process in brief bursts until the salt crystals are dissolved. Add the oil in a thin stream. Do not over process; the chimichurri should be fairly coarse. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or vinegar to taste.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven proof pan or cast-iron skillet add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and heat on medium-high. When the oil is hot, place your steak on pan. DO NOT MOVE IT! Let is sear for exactly 4 minutes. Turn over and sear for 2 minutes more. With your oven-mittens on, carefully place the pan in oven and let it finish cooking. Bake 5 minutes for medium-rare, up to 10 minutes for medium-well. Don't go longer than 10 minutes.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let the steak rest for EXACTLY 5 minutes. Cut out the "T" bone and with a sharp knife, carve the beef into broad thin slices, holding the knife blade at a 45 degree angle to the top of the meat. Serve at once with chimichurri on the side. Baked potatoes or shoestring potatoes go extremely well with this dish.

Asian Steak and Noodle Salad

Mise-en-place is my new favorite culinary term. I never knew that that's what I did pretty much every time I cooked; basically it means to have all your ingredients chopped and ready to go before you even begin to cook, this way your cooking is more enjoyable and you can finish fast. Mise-en-place is specially necessary when cooking any type of Asian dishes, as most of them are cooked quickly. You can lallygag a little with this recipe as the salad tastes better at room temperature or even cold. Mmmm....

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)

For steak

• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 1 lb flank steak

For salad

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 1 thinly sliced shallot
• 8 oz dried vermicelli rice-stick noodles
• 1 medium Granny Smith apples
• Baby lettuce salad mix (enough for two portions)
• About 6 fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces if large
• About 6 fresh Thai basil leaves, torn into pieces if large
• 1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Marinate and grill steak: Whisk together fish sauce, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour marinade into a large sealable plastic bag. Pat steak dry and place in bag, then press out excess air and seal bag. Turn bag over 2 or 3 times to coat meat, then place in a shallow dish (in case of leaks) and chill at least 4 hours and up to 8. Bring steak to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas). Remove steak from marinade (discard marinade) and pat dry with paper towels. Grill, uncovered unless using a gas grill, over direct heat, turning over once, until medium-rare, 12 to 14 minutes total. Note: I cooked my steak over the stove to medium rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand, uncovered, about 15 minutes.

Assemble salad while steak rests: Whisk together lime juice, water, sugar, fish sauce, and red-pepper flakes in a bowl until sugar is dissolved, then stir in shallots.

Cook noodles in a 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water and drain well. Transfer to a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of dressing. Working around core of each apple, cut thin slices (about 1/8 inch thick) with slicer, then stack slices. Cut slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide matchsticks.

Combine apples, greens, mint and basil in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of dressing and toss well to coat.

Thinly slice steak across the grain.

Arrange noodles on a large platter and mound greens on top of noodles. Arrange steak slices on greens and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve at room temperature with remaining dressing on the side. Modified recipe from Gourmet, June 2006

Pan Seared Rib Eye Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

Okay, okay, I know I'm probably over doing the who cast iron skillet thingy, but dang do I love cooking in it. What I love the most is the fact that if you keep your skillets seasoned, they basically become non-stick and you have to use very little oil to cook in them. Anyhoo, this recipe is great, but then again how can anyone ever go wrong with rib eye steaks? NUMMY.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

• 2 rib eye steaks, about 1" thick and 1/2 lb. each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Montréal Steak seasoning by McCormick
• 1 shallot, minced or 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/2 pint pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine or chicken stock
• 3 - 4 Tbsp sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning. Evenly distribute marinade over both steaks and tightly wrap with plastic wrap or place them in a zip-loc bag; marinate 30 minutes, or longer, in the refrigerator.
2. Take the steaks out of the fridge and bring to room temperature, about another 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 500ºF and place a 12" cast iron skillet that has been slightly wiped with canola oil in the oven as it preheats.
4. Unwrap the steaks. When the oven is finished preheating, take the skillet out and place on the stovetop over high heat for another few minutes. Be very careful because the pan is very, very hot. Use your oven mitt!
5. Add the steaks to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds on one side. DO NOT MOVE THE STEAKS! This is essential to developing the seared crust.
6. After 30 seconds, flip the steaks and cook for another 30 seconds on the second side.
7. With an oven mitt on, put the pan with steaks into the 500ºF oven for 3 minutes. Flip the steak then back in the oven for another 3 minutes on the second side (4 minutes for medium well).
8. Take the pan out of the oven and remove the steaks; tent with foil and let it rest while preparing the mushroom sauce.
9. Return the pan to the stovetop on medium high heat; the pan should still be very hot. Add the shallot and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for one minute. Add the wine (or stock) and bring to a boil and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of skillet. Simmer for another minute.
10. Remove pan from heat and add sour cream, any juices from the seared steaks, and season with salt and pepper, and cook for a minute. Serve immediately mushroom sauce with steak. Delish!

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe for pan seared rib eye recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

Dry-Rubbed Skirt Steak

I was watching iconoclasts on the Sundance Channel the other night and they had Chef Mario Batali interview of Michael Stipe of REM. I was pleasantly surprised with the show and the interview. But the show got me thinking that I had never tried any of chef Batali's recipes. So I went online and looked for a non-pasta recipe from him and found this dry-rubbed skirt steak. What's so great about it, you ask? The man uses ground dry porcini mushrooms in the rub. The best part is that you can either grill outdoors, or make it in your broiler. Serve it atop an baby green salad. Manga!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon finely ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry porcini mushrooms, ground to a fine powder in a spice grinder
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed of fibrous fat
• Best-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Best-quality balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper, mushroom powder, and olive oil and stir well to form a thick, fairly dry paste. Rub the past all over the steak, coating it evenly, and refrigerate, wrapped in plastic for 12 hours or overnight.
2. Pre-heat the grill or broiler and remove the steak from the refrigerator and brush off the excess marinade with a paper towel. Cook on the hottest part of the grill for four minutes on one side then turn carefully with tongs and cook three minutes on the other side.
3. Allow the steak to rest for three to five minutes, then slice against the grain. Drizzle with the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Mario Batali copyright © 2003.

Steak Milanese with Garlic Linguine

One of my favorite cooking magazines is Cuisine at Home. Most of their recipes are always great and very inventive, but once in a while they have old time favorites like this steak milanese. This is a great recipe for you penny-pinching chefs because you can use inexpensive cuts of beef. Oh, my camera ran out of batteries when I made this and so I had to take pictures with my mobile phone.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

• 8 beef cube steaks, about 4 ounces each, OR 1 lb. top loin steak, trimmed and pounded to 8 1/4" thick steaks
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 3 Tablespoons kalamata or black olives, halved
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chiffonade
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

GARLIC LINGUINE

• 1/2 lb. dry linguine
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 Tablespoons Parmesan, shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on steaks and season both sides of the cutlets with salt and pepper.

Place the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow dishes. Dredge the cutlets in flour, followed by the eggs, then the crumbs. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.

Next combine the halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives, basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to the relish to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

In a large saute pan heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets in batches until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Loosely cover the cutlets with foil and place them in the oven while you make the linguine.

To make the garlic linguine: cook the linguine according to package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until garlic begins to sizzle, about 1 minute, then toss linguine with the garlic oil, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: place two cutlets per plate and top with the tomato relish. Serve with garlic linguine on the side.

Can I Chimi your Churri?

Chimichurri. Isn't that a great word? I would say that chimichurri sauce is the pesto of Argentina. With its vivid green color and bold flavor, it looks just like pesto but it tastes a lot different. In Argentina, this sauce is used as a dipping sauce for empanadas or to top bruschetta or boiled yucas. However the way I like it best (and it's the way most of Latin countries use it) is as a sauce for your steak. You can also use it on pork or chicken or you can use it as a marinade. Basically, chimichurri is what I call an "all-around" sauce. The best part is that it's super easy to make. If you have a food processor, it's even easier. And I have to thank my sister-in-law, Lindsey, for the fabulous wedding gift she gave us: A top-notch Cuisinart Food Processor. I used that baby all the time!

Nobody really know how this sauce got its name, but a popular story is that the unusual name comes from 'Jimmy McCurry', an Irishman who is said to have first prepared the sauce. However 'Jimmy McCurry' was difficult for the native people to pronounce, so Jimmy's sauce was corrupted to 'chimichurri'.

Anyhoo, you only need a few ingredients. If you don't like parsley you can use cilantro, or vice versa. The authentic way to make it, though, is on a mortar and pestle, but the food processor is just as good!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 2 bunches)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste

Pulse parsley and garlic in a blender or food processor just until finely chopped. (Do not puree.) Remove to a medium bowl, and stir in lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper. Cover and let stand for 2-3 hours before serving to allow the flavors to mature. This sauce will keep for up to 2 days (covered and refrigerated).