Sunday, June 04, 2006
Here's another recipe of my own. Because it's so popular, Flank Steak can be expensive. Wait for your supermarket to put it on sale, then stock up! It freezes well.
Grilled Flank Steak
1 flank steak, about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup whiskey (I use Jim Beam)
1/4 cup lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons (about 2 cloves) minced fresh garlic
about 10 whole peppercorns
3 or 4 large bay leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon smoke flavoring (optional)
Combine all the ingredients, except for the flank steak, in a bowl. Mix until everything's well-incorporated.Place the flank steak into a gallon-size "zipper" bag. Pour the marinate mixture into the bag, and zip it shut.Store the bagged steak (use a shallow container, or a roasting pan, in case the bag leaks) in the refrigerator for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.
After marinating, remove the steak and discard the marinate. If necessary, the steak may be quickly rinsed under cool, running water, to remove any large "bits" of the marinate. Put the flank steak on a large plate or platter, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the steak to rest in a safe place (like a cool oven) for at least 30 minutes, so it'll come to room temperature. After thirty minutes (or longer; there's no rush at this point), light your grill. Grill the flank steak over medium-high heat, for about 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, flip the steak, and grill for another 4 minutes.
At this point, you'll have to determine just how "done" the flank steak is. There's no way to insert a thermometer into a flank steak, so you'll have to use the Touch Method. Simply put, the Touch Method involves pushing against a piece of meat with the tip of your finger. Depending on the texture/resilience of the meat, you can tell the degree of doneness (yes, it does require a little practice. Remember, you can always throw the meat back onto the grill, if necessary, so it's best to err on the side of too rare, rather than too well-done).
If you press against a steak, and your finger leaves a dent (in other words, it doesn't spring back), the steak is very rare. If you press the steak and the meat gives easily, but springs back quickly, it's probably rare-to-medium-rare. This is the ideal degree of doneness for a flank steak.
Remove the steak from the grill, and place it on a platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 15-20 minutes before carving. Always slice a flank steak (and most other of the "tough" cuts of meat) at a 90-degree angle to the grain; this helps to further break down the tough fibers, resulting in a very tender, delicious dish.
Serve alongside traditional "picnic fare", such as potato salad, baked beans, or whatever you like. The leftover flank steak (sliced super-thin) also makes an excellent addition to a chef's salad!
Grilled Flank Steak
1 flank steak, about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup whiskey (I use Jim Beam)
1/4 cup lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons (about 2 cloves) minced fresh garlic
about 10 whole peppercorns
3 or 4 large bay leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon smoke flavoring (optional)
Combine all the ingredients, except for the flank steak, in a bowl. Mix until everything's well-incorporated.Place the flank steak into a gallon-size "zipper" bag. Pour the marinate mixture into the bag, and zip it shut.Store the bagged steak (use a shallow container, or a roasting pan, in case the bag leaks) in the refrigerator for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.
After marinating, remove the steak and discard the marinate. If necessary, the steak may be quickly rinsed under cool, running water, to remove any large "bits" of the marinate. Put the flank steak on a large plate or platter, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the steak to rest in a safe place (like a cool oven) for at least 30 minutes, so it'll come to room temperature. After thirty minutes (or longer; there's no rush at this point), light your grill. Grill the flank steak over medium-high heat, for about 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, flip the steak, and grill for another 4 minutes.
At this point, you'll have to determine just how "done" the flank steak is. There's no way to insert a thermometer into a flank steak, so you'll have to use the Touch Method. Simply put, the Touch Method involves pushing against a piece of meat with the tip of your finger. Depending on the texture/resilience of the meat, you can tell the degree of doneness (yes, it does require a little practice. Remember, you can always throw the meat back onto the grill, if necessary, so it's best to err on the side of too rare, rather than too well-done).
If you press against a steak, and your finger leaves a dent (in other words, it doesn't spring back), the steak is very rare. If you press the steak and the meat gives easily, but springs back quickly, it's probably rare-to-medium-rare. This is the ideal degree of doneness for a flank steak.
Remove the steak from the grill, and place it on a platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 15-20 minutes before carving. Always slice a flank steak (and most other of the "tough" cuts of meat) at a 90-degree angle to the grain; this helps to further break down the tough fibers, resulting in a very tender, delicious dish.
Serve alongside traditional "picnic fare", such as potato salad, baked beans, or whatever you like. The leftover flank steak (sliced super-thin) also makes an excellent addition to a chef's salad!
Friday, June 02, 2006
Barbecue Salmon (contributed by Helen Kovac)
ingredients
2 x 160g salmon fillet (about 5 ounces each)
2 medium pink-eye (red) potatoes, boiled or steamed
Stir-fry ingredients
1 carrot, cut into strips
1 stick celery, cut into strips
¼ red capsicum (bell pepper), cut into strips
¼ green capsicum (bell pepper), cut into strips
¼ bunch of leeks, sliced
¼ Spanish onion, chopped
30g (about 1/2 cup) green beans, sliced
2 asparagus spears, cut into pieces
40g (about 1 cup) red cabbage, shredded
Oil, to stir fry
Char marinade
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
method
1: Combine all marinade ingredients, bring to the boil for 4 minutes, then allow to cool (this part can be done up to a week in advance). Cover salmon with approximately 50ml (about 2 to 3 ounces) of the marinade. Before you put the salmon in the marinade, make sure you give the liquid a good stir.
2: Marinate the salmon in the char marinade for 3-5 minutes, then cook on a barbecue grill for 3-5 minutes each side. Stir-fry the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Serve the salmon on the vegetables with boiled potatoes.
Serving Suggestion: add some freshly baked bread and perhaps a green side salad.
note: the metric measurements were part of the original recipe. The U.S. "Standard" conversions (in parentheses) were added later, by me :)
ingredients
2 x 160g salmon fillet (about 5 ounces each)
2 medium pink-eye (red) potatoes, boiled or steamed
Stir-fry ingredients
1 carrot, cut into strips
1 stick celery, cut into strips
¼ red capsicum (bell pepper), cut into strips
¼ green capsicum (bell pepper), cut into strips
¼ bunch of leeks, sliced
¼ Spanish onion, chopped
30g (about 1/2 cup) green beans, sliced
2 asparagus spears, cut into pieces
40g (about 1 cup) red cabbage, shredded
Oil, to stir fry
Char marinade
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
method
1: Combine all marinade ingredients, bring to the boil for 4 minutes, then allow to cool (this part can be done up to a week in advance). Cover salmon with approximately 50ml (about 2 to 3 ounces) of the marinade. Before you put the salmon in the marinade, make sure you give the liquid a good stir.
2: Marinate the salmon in the char marinade for 3-5 minutes, then cook on a barbecue grill for 3-5 minutes each side. Stir-fry the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Serve the salmon on the vegetables with boiled potatoes.
Serving Suggestion: add some freshly baked bread and perhaps a green side salad.
note: the metric measurements were part of the original recipe. The U.S. "Standard" conversions (in parentheses) were added later, by me :)
