Flat Iron Steak

I love flat iron steak. It is a cut we use frequently at work and I enjoy the combination of flavour and tenderness that it offers. Apparently it is also known as Top Blade.
I picked a couple up for dinner tonight and decided I wanted to do a chimichurri with it. A quick google revealed that I am not inventing the wheel. In fact, just days ago, Kalyn posted an updated recipe for it.
Flat iron Steak with Chimichurri - Kalyn's Kitchen

My chimichurri recipe is without a doubt not authentic, but It  IS delicious.

Chimichurri
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
olive oil
white wine vinegar
sambal
garlic
1/2 red onion
salt
citric acid (optional)

I pulse the parsley and cilantro in the food processor with some olive oil, about 1/2 cup of vinegar, salt. sambal, chopped garlic and a pinch of citric acid. I use the citric because I like my chimichurri to stay green, but it is totally unnecessary. Adjust seasoning and oil and vinegar amounts to your taste. Stir in minced red onion. Serve over steak.
Here are a few other chimichurri recipes that look great (and more authentic than mine).

Chimichurri - E-Curry
Chimichurri
Beet Crudo with Chimichurri

The steak I seared in a cast iron pan, 3 minutes per side, then rested for 6 minutes before slicing

660 Curries ~ Tart-Hot Beef with Malt Vinegar and Cayenne

I have had this book languishing on my shelves for almost a year now (maybe 6 months)and poverty finally made me dig it out. I had some frozen beef stew meat in the freezer and no budget. I have almost every spice you could imagine, but this recipe only requires a few. And I had some time on my hands.
The effort was minimal but the result was spot on. I served it with fresh mango, coconut rice, peas and cauliflower and my own homemade flatbread.

Gosht Vindaloo
Serves 4
1/2 cup malt vinegar (umm, I am poor right now, so I used what I had on hand. Coconut vinegar).
2 teaspoons cayenne
1/2 teaspooon ground turmeric
1 lb boneless beef stew, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tbsp canola oil
4 oz pearl onions, peeled cut in half lengthwise ( again with the budget. Regular onion, 1/2 inch dice)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 dried red thai chilis or cayenne, stems removed (only had fresh on hand)
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish

Combine vinegar, cayenne and turmeric. Toss with meat and allow to marinate for 2hrs or overnight.
Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium high. Add onion, garlic and chili and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add beef and marinade. Cook until marinade has evaporated, 12 - 15 minutes. Add spices and salt, cook for a minute or two.
Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook until meat is fork tender and sauce is reddish brown ~ 40-45 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

 

Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

I got this recipe from the CLBB, but the original source was Shape Magazine. I made very little modifications and it was an excellent week night dinner. I will post my modified version.

Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce
Over Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Shape, January 2004
4 servings

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
salt
black pepper
1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin
(about 90%-95% lean)
1/2 cup diced shallots
1/4 cup panko
1 egg
worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup sliced fresh shiitake
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sherry

Bake sweet potatoes until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and smash together with a fork until lumpy.
Meanwhile, to make the meatballs, combine salt and pepper with next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Form mixture into 16 2-inch meatballs.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and saute 5 minutes, until browned.
Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes, until tender and releasing juice. Add thyme and stir to coat. Add beef broth and simmer 3 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.
Dissolve cornstarch in sherry and add to skillet. Simmer 1 minute, until sauce thickens.
Spoon smashed sweet potatoes onto individual plates and top with meatballs. Spoon mushroom sauce over top and serve.

Nutrition score per serving (4 meatballs, 1/4 cup mushroom sauce, 1/2 cup sweet potatoes): 411 calories, 24% fat (11 g; 3 g saturated), 44% carbs (45 g), 32% protein (33 g), 5 g fiber, 66 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 628 mg sodium.

LeftOvers!

 

Leftover roast becomes shepherds pie....

I simply cubed the leftover meat, about 3 cups worth, then sauteed onions and carrots. To the onions and carrots, I added leftover gravy, wine, more seasoning and a little bit of thickening action. I poured the sauce over the beef in a small glass baking dish, topping with mashed potatoes with one egg mixed in. Bake and eat!

Beef Stew with Wild Mushrooms.

I love stew and coincidentally, its the theme of this months Waiter, Theres Something in My...! This recipe was taken from Kalyn's Kitchen and adapted slightly to fit my cravings, although I am sure it would be delicious in Kalyn's adaptation from a Mark Bittman recipe. Of course, I just realised that this is HER submission for the meme, so I'll make a different stew to submit for myself. In the meantime, here is my take on it.

Beef Stew with Dried Mushrooms
(about 6 servings, adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen's adaptation from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World, page 381)

2 cups beef stock, heated to boiling
2 cups dried chanterelle and porcini mushrooms
1 red onion, chopped
2 lb sirloin tip roast, cut into pieces about 1" or slightly larger
olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (I use Muir Glen)
1/4 cup tomato paste
bay leaves (I just cut a bunch from my bay tree)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 cups red potatoes

Preheat Oven to 300F

Heat stock to point of boiling in saucepan, turn off heat, then add mushrooms and let them soak for at least half an hour.

In large heavy pan, heat olive oil. Season beef well with salt and pepper and sear in batches, setting aside seared beef.

In same pan, saute onions until soft. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. Deglaze the pan with red wine, then add fire roasted tomatoes, the meat, the mushrooms and stock and bay leaves. Cover and place in the oven for about one hour.

Cut potatoes into roughly 2 inch pieces and add to the stew, stirring well to coat. Return to the oven for a further 45 minutes. Then remove the lid and allow stew to cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Steak Salad

Steak Salad
Originally uploaded by kayaksoup.

The night before we leave for Las Vegas, we go for a relatively light meal; a steak salad with a ginger lime vinaigrette and a baked potato. Big flavour bang and by splitting a ribeye, we saved a bit of money too. The tomato is a newish breed that we discovered at our favourite produce stand, something Russo. It actually has a little flavour and a beautiful texture!
Here is the recipe for the vinaigrette, which we also used as a marinade as well for the steak. This is my favourite dressing and we keep a jar of it in the fridge at all times.

Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
I shallot minced
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
black pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice.

recipe from Wolfgang Puck

Zuni Cafe Brasato

Finally broke in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook I bought at least six months ago! I rarely cook from cookbooks these days...
The recipe is beautifully written, almost a story instead of a recipe. And it yields the best pot roast I have ever made or eaten.

Brasato

1 4lb beef shoulder chuck, trimmed
salt
750 ml red wine (reccomends Cabernety Sauvignon, Syrah or other hearty red)
4 cups beef stock ( I am going to skip the chicken stock option to save typing energy)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into two inch chunks
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into two inch chunks
I medium onion, cut into two inch wedges
Garlic cloves (Judy Rogers says a handful, I say go with what you are comfortable with)
1 or 2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns, barely cracked
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
(there is also the option to add a pinch of sugar. I don't think that is necessary at all.)

Judy Rogers suggests seasoning the meat 3 days in advance. I didn't plan that far ahead, so I seasoned day of. She stresses the importance of seasoning very thoroughly and I have to agree with her. If there is one thing I have learned from catering, proper seasoning makes a huge difference!
My roast came pre tied, but if yours isn't, now is the time to strap it down nice and tight.
The braising liquid can be prepared well in advance. The cookbook says to reduce beef stock by half and red wine down to 1/2 cup. I combined the beef stock and the red wine and reduced it all by half, then added a shot of balsamic. Here is where the importance of using GOOD beef stock comes in. If you use a commercial beef stock, you will end up with an overly salty mess.
Brown the meat well on all sides. I use the stovetop method, but the cookbook also suggest using the broiler if you don't want to do it stovetop.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Use whatever pan you have on hand that will accomodate this. I used my Dutch Oven. Place the meat in, add the vegetables and spices and pour the braising liquid over that, making sure to not completely cover the meat (Judy Rogers says one inch, I went with more like four inches coverage). Bring the braise to a simmer, cover and pop it in the oven. After about two hours, remove cover and turn meat. Cover and return to oven for another hour or until roast is fork tender. You can uncover for the last 30 minutes.
When the braising is finished, transfer meat out of the pot, remove the vegetables and puree them. I poured the braising liquid into a fat separator, before some of the vegetable puree to make a sauce. Slice meat against the grain and serve.
Serves six (or two with lots of leftovers for use in other dishes)