August20
Whenever I make steak, I always make extra so that with the leftovers I can prepare my favorite summer dish: Thai Beef Salad.
The beauty of this salad is that you don’t have to include all of the ingredients. If you don’t have fish sauce, use soy sauce. Don’t like jalapeños… leave them out. You can add what you do have… like red or green peppers, cooked zucchini, broccoli or green beans. This is pretty much a “clean the fridge” type of salad with a whole lot of flavor.
Thai Beef Salad
prep: 20 minutes
serves 6
for the dressing you’ll need…
½ cup lime or lemon juice
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup chopped basil
3 gloves garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh finely minced ginger (optional)
for the salad you’ll need…
1 lb. cooked top sirloin steak or flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin slices
2 cups cucumber, peeled and sliced lengthwise, then seeded and cut into ½-inch half-moons
1 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 cup thinly sliced red onions
4 green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, chopped (seed and devein if you don’t want the heat!)
6 cups shredded romaine, red romaine, red leaf or Bibb lettuce
¼ cup chopped basil leaves
let’s get to it…
Pulse the juice, fish sauce, basil, garlic and ginger (if using) in a blender until mixed; set aside.
Place the steak, cucumber, tomatoes, onions and pepper in a large bowl or in a gallon-size resealable Ziploc bag. Add dressing to the meat and vegetables and toss gently. Let marinate for at least 30-minutes if possible.
Place lettuce in a large bowl. Pour beef, vegetables and dressing onto lettuce and toss gently. Top with chopped basil leaves.
great substitution…
Try cooked shrimp or shredded chicken instead of the beef.
cooking know how…
Fish sauce can be found in the ethnic section of your grocery store with the Asian or Thai foods. If you can’t find it, substitute soy sauce.
May23
How do you like your steak… still mooing or like a piece of shoe leather?
At this time of year there are plenty of strange (and strangely wonderful) gadgets to boost your grilling mojo. Here’s one I really like: The SteakChamp.
The German-made SteakChamp is a high-precision steak thermometer that will help you cook your steak exactly the way you want it, either on the grill, in the oven or in a pan on the stove. The stainless steel probes come in four models to suit your temperature preference (rare, medium rare, medium and medium well), and are tuned to USDA temperatures guidelines.
But before I continue, may I digress a moment? The word “probe” has always bugged me. It reminds me of aliens, or something like that. Okay… back to the best tool for grilling the perfect steak, the SteakChamp.
Here’s how it works:
- Remove your meat from the fridge about half an hour before cooking. The meat should be at least 1½-inches thick.
- Select the SteakChamp probe (there’s that word again) for the level of doneness you want (rare, medium rare, etc.). Insert the SteakChamp into the center of the meat sideways, until it is completely inside the meat and only the end of the SteakChamp protrudes.
- Sear both sides of the meat on high heat for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. When the SteakChamp begins to double flash, remove the meat from the heat. Let the meat rest until the double flashing signal stops. Remove the SteakChamp and serve your perfect steak.
This is a great video to show you exactly how the SteakChamp works on a grill:
Visit the SteakChamp website to see how this gadget works on top of the stove and in the oven. You can find it at Sur la Table. Follow the directions and you’ll be grilling like a champ all summer!
January16
Summer may be far, far away, but you needn’t be deprived of the crunchy happiness of a delicious salad.
The sweet curly kale and roasted potatoes play nicely off the subtle bite of the chili vinaigrette. The tomatoes add a little color (I know, I know, they’re not in season but it makes the salad look brighter). I added chopped thick-cut bacon to give it a little depth, but you don’t have to if you want to make it vegetarian.
This is a great recipe to serve hot or cold… say, later this summer when it’s miserably hot and you’re complaining about the heat!
Roasted Potato and Kale Salad
prep: 15 minutes
cook: 20 minutes
you’ll need…
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
½ pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ pounds curly kale
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
let’s get to it…
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Mix red wine vinegar, chili powder and salt in a blender. With the machine running, slowly add olive oil; set aside.
Spread potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the potatoes and stir to coat completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven and cool.
Remove the center stalk from the kale. Wash in cold water and spin in a salad spinner, like the Dexas Collapsible Salad Spinner, or drain well (kale can be gritty). Tear or cut kale into small, bite size pieces and place in a large salad bowl.
Add potatoes and tomatoes to the salad bowl of kale. Pour half of the chili vinaigrette onto the vegetables and toss gently.
Sprinkle on the bacon and feta cheese. Serve remaining vinaigrette on the side.
Tip: This dish makes a great side dish! As soon as the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and place in a large bowl with the kale and tomatoes. Add half of the vinaigrette and toss gently. Top with the bacon and feta cheese. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette.
August1
Here’s the perfect nibble while you’re waiting for the drinks to be poured: Sautéed Japanese shishito peppers.
What makes these grassy, nutty tasting peppers so special is how incredibly simple they are to prepare. Throw them in a skillet with hot (not smoking) olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and some sea salt. Once they’ve blistered and popped, they’re ready.
You also can get all fancy-do and grill them or sauté them in sesame oil with a splash of tamari… but why mess with such an easy-to-make Spanish tapa? Bring the skillet to the table so everyone has the fun of picking them up by the stem and devouring them in one bite.
Find these peppers in Asian markets almost year round or in farmers’ markets right now.
Don’t shy away just because I said “peppers.” Only about 1 in 25 will knock your socks off… which adds to the excitement of eating them! Roulette, anyone?
