1st BBQ of the summer

 

It’s finally June! And that means some nice weather (FINALLY) and it’s time to fire up the grill and start BBQ season! On the menu for the first BBQ of the season:

Soy-Balsamic Marinated Flat Iron Steak
Local Style Potato Salad
Grilled Pepper “Caprese” Salad
Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Salad

Soy-Balsamic Marinade
Makes enough marinade for ~2lbs of meat, depending on the cut. The soy sauce, balsamic, and honey are in a 1:1:~1/3 ratio so you can easily adjust the recipe to make more/less marinade. Sesame oil has a strong flavor so start with less and you can always add more; same with the red pepper flakes.

1/4 cup+ 2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup +2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
chili flakes

– Whisk ingredients together. Combine with meat in a ziploc bag and marinate for at least 4-6 hours; ideally overnight

Local Style Potato Salad
~2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
2 carrots, grated
1/4 onion, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas
2-3 stalks celery, finely diced

• Instead of celery I used the broccoli stems that I had left over from the broccoli and sweet potato salad

4-8 oz bacon, thinly sliced and cooked till crispy
2:1 ratio mayonnaise:plain yogurt
salt
pepper
garlic powder
cayenne

– Bring potatoes to a boil in lightly salted water; turn heat and simmer potatoes until for tender
– Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Return potatoes to the hot pot along with the onion, peas, and celery and stir together
– Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add carrots and bacon. Season with garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne
– Add mayonnaise and yogurt until potato salad is desired wetness. Season with salt. Serve cold or room temperature

Grilled Pepper “Caprese” Salad
roasted peppers, cut into ~1″ pieces

• Simply season the bell peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then grill till tender

cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes- halved, quartered, or cut into wedges depending on their size
basil, chiffonade
mozzarella, cut into chunks
salt
pepper
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

– Lightly salt the cut tomatoes and toss with the basil
– Once peppers are grilled add them to the tomatoes and add the mozzarella and toss. The heat from the peppers will warm the mozzarella and cause the tomatoes to release some of their juices
– Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm or room temperature

Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Salad
4 large heads broccoli cut into 1/2″-1″ florets
3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
frozen pearl onions

• I had a 12oz bag and I used about 1/2 of it. Feel free to add more/less depending on whether you like onions

1/2 cup shredded, or grated, parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil

– Preheat oven to 425 degrees
– Toss broccoli with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast till broccoli is tender; stir every once in a while so they don’t stick to the baking sheet
– Toss sweet potatoes and pearl onions with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet and roast till tender. At the end, turn oven to broil to caramelize potatoes and onions
– Combine broccoli, sweet potatoes, and onions in a large mixing bowl and toss with parmesan cheese. Serve warm

*You could easily turn this salad into the star of a meal by adding quinoa and dried cranberries

Grill season is just getting started! I hope this gives you some ideas to get your grilling parties started! And remember you don’t need to be having a party to fire up the grill; cooking dinner for 2 is just as good a reason as any!

corned beef and irish potato cakes

Corned beef tends to get associated with St. Patrick’s day, but in reality it’s an easy anytime meal, just throw it in a slow cooker or a dutch oven. I remember eating corned beef as a kid, always with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, and I can’t say I was really fond of all the boiled stuff, so here I made Irish potato cakes, a cross between a hash brown and mashed potatoes, to substitute the boiled potatoes, and just sauteed up some local kale rabe

Slow Cooker Corned Beef (~6 servings)

1 3-4# corned beef and spice packet
1 12 oz bottle guinness
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 onion, slicedwater to cover corned beef

-If you’re using a slow cooker combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, adding a little water or stock if more than 1/2 an inch of the corned beef is sticking out of the liquid, and cook corned beef on high till tender, depending on the size, about 4-5 hours. If in doubt, just cook it longer; rather have it be falling apart than chewy. My corned beef barely fit in my small slow cooker so I turned it over halfway through cooking it to make sure it cooked evenly

Irish Potato Pancakes (makes ~16 pancakes)

3# yukon gold potatoes (just round to the nearest whole potato)
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
butter
pepper
salt

– Peel potatoes. Cut 2/3 of the potatoes into quarters and place in a pot of water. Bring potatoes up to a boil, and then simmer until tender
– Grate the remaining potatoes on the large side of a box grater. Sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt and place in a strainer
– When potatoes are tender, drain water and add 1/4 cup milk and mash till smooth. Season with salt and pepper
– Press grated potatoes to get out extra moisture and then add to mashed potatoes. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk, egg, and flour till smooth and then add to mashed potatoes. Mix well and then add cheddar cheese
– Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp butter. Scoop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into pan and spread to desired thickness

• Spread batter thinner for crispier pancakes, or leave them fatter for more mashed potatoey ones

– Cook pancakes about 4-5 minutes per side, or until nice and browned. Remove pancakes from pan and place on a baking sheet in the oven at 150 degrees to keep warm. Melt another tablespoon of butter in the pan before cooking the next batch

 

 

* Experiment with the ratio of mashed potato to shredded to potatoes to get different textures and try out other types of cheese to find your favorite. You can also add bacon, green onions/chives.

coffee and cocoa rubbed flank steak, smashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts

Coffee and Cocoa Rubbed Flank Steak (4 servings)

1 flank steak (about 2 lbs)
coffee and cocoa rub (recipe below)
salt and pepper

– Allow flank steak to sit out for 30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature, or at least take off some of the refrigerator chill
– Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cocoa rub lightly over flank steak; you want it to coat the steak, but not form a thick layer
– Grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side for a medium-rare steak that’s about 3/4″ thick

• If half of your steak is thicken than the other then just cut it in half and grill them separately. That way the whole steak will be cooked to the desired temperature

– Allow steak to rest for at least 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a bias

1 1/2 lbs brussel sprouts
6-8 small cloves garlic, smashed
2 lbs easter egg, fingerling, or red potatoes
salt and pepper

– Halve potatoes larger than 1 1/2″. Place potatoes into a pot of water and bring water to a boil
– Cook potatoes until tender, or a fork goes through them easily
– Drain potatoes, and then using the back of a metal spatula, smash potatoes
– Put potatoes onto baking sheet and toss with olive oil salt and pepper
– Preheat oven to 450
– Remove ends from brussel sprouts and halve larger ones (1/2″ diameter or larger). Rinse brussel sprouts and dump onto the baking sheet with the potatoes
– Drizzle sprouts with olive oil and sprinkle with smashed garlic cloves, salt and pepper
– Place baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Toss potatoes and brussel sprouts and roast for another 5-7 minutes until potatoes and brussel sprouts are crispy

Cocoa Rub (makes about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder
5 tbsp fine ground coffee
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne

Belated chinese new year: crispy pork belly w/ bao and beef broccoli cake noodle

Crispy Pork Belly

braised pork belly (see recipe below)
bao buns
hoisin sauce
siracha
cilantro, rough chopped
green onions, sliced
assorted condiments: kim chee, namasu (cucumber/carrots), takuan

– Once pork belly is chilled, trim ends and slice into desired thickness. Brown slices on all sides in a pan until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels
– Set up a build-your-own-bao bar and get creative with your condiments!

Braised Pork Belly
1 piece pork belly, 2-5 lbs

• if you’re getting your pork belly from a butcher ask for a thicker cut

2 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 onion, cut into large sections
10 whole cloves
3 star anise
1/2 cup soy sauce
water

– Combine pork belly with all spices and onions in a large heavy-duty pot. Add enough water to cover pork belly
– Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low/medium-low, cover, and simmer pork belly for 2 hours

• Keep the pork belly in 1-2 pieces; it shrinks a lot when cooked. If you have to, cut the pork belly in half so it will fit in the pot. If you don’t have a pot large enough to hold the pork belly you can cook it in a roasting pan in the oven at 350 for 3-4 hours till tender.

– Remove pork belly from the liquid and place onto a baking sheet lined w/ foil or parchment paper. Cover pork belly with another sheet of foil and a baking sheet. Place a heavy weight (the pot filled with liquid would work) on top of the pork belly and chill overnight, or at least 5-6 hours for the pork belly to flatten out and firm up

• If you use the pot as a weight, once the liquid is chilled you can easily skim off the fat, strain out the spices, and use the broth as a soup or stew base

Beef Broccoli Cake Noodle

~17 oz fresh egg noodle (or 3 pkgs of noodles) I used yakisoba noodles
sesame oil
canola oil
3 heads broccoli, cut into ~1/2″ wide florets, and stems thinly sliced
1/2 lb beef, thinly sliced into ~1″ pieces

• I used frozen tenderloin scraps I had, but you could use virtually any cut of beef you like
• Also, I did not make this dish a meat heavy dish, but you could easily increase the amount of meat if you wanted it to be

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp sambal
2 tbsp vegetable or oyster stir fry
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

– Boil egg noodles for 2-3 minutes. Drain and lightly toss with sesame oil
– Heat enough canola oil to evenly coat the bottom of a large non-stick saute pan (or cast iron pan) over medium-high heat
– Add enough noodles to the pan so they cover the bottom of the pan and use a spatula to flatten out. Cook until browned, 3-5 minutes, then remove noodles from pan, add more oil, and brown other side. (WARNING: cake noodle is not a diet friendly dish)
– Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, or wok, heat ~1 tbsp oil canola oil over high. Wash broccoli before cooking and then dump into pan; the oil will SPLATTER, so be careful, but the extra moisture will help the broccoli cook without burning
– Cook broccoli for 2-3 minutes. Season beef with salt and pepper and then add to pan with ginger and garlic
– Cook beef for 2 minutes and then add remaining ingredients, except for cornstarch
– Once broccoli is tender and beef is cooked, mix cornstarch with water and slowly add to liquid in the pan till desired thickness is reached
– Pour beef broccoli over cake noodle and ENJOY!

 belated GUNG HEE FAT CHOY!

steak rub and a grilled tenderloin

Steak Spice Rub
This is a ratio recipe, meaning there are not exact amounts, just ratios, which enables you to create a batch as big or as small as you want. Just start with one of the spices with 1 part, and go work from there.

1 part smoked paprika
1 part freshly ground black pepper
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part mustard powder
1/2 part ground coriander
1/4 part cayenne powder
1/4 part fresh thyme, minced

Grilled Tenderloin
Using a section of a tenderloin, in this case a whole tenderloin, rather than individual steaks,
keeps the meat a lot moister, and decreases your chances of overcooking it. Remember, meat continues cooking once you take it off the heat, especially larger cuts, so if you’re aiming for medium-rare, you want to pull your tenderloin off at 120 degrees, medium:130 degrees…anything beyond medium, and I’m sorry, but there’s no point in spending the money to eat tenderloin.

1 tenderloin, trimmed
1/2-3/4 cup spice rub
1 1/2 sticks butter
kosher or rock salt
disposable aluminum roasting pan

– Bring your tenderloin out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you’re going to cook it
– Preheat grill; if you’re using a gas grill you’ll want medium heat, if it’s a charcoal grill, make sure your coals are spread out evenly and you can hold your hand over them for about 8 seconds.
– Trim off skinny ends of tenderloin, so tenderloin is approximately all the same diameter (about 2″-3″ off each end)

• You can use tenderloin ends for steak and eggs, stir fry’s, etc. Use tenderloin ‘chain’ trim (the stuff with some fat and sinew, on the bottom right in the picture) in stews or to flavor gravies/stocks

– Melt butter and pour into roasting pan. Roll tenderloin in butter and then cover liberally with rub and salt. It’s okay if some of the spices fall off into the butter, because the tenderloin will continue to cook in it
– Place roasting pan on grill and cover. Cook tenderloin for about 5-10 minutes, before rotating a quarter turn. You’re looking for a nice brown crust to form on the outside. Make sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer periodically so you don’t overcook your tenderloin!

• You can’t control the temperature on a charcoal grill as precisely as you can on a gas grill, so just keep watch. Depending on the temperature of the coals your tenderloin could be done in as little as 20 minutes, or may take up to 45 minutes
• The butter will look dark brown, but it should not be black. If you see your butter starting to turn, that’s probably a good indication that your heat is too hot

– Remove roasting pan from grill, and remove tenderloin from roasting pan and allow to rest for 10-15 minute before slicing and serving with your favorite steak sides. Drizzle with the brown butter drippings