We are off to San Francisco for the Thanksgiving holiday.  San Francisco is where I fell in love with my wife, got married and had our children. It is also the city that holds all the greatest food memories for me. We do this trip every year. I look so forward to having the kids trapped in the car for six hours each way so that we can enjoy some quality time together talking about which restaurants we will go to and what friends we are going to see.  Lots of laughs.

We want to clean out the refrigerator before we leave. I open it up and I have some collard greens from the farmers market and a small piece of beautiful, thick skirt steak (classic carne asada meat but this one was thick) I can taste the full mouth-watering, slightly chewy, beef flavor of this cut just by looking at it. I have a lemon and a few cherry tomatoes sitting on the counter. Steak salad it is. Collard greens are full bodied “headless” cabbages that almost eat like steak themselves. Although often times boiled for hours I love the full flavor and texture they have when sautéed.  I wanted to tame them as to not intimate the proud steak. I decided to do a one pan wilted steak salad. Large sauté pan, high heat. I sautéed the steak on one side of the pan while wilting the greens on the other side. The timing was perfect. It took three batches to finish the greens (as to not overcrowd the pan and create steam for the steak). I sautéed the tomatoes briefly when the greens were done. The steak had a thick, deep brown crust. I flipped it over and cooked it for just a minute more. I like to cook one side of anything longer than the other side. This way you get a thick crust and great color without overcooking the meat/fish.

The oil from the sautéing plus the fresh squeeze of lemon over the top was a natural dressing. I shaved some slices of Parmesan over the top and sliced the steak on the bias. (After letting it rest for ten minutes, crucial to achieve tender, juicy meat).

It was so rewarding to taste in the first bite what I “mind-tasted” when cooking it. I got the rich, chewy flavor of the meat. Crispy on the outside and tender, juicy on the inside. The collard greens still had great body and that lovely rustic, earthy flavor but had wilted into submission under the heat. The fresh lemon juice brought the perfect balance and the Parmesan provided the liaison of salt and nuttiness for the next bite. Simple, hearty and tasty. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving to you! Check back on Monday for a re-cap of the holiday food fest!

Eat Well, Enjoy life, Be happy

I’m a bit of a steak salad fanatic.  Nearly every time I go out for a special lunch downtown with my  coworkers, no matter where – Café Euro, August Henrys, Sonoma Grille,  Tonic, Marks Grille, I order a steak salad and my coworkers predict that’s what I’ll do.

Not from Pittsburgh? A steak salad starts off as a simple salad with iceberg lettuce, tomato, onions, radishes and cucumber.  This is topped chunks of steak, hard-boiled egg, French fries, mozzarella cheese and ranch dressing. That’s the way I like it anyway. 

What was the origin of the Steak Salad?  Jerry’s Curb Service in Bridgewater, Beaver County PA was the inventor.  According to their website, it was in the early 1960s when a customer cut up the steak from a sandwich and combined it with fries and dressing.

Pittsburghers – who has your favorite steak salad? If you wanted to tell a visitor from outside SouthWest PA what restaurant has the best, what would it be? Leave a comment here or tweet me @bobf_vstpgh  Go!

My Twitter friends answered:

Favorite places for Steak Salads according to our Twitter friends from Pittsburgh?Atrias, Bock Town Beer and Grill, Eat n ParkSheffield, Café in Aliquippa,   Casey’s in Oakmont, Gene’s Last Chance, Rachel’s Roadhouse,  Killian’s pub in Creighton, Quaker Steak and Lube & Armstrongs

Recipe: Bean Sprout Salad with Five Spice Beef

“If you were a pickle,” my husband asked me the other night as he pulled a jar out of the fridge. “What would you be…sweet, half sour, or sour?”

I’m used to my husband occasionally asking such questions and I seriously considered my response before answering. “Sweet,” I said, although truthfully, I was feeling half sour.  This sort of response is typical of me, I think.

“I’d be sour,” my husband said without hesitation. As is typical of his personality, his declaration of sourness made him noticeably happy.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about balance in life – not just balancing sweet and sour inclinations, but also balancing dreamy hopes with reality, balancing a desire to be successful with a desire not to live at a frenetic pace, balancing the things in life I have to do with the things in life I want to do. Balance is very hard to achieve, a constant struggle for most of us. I think one of the reasons I find cooking so relaxing is that achieving balance (sweet vs sour, pungent vs aromatic, bitter vs pleasant) can be as simple as following a recipe.

Vietnamese Salad with Five Spice Beef

There is a little Vietnamese restaurant I go to occasionally with my husband and brother, the type of place that has no sign out front, about ten tables that are always full and food that arrives at the table about six minutes after you order it. The food is simple but has a complex array of flavors: spicy, sweet, sour, pungent. Since this restaurant is way across town and we don’t get there often, I started tinkering with ingredients, trying to re-create something similar at home. Bean Sprout Salad with Five Spice Beef is what I came up with and it totally hit the spot – a few weeks ago it was the perfect late-night meal while watching an episode of Mad Men. (which is why the lighting in my photo is not so great…my camera fails miserably with no natural light.)

It’s almost embarrassing how happy eating a delicious late dinner on the couch while watching a favorite show makes me. I guess that’s all about balance too. One too many dinners in front of the TV is not a good thing; it’s depressing, actually. But every now and again, it’s one of life’s great pleasures.

I love the contradiction steak salad brings to the table. A hunky piece of steak on a bed of delicate greens is as interesting as meeting a manly man who enjoys opera. I guess I can say that steak salad is Ronny Cammareri of the food world – it can appear a bit awkward at first but it can turn out to be incredibly sexy, complex and delicious. (If you have never seen the movie, “Moonstruck,” please watch it … it’s tangy, luscious, and bittersweet all rolled up in one, beautifully made flick … and I have a thing for Nic Cage.)

I am a serial dater when it comes to finding the best steak salad in town. I try it at every opportunity I get.  Yes, I get around.  Of all the countless plates I’ve consumed in the last several years, I would have to say that the steak salad I had the other day at Culver City’s Tender Greens ranks as one of my favorites. The steak here is not for the faintest of heart – it is a real deal. The thick grilled flatiron steak is juicy and flavorful, and the combination of the tender steak with sweet red and gold beets on the bed of velvety butter lettuce dressed with horseradish vinaigrette would make anyone want to sing an aria.

Check out Tender Greens’ selections of “simple” and “big” salads like the Grilled Chicken Cobb my sister ordered (pictured above), as well as “hot stuff” from the grill. Don’t forget to wash it all down with a nice glass of wine.

Tender Greens
9523 Culver, Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
(Other locations include West Hollywood and San Deigo)
★★★★☆

Some people are big beef fans, some aren’t. I fall into the first category – I am a *major* beef lover. Hamburgers, steak, brisket, you name it. So when Christine and I spotted  these steak sandwiches in Giada’s book, it was love at first sight (for me – Christine doesn’t eat beef).

We did, of course, make a few changes. And quite frankly, I’m sure our final result was just as good or better than Giada’s. First of all, what in the world are mustard seeds, and where do you get them?? We didn’t have any on hand. So we put a little actual mustard in our marinade and hoped that would work. Naturally, having never made the recipe before, I can’t tell you whether or not it had the same effect as the seeds. Also, we used sirloin steaks instead of rib-eyes. Same difference, right (so confidently speaks the voice of inexperience)? Feta instead of gorgonzola, hoagies instead of a baguette, and finally, baby spinach instead of arugula. Ok, yeah. We totally changed this recipe. The concept was the same, though.

For some reason, Giada says to marinate the steaks for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. Why can’t the steak marinate for longer? It’s not like the meat is going to get soggy. Or soak all the marinade up like a sponge. Or absorb too much flavor (is there even such a thing?!). I don’t understand that. Perhaps I am still a Titanium Chef. :-S Of course, I bring this up because our steaks marinated for about…four hours. (!) We popped them into the plastic bag, and then looked at the clock and realized we had a lot of time before dinner. “Oh well,” Christine said. “So they marinate for longer. Who cares, anyway?” So there they stayed, until the grill was ready for them.

We hollowed out the tops of our hoagie buns ever so slightly, toasted them with a little olive oil, and then spread them with a thick layer of the sour cream/feta mixture. Christine arranged the spinach leaves on each bun – she makes everything into a work of art of some sort, you know? – and we piled on thin slices of steak. A little salt, a lot of pepper, and a very thin layer of horseradish (NOT in the recipe!) topped everything off. Amazing. I mean, really, really good. The sour cream/feta stuff *made* these sandwiches. I think we should always have a little on hand…

On the side, we planned to serve Tyler’s Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Calamari. But you know we must have removed the calamari from the recipe, since it’s not kosher. Then, after looking at the list of ingredients for the actual salad, we realized that we don’t want to put in the red onion (we had people over after dinner) or the olives, we didn’t have a cucumber, and our mom wants cheese served on the side of salads. This left the salad bowl filled with chopped romaine, LOTS of cherry tomatoes, and…well yeah. That was it. Romaine and tomatoes. It was looking a little bald, to be quite candid. But we whisked up the vinaigrette, dumped some feta in a bowl, and set it on the table. It was very good, although the ingredients were scanty. Oh, and we cut out the FOUR GARLIC CLOVES. Yuck. Can you imagine how long you’d smell if you absorbed that much garlic??

On a scale from 1 to 10: 8.

I am a huge fan of  this sandwich recipe. Easy and delicious. Our steak was a little chewy, but we think (HOPE) that had to do with the meat, not with our preparation. We can nix the salad next time.

I walked home from yoga in the rain, passed under a red bird feeder next to a brick building with wooden shudders, and thought about my parents, visiting the muggy midwest, bloating up after a family barbeque. Then I went home and had a steak and tomato salad, equally hearty but a lot more earthy.

The link to this song probably dates me, but I can’t help but sing it each time I think of Miami. From its famed South Beach and infamous spring break, to its balmy weather and reputation for high fashion, Miami is a city of contrasts and surprises. Who knew it was a major foodie town, as well? From Michy’s to Sra. Martinez to Pascal’s on Ponce to Alta Cocina, the delicious choices are varied and plentiful. (Thanks to Stephanie in our FH Miami office for all the great recommendations!)

On this trip to Miami, I had the pleasure of working with Chef Allen Susser of the famous Chef Allen’s restaurant in Aventura, just north of Miami. For our client, Mirassou Winery, we planned an amazing wine dinner especially for food media that focused on perfect wine and food pairings.

First of all, Chef Allen is the real deal! He coined the term New World Cuisine in South Florida, has a thriving restaurant and a seemingly endless list of impressive foodie accomplishments. But, the proof is in the pudding as they say, and this dinner was no exception. Not only is Chef Allen an absolute joy to work with, he coaxed the best flavors from both the food and wine to create an unforgettable experience. Here’s what we sampled: 

Pass Around

Saffron Arroncini with Tomato Jam

Wild Florida Shrimp Escabiche

Featuring Mirassou Sauvignon Blanc and

Mirassou Pinot Grigio 

First Course

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Shiitakes, Tarragon, Homemade Macaroni

Featuring Mirassou Chardonnay 

Second Course

Pinot Noir Steak Salad

Exotic Mango, Crunchy Cumbers, Macadamia Nuts

Featuring Mirassou Pinot Noir 

Third Course

Wood Grilled Za’atar Rack of Lamb

Arugula Spaetzel, Chorizo, Big Cab Reduction

Featuring Mirassou Cabernet Sauvignon 

Dessert

Mamey Fruit Cream Puffs

Cinnamon Ice cream

Featuring Mirassou Riesling 

The oohs and aahs from the experts around the table bore witness to the masterful food and wine pairings. With each course, we were treated to something new and special. For example, the grassy notes in the Sauvignon Blanc brought out the flavor in the Shrimp Escabiche. The rich flavor of the Lobster Mac and Cheese (one word: heaven!) underscored the rich fruitiness of the Chardonnay. This group – serious about its food and wine – was impressed with each glorious sip and bite.

If you’re in Miami, a trip to Chef Allen’s is a must. But if your immediate travel plans don’t include Miami, you can recreate the Miami experience in your own home with two of Chef Allen’s recipes from the dinner. Bienvenidos a Miami!

By Maria Chacon

Sorry the pics a bit blurry.  This salad was so good though.  Local greens from Arcadian Farms, I love their spicy mustard mix.  It’s so spicy it will clear your sinuses and make your eyes water!  Homemade pesto with the first of my backyard basil thinned out with some red wine vinegar to make a pesto vinaigrette topped the salad.  A few grilled potatoes on the side roundout the meal.

I also made a little biga for some ciabatta rolls that I finished off today.  A little non-uniform in size but crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!  The Kitchenaid really got a workout this morning with the dough.

]]> http://oneshotbeyond.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/tasty-tuesday-steak-salad/ Tue, 05 May 2009 07:41:11 +0000 oneshotbeyond http://oneshotbeyond.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/tasty-tuesday-steak-salad/

I have a soft spot for really simple & delicious-savory salads.

This perfectly grilled steak wasn’t over powered by the cherry tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles or sweet onion dressing that topped the lettuce assortment. Have I mentioned that butter lettuce is my lettuce of choice? I had it fresh from a garden in Missouri over 10 years ago and fell head over heals for it’s buttery texture and simple flavor. Don’t forget to include savory salads on your lunch or dinner menu each week.

(click to enlarge)

 Thanks for stopping by!

I’m on a roll. Another really tasty dish out of JJ’s kitchen. This dish started with some N.Y. strip steak I had marinating in worcestershire sauce for a couple of days and ended with some mixed olives out of a salad my boyfriend had left at my house. I think the olives were nicoise olives and picholine olives. I added some kalamata olives as well. I also pitted the olives. A lot of times it’s hard to find fancier Mediterranean olives pitted but I can’t stand biting down on a pit! It’s not hard to get the pit out. All I did is break the olive with my fingernail than pull it apart to get the pit out. Of course you can use an olive pitter too. I kinda wanted the olive to be broken up so I used my hands. Also be sure and take steak out of fridge to take the chill off before cooking, about 20 min.

Ingredients: N.Y strip steak, spring salad mix, avocado, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, olives, parmesan cheese.

1. Heat grill pan up over high heat.  place steaks on grill. let them sear about 5-10min. on each side, until they are dark and crispy on the out side. Turn off heat and let the steaks rest.
2. In a bowl pour in 3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbs. of fresh lemon juice, season with salt & pepper. Whisk together.
3. Add pitted olives and cherry tomatoes, a small handful of both, to bowl. Add 1 avocado, cut into bite size pieces. Add lettuce on top of that. Toss everything together. Use a peeler and shave in pieces of parmesan cheese.
4. Slice thin pieces of steak up. Lay salad on a plate and lay pieces of steak on top.

Have a glass of your favorite red wine and you’ve got a healthy and flavorful meal!

To make up for last weeks lack of dedication, this weeks FrURLs will be of the highest quality and even broken down into categories. I hope you enjoy!

Top Priorities:
The Adam Carolla Podcast – Aceman lost his show this week. He plans to eventually podcast
Videos:
Nanerpus Denny’s Commercial – I could watch Nanerpus for hours.
Dissapproving Rabbit Eats Parsley -
Instructables:
Soda Can Stove – Cheap camping stove you can make yourself!
Downloads:
Garry’s Mod – If you happen to own a Valve Source engine, you should download Garry’s Mod. You can learn more about what it actually is here.
Lostify – Not as Lost related as you think. It’s an app to edit the metadata in MP4 files, which is very useful if you have a lot of videos in your iTunes.
ThriftMac – An excellent source for Mac freeware!
Food:
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo – Make this, send me some.
Red & Blue Salad – Please don’t make fun of me for reading Men’s Health.
Misc:
Rolling Resistance – At the very least, it’s an excellent name for a bike issues blog.
1000 Anagrams for Adam Belanger – My favorites would have to be “damnable gear” “a beard mangle” and of course “anal bead germ.”

Whoa, really? But why? Nuh-huh. That’s just ridiculous! They’re EVERYWHERE!

Such was my reaction to the beautiful rib roast my mom cooked for my birthday celebration.

It was lovely. She pulled this beautiful rack of meat from the oven, almost as if in slow motion. The steam wafted from the surface, crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside. My mouth watered in anticipation, as my eyes and nose beheld the beauty that would soon be introduced to my taste buds.

Then my sister butchered it. Apparently there’s a specific way you have to slice a rib roast. She pretty much hacked it to pieces, so once it got to the table, it looked like random slabs of flesh. But hey, it still tasted good.

It was juicy, succulent, and perfectly seasoned. I naturally asked my mom what she used to season it, and she pulled out a container of pre-mixed steak seasoning from the cupboard. Innocent enough, I thought. I flipped it over to read the ingredients: salt, pepper, coriander seed, dill seed, red pepper, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, paprika for coloring…

Whoa, hang on. Back up. Partially hydrogenated soybean oil? In my steak seasoning?

I won’t get into all the science behind partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and why the process of “partially hydrogenating” any oil creates trans fats, which we all know are evil and wreaks havoc on your cardiovascular health. Food manufactures use it to extend shelf life and flavor stability. Needless to say, it’s something that should be completely avoided at all costs.

Later that week, I was grilling up a steak for a salad and reached into the cupboard for my steak seasoning. I hadn’t used it in a few months, so remembering the rib roast, I flipped it over to read the ingredients. Sure enough, partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

Wow, I thought. This stuff is everywhere.

Almost every pre-packaged food has it or another form of partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oil. Even though a food label says “0 trans fats”, that means that 1 serving contains an amount below the limit that is legally required for the manufacturer to disclose the amount of trans fats. Right now that limit is 0.5 grams. It might not sound like a lot, but if eaten on a regular basis, it’ll add up to a very significant amount with a very significant impact on your body.

Seriously though, in my steak seasoning?

So, before tossing the seasoning in the trash, I took note of the spices in it. I had every single spice in my cupboard. There was no reason I couldn’t just make the seasoning myself. It took about thirty more seconds for me to make it myself than it took for me to use the pre-mixed stuff. Quite an insignificant difference in return for keeping my body healthy.

Bottom line? Check your labels, people. Even on the most unassuming foods. Those pesky artificial ingredients are everywhere!

And because I loved it so much, I thought I’d share the recipe for the salad I made. It’s a variation of a recipe I found on the Food Network by Robin Miller.

Steak Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette and Cilantro

Natural, hormone-free flank steak
Organic mixed greens
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Peanut Sauce (I use Trader Joe’s Peanut Satay Sauce)
Chopped dry, roasted peanuts (optional)
Seasonings: kosher or sea salt, pepper, ground coriander, dried dill weed, crushed red pepper

Sprinkle steak lightly with salt, dill weed, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle generously with pepper and coriander. (Adjust according to tastes.) Rub seasonings into the steak.

Cook steak on hot grill, about 4-5 minutes per side depending on desired wellness.

While the steak cooks, place mixed greens and handful of chopped cilantro in bowl and toss. Place on plate or in bowl.

Whisk together peanut sauce and juice of one lime. (I like a ratio of about 1 tsp of peanut sauce to juice of 1/2 a lime. Adjust according to taste. This amount should be good for one serving.) Set aside.

When steaks are done, remove from grill and let stand a couple minutes before slicing against the grain into 1/2 inch strips. Place steak on top of salad, drizzle with peanut vinaigrette, and top with more fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired.

Enjoy!

I am a carnivore. And damn proud of it. Although my posts may not truly reflect that, I’m a certified, honest-to-goodness meat-eater.

Often I go weeks without having red meat. Like a call of the wild, I will get this sudden yearning for a bloodied piece of steak. And when I fully give in to this primeval craving within, I feel completely satiated and reborn.

It was only three weeks ago, during my company holiday party, that had I enjoyed a really great fillet. Cooked rare—which to me means blue or cold in the middle and slightly seared in the outside, it was buttery and perfect. Ten days later, I followed this with a roast beef dinner I made at home.

And now, less than a week since my last indulgence, I once again must satisfy this compelling hunger.

Upon making this not-so-difficult decision, I suddenly felt a rush of guilt envelop me. In my mind, I played devil’s advocate with myself: Do you really need to have steak tonight? Shouldn’t you have something green—like a salad instead? Do yo have the energy to go to the store AND prepare a meal from scratch when you have perfectly good leftovers at home?

Yes, yes, and yes.

To shut up the goody-two-shoes in my head, I developed a compromise: steak salad. Now, I can have my meat AND eat it too.

At home, my favorite cut of steak is the New York strip. Also known as Delmonico, strip, top loin, or Kansas City steak, this cut is particularly tender and flavorful. Minimally seasoned with just sea salt and fresh-cracked peppercorns, I pan-seared it on a very hot skillet for about a minute on each side. It is important that your pan is smoking hot before you put the steak on, otherwise it will steam instead. There’s nothing worse than a gray steak. Well, maybe a well-done steak! Once crusty and done, I let it rest and cool down as I prepared the greens.

For the salad part, I used some baby spinach and red butter lettuce left over from dinner the other night. I wanted a little Asian influence and have a spicy kick to my dressing, so I made an orange and sweet chili vinaigrette.

After the steak had a chance to redistribute its juices and cooled completely, I sliced them thinly and stacked them on top of my salad. As you can see, the steak is perfectly red in the middle. THAT is how steak is cooked!

]]> http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/a-pair-of-workouts-and-the-steak-salad-deconstructed/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:22:45 +0000 theorytopractice http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/a-pair-of-workouts-and-the-steak-salad-deconstructed/

“Just as the body cannot exist without blood, so the soul needs the matchless and pure strength of faith”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Let’s see — a tough bout of sprints on Tuesday, followed by Wednesday morning’s early up and at-’em (following a paltry 5 hours of sleep — welcome back to work-a-day grind, Keith!), a tough early morning half-hour MetCon session AND, oh yeah, I gave a pint of O-positive on Wednesday afternoon.  Can you say wiped out?  Anyway, enough with the pathetic whimpering.  This was Wednesday morning’s MetCon circuit:

1. Power Shrug + Power Clean Complex (3 shrugs followed by 3 cleans)
2. Regular Grip, Weighted Pull-ups, x 6’s (drop to 5’s in the last 2 sets)
3. Trap Muscle Up (upright row to front press, one single motion) + Bradford Press Complex (1 muscle-up + 6 total presses = 1 rep) x 2 reps
4. Repeat #2

Four rounds of this in roughly 35 minutes.  Double the sets of pull-ups thrown in today, and at a greater number of reps/set than normal.  No real reason, other than I hadn’t done pull-ups in a while, so I chose a higher rep/more set methodology vice risking injury and diving right into a more heavy-duty rep scheme.  In the power shrug, I came completely off the floor (i.e., my feet left the floor, in a vertical jump).

Don’t confuse the “trap or upright row muscle-up” with the CrossFit, gymnastic ring muscle-up (which, by the way, is a phenomenal exercise if you’re lucky enough to have access to rings).

On to Friday ~

Another morning workout, another race against the clock.  Here’s how it shaped-up:

1. Sumo Deadlift to High Pull x 6’s
2. Behind the Neck Push-Jerk to Overhead Squats x 4’s
3. Weighted Dips x 3’s

4 rounds at working weight in 25 minutes, then –

• Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows, 11 continuous reps (rest-pause method)
• Weighted Dips x 3 (used the same weight as in the prior complex)
  

In the Sumo DL to high pull complex, remember to really explode the weight off the floor.  This exercise is to be done as one fluid motion vice a disjointed, 2-step motion.  I need to remember to warm-up my shoulders better prior to engaging in overhead squats.  I really ought to know better, especially since (1) I’m working out at the ass-crack of dawn, before my body is really “prime for action” and (2) it’s cold outside, which makes for an initially colder than normal body (I go through the same, re-learning curve for dumb-asses, every winter!).  Besides that, my shoulders have never been totally agreeable with the overhead barbell snatch grip.  I’m either too tight in the shoulder girdle, or I’ve dabbled in a bit too much football (probably a lot of  both).  I love the overhead squat, though, so this is something I’d really like to get worked out.  There are always improvements to be made, even when you’ve been at the game for 30+ years.

The TTP Steak Salad, Deconstructed ~

I realized that the prior photographs of my steak salad did depict the “salad” part of the equation very well, since, after laying on the beef, everything else gets eclipsed.  Maybe the following sequence will rectify that.  Here we go:

First off, the meat.  I prefer a London Broil for my steak salads.  A couple of reasons for this: (1) I like the salad meat to be cold and, (2) because it’s cold, I prefer to use a meat that’s pretty lean to start with start with.  For me, it’s just a mouth-feel thing.  I did this 2lb. London Broil the night before, on the grill and along with that night’s dinner (T-bones).  Let it cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge.  Wait slice it until just before you want to chow-down — otherwise, you lose a good bit of the juices.  And make sure to slice cross-grain to enhance the tenderness of the meat.

London Broil, cooked to perfection

Next up, a good bed of salad greens.  In this case, we have a “baby spring mix”.

Rabbit food

Pear, tangerine, onion...

...avocado, pineapple, raspberries, cellary, carrots...

...and the meat!

I topped this beauty off with Meesus TTP’s famous raspberry vinaigrette and a handful of raw walnuts.  And damn if it wasn’t good.

In Health,

Keith

We bought alot of candy.  Not alot alot but a decent amount.  Not one dang kid rang our bell. But I can’t say as I blame them given this story, we are after all strangers in this neighborhood.  Cory and Carrie, our neighbors, rang our bell to show us their pugs dressed as a prince and princess.  It was cute but, you know, we were like expecting kids.

I met Sarah for brunch and I got to try a new place: Mokes Bread and Breakfast.  It’s a very cute place.  I like the food at Boots and Kimo’s better but this place is really nice to sit and talk.  I got lost driving there because I forgot my glasses and I didn’t bring the GPS. It was fine I was only ten minutes late.

Finally we made steak salad for dinner from this easy recipe.

I threw this together for lunch this morning, and was surprised with how satisfying it ended up being.

* 1 steak (not sure the cut I used, but it was cheap and thin)

*worcestershire sauce

*half a glass of red wine

*steak seasoning

*salt and pepper

*1 serving spinach

*1 handful green grapes

*a few slices red onion

*a dash or two of flavored rice vinegar

*lime juice

*sriracha

*olive oil

Last night, I took a piece of steak (one of those which had been in my freezer forever) and marinated it in a mix of worcestershire sauce, red wine, steak seasoning and salt.

This morning, I grabbed my cast iron skillet and heated it up with a bit of olive oil. I seared the steak on each side and cut it into thin slices.

For the salad, I combined spinach, steak, grapes and red onion. To make a quick dressing, I whisked together some lime juice, a squirt of sriracha sauce and a tiny bit of olive oil.

When I got into work, I hadn’t really used enough dressing, so I added a couple splashes of rice vinegar to the mix.

Really good. Kind of Asian-y tasting, light, but with some protein to get you through the day.

I threw this together for lunch this morning, and was surprised with how satisfying it ended up being.

* 1 steak (not sure the cut I used, but it was cheap and thin)

 *worcestershire sauce

*half a glass of red wine

*steak seasoning

*salt and pepper

*1 serving spinach

*1 handful green grapes

*a few slices red onion

*a dash or two of flavored rice vinegar

*lime juice

*sriracha

*olive oil 

Last night, I took a piece of steak (one of those which had been in my freezer forever) and marinated it in a mix of  worcestershire sauce, red wine, steak seasoning and salt.

This morning, I grabbed my cast iron skillet and heated it up with a bit of olive oil. I seared the steak on each side and cut it into thin slices.

For the salad, I combined spinach, steak, grapes and red onion. To make a quick dressing, I whisked together some lime juice, a squirt of sriracha sauce and a tiny bit of olive oil.

When I got into work, I hadn’t really used enough dressing, so I added a couple splashes of rice vinegar to the mix.

Really good. Kind of Asian-y tasting, light, but with some protein to get you through the day.

Finally, late into Sunday evening, I found myself  standing at the counter of Baoguette/Pho Sure in the West Village, utterly parched for some fresh, lively greenery after Saturday’s (need I remind you) “Ugghhh …” binge.

There is one salad on the menu, a skirt steak salad. (note: I can find no online menu that reflects this menu change/update.) Skirt steak salad, with pineapple, English cucumber, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, etc., etc. $12.99.

“Does that come on a bed of greens?” I ask. I only ask because the only other salad listed, a green papaya salad, while delicious, has no bed of greens whatsoever. And I need some leafy greens. Desperately.

She told me yes.

In fact, the answer is no. No greens. I was sort of annoyed … until I took a bite.

That salad was gone in t-minus 10 minutes, and I wanted more. Simple, fresh, beautiful — and with ample, gorgeous (and gorgeously rare) slices of skirt steak — “Fuck it, I will find some greens tomorrow.”