Grilling In The Warmth Of Your Kitchen
If your yard is covered in snow, firing up the grill might not seem so appealing. But there's no reason to give up a tasty grilled steak if you can bring the cooking indoors.
Cookbook author and cookbook teacher Tori Ritchie recommends three inexpensive cuts of meat that are delicious grilled indoors, using a countertop grill, a stovetop grill pan or a broiler.
She showed the way Wednesday in The Early Show's "Five Minute Cooking School," at the Manhattan flagship store of specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma. Ritchie
RECIPES
Japanese-Style Flatiron Steak
Flatiron steaks, newly popular on restaurant menus, have a nice, beefy flavor, perfect to stand up to strong-tasting ingredients like the potent Japanese wasabi used in this recipe. Look for wasabi powder in an Asian grocery store or the international foods section of a well-stocked market. Pair the steak with wasabi butter or use the flavorful condiment to toss with Asian noodles as an accompaniment.
For the wasabi butter:
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tbs. wasabi powder
2 Tbs. snipped fresh chives
For the sake-soy marinade:
1/4 cup sake or dry sherry
3 Tbs. regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. molasses
1 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
2 Tbs. peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 flatiron or sirloin steak, 1 3/4 to 2 lb. and 3/4 inch thick
red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)
To make the wasabi butter, in a small dish, mix together the butter, wasabi powder and chives until well blended. Let the butter stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving, or refrigerate it for up to 6 hours. If refrigerated, remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using.
To make the sake-soy marinade, in a shallow, nonreactive dish just large enough to hold the steak, combine the sake, soy sauce, vinegar, molasses, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper flakes and mix well. Add the steak and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over high heat. Oil the grill rack. Remove the steak from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
Grill the steak, turning once or twice and brushing with the marinade for up to 5 minutes before the meat is done, until nicely charred and cooked to your liking, 7 to 10 minutes total for medium-rare.
Transfer the steak to a carving board and let rest for at least 3 minutes. Cut into portions or slice for serving and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve the wasabi butter on the side. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, "Essentials of Grilling," by Denis Kelly, Melanie Barnard, Barbara Grunes & Michael McLaughlin (Oxmoor House, 2003).Skirt Steak Fajitas with Avocado Salsa
The orange flavor and smoky heat of the marinade give this skirt steak unforgettable character. Carved into strips after grilling, the meat is served with salsa atop warm flour tortillas for wrapping up, burrito style.
4 small navel or other seedless oranges, peeled, halved and each half quartered
1/2 can (7-oz. can) chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 white onion, halved and each half quartered
3 large garlic cloves
leaves from 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
leaves from 3 fresh marjoram sprigs
1 bunch fresh cilantro, cut crosswise into thirds
1 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 lb. skirt steak, trimmed of surface fat and silver skin and cut in half horizontally
For the salsa:
3 ripe Haas avocados, pitted
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 to 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice, or to taste
kosher salt, to taste
2 limes, quartered
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 flour tortillas, warmed
To make the marinade, in a food processor, combine the oranges, chipotle chilies, onion, garlic, rosemary, marjoram and cilantro. Process until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and a coarse puree forms. Add the salt and season with pepper.
Pour a thin layer of the marinade into a baking dish, add the steak and top evenly with the remaining marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or up to overnight.
To make the salsa, cut the avocado halves in half again lengthwise, and then make short horizontal cuts through the flesh of each quarter to create large chunks. Using a spoon, scoop the chunks from the skin into a bowl. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the salsa, and set aside.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling and scrape off the marinade. Squeeze the juice from the limes over the meat and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the meat on the grill, turning once, for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes and then slice into thin strips.
Top each warmed tortilla with some of the sliced steak and divide among warmed plates. Serve with the salsa. Serves 6.Vietnamese Beef Salad
The marinade for this beef includes lemongrass, an aromatic herb that is a staple in Southeast Asian cooking. Resembling a green onion in shape, it has long, thin, gray-green leaves. Only the pale bottom part of the stalk is used in cooking.
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lemongrass stalks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. red chili paste
1 lb. flank steak, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 oz. dried thin rice noodles
1 head butter lettuce, large leaves torn in half
2 carrots, peeled and cut into long julienne strips
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Vietnamese dipping sauce for serving (see related recipe below)
In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemongrass, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil and chili paste. Add the beef and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. On a large platter, arrange the lettuce, noodles and carrots.
Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Remove the beef from the marinade; discard the marinade. Grill the beef, turning once, about 1 minute per side. Arrange the beef on the salad. Garnish with the peanuts, cilantro and mint. Serve with the dipping sauce. Serves 4.
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
This recipe calls for fish sauce, a salty, pungent liquid that is an essential seasoning in Southeast Asian cuisines. The best-quality fish sauce is pressed from small fish, commonly anchovies that have been salted, packed in barrels, and fermented for several months under the steady heat of the tropical sun.
Serve this dipping sauce with our Vietnamese Beef Salad (see recipe above)
6 Tbs. fresh lime juice
3 Tbs. fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed with the side of a knife
1/4 tsp. red chili paste, plus more, to taste
1 to 2 Tbs. warm water (optional)
In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and chili paste. Taste the sauce; if it is too strongly flavored, whisk in warm water as needed. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New American Cooking Series, "The Southwest," by Kathi Long (Time-Life Books, 2001).