Thai Steak Salad

Seems kind of crazy to have a recipe for salad, but I'd say that this is really more about the dressing. It's not like anything I've made before, that's for sure.

The recipe is adapted from The Better than Takeout Thai Cookbook by Danette St. Onge. I'll have to admit that I've never actually had Thai takeout, but there was a local Thai restaurant I used to go to - but that was mostly curries. I don't think I ever had a salad there.

This all started when I had half of a New York strip steak left over. I considered making steak tacos, which is pretty much what I do any time I have leftover steak.

But then I started thumbing through the cookbook that I just got from cookbook club I belong to (we all buy a different book, and then all the books get passed around so everyone gets a chance to cook from all the books) and I saw the steak salad. It seemed perfect.

I love salad. I really do. Sometimes I'll make salad as a snack.

I didn't have all of the ingredients this recipe called for, and I added a bit more tomato and scallion than the recipe called for, but don't we all fiddle with recipes? Anyway, the part that fascinated me was the dressing. I'd never thought of adding fish sauce. And there was no oil.

While this recipe is for a steak salad, I think it would be pretty amazing for a salad with shrimp or chicken or pretty much anything else you happen to put on salad.

One thing I really liked about this recipe was that it made a relatively small amount of dressing. I've seen recipes in cookbooks that made a quart ... that's good for a week. Since this is so simple, there's no reason to make a lot, unless you're feeding a lot of people.

When I made this, I cut back on the dressing, since I just had that little half-steak instead of a whole pound of beef, and it was just about perfect for a single salad. The dressing is so flavorful, you really don't need a lot.

Grilled Steak Salad (Yum Nuea Yang)
Adapted from The Better than Takeout Thai Cookbook by Danette St. Onge

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground roasted chili powder (there's a recipe for this in the cookbook, but you could substitute your favorite chili powder, sharp paprika, or even a few drops of hot sauce, to taste)
1 teaspoon palm sugar or granulated sugar (or to taste)
(If your scallions and shallots are strong, I'd suggest tossing them into the dressing right away. The acid will take away some of the bite.)

For the salad:
1 pound thin flank steak, strip, hanger, or flap steak (I used a leftover piece of strip steak)
4 tablespoons thinly sliced shallot (I skipped this and added more scallion)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
4 tablespoons mint leaves, coarsely chopped

To make the dressing:
Stir all the ingredients together and set aside. I'd suggest giving it a little taste to make sure the lime isn't too strong, since limes can differ a lot. Add more sugar if you think it needs it.

To make the salad:
Grill the steak on a grill pan, outdoor grill, or in a hot cast iron skillet to get a nice crust and cook it to your preferred temperature. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing across the grain into thin, bite-sized strips. (If you happen to have a leftover steak like I did, just toss it in a skillet to warm it. Leftover chicken, pre-cooked shrimp, or anything else you happen to like would work well, too.)

Toss the steak, dressing, and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Serve this warm on a bed of your favorite lettuce.

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Bourbon-Lime Fajitas - and a cocktail to match!

The Kentucky Derby is approaching, which means bourbon is the liquor of choice for those who like tradition. Of course, there are also foods that are typical, but I decided to something ... less traditional.

I suppose I could have made a Kentucky Hot Brown ... but I was in the mood for fajitas. And bourbon marinated beef sounded awfully good. I used Four Roses Bourbon, which was provided by this post's sponsor.

The longer you marinate, the more flavor the meat will soak up.

Meanwhile, the cocktail has the same flavors, which makes them the perfect pair. Or, you know, make one or the other.

Ginger beer is getting easier to find these days, so use it if you can find it. It's similar to ginger ale, but with a sharper, more ginger-forward flavor. A more adult soda, perhaps. If you can't find ginger beer, of course you can use your favorite ginger ale.

Bourbon-Lime Fajitas

1 pound skirt steak
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Four Roses Bourbon
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt, to taste
2 cups mixed sliced bell peppers and onions
Flour tortillas
Sour cream, yogurt, or crema
Sliced avocado

Combine the steak, olive oil, bourbon, lime juice, and salt in a zip-top bag. Massage the bag a bit to get the meat evenly coated. Let the meat sit at room temperature for an hour, or refrigerate up to 24 hours before cooking.

When you're ready to cook, heat a grill pan or cast iron pan on medium-high heat. Cook the skirt steak until done to your liking. Set aside to rest before slicing.

Meanwhile, cook the peppers and onions - you can cook in the same pan - until done to your liking - they're fine cooked crisp-tender, or until they're cooked through.

Serve the fajita ingredients separately, so people can assemble their own. Or serve the fajitas assembled on flour tortillas with meat, peppers and onions, sliced avocado, and a small dollop of sour cream.

Bourbon, Lime and Ginger Cocktail

1 ounce Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 ounce lime juice
Ginger beer, as needed
Mint sprig, to garnish

Fill a glass or mug with ice. Add the bourbon and lime juice. Fill the glass with ginger beer and garnish with a spring of fresh mint.

Thanks to Four Roses Bourbon for sponsoring this post.

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Fajitas! And a really sharp #Giveaway

A while back, I read a quote from a chef who commented that cooking is fun because you get to play with knives and fire.

I can't disagree. There's something incredibly satisfying about cutting meats and vegetables and fruits with good knives. It's a pleasure rather than a chore. So when my buddies at Virtual Potluck teamed up with WÜSTHOF, I was pretty excited about the new kitchen weapons.

We each received the CLASSIC 5-inch Serrated Slicing Knife and the CLASSIC 2-Piece Extra Wide Chef Set that includes a 4-inch paring knife and a 6-inch cook’s knife. AND I have the same knives that I'll be giving to one of my readers.

The first time I used the serrated knife to slice a tomato, I nearly swooned. I like using serrated knives to cut tomatoes, but this one is so much better than other knives I have. So much. Much like the serrated bread knife that I received as a gift to celebrate my book contract, this was a knife I didn't know I needed until I used it. Now I'm in love with it.

Wowza.

And the other two knives are pretty darned nice, too. The wide cook's knife is great for slicing, and the width makes it wonderful for smashing garlic or scooping up what's been cut.

The paring knife is sweet, too. It make peeling things much more fun, and it's also great for cutting small things, like when I'm slicing limes for cocktails.

The first thing I thought of cooking that would show of the knives was fajitas. First, I love Mexican food. And Mexican-inspired food.  And second, fajitas require a lot of slicing. And different kinds of slicing.

I opted for steak fajitas. But what kind of steak? The usual suspects for fajitas are skirt steak, flank steak, or flap meat. But the secret is that you can pretty much use any kind of steak you like, as long as you slice the meat into small, thin pieces. I decided to use a boneless ribeye.

I also decided to use a LOT of vegetables. Because I like them.

The one thing I didn't do (that I usually do) is that I didn't go crazy with toppings. I usually end up with way too many toppings whenever I serve something in a tortilla. This time, I limited it to an avocado crema, fresh tomatoes, and cilantro.

Steak Fajitas
with Avocado Crema

For the fajita filling:
1 steak (your choice)
Salsa (home made or store-bought) for marinating
Olive oil
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 poblano (or similar) pepper
1 onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the crema:
2 avocados
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For assembly:
Corn tortillas
Tomatoes
Cilantro

Marinate the meat:
A few hours before cooking, place the steak in a plastic zip-top bag and add just enough salsa to coat the meat. Seal the bag and let the steak rest at room temperature while you prep everything else. You can also marinate the steak overnight and remove it from the refrigerator an hour before cooking.

Prepare the vegetables:
Slice the zucchini into matchsticks about 2 or 3 inches long. Core and seed the red pepper and poblano pepper and slice into similar-sized pieces. Peel the onion, cut it in half from root to stem, and slice into half-moons so the strips are about the same size as the zucchini and peppers. Set aside.

Make the crema:
Put the avocado flesh, sour cream, lime juice, and salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Prep the garnishes:
Slice the tomatoes into thin wedges and chop the cilantro roughly.

Cook the steak:
Heat a skillet on high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Rub the steak with the olive oil and place in the hot pan. Cook until nicely browned on one side, flip, and cook on the second side. Continue cooking until the steak is done to your liking. Remove it from the pan and let it rest while you cook the vegetables.

Cook the vegetables and tortillas:
Add the vegetables to the pan where you cooked the steak. You can wipe out the pan, if you like, or just let the meat flavor season the vegetables. Add a little olive oil, if necessary and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the vegetables to you liking - crisp-tender is fine, and fully cooked and caramelized is just as good. It's your dinner, so make it the way you like it.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a dry pan, flipping them over as the heat up, until they're soft and have a few brown spots.

Slice the steak and assemble:
By the time the vegetables are cooked, the steak should be rested well enough to slice into small, thin pieces. If you're using skirt or flank steak or flap meat, make sure you're cutting against the grain of the meat.

Assemble the fajitas with vegetables, steak, and garnishes as desired - or serve the individual components in bowls and let people make their own.

Serve hot.

If you're looking for a knife for a holiday present, check these out! And they're easy to wrap, since they come in boxes. Or, enter below and see if you might win!

Thanks to WÜSTHOF for sponsoring this post and providing knives for the giveaway (US residents only). If you want to know more, check out their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

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Lime and Sriracha Marinated Skirt Steak

I was paging through Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and I saw a recipe for a marinated flank steak. I didn't jot down the ingredients, but when I saw it, I thought, gee, those are things I always have around here. Lime juice and soy sauce were the main components.

So, when I went to the store, I picked up a skirt steak. First, I really like skirt steak, and second, the skirt steaks were smaller than the flank steaks, and I didn't want to make a lot of steak.

When I got home, I realized that I didn't actually have all the ingredients I needed, so I took the flavor profile and went my own way. And then, instead of serving it as a steak, I cut it into bite-size strips and served it on top of an Indian flatbread called paratha that I picked up at a new store here in town.

Here's how it went:

Lime and Sriracha Marinated Skirt Steak

Skirt or flank steak, or flap meat for 1-2 servings

For the marinade:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

Combine all of the marinade ingredients. If you like, take a little taste to see if you like the balance of salt (from the soy) and tart (from the lime juice). You can add more ginger or sriracha, too, if you like.

Put your steak - flank or skirt or flap meat - into a plastic zip-top bag and drizzle the marinade into the bag. You only need enough marinade to coat the meat - you don't need it swimming. If you don't have enough to coat all surfaces of the meat, add another splash or two of soy and lime juice.

Let the meat rest on the counter for 15 minutes while you're prepping the rest of the meal. You don't need it to marinate for a long time - you're working with thin cuts of meat.

Heat a cast iron pan or medium-high heat. Add a little of your favorite oil to the pan - you just need enough to coat the bottom of the pan - a tablespoon is fine.

Remove the meat from the pan and let as much of the liquid drip off as possible. Add it to the hot pan and cook on both sides, until the meat is done to your liking.

Let the meat rest for a few minutes before slicing.

If you like spicy food, drizzle with some extra sriracha.

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Steak and Warm Spinach Salad

My mom used to make a hot bacon dressing that she's serve over baby dandelion greens. The greens would wilt to a half-cooked state and it was tart and savory and wonderful.

That salad was memorable because it was a once-a-year treat, since the dandelions had to be harvested before they flowered and before my dad went rampaging through the lawn with weed killer.

Once the dandelions flowered, mom said they were bitter and inedible. But they never really got that far because dad had plenty of weed killer and garden tools for digging.

Some years, he brought out the weed killer before mom made her request for the dandelion greens, and she'd ask friends about the state of their lawns. They were more than happy to let her pull some weeds. Probably very puzzled at her request.

Years later, I found out that hot bacon dressing is commonly used on spinach salads. Or other hearty greens. So you don't actually need to wait until that perfect moment for dandelion picking. Then again, these days I've seen dandelion greens at the store on occasion. Not that I've been tempted to buy them. For me, it's all about the dressing.

Meanwhile, a new store opened up here in Longmont called Frontiere Natural Meats. They sell all sorts of organic and natural meats, including bison, elk, beef, chicken, and pork. I might have missed something, but that seems like most of it.

Like a good food blogger, I stopped in, peered around, and had a chat. I might be doing some regular recipes for them, in exchange for some meat products. Sounds like a fair deal, right? We eat meat.

For the first recipe, they asked if I could come up with a salad recipe with meat served on top, and the first thing I thought of was spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. And the second thing I thought of was not-bacon dressing. Since bison is so lean, I decided to omit the bacon and use olive oil instead. It's still a very tasty salad with a warm dressing. And with some added ingredients that weren't in the original. Because where's the fun in that?

Bison Ribeye with Hot Spinach Salad
Depending on your appetite, this salad will serve one or two. French fries or boiled baby potatoes make a nice accompaniment to this salad.

For the steak:

1 bison ribeye steak
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, as needed

For the spinach salad:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in bite-sized chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
10 ounces baby spinach

Salt and pepper the ribeye, then heat a cast iron frying pan on medium-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil on the steak, then place it in the hot pan. Sear on the first side, then flip and sear on the second side. Continue cooking until the steak is done to your liking - but remember that it will cook just a little more as it rests.

When the meat is done, transfer to a plate and cover loosely while you prepare the salad.

Heat a saute pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the mushrooms, bell pepper, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper, to taste. If you're not sure, a pinch of each would be fine. Cook, stirring as needed until the mushrooms loose their liquid and then it disappears again and the vegetables are in a mostly-dry pan.

Meanwhile, combine the wine vinegar, olive oil, and sugar (if you want a less-tart dressing) in a small bowl.

Add the spinach to the pan followed by the oil and vinegar mixture. Add the red pepper flakes, if desired. Use tongs to turn the spinach over a few times, just until it is wilted, but still bright green.

Arrange the spinach salad on a large plate, then slice the steak and serve it on top of the salad.

Frontiere Natural Meats provided me with meat so I could develop this recipe.

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Boneless Ribeye - I'll bet you never cooked it this way before

Everyone knows that the day after Christmas is the best day to stock up on wrapping paper and bows, but the fifth of July is a pretty good day to hit the grocery store. I picked up a honkin' thick (a bit less than 2 inches) boneless ribeye steak for 30 percent off the pre-holiday sale price.

I have a recipe somewhere for cooking a beef tenderloin by putting it under the broiler and cooking the heck out of the outside, then wrapping it in foil and stashing it in something warm(ish) to finish cooking - or at least an enclosed space that will retain the heat.

So I thought, "Why not try it with steak?" But not under the broiler. I figured I could do the same thing on the grill.

Here's how it went:

Ribeye on the Grill

• I seasoned the steak on both sides and let it rest about and hour at room temperature. Just salt. Nothing else.
• I heated the grill to blasting hot.
• I cooked the steak for a total of 4 minutes on each side, moving the steak at about the 3-minute mark to get pretty grill marks.
• I wrapped the steak in a triple layer of aluminum foil and put it into a cast iron dutch oven, since I knew that would retain the heat.
• After 45 minutes, I checked the steak, and it was nicely warm and right about rare. I wanted it done just a bit more, so I tossed it on the grill for a couple more minutes. Perfect!

I really like this cooking method, but I need to tweak the timing just a little bit. On the other hand, I don't get steaks this thick very often, so I'd have to adjust the timing for a more normal-sized steak, anyway.

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Vegetable Frittata and Cast Iron Steak and Potatoes

I love my cast iron cookware. Yes, it's heavy, but it's also durable. It's cookware you can pass down to your children. Or defend yourself against marauding slabs of bacon.
Once cast iron is properly seasoned, it's pretty much nonstick. And the more often you use it, the more nonstick it will become. Nothing sticks to my cast iron frying pans any more.

With cast iron, you can get a really good sear on your food, or you can pour cold batter in a screaming hot pan (like for cornbread). It holds the heat, so you can keep food warm. You can heat it while it's dry (unlike nonstick cookware) and you can use it on the stove, in the oven, or on your grill.

A frittata is about as versatile as a cast iron pan. You can serve it hot, warm, or chilled. It's great for breakfast, lunch, or even a side dish. You can add a wide variety of ingredients. You can plan it carefully or use up leftovers. Meat or meat-free. Serve it out of the pan, or flip it out to serve.

This time, I used a variety of vegetables. Okay, I'll admit that some of them were leftovers. My combination included carrots, red bell pepper, potato, onion, zucchini, and yellow squash. All of that added a variety of colors and textures.

Vegetable Frittata

2 cups vegetables, cooked through, drained of any excess liquid
1 tablespoon butter
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preaheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice any vegetables that weren't cut before cooking into 1/4-inch slices and bite-size pieces.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron frying pan. Add the vegetables and cook until warmed.

Beat the eggs with the cream and salt. Add to the frying pan, quickly mix into the vegetables, and even out the vegetables in the pan.

Cook without stirring until the eggs are cooked around the edges but still jiggly in the center.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the eggs are no longer jiggly and firm, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the cheese on top and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

Serve warm from the pan.

Cast Iron Steak and Potatoes

Steak on the grill is great in the summer, but when the weather isn't cooperating, you can get a great sear on the meat in a cast iron frying pan. Potatoes also get a nice crust. This time I used mini-potatoes that were pre-cooked until done, then crisped and warmed in the pan.

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 strip steak
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 pound mini potatoes, cooked until tender
10 cherry tomatoes
Flake salt, as needed
Fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, or chives)
Olive oil, for finishing

Heat the cooking oil (use a high-heat oil) in the pan on medium-high heat until it's just barely smoking. Add the steak and sear on one side, then flip and sear on the second side.

Turn the heat to medium and continue cooking, turning as needed, until the steak is cooked to your desired temperature.

Move the steak to a plate to rest.

Slice the potatoes in half and add them to the pan. Cook, stirring as needed, until the potatoes are browned in spots and heated through.

Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes in half.

To serve, slide the steak and arrange on a plate. Arrange the potatoes and tomatoes around and on top of the steak. Sprinkle with the salt and herbs. Drizzle the potatoes and tomatoes with a bit of oil.

Serve warm.

Got Leftovers? Make Tacos!

Any leftovers are perfect for steak tacos. Just cut the remaining steak into bite-size pieces and toss everything into that handy cast iron pan to heat briefly, then serve in tortillas. Top with salsa and any other garnishes you like.

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Five minute fajitas

When I plan things right, I come home from visiting my husband the hospital and I have a quick dinner planned – sometimes that’s a slow cooker meal or leftovers that I can reheat.

The problem is that I often don't leave the hospital until I'm hungry, and when I get home I'm seriously hungry. Even though I love to cook, when I’m that hungry I don't want to fuss with anything that's going to delay dinner too long or I’m likely to start munching on anything I have on hand.

These fajitas might take a little longer than five minutes from start to finish, but not much. And if you want to, you can do all the slicing ahead of time and have it ready to cook when you get home.

The trick to the super-quick cooking is that the meat is sliced into bite-size pieces ahead of time. Usually when I make fajitas, I cook the steak whole, then slice. That takes a little longer for the steak to cook. This way, the meat is cooked very quickly - almost as soon as it touches the pan.

For the fire roasted pepper, you can roast your own ahead of time, or use jarred peppers and just estimate how much you need.

Adobo seasoning is easy to find, and handy to have on hand. Some adobo seasonings have more salt than others, so you'll need to adjust the amount of additional salt to your taste.

As far as toppings, it's up to you. I opted for tomatoes, salsa, and cheese this time around.

If you cook more than you need, you can reheat the meat and vegetables briefly in a hot pan the next day, but you risk overcooking the meat. If you know you won't need the whole flank steak, you're better off setting some aside to cook the next day - it only takes a few seconds either way.

Five-Minute Fajitas

1 flank steak
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion, quarted and sliced
1 red bell pepper, fire roasted, peeled, cored, seeded, and sliced
Flour or corn tortillas

Optional toppings:
Diced tomatoes
Pickled jalapenos
Avocado chunks or guacamole
Crumbled cheese
Sour cream
Salsa

Slice the flank steak into lengthwise strips - along the grain - into inch-wide pieces. Then slice the strips into thin pieces. Sprinkle the steak pieces with the adobo and salt, if desired, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a cast iron pan on medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring as needed, until it begins to soften. Add the pepper and cook briefly - fire roasted peppers are already cooked, so you just want to warm them through and cook off any remaining liquid from the vegetables.

Turn the heat to high and add the steak. Cook, stirring as needed to cook the steak on all sides.

Remove from the heat and serve on tortillas with your choice of toppings.

    

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