Sasha's Kitchen: Chipotle Rubbed Flank Steak with Corn-Avocado Salsa

I made this delicious steak recently, on Christmas Eve for our stay at home boring Jewish Christmas.  The meal was surprisingly easy and delicious.  The one thing I didn't anticipate was how smoky grilling a chipotle rubbed steak is - it made the kitchen very smoky! The resulting flavor was a little but on the spicy side, but very flavorful and went nicely with the corn and avocado salsa.  This would be a great summertime dish made on an outdoor grill as well, although I obviously made it indoors in a grill pan.

Sasha's Chipotle Rubbed Flank Steak with Corn-Avocado Salsa
One 1/2 lb flank steak
2/3 cup orange juice
3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo
2 diced cloves of garlic
2 T olive oil
1 cup corn
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 T lime juice
1/2 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup minced red onion

In a blender, combine the chipotle peppers, orange juice, olive oil and garlic and puree.  Marinate the steak for ten minutes.  Remove the steak from the marinade and let the excess drip off but don't wash off the marinade.  Grill as desired in your grill pan or outdoor grill on both sides.

In a separate bowl, combine the corn, avocado, lime juice, jalapeno and red onion and serve on top of the flank steak as salsa.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chipotle Rubbed Flank Steak with Corn-Avocado Salsa

Sasha's Chile Rubbed Tacos with Peach Salsa and Pico De Gallo

Peaches are one of the best fruits of the summer - that I simply can't live without. A juicy, fresh, local farmers' market peach is just about almost always too good to pass up. And they are not just for pies either. You can make some delicious savory creations with peaches, like my peach salsa, which was a perfect pairing for these simple chile rubbed flank steak tacos. I had received some of ShopRite's salsas for free to try out as part of the ShopRite Potluck Blog Panel, so I added the pico de gallo style salsa. Yum! This recipe is perfect for a busy week night when you still want to eat well. Neither ancho chile or pasilla chile are spicy - but they make the steak plenty smoky and flavorful.

Sasha's Chile Rubbed Tacos with Peach Salsa
1.5 lb (approximate) lean flank steak
1.5 T ancho chile powder
1.5 T pasilla chile powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 white peaches, chopped into chunky bits
4 T red onion, diced
2 T lemon juice
1 T diced cilantro
1/3 diced jalapeno pepper (or less or more to taste)

To prepare the steak, cover with the chile powder mixture and add some pepper and salt to season. The steak should be really well covered with the chile powders. Grill outside or in a grill pan as desired - I like it about medium well. Slice thin using an electric meat knife. To prepare the salsa, combine the sliced peaches, red onion, lemon juice, jalapeno and cilanto and allow to chill for 30 minutes before using to absorb the flavors. Serve the tacos in a corn or flour tortilla, with ShopRite's pico de gallo style salsa, fat free sour cream, lowfat cheddar cheese and a bit of lettuce flavored with lemon juice.

Sasha's Chile Rubbed Tacos with Peach Salsa and Pico De Gallo

Sasha's Kitchen: Asian-Style Grilled Steak Salad with Sesame Dressing

Time for a new recipe! I am always a fan of dinner salads, as a healthy and enjoyable dinner time meal for during the week. I decided to create an Asian steak salad with a Sesame dressing to complement. The dressing is easy, and assumes the flavor of the Sesame Oil. The key here is also to use good quality steak for the salad. This was a delicious treat, although it deviated significantly from my initial plan. The only thing I might suggest is chopping up some peanuts to scatter on the top, but otherwise it was just perfect, and a great, healthy meal.

This is quite easy to assemble. Simply pan grill the steak and assemble with the other ingredients. Cover the steak with foil towards the end of the cooking process. Mix up the dressing and top the salad when you serve it.

Sasha's Asian Style Grilled Steak Salad with Sesame Dressing
1 lb flank steak, pan grilled and cut into strips
3hearts of romaine
chopped red pepper
carrot peelings
2 plum tomatoes, pared and chopped
cilantro to season

Dressing
1/2 cup Canola Oil
4 T white vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1T sugar
1 clove garlic, diced

Sasha's Kitchen: Asian-Style Grilled Steak Salad with Sesame Dressing

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Potato Risotto

I haven't had the chance to post yet this week, as I have been busy with my pre-birthday festivities with my husband. But I have plenty of new recipes that I just need the time to write up. This recipe is one that I found on Epicurious. I had bought medallions of petit filet from Fresh Direct because they looked good and were a lot less expensive than Filet Mignon, so certainly worth a try. I was doing some research on the best way to prepare them and came across a recipe for beef tenderloin medallions with a potato risotto and I was intrigued.  I love traditional risottos and thought that making a risotto style dish using potatoes instead of rice/pasta would be a fun and delicious variation. So I decided to give it a try. I seasoned the meat much differently than in the original recipe, so I am including my variations in the write-up below. The original recipe is here, and is from a February 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Potato Risotto
1 T butter or olive oil
2 cup finely chopped onion
1 lb mini Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely diced chives
4 6 oz beef tenderloin steaks
thyme, salt, pepper, rosemary and oregano for seasoning the meat

Melt the butter (or olive oil) in a large sauce pan and add the onion. Cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes. Add the potato cubes and the pinch of cayenne, while seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium until the potatoes are almost tender. Add more chicken broth if needed, if the potatoes are too dry. Don't add extra though, or you run the risk of over-mushing the potatoes in the risotto. It is a delicate balance! Simmer for about 10 minutes, and then add the cream. Simmer until the potatoes are tender but still hold their shape, stirring often, for about ten minutes. Stir in the chives and parmesan cheese. This can be made ahead of time.

For the medallions, season the steaks with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and oregano to taste. Heat some olive oil in your grill pan and cook the steaks until done over medium heat, adding more oil if necessary.

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Potato Risotto

Sasha's Kitchen: Grilled London Broil Steak Sandwich

It is officially the start of summer, as yesterday was the summer solstice. That means that grilling season is here. Although my husband and I have outdoor space here in Brooklyn, we do not yet have a grill - something that we plan to rectify soon.  However, when I received some free samples of Nature's Pride hamburger buns and hot dog rolls from the Foodbuzz  Tasemaster's Choice program, I couldn't resist the chance to do some indoor grilling to use some of the free samples. Seriously, what's better than coming home from work to discover a large box with free samples?  I had a nice cut of London Broil from Fresh Direct so I decided it was time to make some steak sandwiches.

Sasha's London Broil Grilled Steak Sandwich (serves 4-5)
Nature's Pride Country White Rolls
2 lb cut of London Broil
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup soy sauce
grated parmesan cheese
pomegranate seeds
arugula

Marinade the london broil steaks (which can be divided into four steaks or into strips) in the marinade of the pineapple juice and soy sauce for about an hour. Then, grill the steaks on a grill pan (or an outdoor grill) on each side to your liking.  We then cut the steaks into strips and further grilled them to medium well, which is how my husband and I like our meat prepared.  I served in a fairly non-traditional way with pomegranate seeds, fresh grated parmesan and arugula on a Nature's Pride Country White Roll.  It was delightful!

Sasha's Kitchen: Grilled London Broil Steak Sandwich

Sasha's Kitchen: Lemongrass Grilled Strip Steak

I will have to preface this recipe by saying that although it just looks like a slab of meat, it was a great marinade and a delicious thai inspired steak.  I was inspired by my old (but beloved) Caribbean and Pacific Rim cookbook, to create a lemongrass flavored marinade for steak.  My recipe is totally different from the one in the cookbook, but stays true to two things used to flavor the steak: soy sauce and lemongrass.  You can use either fresh or dried lemongrass for this recipe and I recommend fresh lemongrass if you can get your hands on it.  I used a nice organic cut of strip steak for the recipe, which was lean and absorbed the flavors well.

I marinaded the steaks overnight, which gave them a wonderful strong flavor from the marinade.  This wasn't intended as we wound up saving the steak for a day due to some last minute dinner plans.  I took the steak out of the marinade after about 10-12 hours though so not to over-marinate it.  I like how this worked out - the soy and pineapple juice made for a lovely marinade, with flavors of both lemongrass and cilantro.

Sasha's Lemongrass Grilled Strip Steak
2 organic strip steaks
2/3 cup of soy sauce
2/3 cup pineapple juice
5 T lime juice
5 T minced lemongrass
1 T sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 T brown sugar

To prepare the steaks, it is very simple.  Just combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and marinate the steaks overnight (or for at least 5 hours).  Then, use a grill pan to grill the steaks to your liking.  I'd suggest serving with potatoes, fried rice or a salad.  I like this dish with a first course of a homemade Caesar salad.  My husband had his with an egg served sunny side up, which worked nicely, he said.

Sasha's Kitchen: Lemongrass Grilled Strip Steak

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Road Trip to Niagara

A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to take a trip to Niagara with fellow blogger Sasha, her mother, her mother's friend and our dear friends Shannon, Lisa and Lisa's husband Jeff. Lisa, Shannon, Jeff and I drove down on the Friday night and stayed at the lovely Hilton Doubletree in Niagara Falls. The next morning we drove to meet Sasha and her party at Inniskillin. You can read about Sasha's impressions of Inniskillin in her article.

After Inniskillin, we headed to Lailey where the wonderful Derek Barnett guided us through his beloved winery. Derek's passion for winemaking was clear to us from the very beginning. His enthusiasm and verve were evident the whole afternoon!

Derek and I really bonded over our mutual passion for local, sustainable eating and drinking; as well as our passion for Ontario wines and pairing them with food. For those of you unfamiliar with Canadian wine, there is a reason why; most of it never sees its way out of the country or into a Canadian liquor store! Lailey is a small winery that sells most of its wine out the door; only a few varieties (such as the VQA Pinot Noir) ever see the inside of an LCBO liquor store, and the bottles that do can only be found in the Vintages section as production at these boutique vineyards is so small, the price can become high for retail. Lailey specifically trains their vines to curtail and control growth, which also makes it expensive for them to grow the grapes.

After our tour, we got down to some serious tasting. Derek first brought out two Chardonnays for us to try; the 2008 Brickyard and the 2008 Canadian Oak. I absolutely did not realize how different the soil can make in the taste of wine, but it was clearly demonstrated to us at Lailey! Though grown in the same year, the Brickyard grapes were grown in red clay soil and the Canadian Oak grown just a few dozen metres away in looser, more aerated soil. Most of our party preferred the citrus notes of the Canadian Oak, however I and a few others preferred the smoothness and textures to the Brickyard. Derek is determined not to sacrifice flavour for alcohol or sugar content; either of which can overwhelm delicate flavours; especially in whites.

Our next tasting was a revelation to me. Derek brought out two Pinot Noirs for us to compare; again from the same year but different soil. The 2008 Pinot (which is usually the Lailey wine most likely to be found at the liquor store) was ruby red in colour and quite lovely and jammy; a wonderful wine all around thoroughly enjoyed by our party.
My revelation came with the 2008 Brickyard Pinot Noir. Right away, the colour was more of an earthen red and I could see the difference the red clay soil made. Honestly, I could have sat at that table all day without drinking - simply smelling that wine. I just looked at Derek and smiled. It was like vanilla and violets in a glass; it tasted like I would imagine the colour purple would taste in food form. I told Derek that the wine reminded me of the African Violets my Granny used to keep when I was a child. All of a sudden, Derek got the biggest smile on his face, lighting up like a child on Christmas morning who knows he got a bike under the tree.

He asked if I wanted to try other reds and I readily agreed. All of a sudden, wine was coming at us with the enthusiasm of a man who knows he's found an appreciative audience; people who appreciate his art.
So began my journey; and the journey of our table. Next came the revelatory 2007 Meritage, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This was my favorite Lailey red by far; the notes of violets and vanilla were a bit stronger here and I ended up buying a bottle. To me, this was joy in a glass! This wine begs for lamb or a steak to go with it, or just to be sipped before a fire or on a sunny patio.

Before this trip, I had never tried an aged wine (I know, I'm a bad foodie!) and had told Derek that as we were discussing the Pinots and how the flavours change with aging. The dear man brought in a 2002 Merlot with gorgeous jamminess and vanilla hints, a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon which was redolent of potatoes, grass, earth and ocean. It sounds odd, but it was absolutely delicious!

Next came what we were actually meant to be tasting that day; the icewines. Another revelation to us all. Along with the other vintage red wines he brought out, Derek was generous enough to bring out the very last bottle of Lailey's 2001 Riesling Icewine. It had a tropical aroma with dried fruit flavours like fig and dates. It had this beautiful amber colour with a thicker consistency from the aging. Lisa rightly described it as drinking liquid gold.

From there, we went from an aged icewine to a relatively young one; the 2007 Vidal icewine. It was a deep yellow gold colour and had an amazing aroma and flavour of lychee and peaches. I also picked up a couple of bottles of this one. I still haven't decided if I should drink it or age it!

I had no idea before this trip that aging icewine was an option, but Derek explained that the fruity tropical elements give way over time to more dried fruit flavours, and the colour goes from gold to amber.

Last, but certainly not least came something special I had never tried; a red icewine. We tasted the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon icewine which had a lovely cheese aroma with jammy and berry-like tones to it; strawberries, blueberries, cherries. An amazing new experience and I know many of our party loved this one as well.

We were so lucky to have this unique experience at Lailey; this was certainly not an ordinary wine-tasting. Derek's knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for his product and region were such a joy to behold. Thank you so very much to Derek and all those at Lailey who gave us such a special afternoon. I will never, ever forget it and will hopefully be back at Lailey with my family later this year to stock up!

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Road Trip to Niagara

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto : Valentine's Special - Steak with Scallion and Barbeque Sauce

This weekend, I was having a major craving for red meat so I thought to myself: "What could be more perfect for Valentine's Day than a romantic steak dinner for two?" And so, the experiment began! I started with a top quality organic Ontario strip loin steak from my favorite organic butcher here in Toronto; Sanagan's Meat Locker in Kensington Market where everything is always organic and local. To my mind, a good quality steak is key to making it perfectly. I used the whites of the scallions that were left over from my great Fish Fragrant Eggplant experiment that I previously posted, however you could use the whole scallion, a sweet onion or a shallot if you prefer. I bought a steak that was about 8-12 oz and I found that I only needed half for myself along with a green salad, however you could certainly double the recipe if this is not enough for you and your guest. This is a nice recipe for those of us who do not have a barbecue, or live in sub-zero climates as all you require is a pan and an oven!

Steak with Scallion and Barbeque Sauce

For the steak:
1 8-12 oz strip loin steak
2 tbsp barbeque sauce (I used Gourmet Original Diana Sauce; my favorite!)
1 tbsp pomegranate barbeque sauce (I used President's Choice amazing Memories of Damascus sauce but you could omit this and add more Diana sauce)
1/2 - 1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp olive oil
salt to taste


Rub the steak with the sauces and coriander powder. Ideally, allow to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 375F. Heat your pan with the oil so it's smoking hot. Just before you add the steak to the pan, sprinkle with salt to taste. Sear the outside until the steak has nice colour, but only flip once. Take steak from the pan and put in the oven on a foil-covered sheet pan, keeping the heat on in the pan as you will be making your sauce while the steak cooks. I cooked it another 8 minutes in the oven to get it to rare but you could try cooking it 10 minutes to medium rare or 12 minutes to medium-well.


For the sauce:
4 stems scallion whites (see my blurb about ingredients above)
1/4 cup red wine (I used Pelee Island Winery Merlot Reserve)
1/2 - 1 c chicken broth
2 tbsp barbeque sauce (again, I used Diana Sauce)
salt to taste


In the heated steak pan, add the scallions and cook until the rawness has just gone out of them but not burning them, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and allow the alcohol to burn off; scraping all the good steak flavour bits off the bottom of the pan while you do it. The alcohol is usually gone about 30 seconds to a minute after you start smelling the wine in the pan. To this, add the barbeque sauce and stir. Add the chicken broth and allow sauce to cook down to whatever consistency you want it. Adjust salt in the last minute or two of cooking as the broth has quite a bit of salt as well and you may not need more.

I added a nice green salad to my plate as well as my glass of Pelee Island Winery Merlot Reserve that I not only cooked with, but drank as well.


Gourmet Original Diana Sauce


Memories of Damascus Sauce


Pelee Island Winery Merlot Reserve

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto : Valentine's Special - Steak with Scallion and Barbeque Sauce

Kelly's Kitchen On The Road At The In-Laws (Salt Lake City): Thick Cut Pan Seared Steaks

My husband and I met each other while living in Utah. He lived there for 9 years, I lived there for 6. While Steve was living there his dad come out there for a change of pace. After living there a few years, Steve's dad got married and stayed around even though we've moved away nearly 4 years ago.

I am so grateful to have somewhere to stay when we come out to go skiing at our favorite resort: Alta ski area. We have even left our skis and such at their house which makes makes popping in for a quick weekend even easier.

We always try and bring something out or do something to thank them for their hospitality. Steve's dad is a big fan of a good steak. So, on this trip we made them our favorite steak preparation- Pan Seared Thick Cut Strip Steaks. We are big fans of Costo's USDA Prime steaks, but only Choice was available in Utah, which is still tasty.

I think it's the scientist in me that loves Cooks Illustrated. I always like to know not only how to cook but the background behind the cooking method.

This recipe is almost completely backwards from everything that I've ever tried with a steak. It starts in the oven then sears in a hot pan. This technique controls the temperature of the steak so well, and by drying the surface in the oven first, it creates an amazing crust.

One note of caution- your smoke detector is going to go off! We always have the windows open and the fan going but it never fails. It's worth the hassle though. In this picture, Steve is searing and I am fanning the smoke detector.

The Perfect Medium Rare Steak
1. Start by cutting a strip steak in half to create 2 portions (should be around 1 1/2 in thick)
2. Season with salt and pepper liberally.
3. Place steak on a metal baking rack on a rimmed sheet pan into a 275 degree oven.
4. Bake until 90-95 degrees internal temperature (about 20 min)
5. Heat a skillet to medium high with some vegetable oil and sear for 2 min per side.
6. Rest for 10 min under loosely tented foil.
7. Don't forget to re-attach the smoke detector!!

Kelly's Kitchen On The Road At The In-Laws (Salt Lake City): Thick Cut Pan Seared Steaks