London Broil with Garlic and Parsley Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I first sampled this dish at the deli counter of Central Market in Austin, Texas. That was over ten years ago, but I have yet to see it featured in delis or markets here. I'm going to assume there are other areas of the country where the dish is also unknown and proceed with a recipe for this toothsome steak. This is a simple way to prepare cuts that are normally served for London Broil. London broil refers to a method of cooking rather than a specific cut of meat. This recipe was developed to be used with thin cuts such as flank or flat iron steaks. Cuts from the round and shoulder can be used, but cooking time will vary and the meat may not be as tender. Regardless of the cut, I always tenderize the meat. I use a jaccard, but piercing the steak at intervals with a fork will also work. The steaks are not marinated and they are seasoned only with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. I've found that marination isn't necessary when a strong sauce is used at the end of cooking. The sauce used here is an adaption of the Argentinian chimichurri. Earlier this week we featured a recipe for a parsley salad and any leftovers from that dish are perfect for use in this application. When there are no leftovers to be had, I used chopped flat leaf parsley to make the sauce. Whenever possible I use a flat iron steak for this recipe. It has become my favorite among the affordable steaks for grilling. While the recipe was developed to be cooked on an outdoor grill, it can be made stovetop in a grill pan or broiled. Here's the recipe for this surprising delicious dish.

London Broil with Garlic and Parsley Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Cook's Country magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley or leftover parsley salad
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided use
1-1/4 teaspoons cracked black pepper, divided use
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-1/2 pounds Flat-iron or flank steak

Directions:
1) Combine parsley, onion, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pepper flakes in a small bowl. Season both sides of steak with remaining salt and pepper.
2) Grill steak over very hot grill until both sides are brown, about 5 minutes per side.
3) Transfer steak to a shallow pan and coat with parsley sauce. Tent dish with foil and allow meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice steak thinly against grain and serve with parsley sauce if desired. Yield: 4 servings

You might also enjoy these recipes:
North African Steak Pimenton - One Perfect Bite
Stuffed Flank Steak Spirals - One Perfect Bite
Asian-Style London Broil - One Perfect Bite
Chicken-Fried Flank Steak with Country Gravy - Chewing the Fat
Charmoula Strip Steaks with Pomegranate Glaze - Annie Bakes
Herbed Flank Steaks - 400 Calories or Less

Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich - Crater Lake - Blue Monday

The Romantic in me could easily be persuaded that God was standing in Oregon when he created the world. We are blessed with incredible natural beauty. Crater Lake is one of the most magnificent sites in the United States. It is a favorite destination for visiting family and friends who are curious to see its blue waters. Actually, the water in the caldera is colorless and the fabled blue is the result of blue light in the sun's spectrum being scattered by water molecules before returning to the surface of the lake. I promise no more lessons in optics if you promise to put Crater Lake put it on your bucket list. It's gorgeous.

There are a limited number of places to eat in the Crater Lake area. We've fallen into a pattern of having one meal in and one meal out and the al fresco meal is, by far, everyone's favorite. We pack several salads, cheese and fruit for a cheese board, something sweet for dessert and the fixings for spectacular sandwiches that are served on incredibly good bread. Men have been sent to the moon with fewer provisions than we take for a picnic. I like to vary the sandwiches we make; the only requirement is they be uncommonly good. They are usually assembled and warmed just before eating. This steak sandwich is one I love to make for our picnics. The combination of blue cheese, roasted peppers and arugula is an undeniable treat. We warm or grill the beef just before its piled on warm, crusty rolls. Regular readers know I have a "thing" for flatiron steak and I use it whenever possible. As luck would have it, none were available for our picnic. It was time for the "mother of invention" to step to the plate. Having been called worse things, I took it in my stride. I had the butcher trim and slice a boneless rib roast into paper thin slices. The meat was seasoned and quickly sauteed in a mixture of garlic flavored olive oil and butter until it was just rare. I warmed the beef on site. It goes without saying that we used an Oregon blue cheese that just happened to be named Crater Lake Blue. I hope you enjoy this sandwich as much as we do. Here's the recipe.

Blue Cheese Steak Sandwich...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
4 crusty hard rolls or bread of your choice, warm
1-1/2 pounds rare, thinly sliced steak
1 cup fresh arugula or watercress
1 cup bottled roasted red sweet pepper, drained and patted dry

Directions:
1) In a small bowl combine blue cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar.
2) Spread one side of warm rolls with blue cheese mixture. Top each with an equal portion of arugula, roasted pepper and sliced steak. Yield: 4 sandwiches.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

Steak Diane Flambé - Recipes to Rival Challenge

The March Recipes to Rival - Steak Diane Flambé - was a challenge that gave members an opportunity to play with fire. Temperance of High on the Hog and Shawnee of delishes-delishes hosted the challenge and selected this month's recipe which was developed by Frank Bordoni for UKTV's Great Food Live. The recipe calls for beef medallions that weigh about 3 ounces each. I altered my version of the recipe to include four 3/4-inch thick tournedos that weighed 6-ounces each. I cooked the mushrooms and the steak in separate skillets to assure the steaks would be a lovely, crusty brown. The contents of both skillets were combined for the final flambé. Now, I've had mixed feelings about igniting food for years. I suspect it's the result of a bad experience had in the Boom Boom Room at the Matador Restaurant in Spokane - short version, the server nearly set fire to my hair. The life lesson - never eat in a place called the Boom Boom Room. I do flambé but I make sure my hair is pulled back and I use a 12-inch bamboo skewer to torch the brandy. One other caution, make sure your mushrooms are very finely sliced. This dish is ready in about 5 minutes and they won't cook properly if they are too thick. This is a nice recipe and it has all the ingredients needed for a lovely supper for four.

Steak Diane Flambé

Ingredients:
4 (6-oz.) beef tournedo cut 3/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons melted butter, divided use
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 to 1/2 cup very thinly sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon snipped chives
1/4 cup brandy

Directions:
1) Dry tournedos with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Rub one side with mustard.
2) Heat a frying pan large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer over medium heat; add 1 teaspoon melted butter and Worcestershire sauce.
3) Add shallots and mushrooms; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
4) Heat a second skillet large enough to hold tournedos over high heat. When skillet is hot, add reserved 1 teaspoon butter and olive oil. Swirl pan to coat bottom of pan. Add tournedos, mustard side up; cook for 2 minutes. Turn and saute 2 minutes longer. Add mushrooms to pan.
5) Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
6) Pour in cream and chives. Pour in brandy and ignite with a burning bamboo skewer. Remove from heat when flame is extinguished.
6. Transfer tournedos to a warm serving plate. Spoon sauce evenly over all. Garnish with additional chives if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon, Jus Lié, Wine Sauce and Shrooms

I'm not an extravagant gal. My favorite cut of beef is a flat iron steak, but occasionally I'll put on the dog, flirt shamelessly with the butcher and come home with tenderloin so gorgeous that the mere idea of what's to come makes my mouth water. Year ago I learned a technique that guarantees perfectly cooked filets. It starts, of course, with good beef and, if you can afford it, grass fed beef is the way to go. I have the butcher take a center cut filet and slice it into steaks that are 1-1/2 inches thick. Once home, the beef is refrigerated, sans wrapping, for several hours on a rack in order to dry its surfaces. About an hour before cooking take the filets from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. About 30 minutes prior to cooking, select 2 heavy skillets large enough to hold the beef, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place one skillet on the rack and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. My skillets are cast iron - doesn't get much heavier than that. You'll need a 10-inch pan to make four filets and a 12-inch pan for six. I use twine to loosely tie the steaks to a fairly uniform size and shape. Place the second skillet on a burner over high heat. Meanwhile rub each filet with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon per side, and sprinkle liberally with coarse salt and pepper. When the skillet is smoking hot add the steaks and cook, without moving, for 3 minutes. Turn and cook, again without moving, for another 3 minutes. Transfer steaks to the pan in the oven to finish cooking: 2 to 4 minutes for very rare; 4 to 6 minutes for rare; 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare and 8 to 10 minutes for medium. If you are working with a non-professional oven use the higher time limit suggested for each category. Keeping in mind how hot the handle is going to be, remove the skillet from the oven and transfer steaks to a serving platter. Remove twine. Tent with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If you like, the skillet in which the steaks were seared can be used to make a lovely sauce. I'm including a recipe for a jus lie and a quick wine sauce in case you need one or the other. Michael Chiarello has a treasure of a recipe for sauteed mushrooms that is a marvelous accompaniment to the filets and I'm passing that on to you as well. Enjoy - tomorrow we die!

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon

Ingredients:
4 center-cut filets mignon, 1-1/2 inches thick
4 teaspoons olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Half an hour before cooking, adjust a rack to lower third of oven. Place a heavy skillet on rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Tie filets into uniform shapes. Set aside.
2) Place another heavy skillet, stovetop, on burner over high heat until it is smoking.
3) Meanwhile, rub each side of steaks with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle very liberally with coarse salt and pepper. Press seasonings into surface of meat.
4) Place steaks in skillet and cook without moving for 3 minutes per side. Use tongs to transfer steaks to skillet in the oven. Roast 2 to 4 minutes for very rare (cold center), 4 to 6 minutes for rare, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, or 8 to 10 minutes for medium. Transfer steaks to a serving platter, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 steaks.

Jus Lié

Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium beef stock, divided use
5 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Bring 3-1/2 cups of stock to a boil.
2) Mix cornstarch with reserved 1/2 cup stock. Whisk into simmering stock and cook until the mixture thickens and is clear. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons cubed butter, divided use
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or scallions
1/2 cup full-bodied red wine
1 cup jus lie or canned beef consomme
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary or 1/8 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Using the skillet in which steaks were seared, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
2) Add wine, raise heat and bring to a boil, scraping fond from bottom of pan. Reduce until almost gone; add stock, herbs, tomato paste and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce coats a spoon. Remove from heat; whisk in reserved 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until sauce thickens and is glossy. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Michael Chiarello's Button Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds whole small button mushrooms, wiped clean
3 tablespoons butter
Gray sea salt (kosher salt may be substituted)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

Directions:
1) In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add mushrooms. Do not move mushrooms until they have caramelized on bottom (mushrooms will release liquid if moved and we don't want that to happen). When bottoms are caramelized, toss them and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
2) Add the butter. Cook and toss for 5 minutes, until beautifully browned. Season with salt and add garlic. Saute another 2 minutes, and add thyme, lemon juice, and white wine. When liquid is evaporated add parsley and toss to distribute. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

Asian-Style London Broil

No story today. Just reporting the results of an experiment to produce a wow recipe on the cheap. Using flat iron steaks, tenderized with a jaccard, and a simplified variation of a Korean Bulgogi sauce, I think I've done it. My tasters gave this a 'New York Deli Owner' review (that's the equivalent of two thumbs up around here), so I feel secure in passing it on to you. The Japanese-style potatoes are from Just Hungry and they are a perfect accompaniment to the London Broil. The steaks can, of course, be grilled stovetop or broiled.

Asian-Style London Broil

Ingredients:
1 large (1-1/2 to 2 pound) flat iron or flank steak
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 cup light or golden brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian-style hot sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
Cilantro

Directions:
1) Pierce both sides of meat at 1/4-inch intervals with a jaccard or meat fork. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2) Combine sugar, soy sauce, Sriracha and sesame oil in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook until mixture becomes syrupy and is reduced by half.
3) Preheat gas grill according to manufacturer's instruction for cooking by direct heat. Brush top of steak with glaze. Grill steak for 5 minutes. Turn; brush top of steak with glaze and grill for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a platter; brush again with glaze. Tent with foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Slice steak, thinly, against grain; sprinkle with cilantro. Yield: 5 to 6 servings.