grilled steak with arugula, fennel and orange salad

This recipe ended up only being "inspired by" the original in Food & Wine magazine. I fully intended to try it unadulterated, but ended up finding a good deal on NY strip (as opposed to skirt steak) while at the same time NOT being able to find fregola. (Side note: while I couldn't find fregola at whole foods, I discovered they finally started carrying farro, which I've wanted to try in a risotto for a long time, so I consider it a wash.) For the original, you can read it online here, but I'll cover my variations on the recipe below. It would probably feed 4 normal non-bear appetites.

Grocery list: one pound strip steak, 1 T ancho chile powder, 1 red onion, 1 lemon, 1 fennel bulb, 1 navel orange, 2 radishes, 5oz baby arugula, black olive tapenade (fresh at the olive bar at our local WF).



Allow the steak to rest on the counter to bring it to room temperature while you prep the vegetables. Cut the stems off the fennel bulb, cut it in half, core it, then thinly slice. Peel the orange, quarter it to remove the center pith, then thinly slice crosswise. Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Juice the lemon.



Sprinkle the chile powder on both sides of the steak (pressing to adhere the seasoning).



Peel the onion and cut into 1/4 inch slabs. Grill both the steak and the onion slabs over direct heat. For the steak, it's a matter of preference and steak thickness to determine how long to cook (this one was thick, and took 12-14 minutes to get to medium). The onions should become tender and charred in spots - I put down a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil first so the onions couldn't fall through the grates, and they still achieved that charred effect.



When the steak is done, allow it to rest under a tent of aluminum foil while you assemble the salad.



Toss the arugula with several tablespoons of good quality olive oil and the lemon juice. Let the onions cool, then chop them. Add the onions, fennel, orange and radishes to the salad and toss well.



Spread about 1/4 cup of tapenade across the steak, and slice on the diagonal. Mound the salad on each plate, then serve several steak slices on the top.

steak with parmesan butter, balsamic glaze & arugula

A lot of food blogs have had posts lately about "the last cookout of the year," but we're fortunate in Atlanta that grilling is not limited to any season. If I've had a bad day and need to feel better, or if I've had a great day and want to celebrate it, a steak is my go-to meal. This recipe from October's Bon Appetit is perfect for any occasion. They describe the steak salad as "simple and sophisticated" - and I can't say it any better.

Grocery list (for 2 entree salad): 1 or 2 rib-eye steaks, 1 package arugula, grated parmesan + parmesan shavings, 1.5 T butter, olive oil, 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c chopped shallots, pinch dark brown sugar, 1 lemon.



Soften the butter to room temperature, then mix in 2 T grated parmesan, and salt & pepper to taste.



Season steak with salt and pepper, then grill over medium high heat. (Note, the recipe calls for sauteing steak, and then finishing off the glaze in the same pan - I opted for the outdoor grill.) Cook to medium rare, transfer to plate, and allow to rest under foil.



Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan (or the same pan you cooked the steaks in, if you go that route), then add vinegar, shallots and sugar.



Boil until reduced to glaze - I found it took about 5 minutes. Divide arugula and parmesan shavings between 2 plates, squeeze lemon juice over the top.



Slice the steak and top with the butter, then serve the steak over the arugula. Drizzle the glaze over top.

roasted potatoes, onions & garlic on the grill

Have you ever tried this? It's not really a recipe, but just an easy thing to put together if you're already heating up the grill for barbeque chicken or steaks. Just slice up some vidalia onions and potatoes and layer in heavy-duty aluminum foil.



Throw in a few whole garlic cloves (smash just a little so the flavor comes out), drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and fold into small packets. Grill for about 15 minutes over medium flame.

grilled mahi tacos with avocado cream

I think everyone who picked up the most recent Domino mag fell in love with this recipe. Not just the idea of fish tacos (who doesn't love fish tacos any day?), but the beautiful outdoor table setting, all the colors, all the "I just threw this little impromptu get-together with my friends and my backyard picnic table and strings of lights in the trees, you know, just because" - it's so appealing. Well, I don't have a picnic table, but I did decide to invite a couple of our friends over to share this meal. The idea of it was just too good to keep to ourselves. The avocado cream is nice, although next time I'll do what I always do and make guacamole (dual purpose -for tacos AND chips!) and keep the sour cream on the side. Red cabbage with a splash of vinegar and pinch of salt - the crunchy texture was absolutely perfect with the grilled fish. I made another batch of the jicama mango salad and the entire meal was just perfect.

Grocery list: corn tortillas, mahi-mahi fillets (skin-on), red cabbage, avocados, limes, sour cream, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro (I added a little fresh corn to the pico de gallo since it's in season and I can't help myself when I walk by fresh corn at the farmers' market - ever).

Make the avocado cream by blending 2 avocados with 1/2 c sour cream and the juice of 2 limes in the food processor (season with sea salt). Finely chop the cabbage and dress with a splash of vinegar and salt. Make fresh pico de gallo by chopping a couple of tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, a handful of cilantro, and as much jalapeno as you like - plus the (optional) kernels from an ear or 2 of corn. Mix with lime juice, salt and pepper. Grill the mahi-mahi skin-side down (brush with olive oil first to make sure it doesn't stick to the grates) until fish is flaky and cooked through. This can all come together in 20 minutes, and with everyone serving themselves, it might just be the least stress you've ever experienced at a dinner get-together...

grilled strip steaks with argentine chimichurri

A and I spent his birthday last year in Buenos Aires. If you've never been, imagine gorgeous architecture (European though, not American in any way, and very classic, 19th century influence), cafes on every corner with young hip-looking people taking espressos with their friends, and best of all, a preference for steak and good wine at every meal. We had some of the best steaks ever (EVER), and these would normally cost around 10 USD. After A left, I stayed a few more days to work, and one of the meals I had with my coworkers was so good I have seriously considered taking a trip back there just so A could try this -- steak with chimichurri. I decided to grill a strip steak (not the thin skirt steaks the Argentines use), and find the best chimichurri recipe I could. The result wasn't exactly authentic (I mean, it's an Emeril recipe after all), but it was a way to share the experience with A, without flying him all the way there again.

Grocery list: couple of steaks (about 12 ounces each, I used local grass-fed strip steaks from WF), 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 T fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 2 T chopped fresh basil leaves, 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, 3 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. [Note, I made a half batch of the Emeril recipe and it was more than enough for 2 steaks - could have probably worked for 4 steaks at this amount also...]



One great thing about chimichurri: you can make it in the food processor, so it only takes a few minutes. Start by chopping the garlic and shallot, then pulse in the fresh herbs. Then, pour the olive oil and vinegar slowly in the top while continuing to pulse the food processor. Remove the bowl and blade, then stir in the lemon juice, followed by generous amounts of fresh ground pepper, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes; then season with salt to taste.



Put your steaks in a ziploc bag, then add enough of the chimichurri to marinate the meat (1/2 to 1 cup). Cover the rest of the chimichurri and set aside at room temperature. Refrigerate the steaks for at least 2 hours. Remove from the marinade, brush off any excess, then grill over medium-high heat for about 6-7 minutes per side, until cooked to medium or medium-rare. Let the steaks rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before serving. On the side, we had white asparagus (the kind you have to peel first), tossed in olive oil and grilled. This was perfect with the chimichurri sauce covering the plate.

grilled salmon with basil aioli

What I'm about to tell you is a true story, and hopefully no one will get in trouble for it... The other day my neighbor, who works for a major airline here in Atlanta, knocked frantically on my door. She was holding a plastic bag and practically jumping with excitement. What's was in the bag? Fresh salmon fillets, each about 3 pounds, that were flown in that morning from Alaska. Why was she holding them? Because the crate they were flown in on (via a competing airline) had fallen to the ground during cargo unloading, and my neighbor was kind enough (devious enough?) to sneak several fillets away before the competition noticed they were missing. She was generous enough to share one of these with me. I have to say that it was, hands down, the best piece of salmon I have ever had. I just grilled it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and made this basil aioli featured in July's Bon Appetit. On the side I made grilled polenta squares and a little caprese salad (to use up an avocado and some extra tomato and mozzarella I had leftover). It was the perfect summer meal.

Grocery list: salmon fillet (2-3 pounds), mayo, anchovy paste, basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, worcestershire. For the avocado caprese, tomatoes, basil, avocado, mozzarella, balsamic, good quality olive oil. For the polenta cakes, just polenta and parmesan.



The original recipe calls for making your own mayo as the base for this aioli. Considering my past disasters with attempting homemade mayo, I decided to pass on this extra step and use good old-fashioned hellman's. Mix together one cup of mayo mixed with a few T of chopped basil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp each of red wine vinegar and worcestershire, plus 1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste, mixed together with a dash of hot sauce.



On the side, I made a simple grilled polenta. Cook your polenta according to the package directions, season well with salt & pepper, then spread into a thin layer in a pan, about an inch thick. Make sure you brush the pan with olive oil well first; then allow the polenta to harden as it cools (refrigerate to speed up the process). Invert the pan over a cutting board, cut into squares, brush with more olive oil, then grill over med-high heat.



I also cubed some leftover mozzarella, an heirloom tomato and an avocado, plus a handful of torn basil leaves. Tossed with some good olive oil and a few drops of balsamic, this made a great contrast in texture to the polenta and salmon.

burger review: gourmet magazine's aussie burger

I think I recently read about Aussie burgers in several places (other food blogs? - no google blog search can help me find this so far), and then it popped up again right in the July issue of Gourmet magazine. In my quest to eat every possible combination of burger toppings at least once in my life, this went to the top of the list of recipes to try from this issue. I like the grilled pineapple, but think it could be better utilized as a contrast to something spicy - maybe like a jerk sauce for the burger, or spicy jack cheese? We all agreed that the sliced beets are just too weird; they add sogginess and stained fingers without a lot of flavor. The "chile mayo" (just chile paste, mayo and ketchup) was definitely great, and could be used to dip fries and onion rings in if you were making them and didn't feel the fat content was quite high enough... And the fried egg was absolutely fantastic. Next time I'll try that with bacon and cheese (which would actually be a burger called "the coronary bypass", as made famous by the Vortex restaurant here in Atlanta).

There's no real recipe here, so the typical "grocery list" I usually include is basically all the ingredients you'd use to assemble the burgers. I like to make my burgers with ground sirloin, about 1/3 pound meat for each patty. Other ingredients: pineapple (sliced, then grilled), sliced beets, lettuce, tomato, one fried egg per burger, and plenty of chile mayo slathered on both sides of a toasted bun.



Side note: chile mayo is simply equal parts mayo and ketchup (1/4 cup each made enough for 4 burgers), plus a teaspoon of chile paste.

lamb and beef burgers with caper remoulade

As you might have noticed by now, I'm pretty obsessed with Food & Wine magazine. When the June issue arrived last month with the theme of "best new grilling ideas," I flipped - burgers are my favorite food. These burgers were almost light - the caper remoulade, the cucumber and tomato slices, and the fact that the bun was replaced with a much lighter english muffin - there was less "heft" than a normal burger. That being said, it took absolutely no longer than the usual prep time for burgers, so this will go into the summer menu rotation for sure.
Grocery list: 1/2 pound ground sirloin, 1/2 pound ground lamb, english muffins, parsley, capers, cornichons (or dill pickles), garlic, mayo, grain mustards, cheddar, cucumber (english cucumber, AKA seedless), tomato.



Of course I had to mess with the remoulade recipe, to cut down on the fat content. By reducing the original amount of mayo and increasing the mustard, it was more tangy, but still made plenty of sauce for all the burgers. In a food processor, pulse 1 garlic cloves, 2 tsp drained capers, 3 T of parsley leaves, and 4 cornichons (or 4 baby dill pickles). Then add 1/4 cup mayo and 2 T grain mustard, and blend for a few seconds.


Stir with a spatula until smooth, then place in the fridge until ready to dress the burgers. To make the burgers, mix together the lamb and beef in a bowl with plenty of salt and pepper. Shape into 3-4 patties.
Next, start the grill. Split the english muffins, then grill on each side for 30 seconds until toasted. Grill the burgers over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side until done -- add slices of cheddar 2 minutes before done so it will melt. While the burgers are cooking, spread the remoulade on each english muffin. Top the bottom muffins with a slice of tomato, then the burger, then 2-3 slices of cucumber.

greatest steak marinade of all time (really)

This simple grilled hangar steak salad was inspired by a menu item at my favorite neighborhood restaurant, Murphy's, in Atlanta's Virginia Highland neighborhood (there's features a flank steak, but I've been wanting to try hangar steak for some time now). Here's what I learned: stop whatever you are preparing for dinner tonight, and try this marinated steak. It might be the best marinade I've ever had.

Grocery list: flank or hangar steak (about 2 pounds), balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar. If you're making a salad, well, also add greens, avocado, cucumbers, roasted onions, or whatever salad stuff you want. The steak will be all that matters anyway...



For the marinade, it's simply 1 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4-1/2 cup worcestershire sauce. Submerge the steaks as best as you can in the marinade, turning occasionally, and allow to soak for at least a couple of hours. Then, grill over medium-high heat till the steaks are as done as you like. Allow them to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes, then slice on the diagonal. Really, the best steak I've had in a while...

memorial day cookout: my favorite borrowed recipes

I'll take any excuse to grill burgers, and memorial day is no exception. I found several recipes from my favorite new food blogs, and decided to spice up my cookout routine - I'm so glad I did. The blue cheese and bacon potato salad is from the latest issue of Martha (which I accidentally receive at my house, since its former occupant was a subscriber). The burger recipe, which is unique more for the preparation method instead of the ingredients, comes from The Kitchn, an Apartment Therapy blog. And these onion rings, these most crispy-perfect-with-a-kick onion rings, are from Last Night's Dinner, quite possibly the world's prettiest food blog.

Grocery list: (for the burgers) 1/2 vidalia onion, 2 pounds ground beef, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper, a little leftover bacon grease, bacon, buns, any toppings you like; (for the potato salad) 1.5 pounds small red potatoes, 4 slices cooked bacon, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, 2 ounces blue cheese crumbles, chives, 1/2 cup buttermilk, olive oil; (for the onion rings) 1 large red onion, sriricha hot sauce (or other hot sauce), vegetable oil, salt, A/P flour.



Here's the original recipe from The Kitchn, which I followed almost exactly (other than substituting ground sirloin for ground chuck). I recommend spreading waxed paper and/or plastic wrap on the counter first, then shape the 2 pounds of beef into a long "snake". Form a deep trench in the middle, scattering the finely chopped onion into the well. Add about 10 dashes of worcestershire and soy sauces, a sprinkle of salt and garlic powder, and a generous amount of cracked pepper. If you have any leftover bacon grease (I don't serve burgers without bacon if I can help it), drizzle 1-2 T of this down the middle as well. Pinch off sections of the snake to form patties, and grill over medium heat till the burgers are as done as you like.



For the blue cheese potato salad, start with the dressing. Mix together 1/2 cup buttermilk with 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (use a fork to break up the cheese thoroughly), then mix in 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 T red wine vinegar, and 1-2 T olive oil. Slice the potatoes into halves or quarters (bite size pieces), then boil in salted water for about 12 minutes, until you can pierce easily with a fork. Drain and allow to cool. Toss the potatoes with the dressing, and refrigerate to cool Just before serving, stir in a handful of finely chopped chives to the dressing, and 4 slices of crumbled bacon. Season with salt and pepper.



Now comes my favorite part, those onion rings... The photos from the original recipe on Last Night's Dinner are much better, but I'll include mine so you can see how easy it is to replicate her masterpiece. Start by thinly slicing a red onion and separating into rings; place in a large bowl. Season with sea salt, and generously coat with sriricha hot sauce (side note - my little brother and I spent some time in Cambodia last year, and I swear this is the exact hot sauce that was served with every meal I had there). Toss to coat, and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes for the onions to release their juices.



Next, shake about 1/2 cup of AP flour into a large ziploc bag. Grab a handful of the onion rings, and squeeze out any excess water and hot sauce. Transfer to the bag, zip closed, and shake to coat. Heat about an inch deep vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, until it shimmers (medium-high heat). Gently add a few onion rings at a time to the pan, and cook until golden and crispy.



Use a spider to carefully remove the rings to a paper-towel lined plate; season with a little more sea salt. As LND says on her blog, these are best served hot and fresh - this is so true (I couldn't help but eat approximately 1/3 of the batch before ever getting them to the table).

grilled chicken and vegetables: seve's summer spectacular

A's dad (Saverio, Ver, Sev, or Seve) has perfected a method for grilling vegetables in the summer: sprayed with olive oil and worcestershire sauce. Nearly every night in the summer he grills up vidalia onions, red peppers, zucchini, and more - it's really a treat. Since I finally broke down and bought a grill this weekend, I decided to christen it with these grilled vegetables, plus grilled chicken marinated in teriyaki-ginger.



For the chicken, I used a little minced garlic, minced ginger, plus a spoonful of chili paste, 1 T of honey, a splash of olive oil, and about a cup of teriyaki sauce. I also threw in a little soy sauce as well. Chicken breasts can be marinated in anything of course, as long as you let them soak for at least an hour. I like this one because it had a kick from the chili, but overall it was very light. On the weekends I'll make extra, because they can be used in salads and sandwiches for lunches during the week.



Grill over medium heat for 6-7 minutes per side, or until done (depends on thickness).



For the zucchini, prep by cutting into spears about 1/2 inch thick. I shook the zucchini in a ziploc bag with a little olive oil and a generous amount of worcestershire sauce, plus salt and pepper. Grill over medium for 3 minutes per side. Seve's trick is to fill up small spray bottles with olive oil and worcestershire, so when you flip the vegetables you spray them with more flavor. When the zucchini is done, move the spears all close together on the grill, so they are touching, then sprinkle a little grated parmesan over the tops. When the cheese has melted, remove from the grill and serve immediately.



For the vidalia onion, slice into rings and place about half an onion on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and fold into a packet. Repeat with the other half an onion. Grill for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, then flip the packet and cook for another 3-4 minutes (I sliced the onion pretty thick, so it took about 5 minutes per side). Be careful to avoid the escaping steam when you open the foil packets.