Lime Curry Marinated Hanger Steak

Lime Curry Marinated Hanger Steak
Adapted from my Epicurious Recipe Box

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour on the counter or up to 4 days in the fridge
Grill time: 8-10 minutes
Rest time: 5 minutes to relax the meat

Serves 3-4 depending on the size of your hanger steak and your appetite

Ingredients:
For steak:
Juice of a large fresh lime juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tbsp curry powder – this time I used Madras Sambar Masala – Mangal brand
2 lb/1kg (1-inch-thick) hanger steak (not so easy to find, so make friends with a butcher - mine is Chris de Waal of Getaway Farm)

Melon Cucumber Chutney:
2 cups chopped firm-ripe honeydew melon
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (about ¾ cup)
½ cup chopped red onion
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 to 2 tsp minced fresh jalapeño including seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin

Directions:

Chutney: In the end, I forgot to make the chutney. It's here for the next time I make the hanger steak - or flank - or skirt.
Stir together honeydew, cucumber, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with spices and let chutney stand while grilling steak.

Hanger Steak:
Butchering -

It's critical to remove the membrane that coats the hanger steak (just loosen with a sharp knife tip and peel back with your fingers), allowing the marinade to penetrate the meat.
It's also necessary to remove the thick sinew that runs down the length of the hanger steak (below: that's what it looks like when removed)
And now you have two beautiful fillets to marinate and the sinew to discard.
Marinating:
1. Stir together lime juice, oil, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a non reactive bowl .

2. Coat steak with curry mixture, massaging the paste in well and place in a zip lock baggie.

3. Marinate for up to 4 days in the fridge or one hour on the counter before grilling. The steak should be at room temperature before cooking, so if you're refrigerating the steak, bring them out about 30 minutes or so before grilling.

Grilling:
1. Heat your grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Cut the long fillets in half across, for easier cooking.

2. Oil grill rack/pan and add the fillets and grill for 3 minutes before flipping. The steaks should come free without sticking to the grill or needing any help from a spatula. In the photo above, you can see the caramelizing effect.

3. Grill for another 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and turn every minute or so until done to your liking. We usually like it medium rare and so add another minute or two on each side.

Resting:
Chef Dennis Johnston’s tip: flip the side closest to the grill grates or pan onto a plate so that the meat sits hot side up. This ensures that the heat will rise into the air rather than go through the meat and continue to cook it. Place the plate in the fridge for 4-5 minutes. The center will retain the heat but the meat will be more tender than if you serve it hot off the grill
Serving:
Slice thinly across the grain, which for the hanger steak, means lengthwise and the very reason I cut the fillets in half to grill.

The original Epicurious recipe says to serve steak with the melon cucumber chutney, which only needs to be put together while the steak is cooking. Even so, this time I couldn't quite get it together - too many phone calls while I was cooking, so I just served it with grilled asparagus.

Maple Glazed Quick Grilled Salmon Fillets

Maple Glazed Quick Grilled Salmon Fillets
From The Main {recipes}

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Marinating time : 2 hours in the fridge
Grill time: 1 minute total – and no, this is not a typo

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 (6oz/170g) skinless salmon fillet, each sliced lengthwise into 3 strips
Marinade:
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 rosemary sprig, bashed to release the oils

Vegetable oil to brush on the grill pan

Directions:
1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a non-reactive dish large enough to hold the salmon and marinade. Ruth’s note: I put the marinade & salmon in a large ziplock baggie. Keep the salmon in one layer. Place over a rimmed tray large enough for it to lie flat. Refrigerate for 2 hours, flipping the bag or salmon directly, halfway.

2. Use a cast iron skillet or grill pan. Brush with vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the Salmon – this is critical! – cook for just 20-30 seconds per side or until the fish is cooked to medium doneness. It really doesn’t take longer as the fillets are so thin.

Anthony Sedlak, chef and author of The Main, suggests serving with his Bacon Barley, Sauteed Swiss Chard featuring Maple Bacon. It all sounds awesome and I'll be doing it that way in the Fall and surely during maple syrup time in February-March. This time, a salad of mixed greens with an Asian Dressing, fit the bill perfectly.

Kohlrabi Radish Slaw

Kohlrabi Radish Slaw
From Fine Cooking

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients:
Dressing
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
¾ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground in mortar & pestle or coffee grinder
salt and pepper
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Slaw
5 radishes, grated (about 1 cup) ( I used a bunch)
3 carrots, grated (about 1½ cups)
2 small kohlrabi, unpeeled, trimmed and cut into 1/8th inch thick matchsticks – see Note* (about 3 cups)
½ medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1 lb/450g – 5 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
*Note: there are a number of ways to make the prep work quick and easy. Here’s what I did: used the grater of my food processor for the radishes & carrots; used the mandolin for the kohlrabi – sliced it very fine and then used a knife to make the final matchsticks – somehow my mandolin’s julienne blades refused to cooperate. I used the mandolin for the cabbage, cutting the half in half, but really could have used the food processor with the slicing blade.

1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, honey and freshly ground cumin. Slowly whisk in the oil. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

2. Toss all the slaw ingredients together in a very large bowl. Pour the dressing over top and toss again.

To serve: we prefer it cold, so I’d refrigerate it before serving the next time I make it. That said, it was delicious as a base for roasted salmon and the leftovers will be the perfect side for grilled steaks.

Savory Chicken & Mushroom Frittata

Savory Chicken Mushroom Frittata

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4.

Ingredients:
2 -3 tbsp olive oil
1 spring onion, coarsely chopped (about ¼ - ½ cup)
Fresh shitake & cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup roasted chicken, diced
5 eggs
2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (I used cilantro and oregano this time, but thyme & rosemary would be great too)
Salt & pepper to taste
Smoked paprika (large pinch)
Ancho chili powder (large pinch)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F/ 190°C

2. In a medium-sized bowl beat eggs with 1 tbsp olive oil, herbs, salt & pepper and set aside.

3. Over medium high heat, using 1 tbsp olive oil, sauté onions and mushrooms in a small-medium sized non-stick, oven-proof skillet until the onions are translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add the chicken and sauté for another minute or two to mix everything up.

4. Pour the egg mixture over the chicken & mushrooms in the pan, tipping the pan until the egg mixture completely covers them. Continue to cook until the eggs set around the edges (3 minutes or so, longer if you’re adding more eggs and making it for more people). I like to tip the pan and lift the edges to allow more eggs to “set”. The center should still be slightly “wet”.

5. Sprinkle with a little smoked paprika and chili powder and bake for 10 minutes or until it’s set in the center and becomes golden.

6. Using a spatula, ease the frittata around the edges and under the bottom to make sure it won’t stick when you slide it onto a serving plate.

"Handful" Arugula Salad & LIme Vinaigrette

The “Handful” Arugula Salad & Lime Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette from The South Beach Diet Supercharged

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Handful of arugula
Handful of cooked chickpeas, drained
Handful of herbs (I used oregano, mint & parsley this time)
Handful of baby Bocconccini, drained
Handful of diced cucumber
Handful of diced fennel root
1 green onion/scallion, sliced
Half avocado, diced (Optional)

Lime Vinaigrette
Juice of half a lime
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ tsp ground cumin
Pinch of sugar substitute (I like Splenda)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. In a large serving bowl, toss in all the ingredients except the vinaigrette.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, cumin and garlic. While continuing to whisk, pour the oil in a steady stream to emulsify.

3. Add vinaigrette to salad and toss.

Asian Chicken Wrap

Asian Chicken Wraps

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 soft tortillas (I like to use whole grain or spinach or, like this photo, tomato basil)
Handful of mixed salad greens
Slathering of wasabi mayo (wasabi paste mixed with your favorite mayo (mine lately is Hellmann’s Olive Oil Mayo) ratio: as much/little heat as you like
Slices of roasted chicken (covering about 1/3 of tortilla, down the center) I like to roast a chicken to have on hand, but store bought rotisserie chicken works too
Slices of Japanese marinated ginger (if you love sushi, you know how delicious this is), patted dry
Small handful of arugula or mixed greens

Directions:
1. Lay tortillas flat and slather a layer of wasabi mayo all over. Add the chicken down the center of the tortilla, starting from the top (which will be left open) to about 2 inches from the bottom. Cover with a thin layer of ginger and greens.

2. Fold bottom up over chicken and then fold in from one side and then the other.

3. Serve and enjoy.

This is great for picnic lunches. Just wrap each one in foil or plastic wrap. Because it’s chicken, it’s wise to either a) keep in a cooler until serving; or b) eat within an hour of preparing.

Penne with Mussels, Chorizo & Chimichurri

Penne with Mussels, Chorizo and Chimichurri
With help from Bobby Flay and Curtis Stone

Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (or until the water boils & the pasta cooks)
Serves

Ingredients::
7oz/200g Dreamfields Penne Rigate (or any other healthy pasta)
Left over Steamed Mussels with Chorizo & White Wine (shells removed)
Dollop or two of Chimichurri Sauce
Handful of basil leaves, roughly torn

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta until al dente in a large pot of salted water. (usually 8-10 minutes depending on the type of pasta used.)

2. In the meantime, to prepare the mussels, just warm them up – a quick zap in the microwave or over medium low heat in a small saucepan.

3. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Toss with the warm mussels & chorizo, basil and as much chimichurri as you like and …inhale!

Delicioso!

Steamed Mussels with Chorizo & White Wine

Steamed Mussels with Chorizo & White Wine
From Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1lb/450g Spanish chorizo (I used the smoked kind you find in deli sections), thinly sliced in rounds
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
4lb/1½ kg mussels, scrubbed & debearded (I don’t have to do this when I get local Indian Point Mussels)
1 cup dry white wine
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped and a little more for garnish
6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces (DO NOT SKIP – it makes the sauce so rich and creamy)
1 baguette for sopping up all that delicious juice

Directions:
1. Place a large wide pot (I use my big Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the chorizo and sauté for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Add the shallots & garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes – don’t let the garlic burn – just until fragrant.

2. Add the mussels and toss to coat, quickly add the wine and cover. Cook over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes or until the mussels begin to open. Discard any that don’t open. Add the 3 tbsp cilantro and toss to combine.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels & chorizo to a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

4. Boil the juices remaining in the pot for 1-2 minutes and whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the mussels and sprinkle a little more cilantro over all and serve with a baguette.

Don’t forget to have a large bowl for the empty shells and enjoy!