Fajitas

Steak-for many people (including my long-suffering wife), that single word equals fine dining. For me, not so much. I never have been a big fan, probably never will; for me the problem is that most steak cuts (filet mignon especially, but New York Strip, Ribeye), lack that beefy flavor that I crave. Granted, my experience has generally been limited to the supermarket variety of steaks; at some point I'm going to get some well-aged steaks from a quality outlet like Niman Ranch. Regardless, at this point, I can't justify paying $8-12 for a pound of steak when that money could by my 5 pounds of pork shoulder or belly for sausage, pancetta, or bacon.

Also, I just don't find cooking steak that much fun; since I like my steaks just north of bloody rare, anything longer than a few minutes on a hot grill is criminal. And if the steak is of good quality, some salt and pepper is all that is needed (don't get me started on steaks doused in butter).

But I digress; I don't dislike all steaks, there are some cuts of beef that do meet my impossibly high standards, and, keeping with the general theme of this blog, they are generally the less desirable cuts. One in particular is flank steak; when you eat it, you know that it came from a cow. Granted, flank steak can be tough, but only if you don't know how to cook/serve it.

My personal favorite dish when I'm craving beef are fajitas: some grilled flank steak (I know skirt steak is more authentic, I haven't been able to locate it in C-bus, but then I'm lazy), peppers, onions, all wrapped in a warm tortilla.

My basic meat rub recipe for this comes from Steven Raichlen's How to Grill. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best books on grilling, especially for beginners. My slightly altered version of the rub is as follows (for two pounds of beef):

1 tbsp ancho chili powder

.5 tbsp chipotle chili powder

1.5 tsp ground coriander

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp coarse black pepper

Combine all ingrediates and coat the steak thoroughly. I then toss a few tablespoons of lime juice on the steak (helps tenderize it) and rub it with olive oil. I usually marinate it for about 12-18 hours.

In keeping with traditional preperations, I like to grill my flank steak over mesquite wood chunks, which pairs nicely with the beef flavor. You don' need to grill it more than a few minutes a side since flank steaks are so thin.

How you slice the steak will have a big impact on how tender it is. After it has rested a few minutes (being grilled is tiring work), slice the steak against the grain into thin slices on a bias (45 degree angle). You should have long strips of beautiful beef, which, combined with some grilled onions and bell peppers, is all you need for the perfect fajita

I guarentee you won't need any other toppings (salsa, guac, sour cream), the beef if flavorful enough!

A Tour of the Mediterranean

No, I didn't actually leave central Ohio. I did, however, receive a bundle of tomatoes from our CSA this week. I'm usually pretty tomatoes-poor, so now that I have a few pounds worth, I have to figure out what to do with them.

One of the first cold soups I ever had was gazpacho, and my previous efforts have been based on relatively tasteless supermarket fare that have disappointed. Now that I have the "real" thing, I want to try it again; the recipe is a pretty simple one from The Dean and DeLuca Cookbook. Seeing as how I'm going to make up about 5 gallons of the stuff, why not invite some friends over and have a proper dinner party?

It is at this point that anxiety kicks in. Early in my cooking progression, I would throw together any old combination of dishes and not worry about a theme. Times have changed, and now I worry about this sort of stuff. I'm not well versed enough in Spanish cuisine to build a whole menu, so I decide to draw the boundaries a bit broader to include Italy (hence the Mediterranean theme).

Playing fast and loose with regional cuisine allows me to make use of my most recent library score, Mario Batali's Italian Grill. The grilled zucchini antipasta and grilled cheese foccacia both look tasty (especially since my CSA package included a zucchnin the size of a small person).

Since this is the midwest, we need meat, and I decide to repeat my Memorial Day menu and make porchetta (pork loin wrapped with pork belly). This time I cut off the skin on the belly, brined both cuts, and cooked them on the grill, not the smoker. Speaking of the grill, here is the meat (I decided to throw on a rack of ribs while I was at it) and grilled bread in all its glory:

Ah, meat, glorious meat. My porchetta turned out a lot better this time, but since I made three changes, I don't know which one(s) was responsible (especially since I ate the evidence).

Good times in Boston

Just got back from my annual professional association meeting in Boston (don't except a similar post in two years time when the meetings are in Hotlanta, cause this guy ain't going). Despite a generally busy schedule, I still got to get out into the city and hit a few choice spots (sorry, no pictures, the camera stayed home).

The first place was The Butcher Shop, a cozy (read: small) place on Tremont, where I had dinner with Marc and Melissa, two unreconstructed carnivores. The glass case in the back full of prime cuts, as well as the dry cured sausages hanging from the ceiling, would probably cause any vegetarian to do a quick 180 out the door. They also had a cool little table where patrons could enjoy samples of their various offerings. Given the size of the place, I was fortunate that I only knocked over one Bostonian.

Anyway, we ordered three plates among us. The first was their charcuterie plate, which actually was three types of terrine, a simple pate de campagne, which totally put my homemade efforts to shame, a nice game bird pate, and a duck mouse, which was solid, but nothing spectacular. While gazing reverently at the meat in the glass case, I noticed a beautiful pile of hanger steaks, which are reputed to be the secret cut of the cow (commonly referred to as the butcher's tenderloin). I've never had a hanger steak before, so naturally we had to order one (bloody rare, of course). I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed-quite good, but I still prefer the flank steak. Fortunately, our final dish was a spectacular piece of foie gras; a perfectly seared exterior barely containing the creamy fat within. All in all a great time!

The second night was a bit more rustic; a trip to The Publik House in Brookline. This is the highest rated beer bar in the Boston area according to beeradvocate, and I can see why. The list of beers on tap is extensive, lots of great beers from the east coast (allegash, smuttynose, DFH 120!), and plenty of great Belgian offerings. The place reminds me a lot of Monks in Philly, although much bigger. This time I was joined by two grad school friends, Ed and Lauren, although if memory serves, Marc made another appearance when the mussels arrived (very Belgian menu). Another great night out with friends, which makes these conferences worthwhile.

The only disappointing food I ate on the whole trip was a watery Ben and Jerry's shake, but I was hanging out with another friend, Dan, so I didn't mind too much.

All in all a great trip, fun to catch up with old friends and visit new places.