Although we don't eat beef frequently, we recently fixed a flank recipe from Perla Meyers Spur of the Moment Cook that we enjoyed very much. We were pointed to the recipe by Merry's daughter, Nicole, who also told us about the cookbook some months ago. Like Perla Meyers, as she comments at the beginning of the recipe, we always used flank steak in Chinese stir-fry, or cooked it on the grill. This recipe, however, calls for quickly cooking the steak on top of the stove (yes, it does splatter). We've combined the flank steak with an interesting salad from the same cookbook that takes advantage of the current radish crop along with stuffed artichokes which are in abundance in the stores right now. After preparing the salad (a combination of yogurt dressing, radishes and cucumbers), it occurred to us that this mixture would be good tossed with boiled new potatoes. We'll probably try it that way the next time we prepare this recipe. We'll let you know how we liked it.
Ingredients:
Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, jalapeno pepper, ginger, garlic, black pepper and 1/4 cup olive oil in the food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a plastic freezer bag, add the steak and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once or twice.
Heat the remaining 2 TBS olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe dry with paper towels. Add to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn over and saute 3 to 4 minutes longer (do not overcook). Season with salt and pepper, transfer to cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut crosswise on the bias into thin slices. 3-4 servings.
We made a couple of changes to this recipe. The first was to saute the onions, only because we don't like raw onions. The other change was to substitute dill for mint.
Ingredients:
Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander, sprinkle with coarse salt and let drain for one hour.
Saute minced onion in a small amount of olive oil just until soft (but not brown). Combine the yogurt, vinegar, oil and garlic in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the sauteed onion, dill and ground black pepper. (The dressing can be refrigerated at this point and served later.) To serve, rinse cucumber slices thoroughly and dry on paper towels. Add cucumbers and radishes to yogurt dressing. Serve slightly chilled, topped with feta cheese.
Ingredients:
Prepare artichokes for cooking by cutting off stem, even with artichoke bottom. With kitchen shears, cut off the thorny top of each leaf. Under running water, carefully pull each leaf away from the center and rinse thoroughly. Place the artichokes in a large pot filled with water to cover 2/3 their height and the vinegar or lemon juice. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the artichokes test done (a knife tip inserted in the base should meet with slight resistance), about 30-45 minutes. Rinse the artichokes in cold water. Place cooked artichokes upside down on paper towels to drain.
In a skillet, toast bread crumbs in 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 325°.Combine the toasted bread crumbs, cheese and parsley. When the artichokes are cool, carefully pull the leaves away from the center in order to reach the choke. With a spoon, scrape out the fuzzy choke, taking care not to damage the heart. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture into the center cavity and between the leaves of each artichoke. Push the leaves back into a closed position. Place the artichokes in a glass serving dish and drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 20-30 minutes. 4 servings.
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