Grilled Beef Rolls with Scallion Soy Dipping Sauce
Grilled Beef Rolls with Scallion Soy Dipping Sauce
Makes 2 1/2 dozen
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 scallions, green tops, cut into 3-inch lengths and sliced lengthwise; whites sliced into 1/8-inch rings
3 (one each of green, red, and yellow) bell peppers, trimmed, seeded, and cut into long, thin matchsticks
1 teaspoon olive oil
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce and brown sugar until dissolved; set aside. Cut tenderloin crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Trim off any fat or connective tissue.
Place 1 slice between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, evenly pound out the slice, keeping it roughly in a rectangular shape, until it is 1/8 inch thick. Do not overpound slices or they will begin to disintegrate. Remove plastic wrap, and transfer to a large plate. Repeat process with remaining meat.
Dip 1 slice beef in the soy sauce mixture, and place it on a clean surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place 2 pieces of scallion green and 1 piece of each pepper across the shorter length of the beef, so that the vegetables extend over both edges by about 3/4-inch. Roll up lengthwise, and skewer near the edges with 2 toothpicks. Set aside. Repeat with remaining beef and vegetables.
Lightly brush a grill pan with olive oil, and heat until hot, or heat the oven broiler. Grill or broil beef rolls, brushing with sauce and turning, until medium rare, 2 to 4 minutes. Cut each roll in half, or cut any longer rolls into 3 pieces. In a small saucepan bring remaining sauce to a boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into a small bowl, and add scallion rings. Transfer beef rolls to a serving platter, and serve with sauce on the side.
Grilled Cheese with Pulled Short Ribs
Grilled Cheese with Pulled Short Ribs
Serves 8
2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon grapeseed or canola oil
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 carrot, chopped
1/2 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
6 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
Sachet (recipe follows)
3 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium canned beef broth
One 2-pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 16 slices
12 ounces fontina or Bel Paese cheese, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Pickled Red Onions (recipe follows)
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sear ribs on both sides until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove ribs from pan; set aside. Add carrot and celery to pan and cook 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 5 minutes more. Return short ribs to the pan and add wine and sachet.
Cook until the wine is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add the beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and transfer saucepan to oven; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. Uncover and continue cooking the short ribs for 1 hour, basting ribs every 15 minutes with the cooking liquid. Cook 1 hour more, for a total of 4 hours cooking time. Remove short ribs from oven and let cool in their liquid, 30 minutes. Transfer ribs to a plate, and with two forks, slightly shred following the natural grain of the meat; set aside.
Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Top 8 slices of bread with about 1 1/2 ounces of cheese each. Add 1 teaspoon of pickled onion. Top with 1/4 cup pulled short ribs and a second layer of cheese. Top with remaining slices of bread to form 8 sandwiches. Brush both sides of each sandwich with 1/2 teaspoon butter.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add sandwiches to skillet, and immediately turn so that all the oil is absorbed. Weight down sandwiches with a small ovenproof skillet; cook for 1 minute. Turn sandwiches, return weight, and transfer to oven. Cook 2 minutes, remove weight, turn sandwich, and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from oven, and slice sandwich on the diagonal. Repeat process with remaining sandwiches.
Sachet
Makes 1
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One 5-inch piece dark green leek top, washed
Wrap all ingredients in a small piece of cheesecloth. Tie to enclose with kitchen twine.
Pickled Red Onions
Makes 5 cups
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
3 medium red onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
3 fresh bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Toast the coriander seeds in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add mustard seeds, and toast 1 minute more; set aside. Soak onions in a large bowl of ice water, about 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and transfer to a medium heatproof bowl.
Place vinegars, sugar, bay leaves, and thyme in a small saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat; add reserved coriander and mustard seeds. If mixture seems too acidic, add a little water. Pour mixture over onions and let stand 5 minutes. Drain, discarding liquid, and season onions with salt and pepper. Toss onions with olive oil and store, refrigerated, in an airtight container until ready to use, 2 to 3 weeks.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Serves 2 to 4
1 piece ciabatta bread, 5 by 10 inches
12 slices Emmentaler Swiss cheese
1 medium vine-ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice ciabatta horizontally into thirds; reserve top and bottom crust for bread slices. Place bread slices on work surface, crust side down; butter cut side of each slice. Top 1 slice with 6 slices cheese, tomato slices seasoned with salt and pepper, and basil leaves. Top with 6 more slices cheese and then with remaining bread slice, buttered side down. Butter 1 exterior side of sandwich, seasoning with salt and pepper; halve sandwich to fit grill pan.
Place sandwich butter side down onto grill pan. Weight sandwich with a large cast-iron skillet; cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan, butter exterior side of top bread slice; turn, weight down sandwich, and cook for 3 minutes more. Repeat with remaining sandwich half. Slice sandwiches crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Serve immediately.
Grilled Meatball Caesar Salad
Grilled Meatball Caesar Salad
Yields 4 servings
8 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound ground beef, pork, and veal combined (you can also use ground chicken)
1 egg beaten
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
1 cup roasted garlic croutons, pulverized
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin and grated, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
A few shots of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 hearts of romaine, chopped
Preheat grill to high. In a nonstick skillet, cook chopped bacon pieces over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and reserve.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the ground meat with the egg, 1 clove of grated garlic, half of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the bacon, the crushed croutons, the chopped parsley, and some salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients together with clean hands and roll into 12 medium-size meatballs, each about 2 inches round. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil and grill for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. If using ground chicken, make sure that they are fully cooked through.
While the meatballs are grilling, whisk the lemon zest and juice, the remaining clove of grated garlic, mustard, anchovy paste, hot sauce and Worcestershire together then stream in the olive oil. Coat the romaine in the dressing then season with pepper and a handful of grated cheese to taste. Top salad with meatballs and serve.
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