Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/133142
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 – Daily News 5A County Fare & fresh Pan-seared garlic rib-eye steak in 20 short minutes By Bonnie S. Benwick The Washington Post Here's one way to light up a weeknight meal — and possibly smoke up your kitchen: A small amount of flambeed bourbon lends a certain and definite something to the pan sauce for this stove-top steak. The fiery technique burns off just enough of the liquor's edge while leaving behind complex flavor. Use a longhandled instant lighter, or strike a match and secure it at the business end of metal tongs. The whole process is done off the heat; the low flame will die out in about 20 seconds. Serve with quinoa and sauteed broccoli rabe, or just crusty bread for mopping up the sauce. Adapted from "The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey — From Food Blog, to Food Truck, and Beyond," by Marvin Gapultos (Tuttle, 2013). Pan-Seared Garlic Rib-Eye Steak 2 servings Ingredients 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil 2 cloves garlic One 1-inch-thick boneless rib-eye (8 to 10 ounces) 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton; may substitute hot Hungarian paprika) Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup water 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons bourbon Pinch sugar Steps Line a small plate with paper towels. Heat the oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over mediumhigh heat. Meanwhile, mince the garlic. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, until the garlic becomes golden brown but does not burn. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to the lined plate. Leave the skillet over medium-high heat while you season the steak on both sides with the smoked paprika and with salt and pepper to taste. Place the steak in the skillet and sear until nicely browned on both sides; this should take a total of 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate to rest while you make the sauce. Leave the skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully add the water and soy sauce to the skillet, using a wooden spatula to dislodge any crusty bits from the pan. Cook for about 1 minute; the liquid should reduce by half. Turn off the heat. Stir in the bourbon and sugar; use a long lighter or match to ignite the sauce, then allow the flame to subside and burn out; this should take less than half a minute. Transfer the steak to a cutting board; cut into thick slices and divide between individual plates. Spoon the sauce over each portion, then sprinkle with the garlic. Serve warm. Grilled Spanish mackerel with orange-tarragon salsa Recipe courtesy of Barton Seaver, "Where There's Smoke" Serves 4 2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/4 pounds skin-on mackerel filet Salsa: 2 oranges 1/2 red onion or 2 shallots, finely diced Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, chopped 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Pinch of kosher salt Black pepper 1. Mix water, salt and sugar until dissolved. Submerge mackerel in the brine, weighing it down with a plate, if necessary; soak 35 minutes. 2. Peel oranges, cut into segments; cut each segment into thirds and combine with onion, tarragon and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt, and toss well. 3. Remove fish from brine; pat dry. Season with coarsely ground pepper. Mackerel has enough fat that it will not need to be oiled before grilling if your grates are well-seasoned. Place fillet, skin side down, on the grill away from the coals of a small fire. Add a few fruitwood chips to the fire; cover grill. Cook until fish is no longer opaque, has taken on an even beige color and the flesh flakes under gentle pressure, about 10 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish and heat of the fire. 4. Transfer fish to a platter, peeling off skin if you wish. Spoon salsa over fish, and serve immediately. tasty Sumac-spiced eggplant 'schnitzel' By Joe Yonan The Washington Post Sometimes, all I want is a steak. Not a rib-eye or a T-bone, but some vegetable or another. Those moments come when I've tired of the rice bowls and the stir-fries and the salads, in which every ingredient has been pre-chopped to make for easy-to-scoop mouthfuls; and the tacos and pizzas and sandwiches, which need nothing more than my hands. Rather than choose "forks over knives," to borrow a phrase from the documentary and cookbook franchise of the same name, I want something that requires me to use both utensils for a change. I want to cut up a slab of produce that's sitting on a plate, definitely with a side dish, maybe with a sauce. Cauliflower — roasted or pan-fried — often fits the bill. And portobello mushrooms are an obvious choice. But when I came home with the first eggplant of the season from the farmers market recently, I knew it would satisfy my recent hankering. I've steamed eggplant slices to luxurious tenderness and paired them with an Asian-style sauce. I've roasted or grilled eggplant whole until it collapsed and used it, of course, for baba ghanouj, soups and other pureed treatments. I've cubed it and pan-fried it with vinegar, sugar and spices for a delectable appetizer. But I had never treated it like a schnitzel, that pounded and breaded meat cutlet usually involving veal or chicken, until I saw a tempting recipe in Maria Elia's "The Modern Vegetarian" (Kyle, 2009). Elia enlivens the breading with Mediterranean touches such as mint, parsley, lemon zest and sumac, that tart Middle Eastern spice. Other than ducking her call for fresh bread crumbs and relying instead on storebought panko-style bread crumbs, I followed her instructions to the letter. I was a little skeptical that the thick slices would get tender enough by the time their exterior turned brown; few things are as offputting to an eggplant lover as that spongy, undercooked texture. But any fears were soon put to rest. The slabs started to puff underneath the coating as they fried, the steam indicating that the vegetable was cooking pretty quickly on the inside. I let them drain, sprinkled them with a little more sumac and draped them over some tabbouleh. I picked up the knife, and guess what? The eggplant was so tender I didn't really need it. But I used it anyway. Sumac-Spiced Eggplant 'Schnitzel' 4 servings The tart spice sumac, from a ground berry, gives this dish an unmistakably Middle Eastern flair. Find it at Middle Eastern markets or online spice purveyors such as Penzeys and Kalustyan's. If you can't find it, double the amount of lemon zest. Serve with tabbouleh. MAKE AHEAD: The bread crumb mixture can be assembled and refrigerated for up to 1 day. The eggplant can be coated with the bread crumb mixture and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Adapted from "The Modern Vegetarian," by Maria Elia, 2009). Ingredients 1 large eggplant (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds) 1 cup unseasoned panko-style bread crumbs 2 tablespoons ground sumac 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste Freshly ground black pepper 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon whole or low-fat milk 1/4 cup flour Olive oil, for frying Steps Trim off and discard the eggplant's stem, and cut the eggplant lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Combine the bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of the sumac, the cheese, mint, parsley, lemon zest, salt and a few grinds of pepper, spreading the mixture in a shallow bowl or plate. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a separate shallow bowl or plate. Place the flour in a third bowl or plate. Dust the eggplant slices with flour, dip them in the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumb mixture, using all of the latter. Line a plate with several layers of paper towels. Pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large skil- let set over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding; fry the eggplant for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown outside and tender inside. (Make sure it is frying relatively slowly so the inside isn't still too firm by the time the outside is browned.) Use a slotted spatula to transfer the eggplant slices to the paper-lined plate. Season with salt and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sumac. NUTRITION Per serving (using whole milk): 220 calories, 7 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 105 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar