Pomegranate Marinated Flank Steak

Pomegranate Marinated Flank Steak

The longer the flank steak marinates, the more flavorful it will be. Use the ziploc bag to keep the meat and vegetables fully coated in the marinade. Be sure to cut against the grain when slicing the meat. For the dipping sauce, never use the marinade from the steak; instead set aside a separate, unused portion of the sauce from the outset.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds flank steak
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 orange bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch rounds
1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch rounds
1 vidalia onion, sliced in 1-inch rounds
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola, avocado, or safflower, to coat the grill

Directions:
With a fork, prick the flank steak all over. Season both sides of the steak with the salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, mustard, brown sugar, and garlic powder. Set aside about 1/3 of the sauce to use when serving the meat after grilling.
Pour the rest of the marinade in a gallon ziploc bag. Add the flank steak, pepper slices, and onion slices. Pushing out as much air as possible, close the bag and refrigerate the meat for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

To grill the meat, coat the grill grates with the neutral oil using tongs and a bit of paper towel. Heat the grill to medium high.
Once the grill is hot, lay the flank steak, pepper and onion on the oil-coated grates. Grill for 6- to 8 minutes, then flip the steak and vegetables. Grill for another 6 minutes, or to 150 degrees at the center of the steak.

Brush the finished steak with some of the reserved sauce while it rests for 15 minutes. Slice the steak on an angle against the grain, and serve with more of the reserved sauce over top or on the side.

Butternut Squash Risotto With Leeks And Spinach ~ Vegan

Butternut Squash Risotto 

With Leeks And Spinach

Cozy up with a comforting bowl of vegan Butternut Squash Risotto with Leeks and Spinachmade with very little fuss, in your Instant Pot (or on the stovetop.) Vegan-adaptable and Gluten-free this is quickly becoming a reader favorite. Make the flavorful Leek oil out of the left-over leek tops to drizzle over your bowl of risotto. One of my personal favorites!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
2 cups sliced leeks (one extra large leek)
4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
8 sage leaves, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice or short-grain Spanish rice (Bomba)
2 heaping cups butternut squash, cubed (please see notes if making on stove top!)
1/4 cup white wine (or skip it)
2 cups veggie stock or chicken stock or broth (or water and one teaspoon or cube veggie bouillon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (or sub black pepper to taste)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg the nutmeg makes this- don’t leave it out!
                                    ——
2–3 handfuls baby spinach or chopped kale
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Optional:
1/4 – 1/2 cup parmesan, pecorino, manchego, goat cheese, vegan cheese or cashew cheese – or the leave cheese out and use LEEK OIL for garnish. Or stir in 1-2 tablespoons of butter or ghee, or a drizzle of olive oil.
Optional: Maple Glazed Pecans

Directions:
Slice and rinse leeks, separating rings (rinsing will help them to soften faster).Set Instant Pot to the “Saute” function.

Heat oil in the instant pot, add the rinsed leeks and stir for 2 minutes. Add garlic, sage and rice, stir for 2 minutes.

Add butternut squash, and keep stirring for a couple of minutes, until there is a bit of browning on the bottom of the instant pot.

Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits- a wooden spoon is good for this. Let all the wine cook off, about 2-3 minutes. Add the stock or broth. Scrape up more browned bits. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and give a good stir.

Seal the instant pot and pressure cook on HIGH for 6 minutes. Naturally, release for 5 minutes, then manually release.

While the Instant pot is going you could make the leek oil and/or the maple glazed pecans.

Stir the risotto, adding the spinach and cheese or butter if you like, or leave them out. As the butternut breaks down a bit, it will add a nice natural creaminess to the risotto.

Garnish with optional leek oil or maple glazed pecans.

Notes:
To elevate this, make the leek oil and maple glazed pecans, and perhaps top it with some additional roasted or pan-seared butternut that has been nicely caramelized.

The butternut in the instant pot will break down and almost becomes the sauce here.

Stovetop instruction: (you will need 4-5 cups warm stock)
Roast Butternut, Toss the cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and ROAST in a 400 F oven on a parchment-lined sheet pan until caramelized and tender 25-30 minutes. At the same time make risotto.

Risotto: In a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the washed leeks. Saute until fragrant and tender, covering with the lid for a few minutes to let them steam a bit. Add garlic and sage, saute 2 more minutes until fragrant.

Add the rice and saute 1 minute, stirring. Add a splash of white wine, and cook this off. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add 1-2 cups warm stock (enough to cover the rice), stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time, letting the rice absorb it slowly, stirring often over med-low heat, until the rice is plumped, slightly al dente, yet creamy, about 20-25 minutes. If adding kale, add it with the last cup of broth. If adding spinach, you can stir it in at the end. Keep the risotto thick and hearty or add more stock to loosen it up a bit.

Stir in the roasted butternut and spinach and optional cheese or butter. Taste, season and adjust salt and pepper. If bland, it probably needs more salt.

Garnish with the leek oil and maple glazed pecans.

American Meatloaf

American Meatloaf

Meatloaf one would think is very American, its origins actually in a German colonial dish of minced pork mixed with cornmeal. Italians cook it a lot as well and in this rendition the cultures blend deliciously with the addition of a pestata to an American classic. Not only does it taste delicious but it is foolproof, moist every time. The leftovers reheat as if just cooked and Italians love to serve it with roasted potato wedges.

Ingredients
2 cups country crusty bread cubes
1 cup milk
2 medium carrots, cut in cubes
2 medium celery, cut in chunks
1 medium onion, cut in chunks
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 ½  pounds ground pork
1 bunch scallions, cut in slices
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Granna or Grana Padano
1 cup marinara sauce or pureed canned tomatoes
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put bread cubes in a medium bowl and pour the milk over. Let soak until bread is soft. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the carrot, celery and onion and pulse to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.

When the bread is soft, squeeze out excess milk and put bread in a large mixing bowl. Add pestata, ground meats, scallions, grated cheese, marinara sauce, parsley, salt and oregano. Mix well with your hands to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Oil a 10-by-15 Pyrex (or other) baking dish with the olive oil. Form meat mixture into a loaf in the oiled pan.

Baked until browned and cooked through (the center of the meatloaf should read 165 degrees F in an instant read thermometer), about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Infused Ketchup

Yesterday I went to lunch with my neighbor Alice. We each enjoyed the same sandwich. Alice requested ketchup for her fries. Alice asked me to taste the ketchup as it really was infused with something tasty. We asked the manager as he came to our table to question our satisfaction with our food. He was eager to share the recipe. I will try to share the recipe as it was shared with us.

Pomegranate Infused Ketchup

8 Roma Tomatoes, cut in quarters

3 garlic cloves

1 small onion, diced

Fresh basil, chiffanod

Olive oil

Pomegranate molasses*

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Quarter the tomatoes lengthwise to expose as much flesh as possible. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, add the finely sliced garlic, diced onion and basil. Allow to remain for two hours.

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Place the tomato mixture on a baking sheet and bake at 325 for about 1/2 hour or more just until tomatoes begin to caramelize. Do not allow to darken. Remove from oven and allow the tomatoes to soak up the juices and cool.

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The ratio of tomatoes to ketchup is one tomato to two ounces of commercial ketchup. Puree the tomato mixture. Add to the ketchup. Add Pomegranate molasses to taste. Ketchup will keep indefinitely in refrigerator.

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Pomegranate Molasses Don't let this item change your thought of creating this recipe. I took a cooking class and learned that if you take pomegranate juice and cooking it reducing it from 3 cups to 1 cup, you have the some composition.