Grilled Flank Steak and Mushrooms With Compound Brown Butter

      

Grilled Flank Steak and Mushrooms

With Compound Brown Butter

Browning butter before turning it into a compound butter gives it a nutty sweetness that flatters both grilled steak and mushrooms. The recipe will make more butter than you need, but it freezes well and is excellent on everything from steamed cod to boiled lobster to baked potatoes. Grilled flat beans or green beans make a great side for this dish.
Ingredients
1/2 lb (225 g) unsalted butter
2 small cloves garlic, grated on a rasp, divided
1/2 tsp (2 mL) fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped thyme
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped parsley
2 tsp (10 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 lb (455 g) flank steak
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lb (455 g) small cremini or button mushrooms
Lemon wedges for serving (optional)
Directions:
In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat, stirring often, until beginning to foam. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter smells sweet and nutty, and turns golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour butter into a large heatproof bowl.

Stir 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, lemon zest, thyme and parsley into hot butter. Cool butter until it’s mostly solidified again—if your kitchen is warm, you might have to pop it in the fridge. Break up butter and beat with a hand mixer until whipped and emulsified.

Remove 1/3 cup (80 mL) butter for mushrooms. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Scrape remaining butter onto a piece of parchment paper. Form into a small log and wrap well, twisting ends to seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 1 week. (It will also keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.)

In a small bowl, mix remaining garlic and lemon juice, and rub all over steak. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature while preparing rest of dish.

Preheat grill to high, about 500°F (260°C).

Melt 1/3 cup (80 mL) reserved compound butter. Place in bowl with mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Thread evenly on 8 small metal or soaked wooden skewers.

Grill steak, with lid closed, until nicely seared, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, flipping once, until it’s done to your liking, about 2 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and place 2 to 3 slices of cold compound butter overtop. Tent
with foil and rest for 10 minutes.

While steak is resting, reduce heat on grill to medium-high, about 400°F (204°C).

Grill mushrooms, covered and turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

Slice steak against grain and transfer to serving platter with lemon wedges, if desired. Serves 4

Lebanese Rice

 

Lebanese Rice

Looking for a special side dish? You can use basmati or any long grain rice and it will cook up just as nicely. The addition of broken vermicelli is optional. The recipe scales up very easily for a big crowd. Also, you can make this dish in advance and reheat it with more broth and another handful of freshly cut scallions. Hold to garnish with pine
nuts until serving.
Ingredients:
For the rice:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
1/4 cup vermicelli, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Big pinch kosher salt
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
For the melange:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch scallions, finely sliced, both white and green parts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat until foamy. Add the vermicelli, if using, and cook until the pasta is deeply toasted. Add the rice and salt, and stir to coat it with the oils. Tuck in the cinnamon sticks, add the broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the rice is soft and has fully absorbed the broth, about 20 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it is hot, but not smoking. Add as many of the sliced mushrooms as will fit in one layer. Leave them to cook without disturbing them for a few minutes, to encourage browning, then stir and continue cooking until they are nicely browned but still somewhat firm. Push the mushrooms to one side and sauté the remaining mushrooms in this same way if there wasn’t room in the first round. Add more olive oil if the pan gets dry.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and scallions, reserving a small handful of the sliced green scallion for garnish. Cook just until the scallions are starting to wilt. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Stir the rice into the mushroom mixture, discarding the cinnamon sticks. Drizzle with more olive oil, and taste. Add more salt if needed. The rice can now rest, covered, on the stovetop until you are ready to eat (up to several hours). Just warm it over low heat.

Garnish with the raw scallions and pine nuts, and serve immediately.

  

Goulash Potato Ring ~ Gulasch Im Kartoffelrand

 Goulash Potato Ring

Gulasch Im Kartoffelrand 

2/3/2023  180,000 views on this Blog!  Thank you everyone!

Warming pork goulash served in a golden baked mashed potato ring - great presentation for a perennial favorite winter dish.

Ingredients

1-3/4 lbs pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons clarified butter 
1 lb red onions cut into 8 pieces each
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 small can tomatoes
2 green bell peppers diced
1/2 lb button mushrooms
1 cup meat stock
1 package instant mashed potatoes or mashed 

   Yukon Gold potatoes
1 egg yolk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the pork into generous cubes. In a Dutch oven brown the meat in the clarified butter. Add the onions and season with salt, pepper, marjoram and paprika. Add the tomatoes and place in preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and add the bell peppers, mushrooms and meat stock. Put back into oven for another 20 minutes.

Prepare instant mashed potatoes as indicated on the package but using slightly less water. Place the potato mixture into an icing bag (or create your own from a plastic freezer bag by cutting out one of the corners). On a large round ovenproof serving platter create a ring with the mashed potatoes. Beat the egg yolk and brush it onto the potato ring. Place in oven for about 5 minutes to slightly brown the top of the potatoes. 

Fill the ring with goulash and serve.   Serves 4.