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.

Grilled Vegetable Platter With Lemon, Garlic, And Mint Vinaigrette

 

\Vegetable Platter with Lemon, Garlic and Mint

This showstopper of a grilled vegetable platter belongs on every table! Use whole and large pieces of vegetables to make prep simple and quick. The vinaigrette finishes the grilled vegetable platter with another layer of mouthwatering flavor.

Ingredients:

For the vegetables:

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or safflower
1 globe eggplant, sliced in ½-inch thick rounds
10 baby bell peppers, whole
2 zucchinis, sliced on the diagonal crosswise in ½-inch pieces
1 bunch asparagus, thicker variety if available
1 pound large button mushrooms
2 large sweet onions, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 pound Campari or Roma tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the vinaigrette:

3 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Few grinds black pepper
20 fresh mint leaves plus more, chopped, for finishing

Directions:

Heat the grill to medium high. Rub the grates lightly with a neutral oil such as canola or safflower. 

Place the vegetables on a large tray or sheetpan. Keep each vegetable type together. Brush the vegetables generously with extra virgin olive oil. 

Transfer the vegetables to the heated grill and cook until tender. Keep the grill lid closed, opening to check and turn the vegetables as you go. The vegetables each cook for varied lengths of time; the asparagus and tomatoes will likely be finished before the other items, so pull them off when they are soft and slightly charred, about 10 minutes. 

In a blender or a small prep food processor, blend the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and mint leaves until a thick dressing forms. Taste and adjust as needed.

Arrange the grilled vegetables on a large platter, keeping the types together. 

Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and finish with chopped mint. Serve immediately.

Fresh Herb Falafel With Bread

Fresh Herb Falafel With Bread

Ingredients:  

For the Falafel

1/2 cup dry (uncooked) chickpeas
1/2 cup dry peeled fava beans (be sure they're the pale, peel dry favas, not the dark unpeeled favas which won't work)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup mint leaves
3/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 small jalepeno, ribs and seeds removed and coarsely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion (1 small onion)
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon baking soda
Safflower or canola oil, for frying (about 3 cups)

For the Tahini Sauce:
3/4 cup yogurt or laban
1/3 cup tahini (stir before measuring)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic, green sprout removed and minced
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
In a medium bowl, cover the chickpeas and fava beans with cool water by several inches. Soak them overnight and up to 24 hours.

Drain the chickpeas and fava beans. In the food processor, process them with a teaspoon of salt until they are ground to a coarse crumb. Add the mint, parsley, cilantro, jalepneo, garlic, onion, and sesame seeds and pulse until everything is finely ground and the mixture is a fine, web crumb—but not pureed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the baking soda, and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to one day.

To make the tahini sauce, process the yogurt, tahini, salt, and garlic until combined. Pour in the lemon juice and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings so that the sauce has a nutty flavor of tahini with a bit of the tang of the yogurt.

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan or sauté pan until a pinch of herb dropped in floats and bubbles dramatically. Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, pack the falafel mixture tightly in to the scoop to form 2-inch ovals, and fry a few at a time until they are golden brown, flipping them over with tongs as soon as they are browned on one side. Remove the falafel from the oil with the tongs to a paper towel-lined plate, and fry the remaining falafel in the same way.

Serve the falafel hot with the tahini sauce on the side or drizzled over top.

Green Beans With Onions

Green Beans With Onions

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the beans
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
Few grinds black pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-inch pieces

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic until well combined. Add the sliced onion and stir to coat entirely with the vinaigrette. Cover and marinate for 1hour.

In a medium saucepan, bring plenty of water with a tablespoon or so of salt to a boil. Add the beans and remove the pan from the heat. Allow the beans to cook in the hot water until they are bright and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In a serving dish, toss the beans with the onions and vinaigrette. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve immediately.

 

Nut-Free Baklava

Nut-Free Baklava

Nut-Free Baklava Seeds Combined 

Buttered Baklava Before Baking

Ingredients:

1 pound box of phyllo, 9"x14" sheets, room 

   temperature3/4 cup clarified butter (measure after clarifying), 

   melted

FOR THE SYRUP

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons orange blossom water

FOR THE FILLING

1 1/3 cups roasted pepitas (raw works fine too!)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
To make the syrup (do this in advance as it has to be cold!), in a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the orange blossom water. Pour into another, heatproof, container, then cool and chill completely. It is essential to pour cool/room temperature syrup over the hot pastry when it comes out of the oven.

To make the sugared seeds: Process all of the seeds in the food processor using pulses, taking care not to go too far (to avoid making too much seed-dust). Combine the seeds and sugar stirring until all of the seeds are coated.

Assemble the baklawa: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Open one sleeve of the phyllo and unroll it on top of the plastic it is packaged in. Keep the phyllo covered with a towel.

Use a metal, straight-sided 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan and trim the phyllo to fit. Lay the pan over the phyllo, and cut about an inch off of the short side of the phyllo so it will fit in the pan. It’s better to leave the phyllo just a hair larger than the pan because it will shrink when it bakes.

Brush the bottom of the pan with clarified butter. Lay 2/3 (13 sheets) of the stack of  phyllo leaves in the pan. Spread half of the seeds over the phyllo in one even layer and place the remaining 1/3 (7 sheets) of the phyllo over the seeds. Open the second sleeve of phyllo and trim the same way as the first sleeve. Lay 1/3 (7 sheets) of the second stack of leaves over the phyllo that is already in the pan. Spread the remaining half of the seeds evenly over the phyllo, then place the remaining phyllo stack (13 sheets) over the seeds, taking care that the top layer is a sheet that is not torn. Take a layer from the center of the leaves for the top layer if necessary.

Brush the top layer or two with clarified butter. Using the tip of a very sharp chef’s knife, cut the baklawa into diamonds by cutting six rows (5 cuts) lengthwise and ten rows (9 cuts) crosswise on the diagonal. Make slightly smaller pieces by cutting 7 rows (6 cuts) lengthwise. Lightly score the top with your knife before diving in so you can see where the cuts will be.

Use your dominant hand to cut and the other hand to hold the top layers of phyllo down while cutting, and be sure to cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan. This is essential so that the butter will seep through all layers. The knife is held almost perpendicular to the pastry, cutting straight down into the phyllo and nuts all the way through. The top layer will lift and in general make you want to curse as you cut, but just lay the phyllo back down where it belongs and move on. The sharper your knife, the easier the cutting will be.

Pour the melted clarified butter over the baklawa evenly. Allow the butter to settle in, about 5 minutes. Bake on the oven shelf second from the top until deep golden brown, 50-60 minutes, rotating the baklawa halfway through baking.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour the chilled orange blossom syrup evenly over the baklawa. When the pastry is just cool enough to handle, cut away a few pieces of the uneven edge morsels to eat warm (the baker's reward...). Let the baklawa cool for several hours. 

Cut the pieces of baklawa from the pan with a sharp knife as needed. Serve in foil mini-muffin cups or directly on a plate, arranged in a circle with the points of the pieces facing the center. Keep the baklawa lightly, not tightly, covered in the pan with plastic wrap or a piece of wax paper for up to 2 weeks.