Orange & Soy Marinaded Steak With Wild Rice

This marinade is similar to the one I used on the pork ribs a while ago.  It's very universal, you can tweak it anyway you want, like adding more heat or turn it towards being Asian by adding ginger, lemon grass and sesame oil.

Recipe for two:
1 pound of flank, flat iron or flap steak
1 c soy sauce
Juice of half an orange
1 T honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 t chili flakes
1 small red onion, chopped
1 c black wild rice
1 bunch broccoli rabe
2 c vegetable or chicken stock
2 T olive oil

First, marinade the steak by dissolving the honey into a tiny bit of hot water, add the orange juice, soy sauce, garlic and chili flakes.  Pour over the meat and let it rest for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

When you're ready get the rice going, wild rice takes a little longer to cook, so plan for that!  To cook the rice add a tablespoon of olive oil to your rice pan and half of the chopped onion with a little salt and pepper, and cook until soft but not brown.  When done add the rice and stir for a little bit over medium high heat.  Then add the stock, when it starts to boil lower the heat to low and cover with a lid.

Place the meat on the grill and cook it how you like!  While that's happening, add the other tablespoon of olive oil to a saute pan over medium high heat.  When it's hot add the rest of the onion and cook until soft.  Wash the broccoli rabe and remove any large stems and chop it up a bit.  When the meat and rice are done, turn off the heat on the rice and leave the pan covered.  Remove the meat to a cutting board and cover, let it rest for a couple of minutes.

Now add the broccoli rabe to the cooked onion and saute, adding a little salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Flat Iron Steak with a Green Peppercorn Cream Sauce...

In no time at all you can whip up this classic sauce!  It's easy and the prep is simple.  Try it, you'll love it.

This dish should keep Larry quiet for a bit!

We served our meat with roasted acorn squash, which is coated with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Then put in the oven at 325* for an hour.   We also had caramelized onions and garlic, with kale.  To caramelize the onions just chop or slice finely and saute in olive oil over medium high heat.  When they start cooking and get soft, add the garlic and turn the heat down to low.  Now leave them alone for 15 minutes, then add the chopped kale, stems removed, and season.

For the meat.  The meat should at room temperature for about an hour before cooking.  This step helps the meat cook evenly.  Get a saute pan nice and hot.  Rub or brush the meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then place in the hot pan.  Cook until nice and brown, then turn and do the same.  The meat should be very rare still, so move to another pan and place in the oven to finish.

Sauce for two:
1 cup red wine
1 teaspoon green peppercorns
1/2 cup beef or vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream

Clean out the pan that you cooked the meat in by wiping with a paper towel and scrape out any burned bits.  Now place the pan back on the stove over high heat, when it's hot, add the wine and reduce until about two tablespoons.  Then add the stock and do the same.  Now add the peppercorns and cream, lower the heat to medium and reduce the cream a little.  This only takes seconds!

Sauce your warm plates, and place the meat on the sauce, now add your vegetables.  You can put the rest of the sauce on top of the meat because you won't want to waste any!

Bon Appetit!