As a way of a preface, my father passed away a few days ago, which largely explains the relative inactivity on this site of late. (No tears, please---he was 81 years old, his health had been deteriorating for several years, his checked himself into the hospital to be put on morphine and allowed to die with dignity, and if he were still around, he'd get mighty cranky at the thought of anyone getting dewy-eyed and sentimental over him.) Anyway, I've spent a few days sorting through his possessions, and I came across a brand-new All-Clad grille pan, unused and still in the box. (Someone must have given it to him as a gift and he never got around to breaking it out.) Now I dig the taste of grilled foods, but like most apartment dwellers, I don't have a dedicated grille on my stove, or ready access to a backyard barbecue, so I thought I'd take the thing home and give it a whirl. And while it's not quite the same as cooking outdoors on an open flame, the results you get from it are pretty darned good. And if you're worried about smoking out your kitchen this way, don't. If you keep the burner at a reasonable (medium) heat, it doesn't throw off any more smoke than typical pan-frying or sauteeing does. I'll be experimenting further, but so far, I've found that asparagus cooks up nicely in about five minutes, a hunk of spring onions in about 10, and both the slab of zucchini and the flank steak pictured take around 12 to 15 minutes to reach the proper level of doneness. So thanks, Pop---this meal's, and this blog's, in your memory. As will be many others, I am sure. (Marinade recipe for the flank steak beneath the pic.)
BARON'S BEST WET RED-MEAT MARINADE
(for 1 lb flank steak, cut into 4 serving pieces)2 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 medium blood orange
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp New Mexico, Ancho, or other smoky chile powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup tawny port 1 tsp unsalted butter, softened
Add all of the ingredients except the port and butter in a bowl big enough to contain all the steaks. Stir to combine. Add the steaks and allow to marinade at room temperature, turning occasionally, for 2 hours before cooking.
Five minutes before the steaks are done, add 1 cup of the marinade to a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and continue cooking over high heat, until reduced by half, approximately 3 minutes. Add the port and continue to cook until the sauce has turned very dark and has reached the consistency of a thick sauce, about three minutes more. When the steaks are plated and rested, give each filet a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce.
---Vitelius
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