Crockpot Flank Steak

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It's always nice when work overlaps and gives you something nice for your personal life.  Browsing Bank of America's social media properties for a project, I took note of a link to some money-saving crockpot recipes, and bookmarked them for a closer look later.  Here's the first one...

Recipe

3 lbs flank steak, each steak cut into thirds (if necessary - I overlooked this part with my one steak)
1 1/2 c broth
1/4 c sherry (or apple cider) vinegar
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
salt & pepper
extras: tortillas, cilantro, jalapeno, rice, couscous, etc.

Do the crockpot thing: combine it all.  The meat should be submerged or close to it, so get the veggies and stuff out from under if necessary.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Shred the meat (let it sit 10 minutes first if you can) and serve.

Notes

It seems a pity to eat flank steak not from the grill, but no regrets about this one.  The recipe says the cut has a "meaty" flavor, which, well, how could it not be meaty?  (They also describe the whole dish
as "fragrant.")  But yeah, the flank steak really was good (if on the expensive side).

I got distracted and forgot to prep anything else to go with, so I enjoyed it as a paleo stew-type dish.  Very good, but I'd try it as tacos or over rice or, as per a reader comment on the original, couscous, which sounds even better...

Sjomansbiff

I assume that translates from the Norwegian roughly to "sea-man's beef"; according to the newly-inherited 70's-vintage Scandinavian cookbook, it's Norwegian sailor's stew.

Recipe

1 1/2 lb round steak, cut into 8 thin slices
3 tbsp butter
3 medium onions, sliced
6-8 medium potatoes, sliced
1 pint light ale
salt & pepper

Heat a skillet with the butter and brown the steak slices.  Remove, then saute the onions, sprinkling with some salt and pepper.  In a larger saucepan, layer the meat, onions, and potatoes.  Pour over any pan drippings and the ale.  Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about an hour and a half.

Notes

From skimming through the Scandinavian recipes, I conclude that (perhaps outside of fish, which I didn't check as closely at first) the cuisine is less about distinctive seasonings and flavors, and more about hearty, Viking-approved meat and potato-type meals.

This one fits right into that category.  Beef, onions, potatoes, ale, and butter - not even playing around with any veggies.  In a way, it's a little frustrating to have the meat and onions close to done, and then put it all in a pot to sit for over an hour.  I'd recommend a tasty ale, since the potatoes especially pick up the flavor.  Not sure the exact way to slice the meat either - a slanted cut would make thinner slices but take up more space to brown...  I'll definitely play around with more of these recipes - and get a little more adventurous - but for now a simple start.

Peruvian Lomo Saltado Steak & Potato Stir-Fry

Thanks to the little bro, I got to try out a few meals via Plated. As for my review of the service...  The meals I tried were all pretty good, and (though I wasn't paying attention to the difficulty) simple enough to put together.  Somewhat surprisingly, the estimates (usually ~45 minutes) were right on point, where a lot of recipes tend to be overly optimistic. The variety of meals is excellent, with more than a half-dozen options, and always multiple ones that look good to me (e.g., not vegetarian).  Of the four I tried, two were great for a change from my regular style of cooking, while the other two I could easily see myself going back to.  First one below...  Ultimately, I won't stick with Plated.  I don't need a subscription - I have enough recipes I want to try on my own.  Plus, the amount of packaging seems wasteful, especially with ingredients like butter, soy sauce, or sriracha that I have plenty of.  A good experiment, though.  So, back on point, here's one recipe:

Recipe

10 oz (inside round) steak
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp aji amarillo (the one thing I'm not sure how to replicate post-Plated)
1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 red onion
1 green bell pepper
2 plum tomatoes
cilantro
1 cloves garlic
1/4 c red wine
1 packet soy sauce (a tsp maybe? will have to confirm)
oil, salt & pepper

Thinly slice the steak (1/4 inch slices) (against the grain), season with the spices and aji amarillo, and marinate for at least 10 minutes.  Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, cover with water and a pinch of salt, and boil until soft (at least like 5 minutes).  Slice the onion (thinly), slice the pepper (1/4 inch slices), and chop the tomatoes (1/4 inch pieces).  Heat some oil, season the steak with salt & pepper, brown the meat on both sides, then set aside.  Heat some more oil, then add the potatoes, onion, pepper, and (smashed) garlic.  Saute until starting to brown, then add tomato until it starts to soften.  Last, you add the red wine and soy sauce, and simmer until reduced by half.  Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

My main mistake here was not to get the skillet hot enough to get a good brown on the meat - I don't always have the cojones (as the Peruvians might say) to get some real heat (and smoke) going in the apartment.  The overall dish ended up a little mushy without a real nice crisp meat element.  Very tasty though!  Worth another try...

Not that I was looking for it, but this one must have been one of their gluten-free options (unless they package the wrong soy sauce...).

Steak alla Pizziaola

This recipe came from the folks at Lodge, makers of fine cast-iron cookware.  And lovers of good meat and veggies:

Recipe

Meat
4 strip steaks

Plant (& Fungi) I
1 onion, sliced
3 red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp capers

Plant II
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
3 sprigs thyme
a sprinkle (or a few) of red pepper flakes

salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 and your (Lodge, of course) skillet medium-high with some olive oil.  Sprinkle the steaks with salt & pepper (or Montreal seasoning), and brown about five minutes per side.  Set the steaks aside, replenish the olive oil in the skillet, and in goes the first batch of plant (and fungi).  Saute for about 7 minutes, then add the second batch, stir up, and cook a few more minutes.  Put the steaks on top and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Notes

There's a ton of chopping (you want the potatoes small so they soften; at least you don't have to dice the garlic), but well worth it - chop everything in group I into a big, beautiful bowl of plant (and fungi) parts before you get started.  The small-ish steaks I used came out pretty well done, but still delicious!  Make as much as your skillet can hold (OK, so about as prescribed) because it's good left over

Paleo Steak Marinade

What's more paleo than a raw hunk of cow?  Well, there's nothing wrong with giving it a little (or a massive) jolt of flavor.  There are a bunch of pointers and formulas for marinating meat here.  I've only tried one pretty straightforward one, but it's a good one:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp salt, dissolved in 2 oz water
4 scallions, cut in half
2 big cloves of garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp honey

Mix everything up in a Ziploc bag, add in your hunk of meat.  The recipe recommends skirt steak or any other thin cut.  Make sure your steak is well-coated, and leave in the refrigerator for (at least) an hour.

What happens next is up to you!  Grilling is probably best, but since that's not an option for me, I've done it a few times in the cast-iron skillet.  The key there is to wait (and bear the smoke) for as long as you can - the outside looks well done about when the inside is perfect!  For instance, this:

...was not quite long enough :(  Those mushrooms and onions were awesome, though :)

Steak Fajitas

Red meat always seems a little tricky in a humble NYC apartment.  If you're not grilling, you're probably using a second-best cooking technique, sadly.  So I was happy to find a steak recipe that actually recommends using a pan.  A little guidance on the marinade didn't hurt either.

The Recipe

1 lb flank steak or skirt steak
1 onion, sliced
2-3 bell peppers
olive oil, salt

Marinade
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Mix the marinade ingredients together, coat the steak and let sit at least an hour.  Then heat a skillet over high with oil and sear your meat for a few minutes each side.  Let it sit while you cook the vegetables.  Then slice the meat and serve with tortillas, etc.

Results

With your choice of peppers, veggies and other fajita fixin's (I liked sprinking some Manchego on mine), it makes a fun group meal.  I was a little underwhelmed by the marinade, though - the more you stuff into your tortilla, the less that flavor comes through.

No picture :(