Teriyaki Skirt Steak with Sesame Asparagus

Monday night I was just CRAVING red meat. Since I don’t eat red meat too often, outside of hamburgers (obviously),  I was uncertain on what cut of meat I wanted. Not knowing much about red meat I went for the skirt steak since it was on sale. After all, we’re in a recession! 

So now I’m thinking, what do I do with this good looking piece of meat (aside from the fact that it was labeled “diaphram”). I immediately called my dad, since he is always heating up steaks on the grill. He recommended cooking the skirt steak in any soy-based sauce. After doing some research online I found that I had two flavoring options: Chimichurri Sauce or Asian Marinade. And since I was hungry and not wanting to mess around with food processors or blenders, I chose the Asian Marinade.

Any soy-based marinade would work with the steak, so go ahead and create your own or use any store-bought marinade.  I had recently bought a new orange teriyaki sauce that I figured would be perfect. I also recommend using a cast iron pan to cook the steaks, as the pan will sear in the flavor and yield a much tastier result, as you will see below. And feel free to use whatever vegetables you have lying around your kitchen. This recipe initially called for spinach but broccoli or a frozen vegetable stir fry mix would also work well. Though since it’s spring time, you might want to take advantage of the delicious asparagus being sold at your local market (as it’s in season)!

INGREDIENTS

SKIRT STEAK

• 1 lb skirt steak
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup asian marinade (teriyaki, soy-vey, etc)
• 1 tbsp garlic & ginger paste (optional)

SESAME ASPARAGUS

• 1  tablespoon  sesame seeds, toasted
• 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon  rice vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  dark sesame oil
• 3  garlic cloves, minced

PREPARATIONS

1. Marinate your skirt steak in 1/4 – 1/2 cup terikayi and garlic & ginger paste for one hour or more in the refrigerator.
2. Drizzle your cast iron pan with some olive oil or a few heavy sprays of cooking spray and bring to medium-high heat.
3. Place your steaks on the hot pan and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare (or 6-7 minutes for medium/medium-well.
4. While the steak cooks, chop up your asparagus on an angle into about 1 inch pieces. Heat 2 tsp dark sesame oil in a medium sautee pan and sautee garlic and asparagus on a medium heat. 
5. It’s probably been about 5 minutes, so go ahead and turn over your steak  and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Now you will make the marinade by combining the toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
7. The steak should now be about done, so let it rest for about 10 minutes so that the juices don’t run out of the steak.
8. The asparagus should also be nice and tender. Take the asparagus off the heat and toss with sesame vinaigrette.
9. After the steak has cooled place half the steak on a plate with 1/2 cup of sesame asparagus. Serve with steamed brown rice and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Penne a la Vodka with Asparagus

Penne a la Vodka is the third installment of the Healthy Cooking on the Cheap Series and is a perfect recipe for entertaining. I’m even making this delicious dish tonight for the very person who is designing the new Hartley Confections Logo! This may explain why the design of the blog has been changing the last few days. I’m working on some Hartley Confections branding that will provide a cleaner look and a better interface for all of my loyal readers!

So hopefully my soon-to-be-named guest will agree that my Penne a al Vodka is the perfect suggestion for a somewhat healthy and inexpensive meal for entertaining. Another great thing about this dish is that you can substitute the ingredients for items you already have in your kitchen or leave out ingredients that you don’t like or don’t have. I opted to use fresh canned tomatoes opposed to tomato sauce and half and half instead of heavy cream to cut back on calories. I DO NOT recommend using whole milk as a substitution as it greatly dilutes the sauce which produces a bland end result. I also like to incorporate a green vegetable to make the meal heartier and more nutritious.

I hope you enjoy my variation on this Italian favorite. Please submit any interesting variations or suggestions you might have to add to the flavor of this dish! Pictures will be posted tomorrow.

Ingredients

• 8 oz Dried Whole Wheat or Flax Seed Penne (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil (or butter)
• Pancetta (optional)
• 1 clove garlic chopped (about 1/2 tablespoon Minced Garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup Vodka (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Half & Half (or heavy cream)
• 1/4 cup green onions
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, diced on an angle
• 1 Ziploc Steam Bag
• Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preparation

1. Begin to boil water for pasta in a medium saucepan. While the water boils, dice your garlic, green onions, pancetta (if included), and asparagus.

Vodka, Garlic, and Red Chile Peppers

2. Heat olive oil or butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add garlic and pancetta, and sauté 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes. Remove from heat (so that the alcohol doesn’t splatter) and stir in vodka. Return to heat and simmer 5 minutes.

3. Once water begins to boil, drop in the pasta and cook according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, stir in tomatoes and basil and simmer 5 minutes. And while tomatoes simmer, heat the asparagus in a Ziploc Steam Bag according to package directions.

4. Stir in half and half and salt; simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked al dente pasta, asparagus, and green onions cook 2 more minutes to blend the flavors together.

5. Top with Parmesan cheese and black pepper; serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Penne a la Vodka with Asparagus