Throwback Thursday

What’s cooking? Sheet-Pan Skirt Steak with Broccoli and White Beans

It occurred to me the other day – as I was thinking about dinner – that I have been writing this blog for 13 years. Yes, just the 13 years. That’s a lot of recipes... almost 400, if you’re counting. But who’s counting?

In any case, while not every recipe has been a winner, many of them are really excellent, if I do say so myself. Quite a few that even the Kitchen Goddess has forgotten about. So I’m going to toss a few of those your way, on a somewhat regular basis, and hope that you will re-discover a winner. And if you haven’t been paying super-great attention for all this time, you might discover one for the first time.

Today’s “throwback” dish was posted Friday, December 9, 2016. I made it just the other night for my prince, and we were both struck at how tasty – and easy – it was. Then I mentioned the dish to a neighbor, and she liked the sound of it so much that she made it, too. And loved it. And her family loved it. So that was enough encouragement for me. And we both like that it was a single sheet-pan dinner.

Back when I posted this recipe, I had seriously overbought in the balsamic vinegar section of my grocery store. So I needed a way to use it. And the fact that this recipe uses a half cup of the stuff weighed heavily in its favor. That combination of sweet from the balsamic vinegar and pungent tang from the mustard act like magic with the flavor of the meat. Here’s what else I noted in the post:

■ The whole meal cooks in one pan. Get that? The whole meal. One pan. (Okay, you’ll also want a big bowl for tossing the broccoli and a small bowl or jar for the dressing/marinade, but let’s not quibble over numbers.)

■ The process – which included trimming and slicing the broccoli – took less than an hour. (Kitchen Goddess aside: The sweetness of those big, thick broccoli stems, when trimmed of the tough outer layer, will surprise you.)

■ The deliciousness factor is way high because the meat juices drip down to flavor the beans and broccoli as they cook. For maximum flavor, do yourself a favor – a flavor favor! – and get fresh oregano.

■ The concept is terrifically flexible: the meat can be hanger steak or skirt steak or flank steak, the veggies can be broccoli or broccolini or (according to reviews) brussels sprouts or asparagus. And the beans can be any canned white beans: Great Northern, navy, cannellini. (Just FYI, the Kitchen Goddess’s faves are the large white cannellini, but she has used navy beans and even black-eyed peas in a pinch. Don’t make another trip to the store just for the beans.)

The nitpickers  more astute observers among you will note that the headline says “skirt steak,” and yet the photos are all of hanger steak. You work with what you’ve got – or, rather, what your butcher has to offer. I make this point to prove that it doesn't really make any difference which of these cuts you find. Most recently, we had skirt steak, and loved every bite.  

Kitchen Goddess note on meat: The three beef cuts that are best for this type of cooking – skirt steak, hanger steak, and flank steak – are all what used to be known as “butcher’s steaks,” because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale. Hanger and skirt steak come from the diaphragm, while flank steak comes from an area behind the diaphragm. They’re not pretty, and they’re not sliced from a larger part of the cow, so they are the shape and size they are. But they’re very flavorful. They need to be marinated, to tenderize them, then cooked quickly and at high heat. Before serving, you should slice them thinly and against the grain of the beef.

Skirt steak and hanger steak come from the diaphragm. Both are prized for their flavor, but both need marinating for a good hour. If you get skirt steak, ask your butcher to remove any traces of the tough membrane that surrounds it. Flank steak is leaner and not quite as flavorful, but responds well to marinating. Flank steak and skirt steak are popular as fajita meat; hanger steak is mostly used in French restaurants for steak frites. All three – hanger, skirt, and flank meat – should be cooked quickly and at high heat. 

Sheet-Pan Skirt Steak with Broccolini and White Beans

Adapted from Rhoda Boone in epicurious.com, August 2015

Serves 4.

Ingredients
4 large garlic cloves, divided
½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, divided
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ pounds skirt steak (or hanger steak or flank steak – see note above.If you use skirt steak, which is long and thin, cut it into two short pieces, for more even access to the heat)
1 pound broccoli or broccolini
1 can (15-ounce) white beans, drained and rinsed

Special equipment: An ovenproof wire rack that fits inside an 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheet

Directions
Make the vinaigrette marinade: Mince 2 of the garlic cloves and put them into a large jar or medium bowl. Add the vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon of the oregano, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the pepper, whisking to combine well. Slowly drizzle in ½ cup of the oil, whisking constantly to emulsify the mixture. Set aside ¼ cup of the vinaigrette for serving.

Place the steak into a half-gallon zip-lock bag and pour in the remaining vinaigrette. Seal the bag and massage to coat the meat with the vinaigrette. (Alternatively, you can place the meat in a shallow glass dish and pour the marinade over it. But that would mean dirtying another dish, wouldn’t it?) Let the meat marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

While the meat is marinating, use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems, and slice the broccoli lengthwise in pieces about ¼ inch thick. (If you have broccolini instead, slice only the thickest of the stems.)

Preheat the broiler and thinly slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves.

In a large bowl, toss the broccolini with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of oregano, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Lay the broccoli out on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil it about 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven. Spoon the beans around the broccoli and scatter the sliced garlic on top. Set the wire rack on top of the beans and broccoli. Remove the steak from the marinade and allow excess to drip off. Place the steak on the rack and discard the marinade.

Broil the steak about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. (If you use hanger steak, which is thicker, let it cook an extra minute per side.) Remove the pan from the oven and let the steak rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Hanger steak, which is thicker than skirt steak.

Meanwhile, divide the broccoli-bean mixture among four plates. Thinly slice the steak against the grain (i.e., perpendicular to the long thin strips of muscle) and serve with the reserved vinaigrette alongside.

If you are more organized than the Kitchen Goddess, you can make the vinaigrette up to 3 days ahead.

And a Happy Halloween to you all!

All This in One Pan? It’s a Holiday Miracle! What’s cooking? Sheet-Pan Skirt Steak in a Balsamic Marinade with Broccoli and White Beans

Kitchen Goddess note: I know, I promised you some ideas for hors d’oeuvres to help your holiday hosting. But then I came across this dish and got so excited I had to move it to the front of the line. No worries, though – as I always tell my guests, the hors d’oeuvres will be ready soon...

The holidays are sort of a feast/famine roller coaster at our house. There’s that slow climb through testing four veggie recipes for this blog, climaxing with the Thanksgiving bonanza, followed by no dinner at all until a delicious turkey soup emerges from the leftovers. Then a steady slide downhill after all that cooking, when I can’t get energized about even turning on the stove. That’s when we have a week of takeout.

I’m finally rested from Turkey Day, so I decided to treat my hubby to a steak dinner. And about that time, I was perusing my pantry and noticed it included six bottles of balsamic vinegar. That’s right, six. Three of regular balsamic, two of fig balsamic, and a blueberry balsamic. Am not sure how I got to that point – probably the same way that I might end up with 30+ rolls of toilet paper: I’d notice one day that we’re low, and the thought is like an earworm – you know, one of those bits of music that play over and over in your head until you want to shoot yourself? Only in this version, every time I’d go to the store, I’d “remember” we need toilet paper. So I must have been through a period of “remembering” balsamic vinegar.

In any case, when I happened upon this recipe that used a half cup of the stuff, I had to try it. What a discovery. And at the rate I expect to repeat this meal, I’ll be needing more balsamic in no time.

How many ways do I love this dish?

1. The whole meal cooks in one pan. Get that? The whole meal. One pan. (Okay, you’ll also want a big bowl for tossing the broccoli, but let’s not quibble over numbers.)

2. The process – which included trimming and slicing the broccoli – took less than an hour from start to finish.

3. The deliciousness factor is way high because the meat juices drip down to flavor the beans and broccoli as they cook. Mmmm... And the marinade also works as a sauce for the cooked steak and the veggies. For maximum flavor, do yourself a favor – a flavor favor! – and get fresh oregano.

4. The concept is terrifically flexible: the meat can be hanger steak or skirt steak or flank steak, the veggies can be broccoli or broccolini or (according to reviews) Brussels sprouts or asparagus. And the beans can be any canned white beans: Great Northern, navy, cannellini. (Just FYI, the Kitchen Goddess’s faves are the cannellini, but all the store had this time was navy beans.)

My hanger steak, about 1.35 pounds

Kitchen Goddess note on meat: Of the three beef cuts used for this type of cooking, skirt steak and hanger steak come from the diaphragm. Both are prized for their flavor; of the two, hanger is thicker and more tender, so supposedly needs marinating for less time. That said, my butcher had only hanger available, and it was still a bit tough after marinating only 30 minutes. Next time, I’ll marinate a full hour. Actually, next time I’ll get skirt steak. Flank steak is leaner and not quite as flavorful, but responds well to marinating. All three – hanger, skirt, and flank meat – should be cooked quickly and at high heat. They’re best served rare or medium-rare, and should be cut in thin strips across the grain to improve tenderness.

Sheet-Pan Skirt Steak in a Balsamic Marinade with Broccoli and White Beans

Adapted from Rhoda Boone in epicurious.com, August 2015

Serves 4.

Ingredients
4 large garlic cloves, divided
½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh (!) oregano leaves, divided
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ pounds skirt steak (or hanger steak or flank steak – see note above; if you use skirt steak, which is long and thin, cut it into two short pieces, for ease of broiling)
1 pound broccoli or broccolini
1 can (15-ounce) white beans, drained and rinsed

Special equipment: An ovenproof wire rack that fits inside an 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheet

Directions
Finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves. Put the garlic into a large jar or medium bowl and add the vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon of the oregano, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the pepper, whisking to combine well. Slowly drizzle in ½ cup of the oil, whisking constantly to emulsify the mixture. Set aside ¼ cup of the vinaigrette for serving.

Place the steak into a half-gallon zip-lock bag and pour in the remaining vinaigrette. Seal the bag and massage to coat the meat with the vinaigrette. (Alternatively, you can place the meat in a shallow glass dish and pour the marinade over it. But that would mean dirtying another dish, wouldn’t it?) Let the meat marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.






While the meat is marinating, use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layer of the broccoli stems, and slice the broccoli lengthwise in pieces about ¼ inch thick. (If you have broccolini instead, slice only the thickest of the stems.)

Preheat the broiler and thinly slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves. In a large bowl, toss the broccolini with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of oregano, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Lay the broccoli out on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil it about 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven.

Stir the beans into the broccoli and scatter the sliced garlic on top. Set the wire rack on top of the beans and broccoli. Remove the steak from the marinade and allow excess to drip off. Place the steak on the rack and discard the marinade.

Broil the steak about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. (If you use hanger or skirt steak, which are thicker, let them cook an extra minute per side.) Remove the pan from the oven and let the steak rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, divide the broccoli-bean mixture among four plates. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve with the reserved vinaigrette alongside. (Caution: The balsamic vinaigrette has a fairly strong flavor that can overwhelm the broccoli/beans, which have already been flavored by the meat drippings. So taste first before you pour on more sauce.)

Note that if you are more organized than the Kitchen Goddess, you can make the vinaigrette up to 3 days ahead.