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!

My Half-Full Glass of Lemonade

What’s cooking? Crunchy Baked Pesto Chicken Thighs

I’m supposed to be in Arizona today, enjoying the magnificence of the Grand Canyon with a couple of good friends. But an hour before the car that would take us to the airport arrived, we got a call from the husband in that couple, saying that his wife was having horrible back pain, and they wouldn't be able to go on the trip. That was Wednesday.

We took a few moments to assess the situation. We could go anyhow – plane and hotel reservations were still intact, our bags were packed, and we had no health issues. But the major point of the trip was to see this other couple – the Grand Canyon was just a vehicle for the get together – and we wouldn’t enjoy the experience nearly as well without them.

So we canceled, too. And then we worked on making lemonade out of these lemons.

It wasn’t as hard as you’d imagine. After all, the Grand Canyon will still be there when we get around to setting up another trip, and the airline cheerfully saved the tickets for another time. So we called off the car, unpacked our bags, and poured a glass of wine to help us think.

Then we realized: we had nothing to do for a week. NOTHING. No doctor or dentist appointments, no PT or chiropractic sessions, no meetings, no lunch/dinner dates, no hair appointments, no need for manicure/pedicure, ...Well, the list just goes on. When’s the last time you had that kind of freedom? After a while, we caved to the most immediate impulse and called friends to go to dinner; but by and large, we’re just “chillin’.” And it’s been a great week. I’m thinking we should schedule this sort of “vacation” more often. Just tell everyone we’ll be out of town, and hang out at home.

Plus, here I am with time for a post. Something for you and something for me!

I’ve been loving this recipe so much – soooo easy – that I’ve probably made it too often, but my prince hasn’t complained even once. It’s fast and flavorful and – except for the pesto – doesn’t use a lot of weird ingredients. Of course, the Kitchen Goddess doesn't think pesto is weird. She always has pesto on hand – she can’t seem to resist the urge to make it anytime she has enough herbs. (Check out this post on four kinds of pesto: It’s a Pesto Party!) These days, lots of grocery stores will sell pesto they make in-house. So find some pesto, make some pesto,... whatever. But definitely try this recipe.

Kitchen Goddess note on panko versus regular breadcrumbs: For starters, panko is not a weird ingredient. Au contraire, panko is a Japanese style of breadcrumb – available in most grocery stores – made from a crustless white bread that is processed into flakes and then dried. Because the consistency is drier and flakier than regular breadcrumbs, panko absorbs less oil than traditional breadcrumbs, producing a lighter, more delicate crunch. You can always use breadcrumbs instead, but you won’t get that delicate crunch.

Crunchy Baked Pesto Chicken Thighs

Adapted from RainbowJewels on allrecipes.com.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
¼ cup prepared pesto
2 tablespoons olive oil plus 1½ teaspoons, divided
½ cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Optional garnish: 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Pyrex-type dish.

In a small bowl, thin the pesto with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix well. Using a Ziploc bag or glass dish, marinate the chicken thighs with the olive oil/pesto mix for 30-45 minutes. 

When ready to cook, combine the panko, Parmesan cheese, 1½ teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well and set aside. Move the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and spread the pesto marinade on top. Sprinkle the panko/parmesan mixture on the chicken and lightly press it onto the chicken.

Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165º F. (That 20 minutes is just a guideline. The thickness of chicken thighs these days varies wildly, so the Kitchen Goddess recommends either a thermometer or – what she does – slice into one of the thicker ones and see if the juices run clear.)

Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. All else you need is a veggie or salad.