Tag: Marinade

Weekend Finds 4:20:14

I know it’s not technically the weekend anymore, but this weekend was busy and I got distracted… So I’m giving you weekend finds on Monday. So maybe you can still pretend it’s the weekend.

1. Asian flavors

Sesame Noodle Salad from Love & Lemons // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I love all of the colors in this noodle salad from Love and Lemons.

I thought what would happen is that I’d come back from Vietnam and be a little tired of Asian flavors for a while. Turns out the opposite is true. All I want is Asian food, preferably Vietnamese, but Japanese and maybe even Thai will also do. (I leave out Chinese food because DAMN is it hard to find good Chinese food in Portland. Don’t even get me started.) So this noodle salad recipe will be making an appearance soon, as will, hopefully, the Bun Cha that we learned to make in Hanoi.

2. Soy and Garlic Marinated Pork

Marinated Grilled Pork // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Our grilled pork looked even better than this. I swear.

Yesterday, the weather was decent enough that we got too excited and grilled a whole meal. There was corn and Japanese eggplant, and there was also this marinated pork. I wish I could tell you what was so magical about it (maybe it had something to do with the fact that Jonah brushed the meat with the marinade every time he flipped it), but I’m not totally sure. Either way, you should fire up your grill and make it sooner rather than later.

3. Broccoli Rabe Crostini

Broccoli Rabe Crostini from Honestly YUM // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Crostini topped with burrata, prosciutto, and broccoli rabe.

In another edition of stuff I ate this week: I got excited and bought broccoli rabe (raab) at the market last week, and when I found this recipe, I knew this is what I’d be using it for. Our grocery store didn’t have burrata, so we used good old mozzarella, and it was awesome.

4. Cardamom Short Bread

The Sugar Cube (photo from Portland Monthly) // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I couldn’t find a picture of the actual cardamom shortbread, but here is a picture of the pastry case at Sugar Cube, just to tickle your tastebuds. Also, mastermind Kir Jensen on the right. (credit: Portland Monthly)

Easter was a thing this weekend, and while I didn’t really celebrate (unless band practice counts), my roommate Carmelle had her family in town, and made a sampling of beautiful desserts, including this cardamom short bread from the Sugar Cube cookbook. Now, you know I love the Sugar Cube – in face I may have a mild addiction – but even if I hadn’t already fallen in love with Kir Jensen, this short bread would’ve done it to me. It was light and flaky and beautifully flavored. Yum.

5. Honey Barbecued Chicken

Honey Barbecued Chicken from Use Real Butter // Weekend Finds on Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
I love how many spices and flavors there are in this honey barbecued chicken recipe from Use Real Butter.

Apparently this week all I can think about is what I want to eat, or have eaten that I want to eat again. Since firing up the grill this past weekend, I’m on the lookout for delicious BBQ meals. This honey barbecued chicken looks pretttty flavorful and tasty, what with 24 hours marinating in that rub and then adding a glaze on top.

Korean Marinated Beef

Korean Marinated Beef

Korean Marinated Beef
Korean Marinated Beef

This Korean marinated beef was the second part of our asian dinner the other night. I found this recipe in our Gourmet Today cookbook, which is wonderful. This recipe was crazy good and super quick. The meat was nice and tender and perfectly cooked and the marinade caramelized nicely in the pan. You’re supposed to serve the beef in a lettuce cup with kimchi and rice, but we just served it over rice alongside the Japanese cucumber salad seen in the previous post. Here’s what you’ll need:

Korean Marinated Beef

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbl sugar
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 bunch of scallions, minced, with the white and green parts separated
1 Tbl minced garlic
1 Tbl minced peel fresh ginger
3 Tbl sesame seeds, toasted
1 lb flank steak (we did about 3/4 of a pound, just because the cut of meat is a little expensive and the recipe serves 4 people), cut across the grain into very thin slices (the recipe says no more than 1/8 inch thick, but I was like, hell no, so I just sliced it as thin as I could)
1 Tbl vegetable oil for cooking

Instructions

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, the whites of the scallions, the garlic, ginger, and 2 Tbl of the sesame seeds. Whisk this up until the sugar is dissolved. Now add the steak, toss it around to make sure it’s evenly coated, and let it marinate for 15 minutes.

After that 15 minute wait, heat the oil in a pan over high heat. You definitely want the oil to be shimmering, if not smoking. Now add the steak in one layer and cook (ours took 2 batches), turning halfway through. If your heat is high enough, it’ll only take about 4-5 minutes for your meat to be cooked through and even get a nice sear/caramelization from the marinade. When the meat is just cooked through – don’t cook it too long or it will lose some of it’s tenderness – transfer to a plate, sprinkle with the rest of the sesame seeds and the scallion greens. Serve with rice and Japanese cucumber salad (see previous post). Enjoy!