This week was the first week of one local summer, and I kicked it off with a classic: steak and potatoes.
Ok, it was a little more involved than just steak and potatoes. Here were the dishes:
Cherry & Vanilla Porter Marinated Tri-Tip with Porter-Glazed Shitake Mushrooms
Grilled Artichokes with Sauteed Grape Tomatoes and Dill
Tri-Color Medley of Roasted Potatoes
This meal was the meal I wished I could make last summer, a meal that was comforting and satisfying, yet simple enough to entertain a crowd. Ok, it was also a meal inspired by our latest batch of homebrew: a vanilla porter. Last year, my first One Local Summer was an ambitious undertaking, a meal that involved a great deal of creativity and care but that, despite all efforts in the kitchen, was not one I’d feed to a crowd. I was even apprehensive of feeding it to one other person, because when it came down to it, it was a meal of little more than vegetables. (What I knew was local at the beginning of the summer).
This year, I was surprised at how little effort went into the planning of the meal. I simply went to my weekly market, picked up some potatoes, some vegetables, and steak, and knew I could invite a few others to share. The steak here (which I never explored during last year’s OLS) is from Brandt Beef, based in Brawley, CA. The potatoes and the produce were picked up from the Horton Square and North Park farmers’ markets and are from Carlsbad (artichokes, cherry tomatoes) and Escondido (potatoes, mushrooms).
The Recipes:
Cherry Vanilla Porter Marinade
(adapted from Sam Calgione’s “Ultimate Steak Ale Marinade,” in Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home.)
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 tsp. rosemary, diced
- 10 cherries, crushed with juices, pits removed
- 12 oz. vanilla porter (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. crushed pepper
Heat oil over medium low heat in skillet. Add garlic, shallots, and rosemary and simmer until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add cherries and their juice and stir to combine. Add porter and stir frequently to avoid spill-over. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add vinegar and pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Pour over steak and let marinade at least 3 hours.
Broiled Tri-Tip
- 1 2-pound tri-tip, marinated as above
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat broiler. Remove steak from marinade and reserve marinade for steak sauce, if desired (see below). pat steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Broil 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping once, until steak is browned on both sides and measures 130 degrees in center. Remove from broiler and tent with foil for 5 minutes. Carve into 1/2 inch slices. Top with porter-glazed mushrooms and pass with cherry porter reduction, if desired.
Cherry Porter Reduction
- 3 cups steak marinade (see above)
Pour marinade into saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat 15-20 minutes, until liquid becomes thick and has reduced by 3/4. Pour into gravy boat for passing.
Porter Glazed Shitake Mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 5 sage leaves, diced
- 1/4 cup porter or other dark ale
- 1 Tbsp. butter
Heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and saute for 1-2 minutes, until slightly wilted. Add sage and beer and simmer until liquid is reduced by 1/2. Stir in butter until melted. Spoon atop steak before serving.
Grilled Artichokes with Tomato and Dill medley
(artichoke part inspired by Giada De Laurentiis’s method.)
- 3 artichokes
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lemon, quartered (for juicing)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp. fresh dill
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut all but 1″ off stems, and cut 1″ off top of each artichoke. Peel off outer leaves and snip top 1/4″ of remaining leaves. Cut each artichoke in half, and then each half into thirds, so you have 18 triangular wedges. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut out the hairy part of each wedge (the choke) and discard. Working in batches if needed, blanch artichoke wedges in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. Remove from water and drain. Toss with 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Set aside. (Can be done ahead). Preheat grill. Brush grill with oil and grill pre-blanched artichoke wedges for 2-4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and sautee 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomoatoes and saute 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes begin to wilt. Add dill, salt, and pepper, and sautee for 1 minute more. Set aside. To serve, plate artichoke wedges and spoon cherry mixture over top.
Roasted Potatoes
(adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook- new potatoes take much less time to take than average red potatoes)
- 2 lbs. mixed new potatoes (I used peruvian blues, red bliss, and german butterball)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425. Quarter potatoes and toss with all but 1 tsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub remaining olive oil on two 9×12″ baking pans or one large baking sheet (I’ve found the potatoes become crispest when using an enameled cast-iron baking pan such as a Le Creuset). Spread potatoes out on baking pans, placing one cut side down and leaving as much space as possible between pieces (two pans works better than one). Cover with foil and place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove pans from oven and working carefully so as to not break the potatoes, flip pieces so that the second cut side touches pan. Return to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes, until potatoes are crisp on both sides. (note: cooking time will need to increase for older potatoes. I used potatoes that were dug from the ground two days before they were cooked).
