blue artichoke

Yesterday didn't lend itself to fancy cooking, so we will wander to Costa Rica tonight and I'll post the results tomorrow. Last night we had Latin-Style Flank Steak and Argentinian Grilled Eggplant leftovers from Saturday night, for the first time I can remember serving leftovers the day after serving the original meal. I did make a new side dish, though, so it wasn't a complete repeat meal. Using the extra corn I had grilled, I made Creamed Grilled Corn. The steak and eggplant were pretty good too, so I'll share all three recipes.

Latin-Style Flank Steak

Steak had a really nice flavor, but I overcooked it somehow. I grilled for ~15m and it temped 137 in the thickest part; removed it from the grill and let it sit for ~10m. It was well done in the thinner part and medium-well in the thick part. Next time, I'll check it after 10m. Flavor was really good, though, and it was easy to prepare. Chipotle butter was good on the steak (and in the omelet I made the next morning). I have a lot left over; so halving the butter would be better. It’s pretty hot, even with decreasing the amount of chipotle.

Rub:
2-½ T. ground cumin
1 T. chili
1 T. ground coriander
1 ½ t. freshly ground black pepper
½ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. dried oregano
Steak:
1 ½ - 2# flank steak, trimmed of any excess fat and membrane
1 t. olive oil
1 t. kosher salt
1 recipe Chipotle Butter*

Rub: Mix all in a small bowl.
Grill: 30m before grilling, coat the steak with the oil and pat on all of the rub, coating evenly. Heat a gas grill to med high (you should be able to hold your hand 2” above the grate for 3-4s) or prepare a med-hot charcoal fire. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt. If your grill has a hot spot, position the thicker end of the steak near the hottest spot. Grill until med-rare, 12-15m, turning steak every 3-4m to ensure even cooking. The thickest part of the steak will register 135-140 on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 3-5m. Slice as you like. Portion onto dinner plates. Immediately cut the chilled butter into ¼” slices and set a slice or two on each serving while the steak is warm, using a scant T. of butter per serving.

Serves 4-6.
Serve with beer, such as pale ale.

*Chipotle Butter:
¼# (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, completely softened at room temp
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 T. fresh lime juice
Scant t. ground cumin
½ t. kosher salt; more to taste

In a small bowl, cream butter with a wooden spoon ‘til smooth. Add rest, blending until evenly incorporated. Taste and add more salt if needed. Using plastic wrap to shape and smooth, mold butter into a log ~1 ½” in diameter. Wrap well in plastic and transfer to the fridge (or freezer if in a hurry) to firm.

Yield: ~8 T.

Use leftover chipotle butter on hamburgers, grill pork tenderloin and corn on the cob.

Fine Cooking, June/July 2003

Argentinian Grilled Eggplant
Used one white and one purple-and-white-speckled eggplant from the farmer’s market. Good. Had too much spice blend; should have halved it, but the eggplant grilled well, didn’t stick to the grate and wasn’t oily tasting at all. Omitted hot red pepper flakes because I was serving the eggplant with Latin-Style Flank Steak with chipotle butter. Thought hot red pepper would be too hot with the chipotle butter too.

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. olive oil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
½ t. dried thyme
1 t. hot or sweet paprika
½ t. hot red pepper flakes (optional)
3 eggplants, cut crosswise into ½” slices
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat grill to high.

Mix minced garlic with oil in small bowl. Mix herbs, paprika and pepper flakes together and set aside.

Brush one side of each eggplant slice with garlic oil and place oiled side down on grill. Brush top side with oil. Cook slices until browned, 3-5m; turn. Sprinkle eggplant with herb mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 3-5m. Serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

Creamed Grilled Corn

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 50 min (includes preparing charcoal grill)
I used skim milk and 4 ears of fresh farmer’s market corn, grilled and cut from cobs the day before. This dish comes together really quickly. I used my Magic Bullet blender to puree the corn with the milk, so it didn't make a lot of dirty dishes. Excellent. Really sweet, but naturally so; rather light and refreshing. I love corn.

4 ears corn (2 lb total), shucked
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 1 to 2 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes.

Grill corn on lightly oiled grill rack, uncovered, turning, until kernels on all sides are tender and browned in patches, 10 to 15 minutes total.

Cut corn off cobs (discard cobs) and purée 1/2 cup kernels with milk in a blender until smooth. Pour purée into a 2-quart heavy saucepan and stir in basil, salt, pepper, and remaining corn kernels. Cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Cooks' note:
•If you aren't able to grill outdoors, cook corn ears in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat. Each serving contains about 96 calories and 2 grams fat.

Makes 4 servings.

Gourmet, August 2003