Back on the block, we called this biftec rápido al horno. It translates to ‘quick-oven steak.’ Initially, we would experiment with various condiments to place over the steak before baking it. On trick my mom used was to season the steak, then sprinkle it with a package of dry onion soup mix and then bake it. Sometimes it was just Worcestershire sauce over the meat. Well, I happened to have some left-over barbecue sauce that was about to reach its expiration date, and I decided to use that as a topping. The result was really good, and my parents would have approved.

For this dish you can use any cut of meat on hand, or which you can afford. I use sirloin; but round steak, flank steak, rib-eye or even chuck steak can be used.  How much barbecue sauce you use for the topping depends on you. Some like their steak smothered with sauce, others less so. Let your taste buds be the judge.This is a simple no-nonsense preparation that renders a good meat dish within 25 minutes or so depending on the cut of meat. Enjoy.

QUICK-OVEN STEAK

Ingredients:

2 to 3-pound round or sirloin steak
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Barbecue sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
2. Season steak on both sides with salt, pepper and oregano. Rub or splash with barbecue sauce to cover meat.
3.  Place in an oven-roof dish or pan and bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes to desired doneness.
   Yield: 4-5 servings.

Back on the block, the go-to pasta sauce was marinara. You now what I mean, the sauce made with tomatoes, garlic and onions that has graced Italian-American cuisine since time immemorial. So I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to make a tomato sauce. And then I came upon makaronada, a Greek version of tomato-meat sauce. The ingredients are novel. They include cinnamon sticks,  allspice and cloves. These are seasonings not found in everyday marinara sauce. I tried it, I loved it, and I was a convert.

Greek tomato-meat sauce is normally served over macaroni, with the addition of grated cheese. We used feta cheese. This dish has become one of our favorite ways to cook a pasta sauce. In this variation, we served it over farfalle, or bow ties. It hit the spot. With a good red wine, preferably Greek wine, or any wine of your choice for that matter, it is marvelous.

Tomato-Meat Sauce
(Makaronada)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
Half an onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound ground beef
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cups water
¼ cup red wine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Dash of ground cloves

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic and beef and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until meat loses its pink color.
2.  Combine the tomato paste and water and add to the meat mixture. Add wine, salt, pepper, cinnamon stick, allspice and cloves. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 1 hour. Remove the cinnamon stick.
3.  Serve over favorite tubular pasta with grated cheese.
   Yield: Makes 4 servings as a main dish or 6 to 8 servings as a side dish.

I call this recipe “Asian Picadillo” because it’s so similar to the Picadillo dish so popular in Latino cooking. Picadillo, to us, is mainly stir fried ground beef with tomatoes, olives, raisins, pepper, salt and oregano. And, yes, sometimes we do add peas to it as in Niu Jou Sung (Chopped Beef with Peas).

Now, this dish is interesting in that there’s a Cantonese version which uses oyster sauce in its ingredients. A Korean version has ginger, sesame seeds and scallions in it. And some versions include monosodium glutamate. The version given below is much simpler. All it contains is soy sauce mixed with dry sherry, brown sugar and cornstarch. It’s so easy to prepare. Another one of its benefits, maybe 20 minutes to make, tops.

So, here it is, Niu Jou Sung served over plain steamed rice, the preferred accompaniment.

NIU JOU SUNG
(Chopped Beef with Peas)

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
Marinade:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon dry sherry
¼ teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 package (16 ounce) frozen peas (completely thawed)
2 tablespoons peanut oil or corn oil
½ tablespoon cornstarch combined with
2 tablespoons cold water

1. Combine ground beef with marinade ingredients. Set aside.
2.  Heat pan or wok over medium heat until very hot. Ad oil, then beef. Stir-fry over medium heat until meat separates and has mostly changed in color (no red showing). Turn heat to high, add peas and mix them in with meat, letting them cook together for 1 minute.
3.  Mix cornstarch- and- water combination well. Slowly add to meat and peas while you continue stirring until sauce thickens and coats everything with a clear glaze. serve hot with plain rice.
   Yield: 4 servings.

This recipe came about because of the wine club I belong to. It’s Laithwaite’s Wine. It’s because of them than I can afford to drink premium wines. One of them is Tri-Tip Malbec from Lodi, California. Now, Malbec is normally associated with Argentina, where it is the star varietal. But Lodi, California, where Zinfandel is the star, is no slouch when it comes to producing mouth-watering Malbecs. Tri-Tip Malbec, with its inky color, hints of dark fruit, and berry flavors is a prefect match with the recipe given. It complements a steak grilled to perfection.

If you can’t get your hands on a Tri-Tip Malbec, then any good quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz), or Zinfandel will do.

For this recipe I used  sirloin steak. But, it doesn’t have to be sirloin. It could be any steak of choice, even the humble chuck steak. The marinating process make it all even out.

TRI-TIP STEAK

Ingredients:

2 1¼ sirloin steaks (or steaks of your choice)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon chipotle

Instructions:

1. Wash steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2.  In a bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients. Rub mixture on steaks.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Or you can place steaks in a zip-lock bag and refrigerate.
3. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before grilling.
4.  Heat your grill to high. Then grill steaks over medium-high heat with lid closed until desired level of doneness, usually 5 to 7 minutes per side. The steaks should cook until golden brown and slightly charred.
   Yield: 4 servings.

This is a recipe I got from an old cookbook I’ve had for years. The book is Greek Cooking by Ruth Kershner. The book was published in 1977. It’s an oldie but goodie; and most likely out of print. I enjoy Greek cuisine and Greek wines. The Geeks have been cooking since 1000 B.C.E. They know a thing or two about preparing a good meal.

Although this recipe is for hamburgers, it’s more of a dinner than the usual burger on a bun. The meat is simmered in a delicious gravy, and it goes great with mashed potatoes or any grain, for that matter. Add a good Greek wine like a Skouras or a Semeli, and you’re set for a feast.

HAMBURGER STEAKS – GREEK STYLE

Ingredients:

1¼ pounds ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
½ cup cooked rice
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ tablespoons flour
½ cup hot beef broth
¼ cup red wine
¼ cup sourcream

Instructions:

1, Combine the meat, salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, and onion. Mix well with your hands or a fork. Add the rice and mix to combine. Form into 8 hamburger patties.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the hamburger patties. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and keep them warm.
3. Add the tomato paste to the pan drippings. Then sprinkle with the flour  and stir until smooth. Slowly add the broth and red wine, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat until thickened.
4. Remove from the heat, and stir in the sour cream. Add the patties to the gravy and simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange the patties and gravy on a serving dish and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

If grilled burgers are the regular norm, then grilled Stuffed Burgers is the haute cuisine of grilling burger meat.  This is special dish. The stuffing is Portobello mushrooms along with cheese of your choice (we prefer either blue cheese or mozzarella). Add some great herbs, and you have a masterpiece. You’ll never go back to old-style burgers on the grill.

STUFFED BURGERS

2 Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced shallots
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 pound ground beef, pork or turkey
6 ounces blue cheese or mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives or 1 teaspoon dried
4 burger buns (we prefer potato buns)

Ingredients:

1. Rinse mushrooms under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut mushrooms into small cubes.
2. Heat oil in a skillet or saucepan an over medium heat. Add mushrooms and pinch of salt, and sauté for 4 minutes. The  water will start to come out of the mushrooms. Continue to cook until most of the moisture is gone (approximately 8 to 10 minutes). Add shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Separate the ground meat  into eight 4-ounce patties (each will be half of a finished burger).  Make a dent in the center of each patty with your thumb.  In a bowl , mix well the cooked mushrooms, cheese, oregano and chives. Place a spoonful of the mixture in the dent of the 4 patties.  Cover each with the other 4 patties, and then use your fingers to pinch and seal the two patties together.
4. Season the finished patties with salt and pepper, and place on a hot grill, cooking each side until done. Normally, it’s  cooking the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes for beef and 5 minutes for turkey.  Flip over, and cook on the other side. Note that you can sear the buns along with burgers on each side as well. Be careful not to burn the buns. Place burger on a bun and finish with red leaf lettuce, tomato and any other condiment of your choice.
Yield: 4 servings.