Back on 11/10/17 I posted a dish, Higado al Sarten (Sauteéd Liver).  It was just liver (which I like—but many people do not) sautéed in a skillet. Hence the “al sartén” appellation.  This time, it’s Biftec al Sartén or, simply, Skillet Streak. We loved this dish in our family simply because it was so easy to prepare. It contained the usual steak ingredients;  and the beef was pound with some flour,  and cooked in the skillet along with potatoes and vegetables. What could be easier?

Note that the recipe can use whatever steak meat desired. It could be chuck, or boneless round steak or, what I used this time, sirloin strip steak. If using chuck, the cooking time will be greater, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours for the meat to cook. If using boneless round or strip steak, the time will be less, about 1 hour or so.

The dish does not really need an accompaniment. The veggies and potatoes should be enough for the dish to stand on its own. In fact, in terms of vegetables, you can use whatever you like. If desired, you can substitute the carrot for green beans or peas, frozen or fresh. If using fresh vegetables, apply cooking time 10-15 minutes. For frozen veggies, refer to package directions. This is the archetypical winter dish and, served with a hearty red wine, you have yourself a winner.

BIFTEC AL SARTÉN
(Skillet Steak)

Ingredients

1 pound sirloin strip steak, or boneless beef round steak
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oi
1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
1 cup beef bouillon
1/4 cup catsup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
4 large potatoes, washed, scrubbed and slice into thin rounds
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

Instructions

1. Coat steak pieces with flour; then pound into beef.
2.  Heat oil in a large skillet, and brown beef. Push beef to one side of pan, and stir-fry onion until tender.
3.  Add beef bouillon, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and marjoram. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until beef is tender. About 1 hour
4.  30 minutes before beef is done, add carrots and potatoes to skillet. Cover and simmer  until vegetables are tender.
   Yield: 4 servings.

I don’t eat that much red meat. I’m more into seafood, poultry and veggies. But I do love a good steak once in a while, and that’s why I love this recipe. Also, It was very common in our family to marinate meat in order to make it more flavorful. So we would marinate chuck steak or a roast or whatever. It’s a Caribbean thing, and we would inevitably make an adobo marinade.

Our marinade would consist of peppercorns, garlic, oregano, olive oil and salt, all mashed in a mortar. Then we would rub the meat with it, let it sit for a while, and, finally, cook it via pan frying, baking or broiling. And, naturally serve it with yellow rice or tostones (green friend plantains).  But you can serve this entrée over any staple you like, including pasta, as we did this time around.

One fine day, our beloved Uncle Phillip informed us that, in terms of an adobo marinade,  they did the same thing in Cuba. Except their marinade included ginger and lime juice. Okay, we said, lets it try. And the results were fabulous. In Puerto Rican cuisine we use fresh ginger, but seldom in a marinade. This was a revelation. Whenever Uncle Phillip came back from a trip overseas (he was a merchant seaman), this was the go-to dish.

Be aware that, depending on circumstance, boneless round or chuck, is the preferred meat for this recipe. But better cuts of meat can also be used. We did this recipe with sirlion tip steak, and it came out great. Use whatever is available or convenient.

BIFTEC CON ADOBO
(Steak with Adobo)

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless round or chuck , cut 2-inch thick (I used sirloin tip steak)
3 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger root (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
Juice of 2-3 limes (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

1. Peel and coarsely chop the garlic and ginger. Place in a mortar and pestle with the salt and mash to a smooth paste. Mix in the cumin, pepper, and lime juice.
2. Pierce meat all over with a fork. Rub the marinade over all the steak. Place in a covered dish or zip-lock bag, and marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours or, better yet, overnight.
3. Place in an oven proof dish or pan and broil, on high, 5-7 minutes to a side (rare).  For medium or well done, make it 12-15 minutes. Cut in slices across the grain, and serve.
Yield: 4 or more servings.

This recipe is a variation on a common concept: steak with sauce. The great American steak has always been paired with Worcestershire, A1 sauce, barbecue sauce, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, and even Ketchup. So why not an Asian sauce? We have Asian sauces with almost everything: noodles, chicken, rice, veggies. So, why not a steak?

An Asian steak sauce is so easy to make. Go to your cupboard or fridge, and you’ll find almost anything you need. The Asian steak sauce I proffer is only a suggestion. You can experiment and create your own, you can make a hoisin sauce or a 5-spice sauce, or a kimchi sauce. Your imagination is limitless.

For this recipe you can use your favorite cut of meat: strip steak, flank steak, rid eye, tenderloin, etc. I used sirloin ( I had some extra cash available, otherwise it would have been chuck steak). Let me state that since this is an Asian sauce, the usual accompaniment  is rice. But you can also use pasta or, as I did with this one, mashed potatoes (since I had some potatoes on hand).

STEAK WITH ASIAN SAUCE

1 pound sirloin steak
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup beef broth
1 teaspoons mustard (preferably Dijon)

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan of skillet (I prefer cast-iron) over medium heat. Add steak and cook 7 to 8 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness. Let the steak rest on a carving board for 5 minutes. Then cut across on the diagonal into thin strips.
2.  Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add broth and mustard and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3.  To serve, spread steal slices on a serving plate and spoon sauce over the meat.
   Yield: 4 servings.

 A reader of ours, Yvonne Ortiz, recently sent me an email, “What happened to the Rican recipes???” Good question. She has a point. As of late I haven’t posted that many “‘rican” recipes.” Apart from my novels, I wrote one of the first Puerto Rican cookbooks of the modern era, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America. That immediately got me noticed as an “authority” on criollo cooking. I don’t know about the “authority” part, I’m just a foodie who likes to cook and eat good food. I’m not a gourmet, I’m more of a gourmand, one who takes hearty pleasure in eating. And that encompasses all cuisines, be it Puerto Rican or not. I grew up on criollo cooking. But, in my young manhood, living in vibrant New York City, I came across all cultures and cuisine, everything from Jewish (either Sephardim or Azkenazy) to Latin American, Asian, Polynesian, African, you name it. And it increased my palate and appreciation. My blog is not just simply confined to “‘rican” cooking. It explores cooking worldwide (with a non-cooking comment now and then to liven things up). Like the martial arts, all cuisines are equally good. It just depends on the practitioner of that cuisine to make it great.

In our family, beloved Uncle Phillip had a saying: “I want enough money to feed my belly and my friends’ bellies.” It became the motto of our family. It made no difference what the cooking was, as long as it was good and wholesome. But, Yvonne, dearest, just to keep the fans happy, here’s a ‘rican recipe. Enjoy it with family and friends. Basically, it’s a good steak cooked with rosemary, garlic, and lemon. We call it Biftec con Romero y Límon.

Ingredients

4 good quality steaks, T-bone, strip loin steaks, or club steaks, about 1 ½-inches thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled
8 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Juice of half a lemon

Directions

1. Rinse steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

Put garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and rosemary leaves in a mortar. Pound with a pestle until crushed. Add one tablespoon olive oil, and mix thoroughly.

2. Rub seasonings into the steak.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or frying pan (I prefer cast-iron). Add steaks and cook steaks 5-6 minutes per side (depending upon thickness, for medium, slightly less for rare, and more for medium-well).
4. Transfer meat to a large platter, sprinkle with lemon juice, and let rest 10 minutes before serving. In the Rivera family we preferred serving the steak whole per person. If desired, you can carve in slices, if that is your preference.

Yield: 4 servings.

How about a great steak dinner for St. Valentine’s Day? And by “great” I mean something that’s fairly quick and easy to prepare. Of course, your significant other won’t know that. They’ll see that steak dish and go “Oh my!” And you’ll have it in the bag for the rest of the evening.

St. Valentine’s Day dinners are special occasions. This is not a mac n’ cheese thing—unless, of course,  your valentine loves mac n’ cheese. In which case, go at it. But if it’s special then the steak will have to be special. By that I mean filet mignon, or T-bone, or even better yet, porterhouse steak. That’s the dish given below. This is where the spice rub comes in. Improvise: take whatever you have in the cupboard, mix or grind all the spices, rub on each side of the meat, let stand 30 minutes, and roast. Nothing could be easier. With a bottle of champagne, or your favorite bubbly, and you’re set for a great evening.

This dish can be served with the old stand-by, potatoes, or whatever vegetables desired. Want to impress your darling even more, you can do dumplings or tostones (fried green plantains – see post of  9/9/10).

SPICE RUBBED STEAK

2  2-inch porterhouse steaks
2  tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2  garlic cloves, crushed, or 1/2  teaspoon garlic powder
1  teaspoon salt
3  tablespoons fresh chopped thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
2  tablespoons fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried
2  tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Wash steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Crush peppercorns and garlic in a mortar or spice mill.
4 .Place crushed spices in a small bowl, and mix in salt, thyme, and oregano.
5. Brush both sides of meat with olive oil. Then rub with spice mixture into each side. Set aside and let stand 30 minutes.
6. Place in oven-proof dish and roast for about 25 minutes for rare ( to be sure, meat thermometer inserted into center of steak should register 125 degrees F.). Let stand 10 minutes, and serve.
    Yield: 3-4 servings.     

This is a recipe that I obtained from an old cookbook I found at the bottom of some desk drawer somewhere. The cookbook, an old softcover, was published by the Rival Manufacturing Company in 1982. The “Rival” brand name is still around and they manufacture small kitchen appliances. Whether they still published the cookbook, Time to Enjoy: A Quick and Creative Recipe Collection, I do not know.

The recipe intrigued me simply because I enjoy kebob (kebab) cooking. That is, broiling or grilling meat and/or veggie on a skewer. The recipe is termed “Polynesian.” I gather because it has pineapple chunks. Somehow, somewhere along the line, adding pineapple to a dish made it Hawaiian or Polynesian. Just as adding soy sauce to a dish makes it “Asian.”

This is a very easy to prepare recipe that calls for Italian salad dressing, the type found in any store or supermarket. If you’re loath to use a processed product that comes in a can or jar, you can make your own. Here’s a quicky method: combine in a salad cruet or quart mason jar with a tight fitting lid, 3/4 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1 finely minced garlic clove or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried; 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 1 tablespoon dried. If desired, you can add 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, but this is optional. Some like, some don’t. Shake well, and serve. It renders about 1 cup of salad dressing.

Note that in this recipe, I served the kebobs with couscous. But you can serve it over rice or any other grain.

POLYNESIAN KEBOBS

1 pound beef sirloin, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 zucchini, cut in bite-size chunks

1. In bowl, combine sirloin cubes and salad dressing. Allow to stand a few minutes.
2. Drain pineapple chunks, reserving liquid. In small saucepan, combine liquid, brown sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch; heat until boiling and thickened.
3. On skewers, alternate beef, pineapple and zucchini. Brush with remaining salad dressing marinade.
4. Broil 10 minutes or until beef is cooked, turning skewers half-way through cooking. Serve with sauce.
    Yield: 4 servings.