So Many Dishes

It has been one of those weeks when our usual routine has been thrown off kilter. There’s been nothing major, unless you count that hot wire, electrical smell that signals trouble ahead. Because of that, today we’re playing the waiting game, anticipating the delivery of a new washer.

Until last evening, my cooking this week has been kind of limited. Ken cooked on Tuesday, making his Romanian meatballs, which are always good, but even better the second day. Thursday, although he entree was a simple baked chicken with lemon and garlic that is a standard dish around here, the star of the meal was corn on the cob.

I expect that corn from the Glades (the Everglades agricultural area in western Palm Beach County) has all been harvested, so I’m not sure where corn is coming from currently, but it has been cheap and delicious. There are so many methods for cooking corn, but I do it the way I learned from my mother: add a tablespoon or two of sugar to a pot of water, bring it to a boil, add the corn, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. I’m not sure what purpose the sugar serves; I suspect it had something to do with keeping the corn sweet. Today, almost all sweet corn varieties incorporate the shrunken-2 gene, which means its sugar content is high and it also has a slower sugar to starch conversion rate than older varieties. But I continue to operate on the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” principle.

By last evening, I was definitely ready to do something different in the kitchen. We had chosen a new steak recipe, one from America’s Test Kitchen’s One Pot cookbook. The recipe is titled steak tips with spicy cauliflower. However, the meat is served alongside the cauliflower. I had two boneless top sirloin “fillets,” and I cut each in half. It didn’t take any longer to cook the meat than if I’d had the smaller pieces.

The recipe calls for two pounds of steak, but I only cooked one pound. Since my cauliflower head weighed two pounds, rather than the three-pound head listed, I cut the other ingredients back by one-third. I was not happy with the way the cauliflower came out of the pan. The recipe calls for cutting it into small florets and cooking in a covered skillet in one tablespoon of oil for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, it was browned but still pretty hard. I dumped it into a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water and microwaved it for a minute and a half to soften it, then drained it. That was perfect; the next time, I’ll microwave it first, then drain and brown it. The cooked cauliflower gets mixed with a roasted pepper relish, and is really delicious. Despite the hiccup with the cauliflower, I’ll definitely make this again.

I served simple rice pilaf with the dish. That’s another ATK recipe from The Side Dish Bible, and it’s one I ought to be able to make from memory, we eat it so often. It’s one of my favorite ways to cook rice.

This is with my adjustments:

Steak with Spicy Cauliflower

• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and chopped
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jarred hot cherry peppers (you can also use sweet cherry peppers, or omit and increase the roasted red peppers)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/8 plus 1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into 1-inch florets
• 1 to 2 pounds boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces

Combine red peppers, 3 tablespoons olive oil, cherry peppers, parsley, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

Place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water. Cover and microwave for 1 and 1/2 minutes. Drain. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add cauliflower, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender (about 10 minutes). Add cauliflower to pepper relish in bowl and toss to combine.

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare). Serve with cauliflower mixture. Serves 4.

Here’s the rice pilaf recipe, too. For just Ken and me, I cut everything in half, and it comes out just fine. Do not skip rinsing the rice!

Simple Rice Pilaf

• 3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups boiling water

Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in rice and cook until edges begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in boiling water and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until water is completely absorbed, 16 to 18 minutes.

Off heat, uncover and lay a clean dish towel over saucepan; cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

Happy eating!