Cajun Blackened Steak With Sugar Snap Peas Food

STEAKHOUSE-STYLE BLACKENED STEAK RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel.
• Brush olive oil on the filets. Sprinkle the blackened seasoning over the meat and rub in. Flip over and repeat on the other side.
• Turn on your kitchen exhaust fan. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat for five minutes. When the pan is hot, add butter, and when it is melted, add the filets.
• Sear the filets without moving for two minutes and turn over and sear the other side.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and place in the preheated oven. Cook the filets for four to five minutes or to 120 degrees F for rare, 125 degrees for medium-rare and 130 degrees for medium. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure your steaks are cooked perfectly.
• Remove the steaks and place on a platter. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow them to rest for five to ten minutes. The temperature of the filets will come up approximately five degrees while they rest.
• Top with a pat of the garlic herb butter and serve immediately.

PUERTO RICAN-STYLE STUFFED FLANK STEAK

Steps:

• For the rice: Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the turmeric and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook until all of the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mayonnaise and garlic. Adjust the seasoning with salt and let cool completely. Set aside.
• Prepare a grill for direct and indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes, turn off one of the side burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.) If your grill has a thermometer, aim to keep the temperature at about 350 degrees F throughout grilling.
• For the peppers and plantains: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium flameproof skillet over the direct-heat side of the grill until hot and shimmering. Add the peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; set aside. Add the plantain halves cut-side down and cook, flipping once, until golden and caramelized, about 5 minutes per side. Let cool, then cut one of the plantain pieces in half lengthwise to make 3 strips total. Set aside.
• For the beans: Put the beans and 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and squish the beans with your hands until broken down enough to hold together but not completely a paste. Set aside.
• For the flank steak: Set the flank steak on a cutting board with a short end facing you. Starting at one long side, slice the steak in half horizontally, leaving 2 inches at the opposite long side uncut so the pieces stay together. Open up the steak like a book so you have 1 big piece. Pound the steak with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the roasted garlic and herb seasoning.
• Position the steak vertically in front of you so the short ends are at the top and bottom of the cutting board. Pat the rice into an even layer all over the steak. Starting a third of the way in from the left side of the steak, lay down one plantain strip vertically on the steak. Moving right, line up 4 scallions next to it, followed by a third of the peppers and a third of the beans. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining ingredients, starting with a plantain strip and ending with the beans. Starting at one of the long ends, roll the steak around the filling like a jelly roll. Tie closed at 1-inch intervals around the circumference with kitchen twine. Tie 1 more piece of twine lengthwise around the meat to secure it. Coat the meat evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the steak on the direct-heat side of the grill to brown all 4 sides, about 10 minutes total. Move the steak to the indirect-heat side of the grill, cover the grill and cook, turning occasionally and basting with the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce during the last 5 minutes of grilling; cook, testing the temperature frequently, until the very center registers 115 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer for a steak that is well done on the outside and medium rare in the center, about 30 minutes more. Transfer the steak to a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes.
• Untie the steak and slice on a slight bias into 6 thick slices. Serve with more barbecue sauce on the side.

CAJUN BLACKENED STEAK WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Steps:

• Marinate the steaks in root beer for 24 hours. Remove the steaks from the root beer and pat dry.
• In a small bowl mix the pepper, hot paprika, sweet paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, ground thyme, file powder, and mustard powder together for the Cajun Spice Mix.
• Put the Cajun spice mix on a tray and heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Season the steaks with salt and press the steaks into the Cajun spice mix on both sides. Put the steaks, one at a time, in the hot cast iron pan, sear for approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side for a medium-rare steak, allow to rest before serving.
• Spoon the Sugar Snap Peas, recipe follows, over the steak, garnish with flaked salt and serve with Potato Gumbo, recipe follows.
• To make the sugar snap peas:
• Blanch the trimmed sugar snap peas in salted boiling water. Drain the peas and season with flaked salt.
• For the potato gumbo:
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat.
• Add the onions and saute until golden brown. Add the garlic and smoked bacon and continue to saute.
• Once the bacon has cooked and becomes crisp, add the celery, Swiss chard stems, and green pepper, saute until tender. Remove the bacon mixture from the pan, put in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the same saute pan, add the flour and bay leaves.
• Stir with a wooden spoon incorporating the flour and oil to form a paste. Cook until the flour becomes brown and nutty in color. Add the chicken stock, water, and cayenne, stir.
• Add the potatoes and reserved bacon mixture to the liquid. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender and the liquid reduces, achieving a thick consistency, approximately 30 minutes.
• Add the Swiss chard leaves, season with salt, and pepper, and allow to cook until the leaves are wilted, serve.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH ONIONS AND BACON

Steps:

• In a medium skillet over medium high heat, brown chopped bacon. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add onion to the pan. Saute chopped onions 3 minutes or so, until they are just tender. Add peas and water to the pan. Cover and cook peas 5 minutes. Uncover and allow the liquid to cook almost out of the pan. Add bacon back to the skillet and remove pan from heat. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!

SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Steps:

• String both sides of the sugar snap peas. Snap off the stem tip and gently pull downward. Bring salted water to a boil, add sugar snap peas and parboil for 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender, but still crisp.

SMOKED SALMON, SUGAR SNAP PEAS AND PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While this is coming to a boil prepare the remaining ingredients. When the water comes to a boil, add sugar snap peas and cook for about a minute or until crisp tender. Retrieve them from water with a sieve and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Pat dry and set aside. Add pasta to water and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. When pasta is done, drain and refresh under cold water. Pat dry. Combine in a bowl with green onion, mustard vinaigrette, smoked salmon and parsley. Season well to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.