Where da Beef

"You always know exactly what you're doing", my roommate says when she sees me cooking.

I laugh: calm, happy, and collected, breezing about our small alley style kitchen space.

I start this recipe by confidently running a bunch of kale under a stream of cold water then massaging each piece separately to make sure it's clean and to draw out the flavors.  I never use a knife to de-rib the leaves: I simply hold the root side of the stem in my left hand, wrap my right pointer finger and thumb around the base of the leaf, then pull up along the stem and away from the root taking the greens with me as I go.  A quick chop and we're onto the cabbage.

I rinse the entire head and discard the outermost layers.  Using my left hand to stabilize the cabbage I thinly slice it up, then give the pieces a swift centered, perpendicular chop.

The radishes are rinsed, sliced, and roughly chopped.  The carrot rinsed, peeled, rinsed again, then grated.  The bunch of mint is rinsed, the leaves are plucked from the stems then stacked, and sliced thin as can be.  While making the dressing I float from cabinet to container, adding a spoonful of this, a shake of that, tasting at the end for good measure.

She's right in the sense that the kitchen is a place where I'm at ease - breezing about our small alley style kitchen calm, happy, and collected.

But, she's wrong in the fact that we should judge a book by it's cover - this is the second time I cooked steak and although I confidently compiled the marinade and threw the steak into the oven I could only laugh in disbelief as I pulled out a (very) well done steak!  So I have to include a few lessons learned:

Do's

1. Make this marinade - it resulted in some serious deliciousness.

2. Buy sirloin if possible - it was enjoyably tender, even well done.

Don'ts

1. Put steak in the oven while it's blazing during pre-heat mode.

2. Cook a 1/2 inch thick piece of sirloin for 10 minutes.

Slivered Steak Salad with Sweet and Sour Tamarind Dressing

Ingredients:

For the steak:

• 1/3 c red wine vinegar
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c ACV
• 1 T sesame oil
• 3 cl garlic, chopped
• 3 T basil
• 1 T red pepper flakes, scant
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs steak

For the salad:

• 2-3 c cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1-2 c kale, chopped
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced then chopped
• 1 very large carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 handful of mint leaves, chiffonade
• salted, roasted cashews, as desired.

Dressing:

• 3 T tamarind paste
• 2 T lime juice
• 1 T olive or coconut oil
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes as desired

Combine:

1. Whisk the marinade ingredients in a medium mixing bowl then add the steak.  Refrigerate while soaking for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prep your veggies using the help above if necessary.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees with the rack on the lowest rung for a gas stove, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Use tongs to pull each steak out of the marinade, letting the sauce drip off before transferring the meat to the baking sheet.  Bake the or 3-7 minutes depending on how thick the pieces are, then let sit for 1-2 minutes before slicing.
5. While you wait for the steak to be done, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and toss with the salad until well coated.
6. Top with slices of steak and crushed red pepper flakes.
7. Enjoy!