ISO: ISO Pat_No_CA, I'm demo-ing your Tuscan-style steak with arugula for a lunch class Wednesday,

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joe

Well-known member
The only problem is I've never made it myself. I've just eaten and enjoyed it, and it seems simple enough.

I've posted a dozen lunch classes and this is the first one to get any takers, so I'm caught off-guard.

My question: I won't have a grill, but would you choose an indoor grill pan over a plain skillet? I noticed you grilled the steak, and I think the grilling would add a dimension to the dish, but I'm wondering if you've ever sauteed it as the recipe suggests. I think it's a shame to saute a steak in a plain skillet if you're not making a pan sauce anyway.

I plan to give it a trial run tomorrow night.

Thanks!

http://eat.at/swap/forum1/42526_Rec_Tuscan-Style_Steak_with_Arugula_and_Parmesan

 
Hi, Joe! To me the recipe indicates cooking in a plain skillet (NOT non-stick), but

since Pat successfully grilled hers, I would think a stovetop grill pan would also be an excellent choice--I wouldn't think it would matter much which way you chose to cook the steaks in that recipe.

 
I always do this in a skillet. There are several additions to the eventual concoction that

add their own dimensions so I always felt that keeping it simple worked well. And I use canola or peanut oil even though my normal choice might be butter. And that may be a clue there. The recipe suggests veg oil, not butter and oil; it may be trying to keep the meat slightly in the background.

For me, it's really about the herbs, oil and lemon juice, all of which must be the freshest possible. I think the most critical element is the olive oil...the meat then just becomes a base for it. I won't make this unless I have very high quality (Spanish, not Italian) oil.

I make it often. It's one of the things H asks for over and over. And the arugula has been ready for picking in the garden, so the requests are now increasing.

 
I'm with Marg, pan-searing works beautifully. I haven't

used a panini grill for cooking steaks, so I can't vouch for using that method but pan cooking works nicely. In fact, in culinary school a few years back our 'freshman' class was asked to prepare a menu to cook and serve to the graduating class and guests. When asked to submit a main course idea I suggested the Tuscan-style steak with arugula and was thrilled when it was voted on by the students and accepted. We cooked for about 150 people and what we did was pan-seared the thickish steaks briefly on each side for color (as I recall they were between 1-1/4 and 1-1/2 inches thick) ahead of time, early in the day of the graduation dinner, then covered the sheet pans full of steaks with plastic wrap and refrigerated. About an hour prior to service time we removed the refrigerated sheet pans so the steaks could start returning to room temp then popped the sheet pans into the oven to finish the steaks to desired doneness then sliced and plated. It worked great.

I'll bet a stovetop grill pan would work as well.

Good luck with your class, Joe and let us know how it turns out. I think it's so cool that you're doing these cooking sessions.

 
Thanks, all. I may try a grill pan tonight at home and see if the grilled taste works...

The store is big on those grill pans and since I'm also using one for grilled crostini, I'd like to use it for the steak too.

But if I don't get a good sear I'll switch to a plain skillet for the class.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 
That recipe is sublime! The best version I have ever had. I swooned over it last night....

I used the grill pan but once it was sliced I don't think it added anything.

So for the class today I used a regular skillet and it was perfect. Marg is right--the meat is a vehicle for all the other wonderful flavors.

It was very well received. The rest of the menu was crostini with white beans with tomatoes and sage as a starter, and poached fruit with white chocolate sauce as a dessert. I'll post them as well.

Thanks, Pat, for an awesome recipe.

 
REC: White beans with tomatoes and sage. We served it over grilled bread.

WHITE BEANS WITH OLIVE OIL, TOMATOES AND SAGE

From Bon Appetit, October 1994


1 lb. dried Cannellini or Great Northern beans
1 bunch fresh sage
6 garlic clove, peeled
1 tsp. salt

½ cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh sage
2 tbs. coarsely chopped garlic
8 medium tomatoes, (about 2 lb.), peeled, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper


Put beans in large saucepan with water to cover by 3 inches. Add sage bunch and garlic cloves. Soak overnight.

Add salt to pot. Bring pot to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Discard sage and garlic. (Can be prepared a day ahead; refrigerate beans in their liquid uncovered. Cover when cold.)

Drain beans, reserving liquid.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped sage and chopped garlic and saute until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Add beans to saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes, adding a little bean liquid if mixture is dry.

 
REC: Poached Fruit with White Chocolate Sauce. I couldn't find figs, so we only poached nectarines,

and then added some fresh blackberries, uncooked.

POACHED FRUIT WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

From Bien Cuisiner en 30 Minutes, Reader's Digest, Belgium
Serves 4

3 oz. white chocolate
1 cup apple juice
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. Cognac
8 small figs, or 4 large
2 large peaches or nectarines
2/3 cup Crème fraîche*
1 orange

Break up chocolate and place in a bowl over a small pot of simmering water, stirring until melted.

Pour apple juice into a saucepan. Add sugar and Cognac and bring to a boil. Lower heat.

Cut figs in half if small, or in quarters if large. Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Cut each half into four slices.

Add fruit to simmering juice and let poach until tender, about 4 minutes. If peels separate from peaches, remove them. Transfer fruit to serving bowls with a slotted spoon. Boil the poaching juice over high hear until reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slowly whisk the Crème fraîche into the white chocolate until smooth. Turn off heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the poaching syrup to the sauce. Grate half the zest from the orange into the sauce. Pour sauce over fruit and serve.

*To make a substitute for Crème fraîche, mix equal amounts of sour cream and heavy cream.

 
Perfect meal. Sounds like you found just the right combo. Great! May I list this

for one of my own guest nights sometime?

 
Absolutely! If you mean the menu, it's yours. If you mean the specific quote, "Marg is right," then

you may quote me. Embroider it on a sampler, pipe it onto a cake, quilt it, whatever....

Marg. Is. Right.

Do I need to sign anything?

 
Embroidery days are over. But sometimes I get stumped trying to think up a menu with

something I like a lot. I like the idea of white chocolate and fruit after this meal.

 
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