Read Saveur: The New Comfort Food Online
Authors: James Oseland
Saveur: The New Comfort Food (20 page)
When it comes to cooking a steak, most restaurant cooks have the seemingly magical ability to take the meat off the heat at exactly the right moment. For most of us at home, however, learning to cook a steak to perfection is a process of trial and error. But take heart: you don’t need X-ray vision to divine the color of the inside of a thick steak; just some basic know-how. The same rules apply to all cuts, whether it’s a flavorful flank (like the one pictured) or a pricey porterhouse: steaks become firmer and lose their red color as they cook, proceeding from “blue” (nearly raw) to rare (deep red) to medium rare (deep pink) to medium (light pink) to medium well (gray with a hint of pink) to well-done (gray throughout). Many cooks agree that medium rare is usually the level that brings out a steak’s best qualities, in both flavor and texture. The most important thing to remember is that steaks cook fast (especially those from lean, grass-fed cattle). A meat thermometer usually isn’t a good option for gauging doneness, since it’s hard to get a reliable reading using most standard models. Also, following many published guidelines for judging doneness by temperature—including those issued by the USDA—will pretty much ensure that your steak is overcooked. Some cooks determine the doneness of a steak by checking firmness—an old rule says a rare steak should feel like the soft flesh between your thumb and forefinger. Others follow a ten-minutes-per-inch rule. But for our money—and when we’re shelling out for good meat, that’s not an inconsiderable factor—the single best solution is the tried-and-true “nick and peek” method. Make a small cut in the steak, take a look inside, and judge the color for yourself. Until you’ve confidently mastered your own method, though, err on the side of caution and remove the steak from the heat slightly before you think it has achieved its desired doneness; it will continue to cook as it rests. And keep in mind that with thicker steaks, lean cuts (like a filet mignon) cook faster than fattier ones (like a rib eye) and that the presence of a bone prolongs the cooking time.
There are many ways to make meatballs. This is, hands down our favorite. The recipe calls not only for ground pork shoulder and beef chuck but also for prosciutto, ricotta, and bacon. The meatballs are browned in a skillet, braised in red wine and tomatoes until they’re succulent and suffused with sauce, then showered with minced parsley and grated cheese. Serve with crusty bread or spaghetti.
10 oz. ground beef chuck
10 oz. ground pork shoulder
2 oz. prosciutto, minced
2 oz. minced pork fat or pancetta
1¼ cups loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced, plus more to garnish
2 tsp. dried oregano
1½ tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground allspice
7 slices white bread, finely ground in a food processor Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2
/
3
cup ricotta, drained in a strainer for 2 hours2 tbsp. milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
¼ cup dry red wine
4 cups canned tomato purée
1 cup beef or veal stock Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
Serves 6
1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, prosciutto, pork fat, parsley, oregano, fennel seeds, chile flakes, cumin, allspice, and bread crumbs and season with salt. Using your fingers, mix the ingredients gently until combined, then set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, and eggs until smooth, then add to the meat mixture and gently mix until incorporated. Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour.
2. Heat the oven to 300°F. Grease 2 large rimmed baking sheets with oil and set aside. Using a 2-oz. ice cream scoop, portion the mixture, roll into meatballs with your hands, and transfer to the greased baking sheets.
3. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a 3-qt. high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and meatballs.
4. Add the reserved meatballs back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and beef stock, bring to a boil, and tightly cover the skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the sauce, about 1½ hours.
5. Divide the meatballs between 6 serving bowls, top each serving with some of the sauce, and garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley.
A concentrated mushroom sauce made with red wine and sherry brings intense flavor to filet mignon, a mild-tasting and especially tender cut.
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 8-oz. filets mignons Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 shallots, minced
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp. sherry
2 tsp. cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. chopped chives
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
Serves 4
1. Heat the oven to 500°F. Heat 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Season filets with salt and pepper and add to skillet; cook, flipping once, until browned, 4-5 minutes. Transfer filets to a baking sheet, reserving skillet, and roast in oven until medium rare, 4-5 minutes. Transfer filets to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.
2. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. butter, the remaining oil, and shallots and cook for 1 minute; add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add red wine, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Add stock and cook until slightly reduced, 4-5 minutes. Whisk in sherry and cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil; cook, stirring often, until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in remaining butter, chives, and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve filets with mushroom sauce.
The passion for prime steak is fueled by how little of it there is to go around. Less than 4 percent of all beef that passes through USDA gradings—which, unlike safety inspection, is voluntary and paid for by the meat processor—is labeled prime, and most of that ends up being sold in high-end butcher shops, or served by waiters at pricey steak houses (such as Karl Zartler, pictured, at New York City’s famed Peter Luger Steak House). Among the criteria for inclusion in this elite tier are fat marbling (the more the better) and the animal’s age (younger animals have less collagen in their muscle and, thus, meat that’s more tender).
There are eight government grades for beef: prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, canner, and cutter. Steak aficionados seek out the top two, prime and choice (the latter of which represents more than half of all graded beef), which are streaked with plenty of intramuscular fat—a condition that makes them tender enough for dry-heat cooking methods like grilling, roasting, and broiling. Steaks that have been graded select—a variety primarily sold in supermarkets—are generally too lean to yield better than average results. The remaining grades designate meat that’s sold wholesale for use in a range of products, from frozen foods to hot dogs.
In addition to the federal grading system, consumers have another option available to them: beef that has undergone certification. This program, overseen by the USDA, certifies that the beef bearing the designation is from a particular breed or variety. The most common breed certification is for beef from Angus steer and heifers, which have consistently demonstrated a predisposition for developing well-marbled meat.
Steak lovers on a budget should remember that they’ll get tastier results using lesser cuts (top round or flank steak, for example) graded prime or choice than they will with higher-end cuts (like rib eye or porterhouse) graded select. Note that most beef from grass-fed or “organic” animals is sold ungraded, as its quality can’t be judged by the same standards that apply to commercial beef.
New York chef Zarela Martinez gave us the idea for this glaze made from Coca-Cola, chipotle chiles, and honey—which caramelizes during roasting to produce a burnished, smoky-sweet exterior. Many home cooks in Martinez’s native Mexico use cola in this way, to bring sweetness and cinnamon notes to braised and roasted meats. If you’re using fresh pineapple slices, make perfect rings by using a 3-inch round cookie cutter to trim the outer edges and a 1-inch round one for the center.
1 12-15-lb. whole semiboneless ham
8 fresh or canned pineapple slices
64 whole cloves
2¾ cups Coca-Cola
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, drained and minced
1
/
3
cup honey
Serves 14-20
1. Put the ham into a 16-qt. stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Transfer the ham to a rack in a roasting pan. Using toothpicks, secure the pineapple slices to the ham and stud with the cloves. Pour 2 cups Coca-Cola over the ham and pour 1 cup water into the roasting pan. Cover the ham loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, combine the remaining Coca-Cola, chipotles, and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring the glaze, until syrupy, 12-15 minutes. Uncover the ham and brush with some of the glaze. Increase the oven temperature to 500°F. Bake the ham, brushing occasionally with the glaze, until browned and glossy, 15-20 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes before carving.
