Sangria Steak Sliders

June 15, 2015June 18, 2015

A great recipe for inside grilling! If you have a grill pan, a pitcher of Sangria, some steak and bread and about 10 minutes on y our hands you have everything you need to make these delicious little lunch treats! I kind of tripped upon this recipe the day I made my “A Taste of St. Michael Sparkling Sangria”. I happened to have the pitcher there and being mid-week, we don’t do a whole lot of drinking. I also happened to have picked up some thin cut steak sandwich steaks at the market and some bread…. So I got to thinking, what could I do with these ingredients???

Well, the answer was make that Sangria into a marinade! And I must say it worked out really well! These are great for a quick lunch, a party or as a snack. If you don’t happen to have these ingredients handy, you could either make some sangria or look below for some additional instructions.

To the Sangria all I added was about 3 Tbs. of kosher salt and 2 large garlic cloves, sliced. I let it marinade for about an hour… You could do this up to about 6 hours ahead (I don’t suggest any longer because of the acid from the oranges and pineapples)

Add some butter and oil onto a grill pan.

Place the steaks in the heated pan over medium high heat… These sandwich steaks are so thin that they really only need a sear on both sides and they are done… I also place some pineapple slices on the grill along with some of the garlic cloves (these garlic slices are huge!)

Then just take a slice or two of steak and place on the slider sized bread. I prefer a Portuguese Pop Seco.

Add on some grilled pineapples and if you like grilled garlic.

Recipe for Sangria Steak Sliders:

(makes 4 sliders, serves 2)

8 thinly sliced steak sandwich steaks (about 1/2 lb)

4 slider size rolls (I like Portuguese rolls)

2 cups Sangria with fruit (If you don’t have this, combine 2 cups sweet red wine with one small can of pineapple slices with juice and slice up one orange as a substitute)

2 large garlic cloves sliced

3 Tbs. kosher salt

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. veggie oil

Directions:

Add salt and garlic to Sangria. Marinate meat 1-6 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Add butter and oil. Sear steak on both sides (about 2-3 mins each side). Sear pineapple and garlic as well.

Add steak, pineapple and garlic to roll.

Enjoy!

Holy Ghost Skewered Meat (Carne Espeto)

June 10, 2015June 18, 2015

Traditional at any Portuguese feast, Carne Espeto, is one of my most treasured culinary connections to my culture. As I went over briefly in my post, “The Holy Ghost Feast at Espirito Santo Church…” it is a long-standing and continued tradition that the men in my family gather raw meat and roast it over an open pit of coals at my church’s feast each year. I love this dish so much that I decided to come up with my own recipe.

As seen in my recipe for Grilled Montreal Steak, I normally like to give a salt rub time to work it’s way into meat, but in keeping with the method used at the feast, this will be a quick rub method. As a result, what you get is a very salty meat… although still not as salty as what you get at the actual feast. This works for me though as it’s an added bonus to be able to control the flavor a bit more. Using just 5 simple ingredients, anyone can bring home Holy Ghost Skewered Meat.

Start by Skewering about 3 lbs. of cubed chuck or stew meat.

Start the spice rub with one cup of kosher salt.

To the salt add 1 Tablespoon of dry crushed red pepper, 2 Tablespoons of garlic powder and one Tablespoon of ground black pepper.

Mix all your spices together. You will likely have about half of this left over for next time. Just pop it in an air tight container or bag and you’ll have it for next time.

Coat each piece of meat generously with the rub.

Place the seasoned skewers on the grill… I am using a charcoal grill, you could use a gas grill turned up to high heat, but if you can use a charcoal grill, the flavor will be much more similar to that of the Holy Ghost Feast meat. (How to light a charcoal grill)

Turn the meat every 5 mintues or so. This is not a “walk away from the grill” type of recipe… these skewers need to be watched pretty closely… So, grab a beer and enjoy the process.

I normally like my beef cooked to medium… but, for some reason with this recipe I tend to lean toward well done. To achieve this without burning, you’ll want to start with a sear on the meat over the “hot” side of the grill and then moving to the “cool” side of the grill.

When through, this is what you should see. Let the meat rest a good 10 minutes.

Recipe for Holy Ghost Skewered Meat (Carne Espeto):

(Serves 5-6)

3 lbs of beef, cubed

1 Cup Kosher salt

1 Tbls. dry crushed red pepper

2 Tbls garlic powder

1 Tbls. ground black pepper

Directions:

Skewer beef, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, mix salt, red pepper, garlic and cracked black pepper together. Sprinkle liberally on each piece of meat. Roast meat over charcoal. Attend the grill frequently and turn every 5 minutes or so. Once you have a good sear on the meat, move to a cooler area of the grill. Once done to your liking, remove from grill and let rest about 10 minutes.

Grilled Montreal Steak

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015

Grilled Montreal Steak has to be one of my husband’s favorite meals. I am always sure to make enough for that night’s dinner and then some left over for the next day. Not being a big fan of just re-heating steak, we use it to pop into Quesadillas, top a nice salad, or make some yummy Beef Stroganoff.

I used to use a pre-made Montreal seasoning mix, until one day, I ran out. But, we still wanted Montreal Steak, therefore, I came up with my own blend… and I have to say, we like it even better! You can make up a batch as you need it, or multiply the recipe and fill up a mason jar to keep it at the ready.

This steak would be perfect paired with Stacy’s Best Potato Salad and Low-carb Grilled Veggies!

Let’s start with mixing up the seasoning rub:

Start with making your own Montreal spice rub… You’ll need some kosher salt, dried crushed pepper, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, ginger and smoked paprika.

Add altogether and mix.

This is what you will end up with.

Now onto preparing the steak:

This is our favorite cut of meat. My butcher calls it “Beef Loin Flap” It’s got lots of connective tissue making it flavorful and juicy.

Although this is called a rub. we aren’t going to actually rub the meat just yet. Sprinkle on the steak on all sides pretty liberally.

After a few minutes, the spices start seeping in. You want to do this at least a few hours before cooking if possible. The salt really changes the meat.

Cover and place in the fridge up to 24 hrs before cook time… But, be sure to take the meat out about an hour before you are ready to cook it to allow it to come to room temperature.

This steak is delicious grilled outside on your gas or charcoal grill or inside on a grill pan. Just a warning though, if you are doing this inside, be sure you have good ventilation, you will need your burner on high for a properly seared steak.

Set your grill to high to get a good sear. Grill for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. If you wish to have less pink in the middle, now is the time to turn the burner down to medium and continue cooking — 6 minutes for medium and 8 minutes for well done. The meat is safe to eat once the internal temperature reaches 145°F with a meat thermometer.

Serve with some potato salad and enjoy!

Let rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Recipe for Grilled Montreal Steak:

(serves 6)

3 lbs. steak (here we use beef loin)

8-10 Tbs. Montreal Steak Seasoning

For Seasoning Mix:

6 Tbs. kosher salt

3 Tbs. dry crushed red pepper

3 Tbs. fresh cracked black pepper

3 Tbs. garlic powder

2 Tbs. smoked paprika

1 Tbs. ginger

Directions:

Mix together all seasoning ingredients. Sprinkle seasoning onto meat, place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, store in fridge for 3-24 hrs until 1 hr before cook time.

Let meat sit at room temperature for one hour. Grill on high to preferred level of doneness. Meat should have an internal temperature of 145°F. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free recipe.