Cookbooking with Karl
by Karl Wells
Coffee Rubbed Steak Tacos
Cookbooks celebrating the new and old (with fresh ideas)
N
ever underestimate the power of a cookbook. You may think it nothing more than a bound volume of recipes. A guidebook designed to help you create food that you’ll (hopefully) enjoy eating. It is that, of course; but it’s also a kind of curative. As I felt and examined the covers of Flavours of New Brunswick, Some Good Sweet Treats, Out of New Nova Scotia Kitchens and Grandma’s Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Sweets, and as I slowly turned each page of appealing photos and appetizing recipes, my sombre mood changed. I felt reassured, optimistic. Who would have thought that staring at a fiddlehead salad or reading the ingredients for hotpot could make such a difference? It made me want to try some of the recipes. Consequently, I engaged in my personal, never-fail relaxation therapy: cooking. A recipe for Coffee Rubbed Steak Tacos caught my eye as I leafed through Flavours of New Brunswick from Tom Mason and Heidi Jirotka. The recipe was created by Chef Gene Cormier of the outdoor restaurant, Euston Park Social, in Moncton. I love coffee. I love steak. Wrapping those flavours in a taco with punchy spices and accents sounded appetizing. If you follow the instructions, you’ll be making this recipe often, because the amount of coffee rub you’ll end up with is far more than you’ll need for 16 ounces of beef tenderloin. I opted to cook my steak on a pan instead of the grill. Be prepared for steak with a blackened surface. Don’t panic. As long as you’ve cooked it four minutes per side (and no longer) it will taste great.
The rub imparts deep, rich flavour to the meat. If you’re using soft tacos and decide to warm them in the oven, do so on very low heat and for only a short time. I left mine in too long and they became brittle and broke when I started noshing. With a filling that also calls for salsa, shredded lettuce and grated cheese these tacos are a two-napkins two-hands dining experience. Tagliatelle d ’Amalfi does not sound like a recipe you’d find in a book called Flavours of New Brunswick, but this book isn’t about traditional dishes. It’s about today’s popular “flavours of New Brunswick.” Tagliatelle d ’Amalfi is basically tagliatelle pasta (fettuccine works too) with nut sauce. The recipe comes from Chef Michelle Hooton of Italian by Night in Saint John. Once you’ve gathered up the wide variety of nuts called for (pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts), it’s just a matter of giving them a quick roast in the oven. Then the nuts and remaining ingredients of garlic, salt, lemon thyme, parsley and olive oil get turned into a coarse nut butter in the food processor. Next, the mixture is tossed in a large bowl with steaming hot tagliatelle. It took longer to thoroughly mix these ingredients than, say, spaghetti and tomato sauce, but adding some water from the pasta pot helped. The garnish of parmesan and cherry tomatoes looked attractive and added to the flavour. Speaking of flavour, I found the raw garlic to be too strong for my taste. Next time, I’ll roast the garlic (unpeeled or it will burn) along with the nuts. Roasting mellows out the flavour of garlic.
NUMBER 92 | FALL 2020
25
