Grilling in the Garden

Gather the gang around the table for a summer feast with the steaks and salads featured in these two new cookbooks.

SUMMER IS FINALLY back. The farmers’ markets are bustling with vendors and buyers, and the late afternoons are hazier (and lazier) than we can remember. It’s time to take the cooking outdoors.

With the temperatures finally climbing to acceptable sunning levels, it might be time to dust off the outdoor grill and start planning your first cookoff. In Steak Revolution ($32.99, amazon.ca), author Rob Firing has created a condensed compendium of how-tos and quick recipes to get your summer grilling mojo going. The Toronto-based steak fanatic outlines the basic essentials a griller should consider when roasting up meats and vegetables, and it even has a section dedicated to buying meat.

Chef and Food Network star Corbin Tomaszeski has a new cookbook and it’s his most personal project yet. In Good Company ($34.95, amazon.ca) celebrates his philosophy of food, fun and family with easy recipes for everyday gatherings. Meals are categorized by time of day and Tomaszeski does a fine job of mixing healthy cooking with Latin American and Asian influences.

Corbin Tomaszeski’s Jicama Salad

Amp up your salad routine with crunchy, juicy jicama, the turnip of Mexico.

Dressing Ingredients

◆ 2 Tbsp orange juice

◆2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

◆ 1 Tbsp honey

◆ 1 tsp Dijon mustard

◆ 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

◆ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

◆Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad ingredients

◆ 3 cups baby kale

◆1/2 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (1 cup)

◆1 carrot, cut into matchsticks (1/2 cup)

◆1/2 jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

◆1/2 head fennel, cut into matchsticks (1/2 cup)

◆1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchsticks

◆1 corn on the cob, shucked and charred or grilled, kernels removed

◆1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

◆1 small orange, peeled and segmented

◆2 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or toasted almonds, to serve2 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or toasted almonds, to serve

Method

1 To make the dressing, in a blender, combine all ingredients except oil. Cover and purée until smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in the oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing into a resealable jar and refrigerate until ready to use. (Keeps up to one week in the refrigerator.)

2 To assemble the salad, in a large bowl, combine kale, radishes, carrots, jicama, fennel, peppers, corn, tomatoes and oranges. Drizzle the already prepared dressing overtop and gently toss to mix.

3 To serve, place salad on a large serving platter and sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds.

In Good Company by Corbin Tomaszeski, with Karen Geier. Copyright 2018. Excerpted with permission from the publisher Figure 1.

PAIRING

Pepper Tree Chardonnay A dry white offering stone fruit and spice notes. Hailing from Australia’s high altitude Orange region. June 23 in Vintages. LCBO #551564

Corbin Tomaszeski’s Grilled Watermelon

We’ve all heard that watermelon can be the star ingredient in salads, right? But have you tried grilling it?

Ingredients

◆5 tsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)

◆1 (1-inch-thick) firm watermelon round, rind on

◆ 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

◆1/4 cup pitted black olives, chopped

◆1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

◆ 4 large basil leaves, torn

◆Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1 Heat a grill pan over high heat or preheat the barbecue to 400 F.

2 Lightly brush 1 Tbsp oil on one side of watermelon round. Place on the grill, oil-side down, and grill for 1 minute. Rotate watermelon slice 45 degrees and grill for another minute. (This gives it a professional-looking crosshatched grill pattern.)

3 To serve, transfer watermelon to a cutting board and cut into eight wedges. Arrange on a serving platter and top with feta and black olives. Scatter red onion slices and basil overtop. Season with pepper and drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil.

4 Enjoy like pizza wedges.

PAIRING

Casas del Bosque Reserva Sauvignon Blanc An aromatic blend of three Sauvignon clones, made in the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Flavours of citrus zest and lime. LCBO #974717

In Good Company by Corbin Tomaszeski, with Karen Geier. Copyright 2018. Excerpted with permission from the publisher Figure 1.

Brad Jolly’s Flank Matambre

Rolled beef dishes are a classic part of the cow-cooking canon. This one adds bacon.

Ingredients

◆1 Tbsp frying fat (goose fat, duck fat, lard, tallow, or schmaltz)

◆1 each of leek, onion, and shallot, roughly chopped

◆5 each of pitted green and Kalamata olives

◆8 sundried tomato halves, half of them finely chopped

◆ 6 anchovy fillets, chopped

◆ 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

◆1 Tbsp dried Aleppo or gochugaru pepper

◆2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

◆1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

◆1 flank steak (about 2 lbs), butterflied

◆ 4 strips bacon

◆1/2 cup roasted red peppers, cut into strips

◆ 2 cups tomato passata

◆ 2 cups dry vermouth

◆ 2 cups beef or chicken stock

◆ 4 bay leaves

Method

1 Preheat your oven to 275 F.

2 In a large frying pan, heat fat of choice. Sauté leek, onion, shallot, olives, sundried tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, and Aleppo pepper until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and parsley, and then remove pan from the heat and set aside.

3 Place flank steak on a clean work surface. Arrange a single layer of bacon and red pepper strips in flat rows across the steak. Top with half of leek mixture, gently spreading it as evenly as you can (transfer remaining mixture to a bowl and set aside, and reserve pan). Starting at one short end, carefully roll up steak like a sleeping bag. Tie each end quite tightly with butcher’s string, closing it like a sausage. Secure the remaining parts with four or five lengths of string to help it maintain its shape.

4 Add a little more butter to the frying pan, and brown the rolled-up flank on medium-high heat until a crust develops on all sides.

5 In a large pot or roasting pan, combine passata, vermouth, stock, bay leaves, and the remaining filling mixture. Add prepared flank and roast, covered, for 3 hours. Your matambre will be very tender but will still hold its shape without falling apart when you lift it out of the pot.

6 Carefully slice and serve with a spoonful of braising liquid.

Pairing

Pyros Barrel Select Malbec A complex wine from the volcanic soils of Argentina’s Pedernal Valley. Boasting blackberry and plum flavours. July 21 in Vintages. LCBO #555813

Steak Revolution by Rob Firing © 2018. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rob Firing’s Flat Iron in Herbs

Give beefy flank steak a late-spring makeover with a big pile of fresh, green herbs.

INGREDIENTS

◆1 bunch each of fresh: thyme, mint, tarragon, sage, chives, etc., for cooking and garnish

◆1 whole flat iron steak (tendon removed) about 2 lbs

◆ 1 tsp salt

◆ Extra-virgin olive oil

◆Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Season flat iron steak with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon on both the top and bottom), and then gently press herbs – stems and all – onto the steak’s surface (reserve a few leaves of each type of herb for garnish). Drizzle a little olive oil all over. Put steak, surrounded top and bottom by the various herbs, on a plate. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes before grilling.

2 Prepare your charcoal grill to one third cooler than peak heat, or heat your gas grill to medium-high (preheated on high for 10 minutes, with its lid closed).

3 Place steak in its tangle of herbs on the preheated grill and cook until medium-rare (approaching 125 F when tested with a meat thermometer, or pinky-red inside with some red meat in the centre when checked with a small incision). Some of the herbs will fall off and land on the coals below, others will sear onto the steak, and some will stick around, only partially cooked – it’s all good.

4 Using a sharp knife, slice your flat iron crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. To serve, arrange in a fan on a platter, pour reserved juices overtop, sprinkle over remaining herbs, and season with a few grinds of black pepper.

Pairing

Casas del Bosque Reserva Carmenère A medium bodied red with a crimson hue and notes of cloves, boysenberry, tobacco and cedar on the nose. LCBO #205872

Steak Revolution by Rob Firing © 2018. Published by HarperCollins Pu blishers Ltd. All rights reserved.