Back East @ Pac East

Plated with crisp potato, tomato vinaigrette, and braised Tuscan kale

Assembled ingredients

Fresh Cod and a deep craving. My wife has been asking for Asian flavors, went for one of my favorite dishes from an old Pac Time/Pac East menu. Made a tomato vinaigrette with some marinara, added some ginger, coriander, cardamon, and clove along with some Chinese black vinegar. One peeled tomato cut in quarters for the plate. Some braised Tuscan kale, used guanciale for the fat and spices, some ginger, basil, and shallot. And the star, barely cooked cod, about mid-rare. Cooked the potato crisps ourselves, but they work just as well from the can. Good Stuff!

 

 

Guanciale with ginger and shallot.

 

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Steak a Claim

Florentine T bone Steak

Fresh herbs from the garden and beyond

As we thaw and warm and the flowers and birds return, we entertain pushing out the grill and firing up a charbroiled steak. Our favorite preparation is the Florentine T bone. By slicing and presenting the meat family style on a platter, we can feed two, three, even four people on a single steak. Count on a half pound to three quarters per person. Make sure the grill is blazing hot. Ideally the grates of the grill cook the steak, not the heat from the fire. Never grill a cold steak, let the meat come to room temperature before cooking. We use this time to allow the meat to shortly marinate with herb oil before hitting the grill. This is also a good time to throw the baked potatoes in the fire as they take a good deal longer to cook than the steak. Never serve your steak right off the grill. Whether it will be sliced or served on the bone, let it rest for ten to fifteen minutes before service. This is a good time to cook the vegetables. Serve this meal with a huge red wine, maybe Tom will recommend a hearty Tuscan or Piemontese for it. I know he has a lovely Roero nebbiolo. Good Stuff!

 

Florentine T Bone Steak

1 or 2 T Bone steak(s)

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped oregano

1 teaspoon chopped basil

1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1 sage leaf chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

 

The herbs can be chopped by food processor, just be careful to not turn them into pulp, we use a sharp knife. Combine all. Apply generously to the beef. Any leftover oil can be reserved for myriad uses. Season heavily with coarse salt and coarse ground black pepper. Season the entire steak, top, bottom, and both ends. Make sure the grill is blazing hot. Cook for several minutes on each side before flipping. We like to cook both sides twice in an effort to crosshatch the grill marks to make it pretty. There are many ways to determine the temperature of the meat, but he only sure way is an instant read thermometer. For rare, remove at 125-130, medium rare 135, medium 140-145. In our house we let the meat rest for most of one hour, but fifteen minutes is usually enough. Serve with baked potato and braised spinach. We rub the potatoes with herb oil, bacon fat, or butter before wrapping with tin foil and placing on the bed of coals. Turn often and remove when fork tender. Usually thirty to forty minutes. The spinach is also cooked in herb oil with much garlic. If the steak will be removed from the bone and sliced for service, it is a good idea to heat the platter in a hot oven for a few minutes before eating. Not surprisingly, it is not usually necessary to have dessert plans after this meal. Good Stuff!

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