Horseradish-Crusted Steak Roulade

This recipe is not a typical dish that I would try for my family, but it looked interesting, good, and I was wanting something a little more "special" to help celebrate my husband's birthday last month. After all the preparation involved, I decided I probably wouldn't make it again for quite some time. I was dissapointed that the filling really didn't stay put and it basically fell apart after I cut the twine.

Horseradish-Crusted Steak Roulade (Food Network Magazine Dec '09)
For the Steak:
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeded
3 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, white and light-green parts only, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1- 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pound flank steak, trimmed
1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese (about 8 slices)

For the Crust:
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3 tsps chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbls drained horseradish
3 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Prepare the stuffing for the steak: Preheat the broiler and place the peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil until skin is charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the peppers with your fingers or a paring knife. If necessary, lightly rinse to remove any remaining skin and pat dry. (You can also use store-bought roasted red peppers...much easier!).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Gently pound the steak with the flat side of a mallet or heavy skillet until 1/4 inch thick. (I wasn't able to get mine that thin, which meant my filling spilled out of the steak upon assembly.) Lay out on a cutting board with the long side facing you and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasted peppers evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. top with the cheese slices, then the leek mixture. Roll the meat away from you into a tight cylinder, tucking in the filling as you roll.

Make the crust: Mix the breadcrumbs, rosemary, parsley, horseradish, olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until moistened. Brush the steak roll with a bit of olive oil and press the breadcrumb mixture over the top and sides. Tie the roll with twine in three or four places making sure it's not too tight (you want the crust to stay intact).

Place the steak roll on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until the crust is golden and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes. Carefully cut off the twine, then slice the roll crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

Steak Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing

I'm still enjoying the cookbook, "Light Cooking for Two." I'm not a huge fan of pairing warm meat with cold lettuce but I thought I would give this recipe a try, and I'm so glad I did! The dressing is wonderful, so if nothing else I may continue making the dressing to have on regular salads.
Steak Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing
2 Tbls plain nonfat yogurt
2 tsps mayonnaise
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 small cucumber
vegetable cooking spray
6 oz lean boneless sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
1 Tbls chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 cups torn lettuce of your choice
1 medium-size ripe nectarine, cut into wedges
2 Tbls shredded Edam cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Set aside. Slice cucumber into thin slices, set aside. Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add steak and next 4 ingredients; saute' 3-4 minutes or until steak is done. Set aside.
Place lettuce evenly on two salad plates. Arrange cucumber and steak mixture, and nectarine wedges over salad greens. Drizzle vinegar mixture evenly over salads, and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 2 servings.

Caramelized Beef Skewers

My husband has a love of A.1. Sauce...so much so, that he has a special snack he makes which includes Triscuits, A.1., and cream cheese....yes, odd but surprisingly good. When I came across this skewer recipe which called for three of his favorite condiments...A.1., barbecue sauce (which he can eat with bread), and mustard (which he sometimes eats with a spoon), I thought it would be a hit. Apparently the combination doesn't go well together! From now on we will just stick with a good grilled steak dipped in A.1.

Caramelized Beef Skewers (Kraft Food & Family)
1 lb beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1/4 cup A.1. steak sauce, divided
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Toss steak with 2 Tbl steak sauce; marinade for 10 minutes. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, set aside. Preheat grill to medium-high heat, thread steak onto skewers. Grill skewers 6 minutes or until steak is cooked through, turning after3 minutes and brushing with barbecue sauce mixture. Serves 4.

Teriyaki Beef Steak

My husband has a great flank steak recipe that we enjoy frequently, but there are times I enjoy trying a new recipe, even if I don't think it will be a winner over our "regular". This is a good recipe and I'm glad we tried it, however we will go back to our favorite. We did make great use of this in leftovers by making Philly Cheese steak sandwiches....that was good!

Teriyaki Beef Steak
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions with tops
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 Tbls honey
1 1/2 lbs beef flank steak

In a small bowl, whisk together teriyaki sauce, green onions, garlic and honey. Place flank steak in heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Add marinade; turn to coat. Close bag and marinade for 4 hours or overnight. Remove flank steak from bag; discard marinade. Broil steak 5-6 inches from heat, 7-9 minutes per side for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Carve steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Makes 6 (4 oz) servings.

Beef Tenderloin Crusted with Cumin and Garlic

I've been looking through various cookbooks and flagging all the recipes I would like to try. I am almost through trying all of the recipes I've marked from Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill. It has been nice trying the various recipes from this cookbook as...you guessed it...you use the grill! Once it cools off here in Cheyenne, I'll go back to my cookbooks which require the oven, but until then it's grilling in my household! (Sorry, no picture...I forgot in the 'rush' to get dinner on the table, but this had a delicious flavor!)

Beef Tenderloin Crusted with Cumin and Garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbls ground cumin
8 garlic cloves, smashed
2 Tbls fresh lime juice
2 Tbls coarsely chopped cilantro (which I omitted)
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 beef tenderloins (about 2 lbs each)
Kosher salt

Place the oil, cumin, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and pepper in food processor and process to a smooth paste. Place the tenderloins in a large shallow baking dish and cover with marinade, rubbing it into the meat. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours or overnight. Preheat grill to medium high. Remove the tenderloins from the dish; do not wipe off excess marinade. Season with salt and grill until medium rare, 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes. Serves 8.

Some of my husband's favorite things....

When my husband and I were dating we often had dinner has his parent's house on Friday evenings where we always had steak, a baked potato, grilled Texas toast, and salad. When we were married, we kept the tradition for a while, but have since moved on to other things so now it's a treat when we have steak and potatoes for dinner. Tonight we had a slight variation to the standard steak dinner. I baked a sweet potato (they are suppose to be healthier...until you add marshmallows to the top!!) and made cheddar garlic biscuits to go along with our rib-eye steak.

Steak Dry Rub (adapted from Bobby's Flays Boy Meets Grill)

2 Tbls paprika

1/4 cup chili powder

3/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Rub on steak before grilling. Any leftover seasoning can be stored in a tightly covered glass jar for several months. (Makes enough to cover 2 rib-eye steaks)

Vegetable Steak Kabobs

My husband and I try to grill out as much as possible, especially during the summer months. We have our "stand-by" grill recipes which are family favorites, but I am always up for trying something new. I came across the Vegetable Steak Kabob recipe in a Taste of Home magazine that must have been from one of their winter editions as the headline reads, "Steak's a Cut Above for Holiday Menus" and has red mittens and holly leaves decorating the page. Just goes to show, we aren't the only ones who use our grill in the winter months!

Vegetable Steak Kabobs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbls ketchup
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp each dried marjoram, basil and oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 1/2 lbs boneless beef sirloin steak
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound whole fresh mushrooms (which I did not include!)
2 medium onions, cut into wedges (I substituted pearl onions)
2 small green peppers, but into 1-inch pieces

In a large resealable bag, combine the oil, vinegar, ketchup, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings; set aside. Trim steak if necessary and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add the meat and vegetables to the marinade. Seal bag, turn to coat; refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard the marinade. Alternately thread beef and vegetables onto six metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 6-8 minutes. Turn kabobs; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until beef reaches desired doneness. Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: Serving size - 1 kabob. 234 calories, 10 g fat, 69 mg cholesterol, 99 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 26 g protein

Round Steak (posted by the "Real Chef")

This is one of my favorite recipes my Mom always made for me. Anything fried in Crisco has to be good. My mom served it with mashed potatoes and corn.

Round Steak
1 lb of 1/2 inch thick top round steak
2 Tbl of shortening

Cut the meat into serving pieces and remove as much fat as possible. Using a meat mallet pound the meat and dredge in flour, salt, and pepper. Heat shortening in an electric skillet and add the floured meat. Brown the meat on both sides, then reduce heat and cover. Allow meat to cook for 30 minutes, then place on a paper towel to soak up the extra grease.

Buttered Baby Carrots
1/2 lb of baby carrots
Olive Oil
Garlic (minced)
Parsley (finely chopped)
Kosher Salt

Coat the carrots in olive oil and place in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add however much garlic and salt you prefer and cook until the carrots are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
1/2 lb of fingerling potatoes
1/2 yellow onion (roughly chopped)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the potatoes into bite size pieces and coat in olive oil and salt. Place on a large stone pan with the onion and roast for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper and serve.