Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [49]
Position a medium-large disposable aluminum pan (just big enough to hold the beef) over the unheated part of the grill and transfer the browned beef to the pan. Reduce the grill heat to low, about 250°F. Pour enough of the marinade and vegetables into the pan to come about halfway up the meat. Reserve any remaining marinade. Cover and grill the beef in the pan away from the heat until fork-tender, about 3½ to 4 hours. Turn over the meat in the liquid about halfway through the cooking. On a charcoal grill, add fresh wood chips and coals when the old ones die out, about once an hour. To remove the pan from the grill, carefully slide a wooden board or a metal tray beneath it to stabilize it, and lift the pan with the board or tray. Let the beef cool in the liquid until warm.
For the celeriac potato mash: Meanwhile, peel and trim the celeriac and potatoes, and then cut into 1-inch cubes. Put in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and season the water with salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and return the empty pan to low heat. Add the butter, cream, and horseradish and cook until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the celeriac and potatoes and mash with a potato masher or food mill (avoid a food processor or blender, which will make the mixture gluey). Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
Remove the beef from the liquid, set aside, and cover to keep warm. Strain the liquid into a medium saucepan and spoon off any excess fat. Add the dried mushrooms and the beef broth to the liquid. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until the liquid reduces to a medium-thick sauce, about 15 minutes. Strain again and season the sauce with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the sauce in shallow bowls, alongside the beef cheeks and celeriac potato mash.
HEART/VARIETY MEAT
Beef Heart Kebabs with Fire-Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
You might think hearts are soft, tender things. But the heart of a steer is a strong muscle that pumps vigorously around the clock to keep this enormous animal alive. It’s tough, but also extremely flavorful. In Peru beef hearts are skewered and grilled by street vendors everywhere. They’re as common as soft pretzels in New York City. These anticuchos (Quechua for “kebabs”) feature the hot, sunny flavor of aji amarillo, a spicy yellow chile pepper in a dried and ground form that infuses the meat. If you have access to a good Latin American market, ground aji amarillo is worth seeking out. If not, use a combination of smoked paprika and ground chipotle chile. Don’t be tempted to skip the ground annatto seeds (also called achiote seeds); they deliver a distinctive musky aroma and gorgeous yellow color. McCormick sells them in most grocery stores. If you can find only whole seeds, grind them in a spice grinder or coffee mill. For a late-summer meal, serve the beef kebabs with grilled corn on the cob and Grilled Potato Cakes.
INGREDIENTS:
4 bamboo or metal skewers
Beef Heart:
1½ pounds beef heart, cleaned of veins and fat
⅔ cup olive oil
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
Juice of ½ lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground aji amarillo, or 2 teaspoons smoked paprika plus 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
1 teaspoon ground annatto seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Fire-Roasted Yellow Pepper Sauce:
1 yellow bell pepper
1 scallion, trimmed
1 large garlic clove, skin on
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground aji amarillo, or ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika plus ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle chile
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS: