Get Cooking_ 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen - Mollie Katzen [80]
2. Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Wait another 30 seconds, and then add the steak. Cook, undisturbed, for 1½ to 2 minutes, or until nicely browned. (This will give you a medium-rare result. If you prefer it more well done, you can cook it as long as 2½ minutes.)
3. Use a metal spatula to loosen, lift, and flip the steak, and cook it on the other side for 1½ to 2 minutes for medium-rare (or up to 2½ minutes for medium), adding a little more oil if the pan seems dry. Don’t overcook the steak or it will become tough.
4. Transfer the cooked steak to a cutting board or plate, cover it loosely with a tent of foil, and let it rest while you cook the onions and peppers.
5. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium heat. After about a minute, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high, toss in the onion and bell peppers, and cook, shaking the pan and stirring, for only 3 to 5 minutes, or until everything becomes even more brightly colored and barely tender. Toss in the garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt during the last minute of cooking.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the vegetables rest while you cut the steak crosswise, against the grain, into thin strips. Add the strips of cooked steak to the vegetables in the pan, and mix briefly to combine. Bring the pan to the table and serve right away.
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GET CREATIVE
Pass a basket of warmed corn or flour tortillas at the table.
You can sprinkle the finished dish with lightly toasted cumin seeds.
Serve with wedges of lime for serious squeezing.
Top with grated cheese, salsa, sour cream, and/or chopped tomatoes.
Heap some guacamole (store-bought or homemade—see Chapter 8: Party Snacks) on top.
Top with minced cilantro and/or mayonnaise.
Top with a dab of sour cream.
Serve with beans (plain or refried, from a can, heated) and rice.
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GO THAT EXTRA FLAVOR INCH
You can give the steak a profound dose of flavor by marinating it for 20 minutes or longer in this mixture.
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 good-sized cloves)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl; whisk well. (Alternatively you can put everything in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine well.) Transfer the marinade to a resealable plastic bag, add the steak (either whole, or cut against the grain into ¼-inch-thick strips), and let marinate in the refrigerator, for at least 20 minutes and as long as overnight.
2. Lift the steak out of the marinade, leaving the liquid behind to discard, and cook according to the fajita recipe (but skipping the drying and seasoning of the meat in step 1).
sides.
HOW TO COOK RICE
TWO GREAT SOAKING GRAINS
BAKED POTATOES
MASHED POTATOES
BOILED PARSLEY POTATOES
ROASTED FINGERLINGS
SKILLET POTATOES WITH FRIED ONIONS
YOUR BASIC MASHED SWEET POTATOES
CLASSIC ASPARAGUS
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BROCCOLI
DEEPLY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
SERIOUSLY GOOD GREEN BEANS AMANDINE
DELIGHTFULLY SPICED CARROTS
FAJITA-STYLE PEPPERS AND ONIONS
SPINACH WITH GARLIC
BRAISED BRUSSELS SPROUTS IN MUSTARD SAUCE
DARK LEAFY GREENS WITH VERY SWEET ONIONS
URBAN-GRILLED SUMMER SQUASH
WINTER SQUASH AU NATUREL
Spud Simple
Potatoes are the original underground vegetable. Humble, not flashy. Satisfying and substantial. There when you need them. The best friend in the buddy movie of cooking. This gives them a noble quality that makes good cooks want to do as little to them as possible—just enough to showcase their refreshing simplicity with a little butter or salt or olive oil. Parsley or onions, maybe, but not a lot of sauce or fuss. Potatoes provide a delicious edible reminder that less