Monday, September 1, 2008

Culinary Creations: London Broil and Mushrooms

One of my favorite ways to have beef is London Broil. When I was a little girl, my dad would marinate them over night, grill, then slice thinly. It was always a treat to have the left overs in a nice sturdy roll from the bakery, that would soak up the juices. Not only is it good value, but is the ideal summer food as once cooked, we usually get 2 or 3 meals. Recently, my local Whole Foods had ready marinated London Broil on sale, so how could I pass it up?

I did broil mine, for about 7 minutes per side. The mushrooms were crimini, also from Whole Foods. For the mushrooms, I halved them, sauteing them in olive oil, garlic, Herbs de Provence, and a splash of red wine. Once finished and the beef was sliced, I arranged them on a plate and poured the mushroom pan juices over the beef, finishing with some chopped basil and thyme.

For this kind of meal, I like to keep the side dishes light. We had a fresh baguette ~ heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt, garlic, chopped basil, chives, & thyme, and drizzled in olive oil ~ boiled golden beetroot drizzled in vinaigrette ~ mushrooms mentioned above ~ and kale sauteed in olive oil with garlic, sprinkle of sea salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. We also had a some large green olives stuffed with gorganzola cheese and applewood smoked cheese.
As for the left overs, we usually serve them again with the same sort of sides, chopped in a salad, or on a baguette for a steak sandwich.

6 comments:

Jane King said...

How come i have never heard of London Broil? It looks really really nice! I like my beef pink like that. What cut of meat is it and what is broiling? I know, i dont know anything!!!! What is it marinated in? YUM!!

Amy J said...

It's an American thing. I seem to remember a story that the name came from an English chef in New York that came up with the dish, so named it after his home town. The cut is usually flank steak, but can be any part of beef that is cut in that shape. We've always marinated it in Italian style salad dressing. Broil is what you call grill. :-) It is really nice when it's pink like that, but I've accidentally over cooked it before and then it is really tough and not so good.

Jane King said...

Oh that makes a lot more sense!!! I was thinking broiling was like poaching it in water or something like boiling. Was thinking how the hell to you marinate then poach meat ha ha!!!! It all becomes clear now. Broiling is a mad word!! :-)

Amy J said...

Marinated, poached beef sounds about as good as Spam! :-)

Jane King said...

Hey i LOVE spam!! :-)

Amy J said...

Seriously????????