Never Again Would Be A Lie
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 12:00PM "What are you trying to do, get me drunk?"
Not the best thing to say to a cute waitress when she's offering you another properly poured Guinness, especially when it's apparent you have the alcohol tolerance of a high school cheerleader. She smiles and gives an exaggerated shrug. Have to think fast now. Order more food- then she has to come back. Doesn't matter that a full size orders of [grilled] mirin sesame wings, salad, and the daily special, Korean short ribs, were recently demolished. Have to get something more.
She offers the dessert special, French silk pie. I swear I've seen it on the menu countless times before, but it doesn't matter. Swimsuit season is coming up I can't get it, regardless of how big her smile is. I'm a sucker for cute waitresses. Probably end up marrying one someday.
Sandra is great at her job. While I ponder what else to get, she gives me the "I'm thinking too look," which is really her thinking how to add on to my bill. I know what she's doing and I don't care. I give her the "Here's a blank check" look back. She grabs a menu to give to me- says she'll be back. Damn she's good. And no ring.
The hummus plate is always a good choice, even if I'm already filled. Thankfully I can pace myself with it- it's jazz night and the band is grooving. The music is what lured me into this trap to begin with.
The plate arrives and there's more than just a pound of hummus and pita. There's cucumbers, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, and celery. Somehow I get through it. Tough battle, but finishing everything is a battle for pride now. I wrap up with green tea to relax my stomach, and my mind.
Check comes and it's quite the sum, enough to cover a dinner for two. And I can't help but add on a 25% tip. Have to get out of here.
I slowly walk back, thinking how I got into that mess. I don't need to eat out, I can cook. I can cook damn well and without a huge AMEX swipe. Never again am I falling into that trap.
;)
This one pound piece was cut off of an even larger steak.
Next day comes and I wake with a great ambition to cook. I can painfully stuff myself with good food and use little money. Service won't be the same, but that's part of cutting back.
I go across the street to the store and run a lap before even picking up a basket. After soaking everything in I formulate the dish. I'm going to take a low end cut of meat and turn it into a $15 entree. Definitely feasible since I got hit over the head with that last night.
Start with skirt steak, my favorite steak to grill in the summer. Popular in Mexican dishes, I enjoy the texture and adore the fat content. Best served charred outside on a grill with fresh lime juice, but a broiler is ample.
With summer and Mexico on the mind, my thought process arrives to avocados. They're great on their own, but I'll need a dressing to keep them from oxidizing into an unappetizing brown color. Dressing gives me the idea to make a simple avocado salad with orange and toasted almonds. I like where this is going.
I get home and get to work on the dressing since it will take the longest. It's going to be a roasted garlic, lime, and cilantro dressing, so I need to start making garlic confit. There are several ways to bring the sweetness out of garlic by roasting or making confit- cutting the top off, adding oil, and roasting in the oven [350 Dg] for an hour; peeling a head's worth of cloves, throwing into a sauce pot with 1 C of olive oil and baking for 30 minutes; or putting the cloves and oil on the stove top on low for an hour. I usually cook it on the stove top so I can keep an eye on things. Don't want to ever reach a simmer, just a very lazy bubble. The garlic skin will become translucent and slightly resemble paper. Very aromatic as well.
While the garlic is getting busy in the olive oil party, I set the steak out to come up to room temperature. Could use some trimming too, and a rub down.
Next, I put the almonds in a wide-bottomed foil boat to go in the toaster oven. 350 Dg for 10 minutes without pre-heating tends to be perfect. Fragrance usually indicates they've been in too long.
;)
Garlic confit.
Time for the skirt steak to go under the broiler. It's a thin cut of meat that won't take too long, but when left medium-rare it can be chewy. 4-5 minutes per side should cook it all the way through, and also burn off any outside fat I missed in the trimming session.
The dressing is going to come together quickly with the aid of my immersion blender. A generous third cup of the oil from the confit, along with a few cloves, juice of one lime, healthy splash of citrus champagne vinegar, handful of cilantro, salt, and pepper. Blend and done.
Flip the steaks, and start slicing the orange segments, then the avocado dice. Easiest way to dice an avocado is to cut it in half, remove the seed, then with a large spoon, scoop out the two halves whole. Make long cuts across, then turn 90 Dg and make perpendicular cuts across the original lines.
Plate the meat, then top with a generous amount of avocado. Drizzle the dressing, then top with the orange slices and toasted almonds. A large forkful provides creamy and crunchy textures; bright, clean, and roasted flavors; and most importantly an overall satisfying feeling. I don't need any cute waitresses- I have my own skirt tonight.
;)
Skirt Steak with Avocado.
Avocado, Dressing, Garlic Confit, Orange, Skirt Steak in Adventure, Food, Recipe, Technique 
Reader Comments (8)
What a great read Micheal! I love the photo, and was just thinking when I get to the meat cutting section of my students lesson we are so making flank steak! with avocados of course...
Thanks for the compliment on my photo, I have been trying harder...but food will always be my 'focus', a little camera humor :)
You just need to ask the cute waitress over to dinner at your place. You though, having stuffed yourself silly at her restaurant, have put yourself in the "poor chap has no idea how to cook and is starving" category in her mind. She may be imagining a meal of Costco chicken or perhaps Dintymore stew if she accepts. Good luck!
Wow, looks so good. I like that you can just come up with a recipe like that on the fly. Good tips on the garlic. Next time get the waitress.
What's wrong wtih Costco chicken? I like Costco chicken.....and it mixes very well with other dishes i.e. lemon bowtie pasta with ricotta cheese and pine nuts, topped with shredded rotisserie chicken and served with tomato salad on the side...
lol Costco chicken is fine- it's just more than that is expected of me. Although honestly I have no idea what Dintymore stew is. Next time I do this I think I'll add a touch of diced red onion to the avocado salad. Oh and thanks for all of the 'non-food' advice everyone =P
Very nice post. I like the way you talk about food, but also say something about your life. I believe when done well these are the best blogs. Too many people get down right messy with the personal details. Greg PS I added you to me Friends Of SippitySup blog roll. I figure If I am going to come here everyday anyway it may as well be easy.
Mike, I just use the blogroll widget that blogger provides. Sorry...I looked and it just said "Configure blog roll". Pretty easy for me, but I don't know if it's available to non-blogger people. Have fun on your trip!
I just got a big hint here...I need to work on my writing skills, lol