Steak

You may substitute beef round steak (have butcher run through cubing machine to tenderize) for venison if you like.

A thick steak is essential in order to get nice rare slices for your buffet brunch. Be sure to let the steak rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to disburse throughout the meat and not go running all over the cutting board.

There have been many highly original versions of the straightforward miner’s lunch (if you couldn’t come up to the surface for lunch, you took a warm pasty down with you, holding the thickly crimped edge with your grubby hands, then leaving it behind to appease the spirits of the mine) but I have rarely enjoyed one as much as those I have eaten in Cornwall. My pasty is (categorically) not a Cornish pasty. I precook my filling, you see, which Cornish cooks would never do. I cook the meat and vegetables before wrapping them in the pastry crust purely because it results in a pasty whose filling is especially tender and giving. I also use a proportion of butter in the pastry too. The similarity between my pasty and a Cornish one is purely in the ingredients: beef, potato, onion, and rutabaga. Chaucer was partial to a pasty—they appear in The Canterbury Tales, and in several of Shakespeare’s plays, including The Merry Wives of Windsor, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Titus Andronicus. We shall gloss over the small point that Titus uses Chiron and Demetrius’s bodies rather than the more traditional beef skirt steak. I do suggest you let the finished parcels rest for half an hour before baking, if you get the chance.

Onions make an important contribution to the filling of pies, providing a sweet balance for the savoriness of the meat and a necessary change of texture, too. A meat pie with no onions would be hard going. I rarely make a meat pie. It is one of those recipes I reserve for a cold autumn day, when it’s too wet to go out.

Yakisoba is an extremely popular casual dish in Japan, especially with kids. During the country’s annual summer festivals you can always find yakisoba stands crowded next to shrines and temples, ready to feed hungry visitors. Traditionally, this dish is prepared with pork loin or pork belly, but I think it tastes really wonderful with beef. Also, I prefer to use dried ramen noodles rather than frozen because they stay al dente when added to the stir-fry.

This French dish, which translates to “pot on the fire,” consists of meat and vegetables slowly cooked in water or stock. The broth is traditionally served with croutons as a first course, followed by an entrée of the meat and vegetables. The combination of meat and vegetables varies according to the region. It’s traditionally a slow-cooking dish that takes hours. This version makes use of more tender cuts of meat and therefore cooks much more quickly.

Pepper, made from the small dried berries of a tropical vine native to India, has been the most widely used spice in the world for centuries. Green peppercorns are harvested when not quite ripe, and are most often dried or cured in brine or vinegar. Black peppercorns are picked when ripe, allowed to ferment, and then dried until they shrivel and turn brownish black. White pepper is allowed to ripen more fully on the vine before the black outer husk is removed. The husks are removed in a steady stream of water, so the peppercorns are very white and very clean. To crust a beef filet with a combination of crushed peppercorns is a traditional French cooking technique known as au poivre. Here, the bite of the pepper is tempered by the sharp cognac and fruity golden raisins.

Skirt steak is a long, flat, flavorful piece of beef cut from the diaphragm muscle in the plate section of a cow—essentially where the waist would be if a cow had a waist. Also known as plate steak, it is used for making fajitas.

Traditional balsamic vinegar, from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, takes a minimum of twelve years to produce, and can be very costly. However, I don’t think you need to spend a lot if you’re going to toss it with a salad or use it for cooking. One that is traditionally barrel-aged, then mixed with a lesser-quality vinegar works very well and is typically about fifteen dollars. A good blue cheese, such as Roquefort, Maytag, or Stilton, would be wonderful here.

Simply grilled meat is a universal crowd-pleaser. Mexicans spend long weekend afternoons slowly grilling meat, which they serve with radish wedges, avocado slices, and various table sauces. This recipe puts it all together for you. So the next time you find yourself grilling, include this smooth salsa made with avocado and tomatillos, which is so velvety no one will believe you when you tell them it is made without cream.

If I had to come up with two words to describe this dish, they would be “tangy” and “tasty.” Onions, lime juice, and roasted tomato are all mixed in with flank steak, which is seared to a crispy and juicy finish. While the dish is made entirely on the stovetop, you’d swear a grill was involved. This is another great option for entertaining because most of the recipe can be done a day in advance.

This classic dish proudly displays the colors of the Mexican flag, which is most likely why it’s referred to as “belonging to Mexico” (a la Mexicana). It’s also where the fajita probably got its start. A quick sauté of traditional ingredients—tomato, onion, and chiles—shows how delicious and simple Mexican food can be.

If you have ever eaten from a taco truck, you will know why carne asada (grilled beef ) tacos are the ultimate Mexican street food. Charred crispy beef is wrapped in a warm and chewy corn tortilla and drizzled with your choice of fresh tomato or tomatillo sauce. It is easy to make and even easier to serve because you can have your guests make their own.

I love steak salads. It must be something about the contrast in texture and temperature that I find appealing. The best steak salads give you meat that is juicy and flavorful with a charred exterior crust on the steak that goes great against the fresh, crisp lettuce. The glaze is the key to this salad because the sugars in it caramelize and create that crunchy exterior.

Normally, you would make these on skewers, but for a party it’s much easier to broil all the meat and then serve them on toothpicks.

As one of my all-time favorite dishes, I make this recipe all the time. It’s best with fresh mushrooms, but I will admit that if I don’t have any in the refrigerator (or if I’m feeling particularly lazy), I will make this with canned mushrooms and it’s still yummy. When your friends think you’ve created a masterpiece, remember you don’t have to tell them how easy it was.

Fajitas are great because you can put anything you want on them. I like mine with meat, onion, and cheese, but my sister always grills some eggplant or zucchini for hers. They are also really good with refried beans, guacamole, or even Spanish rice.

Okay, the truth is, I’m not a big fan of lettuce, but I love steak. So this recipe was my mom’s way of getting me to eat salad. She figured if she put enough stuff on it that I liked, I wouldn’t notice the lettuce. Well, I’m not that stupid—I noticed the lettuce. But, her strategy worked, and I will admit (grudgingly) that this salad is good.

Skirt steak is a chef’s best friend. Besides cooking up fairly quickly, it’s got a great flavor and a price tag that shouldn’t break the bank. However, I’ve found that traditional supermarkets sometimes charge substantially higher for it than Latino markets and carnicerias, so shop savvy—especially if you plan on cooking for a larger crowd. Use the carne asada in tacos, burritos, or tortas, or atop a piping hot plate of nachos. diced onions, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, sliced radishes, and, of course, more Sriracha make excellent toppers

If your steak is very thick, you may need to add up to eight minutes more in the oven. Let your nose be your guide. This recipe is chock full of vegetables—a great way to get your meat lover to eat vegetables, too! Try this recipe with chicken pieces instead of steak for a change. My aunt swears by kosher salt and freshly squeezed lemon or lime when cooking meat, but I prefer to use sea salt whenever I’m cooking.