Obviously, I need to set you up with a proper recipe here, one that does justice to this perfectly nice, but poorly-named, cut. As I looked through our collection of cookbooks and cruised the web the other week I just didn't see anything that I was particularly excited about. So I decided to play around and see what I could come up with for you.
Lemon juice and/or vinegar are common bases for london broil marinades, but lime provides a nice, light, summery alternative. Many marinade recipes these days rely on soy sauce for the combination of salt and liquid, but some folks can't or prefer not to use soy and in any case soy-based marinades can be heavy and I wanted something light to let the lime stand out. What goes with lime in summertime?... tonic water! Now that we're playing with bitter flavors, escarole is a perfect complement. I think the experiment turned out well--in fact, it smelled so delicious that I forgot to take a picture in the rush to eat! Here's what was left when I realized my error:
Lime-tonic london grill with escarole
We enjoyed this straight up, just meat and veg, but it would also pair delightfully with a cold rice, pasta, or corn and bean salad.
Meat:
2 lbs "london broil" (2-3 steaks)
Veg:
2-4 heads of escarole heads sliced in half lengthwise and drizzled with olive oil and a dusting of salt. (Could substitute other grillable leafy produce like romaine lettuce or bok choy. Even a slightly bolted and bitter lettuce could work well here.
Marinade:
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup tonic water
2 tsp salt, or to taste -- some folks may prefer less salt, and if so, better to use less at the beginning than rinse the steaks before cooking (!)
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp Cholula or similar hot sauce
1/4 cup garlic scapes, minced (I tested this a few weeks ago while garlic scapes were in season; scallion should be very similar, or substitute maybe 1/8 cup of minced onion or garlic bulbs)
Preparation:
Make up the marinade in the morning or the day before. Lightly score the steaks on both sides with diagonal cuts <1/8" deep and let the steaks marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours--24 or even 36 hours is fine too. Bring them to room temperature prior to cooking. While the grill is heating, cut the escarole and drizzle it with olive oil, then set aside.
Grill the steaks on an oiled grill-- I had a good bed of coals about 3-4 inches from the grill, hot but not super hot. Depending on the thickness, allow 7-10 minutes per side, turning once. Throw the escarole on a cooler spot on the grill when you turn the meat and grill both sides just enough to wilt the heart and get some crispy blackened bits at the the edges of the leaves--but not too much! I found that the steaks wanted to come off first and briefly rest under a tent of aluminum foil while the escarole finished up. If you put the escarole over higher heat than I did, well then it might go the other way around.
Enjoy!
Jesse
Lemon juice and/or vinegar are common bases for london broil marinades, but lime provides a nice, light, summery alternative. Many marinade recipes these days rely on soy sauce for the combination of salt and liquid, but some folks can't or prefer not to use soy and in any case soy-based marinades can be heavy and I wanted something light to let the lime stand out. What goes with lime in summertime?... tonic water! Now that we're playing with bitter flavors, escarole is a perfect complement. I think the experiment turned out well--in fact, it smelled so delicious that I forgot to take a picture in the rush to eat! Here's what was left when I realized my error:
Lime-tonic london grill with escarole
Meat:
2 lbs "london broil" (2-3 steaks)
Veg:
2-4 heads of escarole heads sliced in half lengthwise and drizzled with olive oil and a dusting of salt. (Could substitute other grillable leafy produce like romaine lettuce or bok choy. Even a slightly bolted and bitter lettuce could work well here.
Marinade:
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup tonic water
2 tsp salt, or to taste -- some folks may prefer less salt, and if so, better to use less at the beginning than rinse the steaks before cooking (!)
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp Cholula or similar hot sauce
1/4 cup garlic scapes, minced (I tested this a few weeks ago while garlic scapes were in season; scallion should be very similar, or substitute maybe 1/8 cup of minced onion or garlic bulbs)
Preparation:
Make up the marinade in the morning or the day before. Lightly score the steaks on both sides with diagonal cuts <1/8" deep and let the steaks marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours--24 or even 36 hours is fine too. Bring them to room temperature prior to cooking. While the grill is heating, cut the escarole and drizzle it with olive oil, then set aside.
Grill the steaks on an oiled grill-- I had a good bed of coals about 3-4 inches from the grill, hot but not super hot. Depending on the thickness, allow 7-10 minutes per side, turning once. Throw the escarole on a cooler spot on the grill when you turn the meat and grill both sides just enough to wilt the heart and get some crispy blackened bits at the the edges of the leaves--but not too much! I found that the steaks wanted to come off first and briefly rest under a tent of aluminum foil while the escarole finished up. If you put the escarole over higher heat than I did, well then it might go the other way around.
Enjoy!
Jesse
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