thoreau

Asiago Skirt Steak Mushroom and Carrot Salad
Tomatillo Avacado Salad/Guacamole
Steamed Asparagus

I was so excited to get home tonight and break open my latest new cookbook "Tyler's Ultimate" by Tyler Florence. His baked asparagus is so incredibly easy - and my 'muffinated' take on his Skirt Steak Salad turned out great - along with a special Avocado/Tomatillo Dressing inspired by an NPR story on what Barack Obama likes to eat by Chicago Chef Rick Bayless.

Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Salad

Ingredients

* 3 large ripe avocados
* 1 cup roasted tomatillo salsa (see recipe below)
* Salt
* Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Makes 3 generous cups

Remove the little nub of stem that is sometimes lodged at the top of each avocado. Cut each avocado in half by slicing straight down through the spot where the stem was attached, until you reach the pit, then rotating the knife all the way around the pit. Twist the two halves apart, then scoop out the pits. With a spoon, scoop out the soft flesh from the skin, collecting it in a large bowl as you go. Coarsely mash with the spoon (or you can use an old-fashioned potato masher or large fork).

(MUFFINATED COMMENT)
This is where you pause to make the hot tomatillo salsa. His recipe doesn't call for it hot - but it worked like magic tonight when I cooked it up. I like to leave the avocado in chunks that slowly "melt" when mixed with the hot ingredients.

MAKING THE TOMATILLO SALSA:

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

* 6 medium (about 8 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
* 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
* Juice of 1/2 a lime
* 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
* Salt

Set a large (10-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (if a nonstick skillet is unavailable, lay a piece of foil in the skillet). Lay in the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down). When the tomatillos are well browned, 3 or 4 minutes, turn everything and brown the other side. (The tomatillos should be completely soft.) Mash together the tomatillos and garlic hot in the pan - they should easily mash up in about 5 minutes total cooking. Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the tomatillos.

Scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water, shaking off the excess water. Stir into the salsa. Continue cooking till it's all bubbling and piping hot.

Bubbling and piping hot - mix into the raw avocado waiting in the bowl from earlier in the recipe.

Gently stir the hot salsa mixture into the avocado. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. (Not only will the guacamole improve if made half an hour or so before serving, but it also will maintain its fresh look longer if served cold.)

Asiago Skirt Steak Mushroom and Carrot Salad

By Bob McDiarmid

1 pound skirt steak - cut into strips - across the grain on the diagonal.
1/2 tablespoon or so of Cumin
1 mashed garlic clove
salt and pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Sliced Mushrooms
Diced Bacon
Diced Green Pepper
Diced Onion
Diced Tomatoes

Take a plastic freezer bag and put your cumin and beef in the bag - seal it -a nd shake it to coat your meat with the cumin. Set aside.

Put a 2 count of olive oil in your frying pan - and heat the pan - when the oil starts to smoke - add the skirt steak - brown it quickly - (it comes out best about medium rare) - so about 3 minutes maximum - because it'll continue to cook after you remove it from the heat - - remove the steak to a holding plate and cover with foil. in the juices and oil in the pan - add mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, green pepper and onion. Cook about 5 minutes - then add the lime juice. Once this mixture is hot and bubbling - add back in the skirt steak and immediately serve onto the salad base on dinner plates. The salad base is two layers each of butter lettuce, grated Asiago Cheese and fresh grated carrot. Then put the mixture of meat and mushrooms over the salad. Take a spoon and serve up the lime juice pan sauce with mushrooms all over the salad - coating the meat and lettuce. (and since it's so hot - melting the asiago) - and serve with an ice cream scoop size helping of the Tomatillo Avocado we made earlier.

Steamed Asparagus in a Bag
By Tyler Florence

* 1 pound medium asparagus, tough ends trimmed
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* Sea salt and cracked black pepper
* 1/2 lemon, sliced paper thin
* 1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Get yourself a paper bag large enough to hold the asparagus comfortable. Throw the asparagus in there and drizzle the outside of the bag with olive oil to keep the bag from burning. Sprinkle the asparagus with the salt and cracked pepper and toss in the lemon slices and bay leaf. Close the bag, folding it over several times and creasing the folds well to hold the steam in. Put the pan on a baking sheet, drizzle it with more olive oil, stick it in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. Set a serving plate next to the stove. Using a kitchen towel or a pair of kitchen tongs, raise the bag over the plate, open the bag, and slide the asparagus out onto the plate. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve hot.

(MUFFINATED COMMENT) It came out like perfection - the easiest and most precise way to cook asparagus I've ever seen. Fan-friggin'tastic.