E is for Emeril, Isle of White, It’s a Pain and Cooking.

I spent a large portion of the last couple of days, when I wasn’t cooking Tourtières, thinking of suitable recipes for future issues of my blog. Some of the letters that might be difficult were not, and letters I thought were easy, presented a couple of problems.

I heard from someone who told me that the Isle of Wight which is off the southern coast of England, was a favourite spot of Queen Victoria’s. I never knew that before. Not that I presume to me much of a historian anyway. I have never been to the IOW, although Matt has. He has scuba dived there many times. He also took a bunch of juvenile prisoners there on an experimental camping trip. Worked a treat but I don’t think they ever did it again just the same. I wasn’t so happy, it was our first wedding anniversary and I was on my own, Grrrrr. I got a really nice gold charm for my bracelet, but somehow that isn’t the same. One of the things the Isle of Wight is particularly well known for are its coloured sands in Alum Bay. Often sold to tourists in glass bottles. There seems to be a castle there, Carisbrooke, not mentioned yesterday so I am safe in doing so.

I finally finished making my Tourtières yesterday, so I have three in the freezer and we ate part of one for supper. It was very good. I also made some tomato soup. Considering my shoulder problems and pain have come back with a vengeance I think I did pretty well. I don’t see the specialist till next month so I still have a while to wait. For those of you who are new to this blog, I was suffering a lot of pain in December and January and have since had an ultra sound, a CT scan and an MRI but haven’t yet seen anyone but my family doctor. I thought the pain had disappeared for good, I thought wrong. Hopefully it won’t stop me making some broccoli soup tomorrow. Just occurred to me, we have another holiday weekend, this problem screwed up our Christmas now it seems set to screw up Easter as well. Keep your fingers crossed for me everyone.

This is a recipe which appeared on Good Morning America quite a long time ago,  I’m using the chef’s name as my E rather than do something like Eggs Benedict which I had thought of. The meat looks a tad overcooked to me, but the recipe talks about medium-rare. Be sure to slice across the grain as stated otherwise the meat will be too tough.

Emeril's Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Wilted Spinach

Source: Emeril Lagasse

Servings: 4

8 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbs fresh sage, chopped
1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
One 1 3/4- to 2- pound skirt steak
1 Tbs kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbs butter, unsalted
2 tsp garlic, minced
12 oz or 12 cups fresh spinach, coarse stems removed, well
rinsed, with
water still clinging to the leaves
1/2 tsp salt
pinch white pepper, freshly ground
Crusty bread, for serving

1. Combine the halved garlic cloves, rosemary, sage, and thyme in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the olive oil and sherry vinegar, and process to combine.

2. Season the skirt steak with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place it in a re-sealable plastic bag and add the garlic-herb marinade. Seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to hours, turning occasionally.

3. Preheat a grill to medium high.

4. Remove the steak from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the steak from the marinade (discard the marinade), and wipe any excess marinade off the steak with paper towels. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Rotate the steak 45 degrees and cook for another 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook for 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes before slicing.

6. While the steak is resting, prepare the spinach: Set a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter in it. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until it is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the white pepper. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

7. When ready to serve, thinly slice the steak across the grain. Serve it with crusty bread and the wilted spinach.

Have a great day