The Illusion of Choice

Interesting no?

About Round Steak

Round is a tricky cut, especially for shorter cooking times. I know people use it for "steak" cooking methods, but I've never loved it as a steak. It's in the rump of the cow, and so as a muscle, it sees a lot of exercise. Which leaves it with nice beefy flavor, but in a cut that is lean and tough. 

Tough is bad for short cooking times because it translates tochewy.  Slicing and pounding/tenderizing does do a little to offset this, but in my opinion, not enough. 

Lean is bad for long cooking methods because it comes out stringy. I don't love this cut in things like stews and chilis because it can be fibrous and you tend to spend a lot of time picking it out of your teeth.  

Some more ideal ways to eat this cut are less traditional, but some of my favorites. It is great in steak tar tare, cut or ground into tiny pieces. It is also yummy when slow braised in a big piece, and then sliced thin once its allowed to cool, and reheated in the braising liquid.  While you might not have this method at your disposal, it would be good cooked at a low temperature with an immersion circulator for a long time and then sliced. Many people re to this as "sous vide" - but that term, translating literally to under vacuum, actually infers that you're using a vacuum sealer.  The term "low-temp cooking" is a little more accurate.

My Sous Chef

AKA "The Monster" AKA "Punk" AKA "Beans"
She is a bona fide machine of destruction with an Italian paci. If I am cooking during waking hours, she is there at my knees insisting for a seat on the counter.  Where she provides such services as stirring, flipping on/off switches, pinches of salt, and, of course, taste testing. 
But you have to watch her, because she will take artistic license with your food.

Her real name is Charlie Mae.

Sautéed Aparagus Ribbons

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Asparagus spring up out of the ground almost overnight, and it's the farmer's job to snip them off promptly.  If the shoot is allowed too much time the tip will open up, leading to bitterness, and the stem can become fibrous, mandating annoying peeling and sometimes flossing.

When buying aspargus, look for tightly closed tips, taught surface area and a sturdy trunk.  Most importantly, the stem of the shoot should look freshly cut.  If you see, dry withered ends move on, ideally you'll find something more like this:

As with many vegetables, asparagus are best consumed as close  to the time of purchase as possible.  If you know you won't get to them for a couple of days, you should treat them like flowers. Give the stems a short trim and place them upright in a vessel with a little water,  store them in the fridge. 

To prep asparagus for cooking, usually you cut off the ends.  As a reference of where to cut, pull a spear from a quasi uniform bunch of asparagus.  Hold it at either end and bend until it snaps.  It will break close to the place where you should cut it.  You can then cut the whole bunch in one swoop.  For bigger asparagus you may still want to peel a little of the outside skin down toward the cut end, but that won't be an issue with this recipe:

Asparagus Ribbons with Lemon Caper Butter
1  Bunch  asparagus
1  tbsp    capers, chopped*
2  tbsps   white wine,
1  tbsp    butter
Juice of one lemon


1.  Holding the asparagus by the head, use a vegetable peeler to peel until there’s nothing left for a ribbon-like effect.  Nip off the head (half the big ones lengthwise) and set aside.

2.  Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. First drop in the asparagus tips and sauté until just cooked through (3-4 min), then add the ribbons, capers, and wine, stirring continuously until just softened. (1-2min.)

3. Finish with the butter, the lemon juice, and salt to taste. But be sure to taste, because the capers can be quite salty.