Saturday Dinner: Bitter Orange London Broil

Blood orange is a favorite flavor around here. Like me, it’s naturally red in color, but possesses a slightly bitter but tart complexity that complements everything, even though you wouldn’t think it would mesh correctly.

Unfortunately, blood oranges are out of season. The best I could do today was a Cara Cara navel. I had no idea what these were, at first but Sunkist’s website came to the rescue:

Cara Cara oranges, a type of navel orange grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley, are available December through April. The bright orange exterior of Cara Cara oranges is similar to other navels, but their interior is a distinctive pinkish red, has an exceptionally sweet flavor with a tangy cranberry-like zing, and they’re seedless. Cara Caras, a cross between the Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahia navel, were first discovered in 1976 at Hacienda Cara Cara in Venezuela.

So, they “zing” like cranberries but have a sweetness to them. Not as bitter as I was hoping but it will have to do.

WHAT WORKED: The oranges. The acidity breaks down some (but not all) of the sinewy threads in the top round. Sirloin would probably work better.

WHAT DIDN’T: Probably the cut of meat. It took too long to cook and dried out the thinner parts.

WHAT DID THE WIFE SAY: Everyone said they liked it.

WILL IT MAKE ANOTHER APPEARANCE: Yeah and hopefully with a sirloin and some blood orange juice.

Bitter Orange London Broil
By Jared Paventi

• 5 Cara Cara navel or blood oranges, juiced
• Grated zest of one orange
• 1 tbsp. F. Oliver’s Blood Orange olive oil (optional)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 3 tbsp. minced garlic
• liberal pinch of kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 3 lbs. top round steak, trimmed

Whisk the orange juice, orange zest and olive oil to combine. Add the cilantro, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and whisk until blended. Set aside.

Score the steak in a crosshatch pattern on both sides. Set in a large baking dish and top with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, or up to overnight, turning once during the process.

Cook over indirect heat on the oiled grates of your grill until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Remove from the grill and let stand 10 minutes. Slice on the bias and serve with it’s natural juices.

Saturday dinner: Guinness marinated chicken

We broke the grill out for the first time this season today. For some, this is an annual rite of passage marking the beginning of summer. Not so much here. It’s the time of year where I roll the dice and wonder if I have enough propane from last season to start and finish dinner.

Complicating matters was an oversight on my part. Last year, I must have put the grill away not realizing it would be the last time I would use it for the year. As a result, I never turned the gas valve off. Whoops. Nonetheless, there was enough propane in the tank to get me through this evening and, likely, a couple of more nights on the grill.

Saturday dinner: Asian-inspired flank steak

The Sister is home for the weekend and specifically requested anything but chicken for dinner. Seafood, veal, lamb, and dairy are already on her list of “won’t eats,” but I get the impression that she has been eating a lot of poultry lately.

“Really. No chicken.”

When I read the title Asian-inspired steak to her, she wanted to know what had inspired it. I have no idea. Did Jerry Yang call? Did it read something by Mao? Or is it marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil and honey? (Answer: The latter)

Cornball jokes aside, this is intended for the grill and, though it was about 70 in Syracuse today, the grill is not in gameday form. It needs some cleaning and it screams for new grilling grates. So, we went stovetop. The results were pretty good. I worry about cooking steak on a grill for many reasons, namely the overcooking and drying out of the meat. This rates highly for pan-cooking.

Grill marks should be the result of heat (or the importance of a clean grill) PLUS MYO: Barbecue red rub

NAGS HEAD, N.C.

The last time this was cleaned there was a Progressive Party.

The barbecue is a requirement for this trip, mostly because of logistics. Each house we stay in features a third-floor kitchen, which means that running the oven leads to a 15- to 20-degree jump in temperature. As a result, we don’t vary our menus from year to year. Beef (typically in the form of a London Broil or flank steak), pork tenderloins, chicken breasts and hamburgers are regular entrants, with their flavoring or marinades changing. One of my favorites was a Jack Daniels marinated flank steak. My love for the caramel-colored whiskey prevents me from keeping it around in any quantity (another story for another day).

The problem with rental property in any locale is cleanliness. Last year’s house was disgusting, to the point where we were killing cockroaches by the end of the stay. The grill was one of the bright spots, a stainless steel number that did not flare up very much. Our first house had a brand new Char-Broil that was far too shallow and flared up at the slightest drip of grease.

This year’s shack in Nags Head is off municipal services like natural gas and sewer, so we have a large propane tank on the starboard side, and a septic tank somewhere underground. The grill is connected directly to the propane service, which is a nice perk. Unfortunately, its possible that the grill has not been cleaned since the Roosevelt administration.

The first one.