Eye for a Recipe

If you don’t have a barbecue (or if it’s raining, again) you can still enjoy a juicy steak, courtesy of this one-skillet meal from Bon Appetit. Whip up a tangy mustard sauce, sear the steak in a cast iron pan and, while it is resting, sauté the vegetables.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Dijon and wine vinegars often contain sulfites or sodium benzoate. I use PC Old-Fashioned Dijon and Eden Organic red wine vinegar. Check the cayenne pepper to make sure it does not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Make mustard sauce

Sear steak, let it rest and then slice just before serving

Saute garlic and scallions

Add peas

Add asparagus

One-skillet steak and spring vegetables with spicy mustard

Ingredients:

1 pound (454 g) boneless New York strip steak, patted dry

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

5 garlic cloves, 1 grated, 4 thinly sliced

⅓ cup (37.5 ml) Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon (5 ml) honey

1–2 pinches cayenne pepper

⅓ cup (37.5 ml) plus 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, divided

1 10-ounce (283 g) bag frozen peas

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces

Preparation:

Season steak all over with salt and pepper. Whisk grated garlic, mustard, vinegar, honey, cayenne, ⅓ cup (37.5 ml) oil, and 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) water in a medium bowl to combine; season spicy mustard with salt and pepper.

Heat a dry medium skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Rub steak all over with 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) oil and cook, turning every 2 minutes or so and making sure to get color on the fat cap, until medium-rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre will register 120° F/49° C), about 10 minutes. Transfer steak to a plate to rest. Pour off oil from skillet, leaving crispy bits behind.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) oil in same skillet over low. Add sliced garlic and all but about 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) scallions (save those for serving) and cook, stirring often, until translucent and softened, about 3 minutes. Add peas and a splash of water and cook, stirring and mashing to break up slightly, until peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until asparagus is just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Slice steak and shingle over vegetables in skillet. Drizzle some mustard sauce over steak and top with reserved scallions. Serve with remaining mustard sauce alongside. Serves 4.

From Bon Appetit

Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs are among my favourite things to make for dinner, because they are inexpensive, tasty and easy to cook. In this recipe from the May 2014 issue of Bon Appetit, the thighs are marinated in a mixture of garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, honey and aniseed for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Then just pop them in the oven. Halfway through the cooking time (about 20 minutes after putting the thighs in the oven) add asparagus and scallions. The chicken will caramelize into a lovely deep brown colour. Garnish the finished dish with cilantro and lime wedges. The recipe calls for aniseed but I used fennel seed and it worked well.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed lime juice and tamari instead of soy sauce, as it is preserved with alcohol instead of sodium benzoate.

Marinate the chicken thighs

Add asparagus and scallions when chicken is partially cooked

The thighs will caramelize

Soy-glazed chicken thighs with asparagus and scallions

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons aniseed

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

8 chicken thighs (about 4 lb.)

1 bunch asparagus (about ¾ lb.), trimmed

2 bunches scallions, trimmed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems

Preparation:

Toast aniseed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, tossing, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool; finely chop.

Whisk garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, and aniseed in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°. Transfer chicken and marinade to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, placing chicken skin side down. Roast until fat begins to render, 15–20 minutes. Turn chicken skin side up and continue to roast, basting occasionally with pan drippings, until chicken is cooked through and deeply browned, 15–20 minutes longer.

After turning chicken, toss asparagus and scallions with oil on another rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, shaking pan halfway through, until tender, 10–15 minutes (thinner stalks will cook more quickly).

Transfer chicken to a platter. Pour any pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let sit a few minutes, then spoon off fat from surface.

Spoon pan juices over chicken and serve with asparagus, scallions, cilantro, and lime wedges. Serves 4. Do ahead: Chicken can be marinated 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

From the May 2014 issue of Bon Appetit

This recipe from the May 14 issue of Canadian Living would be great for a casual spring dinner party. Pork tenderloin and asparagus are roasted, served over rice, topped with a warm sauce of ginger, garlic, chicken broth, orange juice and mustard, and garnished with almonds and parsley. It’s healthy, tasty and looks nice too. One note: if your asparagus is thin, it may be done before the pork is cooked. Either remove it and keep it warm, or add it to the pork after it is partially cooked.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the label on the almonds to make sure no preservatives have been added. Use fresh lemon juice and orange juice and an all-natural chicken stock, such as Imagine brand. Many Dijon mustards contain sulfites; I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon, which is additive free.

Roast the pork and asparagus

Prepare the almond parsley garnish

Reduce the warm citrus sauce

Pork tenderloin with asparagus and warm citrus sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60 ml) natural almonds, chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp (10 ml) lemon juice

400 g pork tenderloin, trimmed if necessary

¼ tsp (1 ml) each salt and pepper

1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

2 bunches (each 450 g) asparagus, trimmed

1 tbsp (15 ml) grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup (175 ml) sodium-reduced chicken broth

½ cup (125 ml) orange juice

1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard

½ tsp (2 ml) grated orange zest

¾ cup (175 ml) basmati rice

Preparation:

Stir together almonds, parsley and lemon juice; set aside.

Sprinkle pork with half each of the salt and pepper. In nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; brown pork all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer pork and asparagus to foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle asparagus with remaining salt and pepper. Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven until just a hint of pink remains inside pork or instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 160 F (71 C), about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board; tent with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Add remaining oil to skillet; heat over medium heat. Cook ginger and garlic, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and orange juice; bring to boil. Stirring often, reduce sauce to ½ cup, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in mustard and orange zest. Cook rice according to package directions; serve with pork, asparagus and sauce. Sprinkle with almond mixture. Serves 4.

From the May 2014 issue of Canadian Living

This delicious side dish from the April 2014 issue of Canadian Living takes only minutes to prepare and would be perfect for a spring dinner party or Easter feast. Crisp some bacon or pancetta, sauté the veggies, add a little vinegar at the end and it’s ready!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used nitrite-free bacon instead of pancetta. Look for a red wine vinegar with no sulfites added. I use Eden Organic brand.

This side dish cooks in about 8 minutes

Asparagus and mushroom sauté with pancetta

Ingredients:

1 pkg (150 g) diced pancetta

3 shallots, sliced

3 bunches (each 450 g) asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2-1/2-inch (6 cm) pieces

2 pkg (each 227 g) cremini mushrooms, quartered

½ tsp (2 mL) pepper

Pinch salt

2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar

Preparation:

In large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, cook pancetta, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add shallots, asparagus, mushrooms, pepper and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is tender-crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Serves 8-10.

From the April 2014 issue of Canadian Living