Summary
Looking for tender moments at the table? Think marinades.
It's not necessary to purchase pricey filet mignons or strip steaks to bring festive, flavorful meat to the table at this money- crunching time. An acid, a bit of oil, perhaps herbs and spices, and a dash of salt and black pepper are the foundation of marinades that can take lesser cuts of meat to prime-cut tenderness.See the full content of this document
Extract
Marinades Add Tender Moments at Table
"You have to have an acid to break down the proteins for tenderness," says Cree LeFavour, author of "The New Steak: Recipes for a Range of Cuts plus Savory Sides" (Ten Speed Press, $19.95 paperback). Choices of acids might be lemon, orange or lime juice, fish sauce or an assortment of vinegars. "Marinades don't penetrate all the way," she adds, otherwise the meat would break down into complete mush.
"Think of it as sort of a way of 'mellowing' the meat," she says.Flank steak, a lean cut, is an excellent choice for marinating, LeFavour says. In her book, she features several recipes that use marinades, including one with fresh lemon grass, lime juice, shrimp paste, fish sauce, garlic and ginger, and another made of garlic, mustard seeds, rice wine vinegar, tamarind paste, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamom seeds. She also likes soy sauce in marinades -- it is high in acid, too.Randy Tozzi, a Giant Eagle Market District chef and food marketing manager, also recommends flank steak, beef brisket or pork for marinating."You don't see p...See the full content of this document
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