petite surf and turf

I love surf and turf as much as the next girl but it's a rare day when I can finish off a steak, a serving of seafood and whatever yummy sides are served up in one sitting. Sometimes I can pull it off but I generally regret it later. Solution: petite surf and turf. My beloved Korean market had some lovely little beef tenderloin steaks and tiger shrimp when last I went and last night I cooked myself up a fab little meal. I pan fried one of the little steaks and then four of the shrimp with garlic. Served with a green salad and a glass of wine, it was the perfect small meal after a long day. Even better, the whole deal only took about fifteen minutes to put together and cost no more than $5.

return of the sunday steak

Not so long ago I used to make myself a steak every Sunday. It was a great way to end my weekend and start the week and, really, who doesn't love a good steak? Since I'm not really supposed to use the grill (something about not knowing what I'm doing and being prone to burning myself) I usually pan-fry my steaks. I have a wee cast iron skillet that's just perfect for the job and a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper on each side give a nice crust. The genius of pan-frying is that you can get the steak nice and crustily brown on the outside but still pink on the inside and the whole operation only takes about ten minutes. Paired with some potatoes and a simple salad or asparagus, it was definitely one of my favorite meals. Then disaster struck: Trader Joe's stopped selling the beautiful pint-sized (and cheap) angus steaks I had been eating religiously and the Sunday steak was no more. Then last week as I was perusing the aisles of Whole Foods I caught sight of a lovely pair of little round steaks and thought I'd give it a go. I didn't get around to cooking them till Monday and I broiled them instead of pan-frying so technically they weren't Sunday steaks but they were still pretty damn good. Next week: I'm breaking out the wee skillet and doing it right with a little help from Mr. Bittman. Joy.