Grilled or Oven Roasted Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip Steak
Ingredients
1 (2 to 3 pound) tri-tip
Santa Maria Rub (enough for a 3 pound roast)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or fresh, finely minced)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Instructions
Mix the rub and massage into roast:
Mix the rub ingredients together in a bowl.
Place the roast in a roasting pan or a baking pan with edges (this will help keep the rub from getting all over the floor).
Sprinkle the rub on the meat on all sides, and massage the rub into the meat.
Cover and let sit at room temp for an hour:
Cover the roast with foil or plastic wrap and let it sit at room temp for an hour to take the chill off and allow the rub to work its magic on the roast.
Prepare the grill:
Prepare your grill for hot direct heat on one side, and indirect heat on the other. (By the way, if you are working with a wood-fired grill, Santa Maria BBQ traditionally uses red oak wood.)
Sear the roast:
Sear the roast for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Carefully watch the roast during this process as one side of the roast is typically quite fatty and as the fat heats up it can drip down and cause flare-ups. Keep moving the tri-tip away from the flame if flare-ups occur.
Move the roast to cool side of grill, fat side up:
Once the tri-tip is seared on all sides, move it away from direct heat and place it fat-side up on the grill rack.
If you are using a gas grill with a top rack, I recommend placing the roast on that rack, with an aluminum tray on the bottom rack underneath to catch the fat drippings.
If you are grilling on charcoal or wood, you may want to turn the roast over every few minutes, for more even heating.
Try to maintain a grill temperature of 250°F to 300°F.
Cover to finish cooking:
Cover the grill and cook until the temperature of the interior of the tri-tip reaches 120°F for a rare roast, 130°F for medium-rare and 140°F for medium.
At this point the meat will take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to cook, depending on how hot your grill is, how well done you want it, and the size of the cut.
Note that the interior temperature will continue to rise at least 5°F after you take the roast off the heat.
Tent the roast with foil To let it rest:
Once the roast reaches temperature, remove it from the grill and let it rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Slice across the grain to serve.
*To prepare tri-tip in the oven, start in the same way as you would with the grilling method—assemble your seasoning rub, massage it into the roast, and allow the seasoned meat to come to room temperature. Rub softened butter all over the meat and sear it in a cast-iron or carbon-steel pan on the stovetop. Finish the roast in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes or longer, until the internal temperature is 120°F for a rare roast, 130°F for medium-rare and 140°F for medium.
Tuna Steaks with Fennel
INGREDIENTS
Yield:4 servings
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, cleaned, and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bulb fennel, trimmed, quartered, cored and cut across the grain into thin slices
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound albacore tuna steaks
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
PREPARATION
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until leeks are limp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. The mixture should be very soft.
Meanwhile, season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper and heat the remaining olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Sear the albacore steaks for 30 seconds on each side. Place on top of the fennel. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
Sprinkle on the parsley and serve, laying the fish on top of the fennel, with lemon wedges on the side.
Marinated Pork Chops with Baby Broccoli
Ingredients
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 bone-in pork loin chops (1 inch thick and 8 ounces each)
1 bunch baby broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1/2 lemon
Directions
In a bowl or shallow dish, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Add pork chops and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain pork chops, discarding marinade. Grill chops on greased grill rack, covered, over medium heat or broil 4-5 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°). Let meat stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Wash the broccolini and pat it dry with a towel. Chop off about 2 inches of the ends of the broccolini. In a medium bowl, mix it with with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Place the broccolini directly on the grill grates and grill for about 5 to 7 minutes until charred and tender, turning often. Remove when bright green and charred. Remove from the grill and spritz with lemon juice from wedges from ½ of the lemon. Serve with grilled pork chops.
Radish and Arugula Salad with Bay Shrimp
Ingredients
1 tablespoon drained capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces baby arugula (8 cups)
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup thinly sliced radishes (about 4)
8 oz Bay Shrimp, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
Directions
Whisk together capers, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gradually add olive oil, whisking constantly. Combine arugula, celery leaves, parsley, radishes, and scallions in a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over salad, and toss to coat. Top with Bat Shrimp. Drizzle with additional oil and lemon juice if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
Roasted Beets with Citrus
Ingredients
6 to 8 small or medium red or yellow beets
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 large navel orange
Sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
Handful of arugula (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Goat or feta cheese, for topping (optional)
Chopped walnuts or pistachios, for topping (optional)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place each beet on a piece of foil and drizzle generously with olive oil and pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap the beets in the foil and roast on a baking sheet for 35 to 60 minutes, or until soft and fork-tender. The time will depend on the size and freshness of the beets. Remove the beets from the oven, remove the foil, and set aside to cool. When they are cool to the touch, peel the skins. I like to hold them under running water and slide the skins off with my hands.
Use a citrus peeler to peel long strips around the orange, avoiding the white pith. Grated zest would work here also. Slice ¾ of the orange into segments and reserve the remaining ¼ wedge for squeezing.
Slice the beets into 1” wedges or chunks and place them in a bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil and sherry vinegar, then add the lemon juice, orange juice squeezed from the remaining wedge, and a few pinches of salt and pepper and toss. Chill until ready to serve.
Taste before serving and season with more salt (flaky sea salt, if using) and pepper or more vinegar (for more tang), orange, or lemon juice, as desired.
Serve on a platter with the orange segments, arugula, and citrus curls.
Romanesco and Parmesan Penne
Ingredients
1 head romanesco leaves removed, stem trimmed & broken into small florets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces penne
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss the romanesco with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Spread the romanesco into a single layer a sheet pan. Roast for 20-22 minutes until it is brown at the edges. Toss the florets halfway through roasting and rotate the sheet pans in the oven.
While the romanesco is roasting, cook the pasta until al dente according the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain in a colander.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat.
Sauté the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir the pasta into the lemon-garlic mixture.
Then stir in the roasted romanesco, lemon juice, parmesan and walnuts.
Herb Roasted Turnips and Carrots
INGREDIENTS
1 pound carrots washed and trimmed
1 pound turnips washed and trimmed
2 whole garlic cloves sliced thin
2 tablespoons fresh herbs thyme, oregano, rosemary etc.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200 C).
Wash turnips and carrots and peel carrots, if desired. Cut stems from turnips and cut into halves. Cut stems from carrots and slice diagonally into 1 inch pieces.
Arrange the carrots and turnips on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing the vegetables to completely cover with oil and sprinkle with sliced garlic, chopped fresh (or dried) herbs, salt, and pepper. Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through to roast on all sides.
Remove pan from oven, arrange vegetables on a plate and serve as a side dish or as a salad topping.
Braised Red Cabbage and Pear
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 medium head red cabbage, cored, and thinly sliced
1 firm bosc pear, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Kosher salt (or 1–½ teaspoons fine sea salt or table salt)
¼ ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.
Add water, cider vinegar, and honey to the onions and butter, and stir to combine. Add the cabbage, pear slices, salt, pepper, and ground cloves, and gently mix everything together. It may look dry at this stage, but do not add extra liquid at this point because the cabbage and pears will create more liquid as they cook.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Cook a little longer if you want the cabbage to be more tender).
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Rosemary Balsamic Flat Iron Steak
Ingredients
6 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry red wine divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary divided
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 8oz flat iron steaks
INSTRUCTIONS
In a bowl whisk together garlic, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, 1/4 cup red wine, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, salt and pepper.
Place flat iron steak in a resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over the top. Shake to coat steak in marinade. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
When you're ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
Place the steak on the grill and reserve the marinade. Cook steak 3 - 4 minutes per-side for medium rare. Remove steak from grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Remember the steak will continue to cook a bit while resting
Meanwhile, pour marinade into a skillet over medium heat. Pour in remaining 1/4 cup of red wine. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until it reduces by half, 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in remaining tablespoon of fresh rosemary. Remove from heat.
After steak has rested, slice it against the grain into 1/2 inch slices. Spoon sauce over the top and serve.
Leek and Apple Stuffed Trout
Ingredients
2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. thinly sliced leeks
1 1/2 c. finely diced green apples
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 t. of kosher salt or sea salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
Two clean whole rainbow trout approximately 10 ounces each
2 T. of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
5 T. of unsalted butter
Juice of one lemon
3 T. of capers drained and rinsed
Instructions
In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and stir occasionally until tender for about three minutes. Add the apples and cook for one minute. Stir in lemon juice parsley salt and pepper.
Cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Rinse the fish and pat dry. Fill each trout with approximately 1/2 cup of the stuffing. Close with wooden toothpicks. Lightly brush trout with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill fish directly over medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes, or until opaque.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until browned. Add the lemon juice and capers. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the sauce warm over low heat, be careful not to burn the butter.
Remove the toothpicks from the trout. Serve warm with the sauce spoon over the top of the fish.