AUGUST 18, 2012–STEAK HOUSE PIZZA AND CHIPOTLE STEAK SALAD

Soccer has begun, and this year the coach decided that we were always going “to beat the other team to the ball.”  So the girls ran.  And ran, and ran, and ran, and then ran some more.

All their running paid off, and generally we won games because we beat the other team to the ball 90% of the time.

To start the season inspired to play, the coach organized an outing to a U of M Woman’s Soccer game.

Michigan won after two overtimes, and the girls cheered until they were hoarse.  Most of the soccer girls spent the night together, so that meant just Little Man and Eloise came home with me.

Having less kids around, I had more free time, so I started my day by proofing yeast for pizza dough.  Any morning that start with baking is going to be a good day, and today was no exception.  I thought we would have STEAKHOUSE PIZZA (pg. 142) for lunch and then CHIPOTLE STEAK SALAD (pg. 48) for supper.  With pizza dough made and rising, I headed off to pick up my kiddos at our town’s Heritage Festival–a combination parade, flea market, fair, community games and competitions, fried food, and for our Boy Scout Troop–a fund raiser.

The kids all came home with fair goods–wooden swords and guns and handmade purses.

All the walking had made everyone hungry, so I had to hurry up the pizza.  Get the grill going then slice up some red onions.  This link provides a great guide to the difference between yellow, white, and red onions.

Saute the red onions in olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.   While the onions are cooking, add a seasoned flank steak to a hot grill.

Using store bought marinara sauce, add about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

The flank steak really doesn’t take long to cook–especially as it will cook a little more in the 500 degree oven, so keep the steak on the rare side.

Assemble the pizza with marinara sauce, grilled flank steak, mozzarella, and some Parmesan cheese.  PW adds some steak sauce on top, but I was out of steak sauce, and really didn’t think it needed it.  Ree also partially pre-bakes her pizza crust.

Bake at 500 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

A hardy steak lunch–just right for an afternoon of parking cars for the Boy Scout troop.

BTW, the table cloth was my flea market purchase.

I had been dreading this car parking fund raiser.  The Hunni was out of town, which meant that all the kiddos had to go park cars.  Since we were going to be right next to a busy road, I had them stay in the car and watch movies.  This meant that they were going to watch movies for about four hours.  BUT, after I just accepted the fact, and prayed that Little Man wouldn’t climb in the front seat and put the car in gear or anything like that, I pulled out my chair and sat down.  For the next 4 hours I visited with my boy.  I haven’t spent time like that with him in ages!!!  The afternoon is one I will treasure.

I had two extra kiddos in bed with me the night before as they were scared to sleep downstairs by themselves.  That, plus sitting in the hot sun, made me so sleepy that I dozed off.  An elderly gentleman walked by and told me he wanted to get me a cup of coffee.  I followed him to the Ladies Library which has been converted into the Historical Society where he poured me a coffee and gave me some cans of Coke for the kiddos.  How kind!

We had a Boy Scout moment.  Two females with matching tattoos locked their keys in their car.  Thankfully, they had a sun roof.

Our troop leader worked a stick through the sun roof and unlocked the passenger door.  Both of the tough females were so thankful, that they gave him burly hugs.

Boy Scouts bought everyone Taco Bell for supper, but the combo of Coke and coffee in the hot sun had left me needing something green and fresh.

Once home, I started a Chipotle Steak Salad with the left over flank steak.  I miss the greens of summer.  Winter lettuce is so anemic looking.

And this bad boy is a Beefsteak from my back yard.  Beefsteak tomatoes are huge and bulbous and have a tough skin, but their flesh truly is “meaty”.  These tomatoes always remind me of my childhood home (the farm) as we ate these every summer for almost every meal–with Prairie Farms cottage cheese and a dab of Miracle Whip on top.

Crack open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (found in the Mexican section of your grocery store), and chop up one chipotle pepper.

Add in some olive oil if you like your salad dressing a little thinner.  The chipotle peppers have quite a kick, so add more mayo or some Ranch dressing if you find it too hot.

A chipotle pepper is a jalapeno pepper that has been smoked.  Chipotle peppers date back to pre-Aztec times in central America.  Most people pronounce the pepper as [chee-POAT-lay], but some insist on the Indian pronunciation of [chee-poatl].  The hot pepper (different varieties are used, but the Morita is the most common) is left on the vine until it turns red (which make the pepper sweeter) and then begins to dehydrate or dry out.  Once picked, it is dried over (traditionally) a wood fire for several days.  Chipotle pepper have the taste of the wood fire in them, giving them an earthy and smoky flavor.  They are sold dried (as in the photo above) or packed in a sauce.  Dried they are sold whole, or ground as a spice, and packed they are sold as a chili paste or in adobo sauce.  (info from here.)

(photos from here and here.)

Adobo Sauce:  Think of adobo sauce as the Mexican’s BBQ sauce or ketchup.  It is basically  a sauce made of chipotle peppers, vinegar, garlic, ketchup/tomatoes, onions, salt and water.  And just like BBQ sauce everyone has their secret combination, their secret herb mixture, and their special adobo sauce.  And like BBQ sauce, adobo sauce can be used as both a marinate or a sauce or even a condiment.  Chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce keep for a long time in the frig–like ketchup.

Here is a recipe if you would like to make your own adobo sauce.

(Click her for some chipotle drying and sauce recipes.)

Pile your salad high with greens, red peppers, cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, and thinly sliced flank steak.  Add a big plop of Chipotle Mayo Dressing on the side.  Enjoy your Chipotle Steak Salad.  Enjoy you new knowledge of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.  Start thinking about how you are going to incorporate chipotle peppers in your menu.

Thanks for reading,

And now. . .

. . .Little Man wants YOU! to leave a comment.

 TO TELL US HOW HOT YOU LIKE YOUR FOOD.  Habanero hot?  Middle of the road chipotle? or Banana pepper powerless?

Scoville ratings of peppers