Len's Recipe of the Month - February 2025

 

Back when I was a kid, my parents and I had a roast dinner every Sunday around 2PM.   A very nice and sweet tradition in retrospect.

Now my dad often did the cooking and, for a while, he loved to make a dish that became quite popular in the day.  London Broil.   The attraction of this piece of meat was that it could be tasty but it was from the part of the cow that is reasonably inexpensive.

Truth be told, I was not a fan as Dad didn't necessarily have success making it. The end product was often gray in color and chewy.  He truly cooked it too long.

I've been thinking about this of late and given that I am now a better chef than both of my parents ever were, could I possibly make a good London Broil.   With my research, I did and see the result above.   Not a gray speck in the photo.

The secret is a 24-hour-marinade and I'm pretty sure my father never marinaded anything.  This guarantees the meat will be flavorful.   Now, there are several ways to do this per the internet.   But I will detail my route.

First, I got a rather small-ish London Broil.   Some comes two to three inches high.   I went small first for my experiment.

Next, the marinade.   I pulled a few from the internet but also added my touch.

In a bowl, mix the following.

1/3 cup soy sauce.

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

3 tablespoons of EVO.

1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Salt and pepper.

4 cloves of minced garlic.

Place the meat in a freezer lock bag and pour the mixture in.   Put it in the refrigerator for at least one day.

Okay, a lot of on-line cooks tell you to cook the meat in the oven broiler or on a grill.  I used a cast-iron pan and it worked just fine.  Pat the meat dry and put it in a sizzling pan.

Sear it on one side for about ten minutes.  Flip it and then let it go on this hot pan another five minutes.

Remove from heat and tent it with foil for at least 15 to 20 minutes so juices can circulate.   You should still have the marinade liquid in the bag.   You could use it to make a sauce.   I used it as the base to saute two cups of baby bella mushrooms.

Slice the meat on a angle and enjoy with the mushrooms.

Sorry, Dad.   I outdid you this time.

Dinner last night:  Salad with leftover...London broil.