EASY RECIPE
This recipe would be great for a Memorial Day barbecue. I am using a Chipotle Vinaigrette as a marinade for the rib-eye steak and to make a spicy mayonnaise spread. The Chipotle Vinaigrette recipe is from Mii amo Cafe’, located in the Mii amo Spa and Resort in Sedona, AZ, and their step by step recipe is reprinted here with their permission. To learn more about their resort, and Mii amo Cafe’ cookbook go to http://www.miiamo.com/mii-amo-cafe/ .
Chipotle Vinaigrette:
2 Chipotle Pepper Pods (canned with adobo sauce)
1tsp Oregano
1/4 Yellow Onion (diced)
1/2 Bunch of Cilantro
1/2 C Red Wine Vinegar
1tsp Dry Mustard
Dash Salt
Dash Pepper
1tsp Adobo Sauce (from the can of Chiptole Pepper Pods)
2 C Thickened Veggie Stock (add cornstarch to thicken)
Add all ingredients, except veggie stock and cilantro, into blender. Slowly add veggie stock while blending to emulsify. After the ingredients are nicely blended add the cilantro and blend again briefly (do not turn the vinaigrette green).
For my my grilled steak sandwich portion of the recipe. You will need:
1 lb Rib-eye Steak
1 Ciabatta loaf of bread about 12 inches long
1 Bunch Spinach
1 Red Onion
2 Avocado
Havarti Cheese slices
Olive Oil
1/2C Mayonnaise
Place the steak in a sealable plastic bag and cover with the Chipotle Vinaigrette (reserving some for later use), seal the bag, make sure the steak is nicely covered with Vinaigrette and place in refrigerator for 2 or more hours.
To the 1/2C mayonnaise add reserved Chipotle Vinaigrette (about 1/4C) and place in refrigerator.
Wash the spinach and slice the red onion and place in refrigerator.
About a 30 minutes prior to the time you plan to barbecue the steak remove the bag with steak from refrigerator and let it rest on the counter.
Slice the Ciabatta bread in half lengthwise, and brush with olive oil.
Barbecue the steak about 4 minutes on each side, place steak on a plate and let the meat set up. Next briefly brown the Ciabatta bread on the barbecue.
Cut the steak against the grain into thin slices.
Peel avocados and slice thinly.
Assemble the sandwich as follows: spread mayonnaise chiptole sauce on the bread, add a good layer of spinach, add the sliced steak, spread a little more mayonnaise chiptole sauce on the steak, add red onion slices, avocado, and finally, top with slices of Havarti Cheese.
Cut the assembled sandwich into 4 and serve each with sides such as green salad, baked beans, and potato chips.
There you go, from an easy recipe you just created an awesome Grilled Chiptole Steak Sandwich which your guests are going to love!
AND STUFF
I have always loved air shows. When growing up my parents would take my brother and me to air shows at the Minot Air Force Base. I remember as a child watching in awe as the USAF Thunderbirds performed precision maneuvers in their brightly colored jets. Later we waited for an F-106 Delta Dart to do a fly by at a speed above the sound barrier. The air show announcer kept announcing how close the jet was getting and then, he instructed us to look to the east, and just then the Delta Dart jet burst silently into view and streaked past overhead, followed a moment later by the blast of the sound barrier and the roar of the engines. Back “in the day” things were a little looser in the world and if you were at a military air show in the geographical center of nowhere military jets were allowed to break the sound barrier at air shows, and man was that cool. I carried on the tradition of attending air shows with my wife and children.
One of my vaction ideas is the great air show held at the famous Top Gun School in Miramar, California. Nowadays, the planes are not allowed to break the sound barrier, and the shows are masterfully controlled to assure the safety of the crowd and the pilots.
At Miramar they put on a show to be remembered. But in the morning I like to view the planes displayed on the tarmac. It is just amazing to walk around and examine up close just about every type of airplane that exists. The display includes amongst other aircraft, WWII airplanes, Cobra or Apache Helicopter Gunships, the F-14 Tomcat, an F-18 Hornet, and even a B-52 Bomber likely flown in from my hometown. And I even got to walk up the ramp and through the cargo hold of the gigantic C5 Galaxy transport plane. One year they even had a stealth fighter on display with a rope around it so you could not get too close, and to make sure distance was maintained every so many feet an armed Marine kept watch.
Viewing the static plane display would be enough for me, but the show just keeps building. Next they start the civilian stunt pilot show which exhibits the skills of amazingly talented civilian pilots.
And finally it is time for the military show to start. The military portion of the air show starts with the Army Golden Knights parachuting in freefall and then grouping together one by one to form a stack formation, which from the ground looks like each Golden Knight is standing on the Golden Knight below him.
The last Golden Knight trails the American Flag for presentation. Finally, they break formation and each Golden Knight performs a standup landing on the designated dot right in front of the crowd. What an inspiring way to present the Flag.
After the Anthem is song, the show kicks into high gear as the Marines execute a full Air-Ground Assault Demo. The Demo includes: Harrier jets, attack helicopters, heavy lift helicopters carrying Marines, canons, and assault vehicles, and it is all executed in perfect precision. They even simulate bombing runs with pyrotechnics producing blasts so large you can feel the heat.
At the completion of the Demo the young Marines parade by the viewing stand on foot, or sitting atop tanks and assault vehicles to the nonstop ovation of the crowd.
At Miramar, the last event of the day is always the Navy Blue Angels who demonstrate the absolute ultimate in precision flying skills.
All too soon, the inspiring, and at times emotional, show is over and it’s time for the crowd of thousands to leave. While walking with the mass of people along well controlled paths, on the way the way to the parking area, I passed many young men and women Marines offering assistance and directions. I saw our servicemen and women up close. I saw their young faces, their proud focused eyes, and observed how well they conducted themselves. They are maybe 19 or 20 years old. And then it hits me, the show stopper is not the wonderful airplanes and complex equipment. No, the show stopper is the marvelous young men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We are so blessed by their devotion to God and Country.
While enjoying your Memorial Day barbecue, take a moment and join me in remembering our heroes.
Good Eating and Table Talk,
Roger
