Simple & Easy 4th of July weekend Dishes

No recipes…just straight forward all-American summer eating

Steak, corn on the cob & potato salad

Okay ..I guess I will throw in directions for one way to make a steak; the way I did this one. CAST IRON SKILLET LOVE!

And stove top corn on the cob

The Potato Salad is in my previous post.

Top Sirloin Steak

I know I said fresh. Well I froze it while fresh? #thawing

Top sirloin steak has just the right marbling of fat to create a melt-in-your-mouth, crowd-pleasing flavor. These boneless cuts are usually very affordable, large enough to feed a family, and adaptable to a variety of cooking methods….
popular methods: pan-fried on the stove, grilled, broiled and roasted.

Select a cut of top sirloin from your local butcher or grocery store.
Fresh sirloin steak is deep red in color, with a generous marbling of fat. This marbling is what makes steak succulent.
There should be a band of white fat around the outside of the steak.

*Marinate the steak, if desired. Top sirloin steak is a great meat to marinate, since it pairs well with many flavors.
Choose your favorite marinade from the store, or mix up your own with equal parts oil, vinegar and spices.
Place the steak in a sealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Seal the bag and allow the steak to marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook the steak, remove it from the bag, pat it dry with paper towels, and proceed to the next step.

Allow the steak to sit at room temperature for one hour before cooking. Cooking a cold steak will make it more difficult to achieve the “doneness” you desire. Room temperature steaks are easier to bring to rare, medium rare, medium well, and well done

Cut the steak into serving sized portions. *i did not do that on this occasion. Instead, I sliced it against the grain like I do with ranchero, flat iron or skirt steak, AFTER it was done and AFTER resting.

Season both sides liberally, a good steak doesn’t need more than salt & pepper. HOWEVER, haha….I still go at it with my favorites. And it is delicious!

Place a cast iron skillet over medium high heat on the stove. Put a teaspoon or two of cooking oil in the pan and allow it to get smoking hot.

Place a cast iron skillet or a frying pan over medium high heat on the stove. Put a teaspoon or two of cooking oil in the pan and allow it to get smoking hot.

Place the steaks in the center of the pan. *i used one LARGE steak for 3 of us & it was perfect. Let them cook on one side for 15 seconds, then turn them to the other side using a pair of tongs. They should form a thick, crunchy crust on both sides.
Don’t turn the steaks until they’ve seared; moving them too soon will prevent the crust from forming.
Don’t crowd the steaks in the pan. If necessary, cook the steaks in more than one batch.

Continue cooking (I like adding butter, fresh herbs & basting remainder of cooking time/optional)
For rare steaks, cook for a total of 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
For medium rare steaks, cook for a total of 2 minutes on each side.
For medium well steaks, cook for a total of 2 1/2 minutes on each side.
For well done steaks, cook for 3 or more minutes on each side. (I’m not judging)

Remove the steaks from the pan and allow them to rest. This allows the juices to redistribute through the steak.

Serve the steak hot. Like you needed to be told that or most of this?
Well…I thought about just posting the pics. But a beginner could cross my path here.

We had corn on the cob (made old school) & potato salad with the steak.
Corn on the cob was shucked, cleaned, dropped in a large pot of boiling water.
It is a very easy technique and produces the most delicious corn on the cob. Corn should be cooked quickly and not left to sit in the boiling water very long. Fresh corn is at its best when it is very milky inside. If overcooked, it will dry out quickly.

When buying corn at the market, the husks (outer green covering) should be bright green and fit snugly around the ear of corn. The kernels should be in tight rows right to the tip of the ear of corn, and be plump and milky.

In the grocery store, it is perfectly acceptable (in my book) to peel back the outer green husk to check and see if the corn looks good.

Husking the corn:

For maximum freshness, husk the corn just before cooking. When ready to cook your corn on the cob, pull all the husks off of the corn and discard. Remove silk from the corn and discard.

How to boil and cook corn:

Choose a pot large enough to hold the amount of corn you want to cook, with room for water to cover the corn. Cover pot and bring cold unsalted water just to a boil on high heat. Some people like to add a little sugar (i did) to the boiling water, but never add salt as it will only toughen the corn.

Add husked corn ears and bring the water back to a boil on high heat (covered or not). Since corn tends to float on top of the water, I cover the pot. This helps the water come back to a boil faster and helps the corn cook. It will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes to bring the water back to a boil. Once water comes back to a boil, immediately remove the corn ears from the water. The corn is now cooked perfectly and NOT overcooked.
Boiling time is a matter of taste; some people like to just boil them a minute or two to warm their corn on the cob, leaving the kernels crisp and fresh. Others like to let them boil 3 to 10 minutes for softer kernels. How long you cook your corn on the cob depends on your tastes.

Remove the cooked corn ears from the hot water with tongs.

Serve with butter and salt (some like pepper).

If you’re having a party, borrow this trick from markets in Mexico. Vendors selling ears of corn for snacks keep them ready and waiting for several hours in tubs of lukewarm water. Instead of butter, ears are rubbed with lime wedges and sprinkled with salt.
I’ve tried it on the streets a couple different ways. Mostly (elote) mayonnaise or butter, cayenne powder, chile powder, crumbled cotija cheese, (Parmesan or ricotta salata), lime wedges
– Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn) – here’s a recipe from my favorite Bon Appétit

This recipe is great for serving family-style: Put all of the ingredients out separately and let your guests top the corn however they wish. Watch the step-by-step video here.

http://bonap.it/2duO4p5

The corn grills to perfection on the grill along side of the meat that you are cooking. As soon as it comes off it gets slathered in a mayonnaise and sour cream cilantro mixture (Crema! *said with an accent)
Then it is topped with parmesan cheese and chili powder. All of these flavors combined were incredible!
One of my very favorite street food vendor memories is of corn on the cob at the 4th Avenue Street Fair in Tucson, where they dipped the corn right into melted butter that they had in a coffee can. That sure stuck in my memory files!
Damn good is why!
So if you don’t have a butter crock or heat friendly vessel…try a coffee can, or any can deep enough to dip corn. ♡