2023 Taste Canada Cooks the Books
presented by Canadian Beef
Spiced Skirt Steak with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Stack, Parsnip & Coconut Purée with Apple, Madeira-Prune Reduction
Recipe by: Student Chefs Negus King and Jackson Dafoe
Team: George Brown College
Rich with an abundance of flavour profiles, this dish marries local with Caribbean elements. The richness of the skirt steak is complemented by the seasonality of local greens and fall vegetables, the tartness from the Chimichurri, and sweet trace of coconut in the parsnip puree.
Spiced Skirt Steak with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Stack, Parsnip & Coconut Purée with Apple, Madeira-Prune Reduction
Ingredients
Butternut Squash & Quinoa Stack:
- 2 lb (1 kg) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/4-inch (3-4 cm) slices/discs
- 1 cup (250g) quinoa rinsed
- 1 tsp (5 ml) unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cup (414 ml) water
- 1 tbsp (17 ml) Tabasco® Original Red Sauce
- 1 tsp (6 ml) salt
- ½ cup (113g) diced poached California Prunes
Marsala Prune Reduction:
- 4 cups (1 L) beef stock
- 1 cup (227 g) California Prunes roughly chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) marsala wine
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) cold unsalted butter cubed
- ½ tsp (2 g) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
Chimichurri Sauce with California Prunes:
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves thinly sliced or finely chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. (6 g) kosher salt, plus more
- ¼ cup (60 g) flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. oregano finely chopped
- 1/4 cup mint finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (35ml) Tabasco® Green Jalapeño Sauce
- 1 lime juice only
- ¾ cup (180 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (50 g) California Prunes finely chopped
Sauteed Local Broccolini:
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 3 tbsp (53 ml) Olive oil
- Salt and pepper TT
Charred Cherry Tomatoes:
- 1/2 cup (125 g) cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp (35 ml) olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tsp (30 g) salt
Parsnip & Coconut Purée with Apple:
- 3 cups (650 g) parsnip chopped
- 1 medium size Granny Smith apple peeled and diced
- 1 cup (300 ml) coconut milk
- Salt and pepper TT
Caramelized Shallots:
- 6 shallots peeled, cut in half
- 4 tbsp (71 ml) olive oil
- 1 tbsp (30 ml) butter
- Salt and pepper TT
Pan Roasted Skirt Steak:
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- 2 lb (1 kg) Beef Skirt Steak cleaned and trimmed, reserve trimmings
- 2 tsp (5 ml) Club House La GrilleⓇ Fiery Habanero & Roasted Garlic
- 4 tsp (5 ml) Club House La Grille® Brazilian Style BBQ
- 1 tbsp (20 ml) liquid smoke
- 1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt
- ½ tsp (2 ml) freshly ground black pepper
- 5 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
Instructions
Butternut Squash & Quinoa Stack:
- Place sliced squash pieces into a pot with seasoned water, simmer until tender. When done, remove to a bowl and reserve.
- Combine the quinoa, butter and seasoned water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes more. Then, remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Season with salt and Tabasco® Original Red Sauce, gently fold in diced California Prunes.
- Using a 4 cm ring mold cut 12 discs from the slices of butternut squash. Place a butternut squash disc inside the ring mold, and add a spoonful of cooked quinoa to the disc, just below to lip of the ring mold. Top with another butternut squash disc and reserve.
Marsala-California Prune Reduction:
- Poach California Prunes in marsala wine for 10 minutes. Remove California Prunes and reserve. In a separate sauce pot add skirt steak trimmings, beef stock, Marsala poaching liquid, thyme and shallots. Set over high heat, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds; strain. Swirl in cold butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
Chimichurri Sauce with California Prunes:
- Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, except for California Prunes. Then fold in chopped California Prunes to mixture. Taste for seasoning.
Sauteed Local Broccolini:
- Trim the bottom ends of the broccolini and peel the outer layer of the stalks. Gently sauté in a pan until tender and fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Charred Cherry Tomatoes:
- In a searing hot pan add cherry tomatoes. Let tomato skin start to blister and char while gently shaking the pan. When approximately 60% of the skin is charred, quickly add olive oil, salt and chopped rosemary. Pan will immediately smoke, continuously shake pan for 5-10 seconds to release aromatics. Remove tomatoes to a shallow plate to cool.
Parsnip & Coconut Purée w/ Apple:
- In a pot add peeled and chopped parsnip. Ensure that parsnip is chopped in small uniform pieces. Add diced apple and coconut milk. Place on stove to simmer over a medium heat. Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until parsnip and apple pieces are quite tender. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Caramelized Shallots:
- Place a saute pan on stove and bring to a medium to high heat. Toss shallots in olive oil until coated. Place butter in saute pan, the butter should start to foam while melting. Place the interior side of the shallots in butter and cook until they start to caramelize. Once golden brown turn shallots over and continue to cook. Baste shallots with the melted butter in the pan until shallots are cooked though. Season with salt an pepper.
Pan Roasted Skirt Steak:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Combine 3 tbsp olive oil, liquid smoke, garlic, Club House La GrilleⓇ dry spices, and thyme in a small bowl; set aside. Using a mallet pound the steak until 1 inch thick. Season all over with the marinade. Reserve for 10 minutes.
- Heat a cast iron or large sautoir pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive to pan, add marinated steak to the pan, sear and brown on both sides. Transfer pan to oven for 6 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process add a tablespoon of butter and baste. Continue to roast for 6 minutes or until a digital instant-read thermometer inserted sideways into centre of steak reads 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare doneness at the least.
- Remove from the oven and cover with foil for 5 minutes. Slice into 6 portions, 3 slices per portion.
- Plate each portion of flank steak with a spoonful of parsnip puree in the centre of the plate, a butternut squash stack. Drizzle with Marsala Prune Reduction and dollop of the Chimichurri Sauce over the steak. Make sure the doneness of the steak is visible. Garnish with roasted shallots, charred cherry tomatoes, and seasoned broccolini.
The 2023 student chefs selected a unique cut of beef for their recipe by exploring a new web-based education tool, the Canadian Beef Information Gateway. The Gateway has information on over 70 cuts of beef with cut descriptions, complete nutrition info per cut, how-to-cook recommendations, over 300+ recipe videos and more.
Taste Canada Cooks the Books presented by Canadian Beef is a cooking competition that invites Canadian culinary students from across the nation to compete for the title of Canada’s Best New Student Chefs.
The 2023 student chefs created their own unique dish following the Cooks the Books criteria based on the 2023 theme: New Canadian Flavours Rooted in Tradition. Drawing inspiration from their own cultural cuisines, heritages and traditions, students were challenged to develop a unique recipe using a variety of Canadian ingredients, a unique cut of Canadian Beef, as well California Prunes, a dash or two of Tabasco® sauce and a variety of Club House for Chefs herbs and spices. Recipes must also consider the seasonality of fresh Canadian ingredients so this year, 60% of all ingredients called for in each recipe must be grown, produced and/or raised in Canada. Students were able to reference the What’s in Season section of the Canadian Food Focus website for a complete list of fresh fruits and vegetables available in October/November in Canada.
Photo Credit: Stephen Chu