Secondary Cut: Flank Steak

Flank steak and egg.

This is probably my second time venturing into the area of secondary cuts, with the first being boneless short ribs. The flank cut, though cheap, has left me very satisfied. In between, I've been enjoying thick cuts of primary cuts when I have more time to travel out to a wholesaler to get them at very reasonable prices. The flank steak this time was a result of wanting to reward myself a little, yet lazy to travel and spend a lot on a little piece of meat.

Secondary cuts such as the flank and skirt are muscles that have worked a lot while the cattle was still alive. As a result, they tend to be a lot tougher (if not well prepared) but more flavourful. And because expensive steaks are prized for their tenderness, secondary cuts are usually a lot more affordable. If done well, it can satisfy your cravings and not burn a hole in your pocket.

For this particular piece that I bought, it was only 200g and the shape was odd. The side cut against the grain was the long side. I wanted my meat to cook properly and evenly, so I divided the chunk of beef into two equal portions, right down along the grain. To add, it was not a thick piece of meat.

After dividing into two pieces, it was just simple salt and pepper and into a hot pan. I was lazy enough to not time the cooking duration, but I am guessing it's about 2.5 minutes per side. The key here is to watch the browning of the meat carefully, making sure that it does not burn. You're aiming for a nice brown crust. Remove from the pan, and let it rest before slicing thinly.

I was pretty amazed how well things turned out, and the way the meat has remained moist, even without sous vide. It's something worth trying, and relatively cheaper than a top quality strip.

Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia (Spaghetti with squid ink)

This one is a little more special than the usual home cooked pasta dish. Apart from sourcing the key ingredient, squid ink, preparation and final assembly is straightforward.  Squid ink is fairly hard to find here in Singapore because most people do not use it in their cooking. You can actually find them in small sachets at the gourmet foods stores at Dempsey, going for about a dollar a sachet. You'll need one sachet for one serving to get the dark glossy colour. Otherwise, you can harvest them yourself when you buy a fresh cuttlefish!

Pan sear some scallops, prawns or squid if desired.

Spaghetti with squid ink, served with pan-seared scallops

Here are the steps for the basics of my version of squid ink spaghetti. It's a variant of the cacio e pepe recipe I posted quite early on.

Ingredients (for one, scale up proportionally for more servings):
1 handful of Barilla Spaghetti or Spaghettini
1 sachet of squid ink
Good freshly grated Pecorino Romano (you can use Parmesan as a substitute)
Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground

Steps:
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, gently salt it. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and keep the heat up. Do not cover and stir every now and then to prevent clumping. Cook till al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a pan over medium heat. Dry toast the whole black peppercorns for three minutes and pour them into a mortar and grind it up with a pestle. Aim for a medium-fine grind. Return the ground pepper into the hot pan and add a splash of olive oil.
3. Add a ladle of the cooking liquid to the oil and pepper mix.
4. Cut open the sachet of squid ink and add everything into the pan. Loosen the ink and give it a good stir. Add more water if necessary, you want a sauce that is just sufficient to coat the amount of pasta you have.
5. Drain the spaghetti and put it right into the pan. Turn off the heat and give it a good toss, make sure that all the spaghetti is coated with the glossy black sauce.
6. Add in a handful of the grated cheese and stir it in.
7. Serve the pasta on a warmed dish. Grate a bit more cheese on top for garnish.

If serving with seared seafood:
1. Sear the seafood after toasting the black peppercorns.
2. Deglaze the pan with some whisky or other liquor after the seafood is seared. It will add a different flavour dimension to the seafood and the whole dish.
3. Continue with the pepper and oil mix after removing the seafood from the pan
4. Serve the seared seafood on top of the black pasta

Sous Vide: Eggs

63ºC, 45min.
Use the freshest eggs you can get for the best results.
Dunk the eggs in cold water right after removing them from the water bath.
Serve immediately.

The soft boiled egg is a quintessential element of the traditional Singaporean kaya toast breakfast. Most Singaporeans would be familiar with the perfectly cooked eggs served by Ya Kun, and in recent years, Toast Box. Most places are able to serve up decent soft boiled eggs, but it is just hard to get it done right at home. Try sous vide, and you'll be able to make the perfect eggs at home every time.

My earliest experiment with sous vide was with eggs, but without the fancy circulator I have now. I used the stove top method, turning the gas on and off to keep the water at 63ºC and keeping the temperature in check with a thermometer. I had good results with that, and sort of perfected the method for stove top sous vide eggs. It took a little more effort and I could not really walk away for long periods of time. Now, with the Anova circulator, I can get the same results while I snooze in bed for another 45min while my breakfast cooks in the water bath. 

The concept of sous vide may sound intimidating, but it is actually incredibly simple and you'll get amazing results from it. There are plenty of recipes out there for sous vide <INSERT ANY FOOD>, and most are easy to follow and you will be able to get it right on the first try. 

The sous vide circulator might be pricey and hard to find, especially here in Singapore, but it is a good investment if you're serious about cooking. It is possibly the best piece of equipment that I have now, and has changed the way I cook and experiment with food. 

It will not be long before I consider getting a second Anova. One is not enough :)