Friday, March 20, 2015

Korean Beef-wrapped Asparagus


When I posted this photo on Facebook, it caught a few eyes.  And taste buds.  This recipe is from the book Against All Grains, it's a paleo diet cookbook, so feel free to substitute "normal" ingredients for the ones that are different, if you don't have them on hand.

1 lb. lean flank steak
3 T coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1 T unsweetened pineapple juice
1 T sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. fish sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp. dried red pepper
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
25 stalks asparagus, trimmed
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds

Place the steak in the freezer for 45 minutes to make it easier to slice (do not skip this step!).

Meanwhile, make the marinade.  Place the coconut amino, pineapple juice, sesame oil, garlic, honey fish sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a bowl.  Mix well, and set aside.

Remove the steak from the freezer, then cut across the grain into very thin strips, about 1/8-inch thick.

Place the steak in a dish, pour the marinade over it, and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Rub the olive oil over the asparagus and wrap each stalk with a strip of beef.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds.  Grill the beef-wrapped asparagus for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking.

I ended up grilling mine on my George Foreman because I have really crappy knives and wasn't able to slice my beef thin enough, therefore was not confident the beef would stay wrapped around the asparagus.  It worked out completely fine, but I do think it would have tasted even yummier grilled on a grill.