This blog has waxed poetically about La Boca (and Adolfo Garcia's other joints) enough that we could be paid spokesmodels for the perfectly cooked steaks, punchy chimichurri, succulent sweetbreads, and crispy fries flowing out of the kitchen. Not to mention the gnocchi, pisco sours, and Malbecs. Provoleta hides from us when either Peter or I approach. But alas our contract with Ford Modeling only places us in ads for flip flops and mittens.
The hanger steak at La Boca showcases the simplistic joy of a well-cooked bite of meat. The asparagus is not half bad either, you know for a vegetable. You can make a similar meal at home with just a few simple ingredients and steps.
Asparagus. Get 'em fresh, bend them in half til they snap, and discard the lower portion. Blanche them in salted water for 3 minutes. Plop in an ice bath. Once chilled, drain and dry off. Set aside.
Make a chimichurri. Into a blender, food processor, or if you are a glutton for punishment mortar and pestle, combine one whole bunch of cilantro tops, a half bunch of parsley, two garlic cloves, half of a jalapeno (with seed and ribs removed), 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt, and a 9 second glug of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Let this relax for an hour or so in the fridge.
You need to cook the hanger on a grill because you want to develop a crusty, charred exterior. When you break that outer crust, the bright red interior of the meat will scream to be eaten. So get your fire going. Meanwhile, remove the hangers from the fridge at least thirty minutes prior to cooking. Heavily season them with salt and pepper. Just let them hang out.
Grill the hangers for around 6 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from heat and allow meat to rest. Now, place the drained and dried asparagus onto the grill for about 1 minute per side, just to get some purty grill marks. At this stage, I also like to place a half of lemon on the grill. The heat will caramelize the sugar in the lemon. When the asparagus is finished, squeeze the lemon over it and toss. Grilled lemon squirted onto on just about anything is delicious, well save a wound or cut.
The light was dark and the meat did not rest long enough, but it still turned out to be one hell of a good meal.
And it couldn't be easier. Hanger's are an inexpensive cut (about $9 a pound at Butcher). This whole steak dinner for two came in at around a $24 investment, including a bottle of Domaine Cantarelles Cabernet/Syrah Blend. So you don't have to break the bank to satisfy the Boca. Try it and let us know how it goes. And if you can make fries at home like they can at La Boca, keep it to yourself.
The hanger steak at La Boca showcases the simplistic joy of a well-cooked bite of meat. The asparagus is not half bad either, you know for a vegetable. You can make a similar meal at home with just a few simple ingredients and steps.
Asparagus. Get 'em fresh, bend them in half til they snap, and discard the lower portion. Blanche them in salted water for 3 minutes. Plop in an ice bath. Once chilled, drain and dry off. Set aside.
Make a chimichurri. Into a blender, food processor, or if you are a glutton for punishment mortar and pestle, combine one whole bunch of cilantro tops, a half bunch of parsley, two garlic cloves, half of a jalapeno (with seed and ribs removed), 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt, and a 9 second glug of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Let this relax for an hour or so in the fridge.You need to cook the hanger on a grill because you want to develop a crusty, charred exterior. When you break that outer crust, the bright red interior of the meat will scream to be eaten. So get your fire going. Meanwhile, remove the hangers from the fridge at least thirty minutes prior to cooking. Heavily season them with salt and pepper. Just let them hang out.
Grill the hangers for around 6 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from heat and allow meat to rest. Now, place the drained and dried asparagus onto the grill for about 1 minute per side, just to get some purty grill marks. At this stage, I also like to place a half of lemon on the grill. The heat will caramelize the sugar in the lemon. When the asparagus is finished, squeeze the lemon over it and toss. Grilled lemon squirted onto on just about anything is delicious, well save a wound or cut.The light was dark and the meat did not rest long enough, but it still turned out to be one hell of a good meal.
And it couldn't be easier. Hanger's are an inexpensive cut (about $9 a pound at Butcher). This whole steak dinner for two came in at around a $24 investment, including a bottle of Domaine Cantarelles Cabernet/Syrah Blend. So you don't have to break the bank to satisfy the Boca. Try it and let us know how it goes. And if you can make fries at home like they can at La Boca, keep it to yourself.
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