by Jenni Michell, Harvest Rd. | photo by Janis Jean Photography –
Harvest Rd. was built as an outlet to support local growers and business and this goes for the meat as well. All the burgers at Harvest Rd. are made with pasture-raised beef from Michell’s Farm, where I was born and raised. For these recipes, I focused on several different price points. With locally-raised beef you can really taste the difference in the freshness and the complex flavours that shine from a grass fed cut. I believe supporting our local producers allows us to have a more sustainable impact, especially if you consider eating less meat, but better meat, by producers who respect animal welfare. The more we can support local agriculture the more we sustain our local food systems, which is important to me.
Flank Steak
1 lb flank steak, about 1 inch thick *you could also use a flat iron steak here!
⅓ cup olive oil
cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
½ tsp black pepper
1 shallot, diced
Combine all the ingredients, add the flank steak and marinate 12 – 24 hours. I like to marinate overnight.
Bring your flank up to room temp and heat your grill to high. I like to use a BBQ, but you could use a cast iron pan. Bring your flank out of the marinade and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Place on the grill for approx. 3 mins per side, depending how thick it is, flipping once. Rest for 10 mins covered with foil. Slice across the grain in 1 inch wide slices. Serve with salad, roasted potatoes, and it’s great with summer corn on the cob.
Simple Summer Lasagna
1 package oven ready lasagna noodles 375g
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded parmesan
Sauce
2 lbs free range ground beef
¼ cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry red wine
1 can tomato paste (156g)
2 cans whole pomodoro tomatoes (800g each)
5 fresh roma tomatoes, quartered
10 fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp salt
Ricotta Filling
½ lbs pound fresh spinach (well washed)
475 g ricotta
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Warm olive oil in a large pot over low/medium heat. Sauté onions, approximately 5 mins, then add the garlic and mix. Add the can of tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean, allowing the wine to reduce. Add the ground beef and use a wooden spoon or spatula to finely break up the beef, stirring frequently. Once the beef is browned, remove from the pot and hold in a bowl. Add the two cans of tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and basil to the pot and blend with an immersion blender. Once blended, add the oregano and the beef mixture back in and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a low simmer and reduce for 20 minutes.
Sauté spinach and place into a colander to cool. In a bowl mix ricotta, spinach, salt and pepper.
To assemble, grease a 9×13 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400°, or assemble and leave refrigerated overnight. Remove from the fridge ½ hour before you want to bake it. Spoon some of the red meat sauce into the bottom of the dish and layer with noodles. Follow with meat sauce, mozza, parm. Next layer: noodles, ricotta mixture, mozza, parm. Next layer: noodles, meat sauce, mozza, parm. Bake covered for 45 minutes (if you are baking from cold, bake another 15 – 30 minutes) and uncovered for 15 minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes before slicing.
Steak Tartare
½ french baguette
7 oz tenderloin steak
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped shallot
1 tbsp chopped capers
½ tsp Dijon
½ tsp Worcestershire
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
Prep all your ingredients but the steak and egg yolk. Combine parsley, shallot, capers, Dijon, olive oil, Worcestershire and season with salt and pepper. Finely chop the steak. A note that if you semi freeze your steak beforehand it will cut more easily. Combine the steak, dressing mixture and egg yolk and mix well. Place onto a chilled plate using a mold, or shape with a spatula and serve immediately with grilled or toasted baguette slices.
