Test Kitchen Chronicles: Grace Learns to Cook

In our September issue of Make it Beef, I announced my daughter Grace’s commitment to make dinners each Saturday night as a way for her to learn to cook. Wow – were we impressed! Grace’s plan is to work her way through a beautiful basic cookbook: Meals in Minutes – Simple Suppers*.

Step one: we equipped her with her own knife – a right-sized good sharp knife is safer than an awkward dull one and pride and ownership is key for any cook.

Here is a report on her first delicious dinner: Grilled Tri-tip and Vegetables (full recipe follows)

Grace cooked 2 Tri-tip (as the recipe suggested) – one to have with the Grilled Tri-tip and Vegetables dinner and the second, to use in meals later in the week: brilliant! That helped to jump-start my whole week!

COOK’S NOTE: Tri-tip is a small roast (or a thick steak) – depending how you look at it. Each piece weighs about 2 lb (1 kg).  Tri-tip is lean and flavourful. Cut from the Bottom Sirloin, we purchased ours at the local butcher but some major chains like Safeway and Sobeys are carrying this amazing cut.

Grace and her 2 Tri-tip: patted dry with paper towel and seasoned all over with freshly ground pepper and crushed Maldon sea salt. That’s all that was needed to season this flavourful cut!

Veggies were prepped and put in the grill basket. Note: got a good deal on this Kitchen Aid knife from Canadian Tire — $20!

 Note #2: Grace washed up hands after seasoning the meat and used a separate cutting board for prepping the veggies.

The grill was preheated to about 500F and it got a good cleaning.

Tri-tips are launched – cooked with lid down for a more even heat for this thick cut. NOTE: Grace washed the tongs with hot soapy water after handling the raw meat.

After about 30 minutes over medium heat, turning twice, the beef looked done – the check was made by taking the temperature with a digital instant read thermometer. These were cooked to 157F – a bit too done for me, but there’s no complaining when someone else is cooking!

The ‘ta-dah’ moment! NOTE: we flipped the cutting board over so the cooked meat was not on the same side as the raw meat.

The Tri-tip was allowed to stand (rest) while the veggies were grilled—about 6 minutes. Standing time is important with cooking meat as it allows the juices to settle and the temperature to level off so the cooking is complete. Tri-tip was carved starting at the smallest pointy end so that it was sliced across the grain – important for tenderness! We carved just one Tri-tip, saving the other for a stir-fry meal next day.

YUM! This picture makes me want to make this recipe again! We added some Kalamata olives to the grilled veggies and let them warm through – then tossed in some crumbled feta cheese too. More yum.

The Recipe: Grilled Tri-tip & Vegetables*:

• Season two Tri-tip with freshly ground pepper and sea salt; set aside.
• Cut one zucchini, sweet red pepper and small eggplant into ¼-inch slices. Cut a sweet onion (like a Vidalia) into wedges. Toss veggies in a grill basket with about a ¼ cup olive oil, about 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary and some salt and pepper.
• Grill Tri-tip over medium heat with the lid closed for about 30 minutes, turning once or twice – cook to 145F for medium-rare. (Taking the temperature with a thermometer).
• Let Tri-tip rest. Meanwhile, cook veggies on grill with lid closed for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly charred. NOTE: a handful of kalamata olives were stirred into veggies in the last minute of cooking + some crumbled feta was tossed in before serving.
• Carve Tri-tip across the grain in thin slices. Serve on a platter with the grilled veggies.

*Meals in Minutes – Simple Suppers, recipes by Melanie Barnard, Copyright 2007, Weldon Owen Inc. and Williams-Sonoma Inc.

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Raised on a cat and cattle farm, Joyce Parslow (Canada Beef’s Consumer Culinary Manager for over 10 years) has what she thinks is the best career in the world, combining her love for food and agriculture.  As a busy working mom, with 2 kids under-roof, and a nomadic spouse, Joyce is often wrestling with that age-old problem of how to get a wholesome affordable meal on the table (or at least in the bellies) and get out the door in time to make 2 soccer games in 2 different cities.  It is this and other mom-type cooking conundrums that fuels Joyce with new ideas for Canadian beef.  Her approach: “problems are really just solutions in disguise”.

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