Throwback: Houston's Hawaiian Ribeye Marinade

It's hard to find the words to describe a throwback Hawaiian Ribeye from Houston's [or, The HHR].....

Sweet. Tangy. Fragrant. Flavorful.

Sheesh.

Oh, and it's ribeye. Which is, in my esteemed opinion, the choice cut. *Reader tip: find yourself a well-marbled, thick cut. 1 inch minimum or bust.

 Here's a pretty true copycat of the marinade recipe, so no need to fight a City of Bethesda parking attendant to get your HHR fix. [seriously, those guys must get paid commission.]

HHR Marinade:

2 good quality, thick cut ribeye steaks
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1 C low sodium soy sauce (do NOT use regular! it will ruin your steak!)
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1/2 C light brown sugar
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger ( although I recommend fresh, you can use dried ginger, about 3/4 tsp.)
2 cloves garlic minced (same as above if you're using dried garlic powder)
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice

Drain your pineapple chunks, reserving the juice (should be about 6 oz.). Combine juice, vinegar, soy, sugar, ginger, garlic, and CFSpice in a small saucepan. Heat over medium for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to bloom and  infuse. Remove from heat, and allow marinade to cool completely. In a large Ziploc bag, place your steaks and half of your pineapple chunks, then pour the marinade over top. Seal your bag and massaged the marinade into the steaks. Refrigerate the steaks for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Meanwhile, you can choose to marinate the rest of those pineapple chunks in some coconut water or milk, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper.

Just before your cook the steaks, sautee the pineapple chunks with a little bit of their marinade until golden brown and slightly syrupy. This makes a simple and delicious pineapple relish....

When you're ready to eat, grill or pan roast these beauties, and thank me later.

China Bistro Mongolian Beef

I drag Scott to P.F. Chang's just so I can get my fix of this little number right here. I'm so happy to have finally found a recipe comparable enough that I can confidently make it as a substitute. It's so simple and pretty much all of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen! Enjoy!

Mongolian Beef

1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain- on bias

1/4 C cornstarch

3 tsp canola oil

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 T minced garlic (3 large cloves)

 1/2 C water
1/2 C soy sauce ( I would use low sodium because the sauce reduces pretty significantly)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, chopped into thirds

Pat the slices of steak dry, then dredge them in the cornstarch in a shallow dish. Coat thoroughly then shake off excess cornstarch by placing the steak in a fine mesh sieve. You don't want a heavy coating of cornstarch or your meat won't crisp up nicely (the coating will fall off  and into your sauce, yuck).

Heat half of the oil in your wok or large pan over med- high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and let them cook and become fragrant for about 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, water, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and then transfer it to a bowl so that you can cook the meat.

Add the rest of the oil to your pan and brown the meat. Pour the sauce back into the pan and allow it to cook down to a thick syrup. Once you've reached the consistency you like, add in the green onions and cook another 30 seconds, keeping the onions green and slightly crisp.  Serve hot, with your favorite kind of rice (you could even try my mom's fried rice) and, as always, enjoy!