This one is filed under “Eerie Entrees” over at MyRecipes.com. But, really, there’s nothing scary about this scrumptious grilled steak on a homemade pizza — except for the fact that if you cook this for your Halloween dinner and little ghosts and goblins come to your door and smell it, they will never leave your house.

Now THAT’S scary.

Grilled Pizza With Steak, Pear and Arugula

Prep: 10 min., Grill: 30 min., Stand: 10 min.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray

1/2  pound  flank steak

Salt and pepper

1  tablespoon  olive oil

1 1/2  teaspoons  white balsamic vinegar

1  (12-inch) prebaked pizza crust

1  red Bartlett pear, peeled and sliced

1 1/2  cups  fresh arugula, divided

1/4  cup  crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Freshly cracked pepper

Preparation

1. Coat cold cooking grate of grill with cooking spray, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350° (medium heat).

2. Season flank steak with salt and pepper.

3. Grill steak, covered with grill lid, at 350° (medium heat) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk together oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

5. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin strips. Cut strips into bite-size pieces (about 1 cup).

6. Place pizza crust directly on hot cooking grate. Brush top of crust with oil mixture; layer with pear slices, 1 cup arugula, cheese, and beef strips.

7. Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 minutes. Rotate pizza one-quarter turn; grill, covered with grill lid, 5 to 6 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove pizza from grill, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup arugula and freshly cracked pepper.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used 1/2 (16-oz.) package Mama Mary’s Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts.

Oven-Baked Pizza With Steak, Pear, and Arugula: Assemble pizza as directed, and bake according to package directions for pizza crust.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2007

Photo and recipe courtesy of MyRecipes.com.

Happy day! Super-Cali-Fragilistic Sister-in-Law Chef Sandy weighs in today on the use of a charcoal grill versus gas.

There are some fierce proponents of each. Here, Sandy tells us the ins and outs of using charcoal to cook that gorgeous steak. Enjoy!

Using A Charcoal Grill

Right before Hurricane Ike hit Houston last year, my husband and I decided we needed to have a grill, just in case we lost electricity for a while.  We had left our old gas grill behind when we moved, and had planned on replacing it when we got settled in our new home.  Well, the day before a hurricane hits is no time to buy a grill, we discovered, and we were not able to find a gas grill anywhere in the Houston area.  The only thing we could find was a few bags of charcoal and a camping sized charcoal grill.

Given that there were no other options, we went with the charcoal grill and quickly learned some of the nuances which make this just a little more complicated then firing up a gas grill.  I do feel like I have mastered a few tricks which I would like to share with you, whether you are a new user, or someone who may just do the charcoal thing occasionally, like when you are camping or picnicking at a state park.

If you are a long-time charcoal griller, you’ll probably be familiar with all of this.  My intended audience is those who have not often had success with charcoal, but would like to give it a try.  Gas grills are certainly a convenient option, but if for whatever reason or preference drives you to use a charcoal grill here are some things that might help you have success.

The charcoal grill has two grates — one is intended to support the charcoal at the bottom of the grill, the other is to cook your food on.  The lower grate holds the charcoal up slightly from the bottom of the grill so that oxygen can get to the pile of briquettes.  Use about 6 total sheets of newspaper, rolled tightly into 2 rolls. Form an X at the bottom of the grill with the 2 rolls of newspaper, and place the bottom grate on top of the newspaper to hold it in place.

Next, form a pyramid of the charcoal, so that it will burn efficiently and not require too much starter fluid.  The amount of charcoal you will want to use is limited by the size of the grill, of course, but also should be determined by how much you want to cook.  A couple of burgers may only need something like 30 briquettes, but pounds and pounds of steaks and chicken will take longer to cook, therefore you will need a fire that burns longer — plus more briquettes.

Once you have a nice square pyramid (ask your fourth grader!) squirt the pile with the recommended amount of lighter fluid.  Don’t forget to read the package.  It is usually just a couple-second squirt.  Don’t be that guy who squirts half a bottle of lighter fluid onto a pile of burning charcoal – this is dangerous and foolish and stinks!  Put the top back on the bottle and put it far from the fire, before you light a match.  Light the ends of your paper tubes, which should fairly quickly catch the pile of briquettes on fire.

After about 20 minutes, when the briquettes are covered with ash and the flames have died down, use a fire-proof implement to spread the hot charcoal evenly on the grate.  Please use every safety precaution.  Sparks can and will fly up.  Replace the clean cooking grate on top of the hot charcoal and you are ready to cook.

Enjoy the smokier flavor that charcoal grilling imparts to your food — you may become a convert!

Photo of Weber charcoal grill courtesy of HomeDepot.com.

Tired of that baked potato? Super Sister-in-Law Chef Sandy gives us some ideas for what to eat with that tasty steak you’re planning. And – beware – it’s healthy for you. Mwuahahahahahaha!

(That was an evil laugh.) Here’s what she says . . .

What are you going to eat alongside of that gorgeous steak tonight?  Might I suggest broccoli, cooked right beside it on the grill?  Broccoli, as we all have heard, is one of nature’s super foods.  It has a ton of vitamin C, as well as other antioxidants and nutrients which are fabulous for you.

The problem with broccoli for many people is the bitter taste and/or texture.  By cooking it with a dry cooking method, the broccoli will release some of its natural sugars, covering up some of that bitterness, and the texture is less soggy than broccoli prepared in water. Here’s a super way to cook it that will change both of those characteristics, and make it easy to prepare, right next to your steak.

Broccoli on the Grill

1 pound fresh broccoli, washed

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 tsp of kosher salt, if desired

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes, if desired

1 clove of garlic, if desired

½ onion, cut into ¼” rings, if desired

Wash broccoli well, then cut into 1 inch florets.  Cut the stem pieces into ¼” rounds, so that they cook in the same time as the florets. 

Using a heavy chef’s knife, smash the clove of garlic to remove the peel, cut off the hard ends and then smash it with kosher salt.  The salt acts as an abrasive and will allow you to smash the garlic into a paste.  Place this garlic paste, peppers and olive oil into a large mixing bowl and combine with the olive oil.  Toss the prepared broccoli and onion rings into the mixing bowl, mixing to combine it well and make sure that all of the broccoli has some of the flavorful oil on it.

This broccoli will only take a few minutes to prepare on a hot grill, so if you want to serve it piping hot with the steak, you will need to start the steak first.  The advantage to this dish is that it tastes great even at room temperature, so feel free to prepare it first if you want to enjoy it that way.

To cook the broccoli, place a large piece of heavy duty foil (or a specially designed grill implement) on the grates of the grill.  Toss on the broccoli, in a single layer, and allow to cook, covered for a few minutes or until the broccoli begins to brown.  You will have some pieces which get very brown, others not so much.  I think this improves the appeal of this dish. Using tongs, flip the broccoli over and cook until desired doneness is reached.  This is a dish which will need to be tended to fairly closely — it would burn if left more than a few minutes because of the delicate size of the pieces.  Remove to serving platter, and serve with a squeeze of lemon, if desired.