I hope everyone is enjoying their last days of summer, and taking advantage of cooking on the grill.  Last week I made one of my favorite steak dishes:  South American Skirt Steak with Chimichuri Sauce.  Skirt steak is a flavorful type of beef steak, often used for fajitas.  It usually comes in long, thin steaks.  This dish is great for an end of summer barbecue.  I usually serve it with a big green salad. 

South American Skirt Steak
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
approx. 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak 

1.  Add the following ingredients to a zip-top freezer bag:  2 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup red wine, 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt.  Seal the bag and gently squeeze it to mix the ingredients.  Open the bag, add the steak, and re-seal the bag.  (If you are making this dish to freeze, stop here and freeze the bag of steak/marinade. Continue at step 2 when you are ready to cook the steaks).

2.  Marinate the bag of steak in the refrigerator for approximately 8-12 hours.  Remove the steaks from the marinade and discard unused marinade.

3.  Preheat grill to high heat.  Grill steaks over high heat for approximately 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Important:  cut steaks diagonally, against the grain, into strips to serve.  This step is very important--  skirt steak can be stringy if it is not cut this way!  Serve with Chimichuri Sauce (recipe below).


Chimichuri Sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients.  Serve over skirt steaks.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.  If you are making this dish to freeze, mix the first 4 ingredients in a small freezer bag, and freeze.  Add the red wine vinegar and olive oil when you are ready to serve the dish (it doesn't freeze well if mixed all together before freezing).

Summer Fruit Pie Recipes

As promised, here are my fruit pie recipes.  These are regular size pies (not deep dish).  I made the blackberry pie from the berries I picked at Solebury Orchards.  The secret ingredient is fresh grated ginger.  Don't leave it out because it really "makes" the pie!  The peach pie was made with peaches from a small farm stand on Middle Road in Dublin, PA.  I have also had some excellent peaches from a small stand on E. Creamery Road (between Rickert and Callowhill Roads) in Hilltown Township. 

 

                                                              

Blackberry Pie

Recipe for Double Crust Pie Pastry (see this post for recipe)

1 qt. Blackberries

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Optional:  one beaten egg white and sprinkle of sugar for top crust

                                                                        

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2.  Prepare a double pie crust and line pie plate with half the dough.  Roll top crust out and cut into strips for lattice crust.

3.  In a large bowl, mix together the blackberries, white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, grated ginger.  Empty the berry mixture into the pie shell.  Sprinkle the berries with the lemon juice and dot with the butter pats.

4.  Weave the lattice top over the top of the berries.  Optional:  Brush the top crust with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar for a nice presentation.

5.  Set the pie on a metal baking sheet (to prevent a messy oven if the pie spills over).  Bake pie for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F.  Turn heat down to 350 degrees F and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes or until crust turns golden and pie is cooked through.  Cool on a wire rack.

                                                        

Tip:  Fresh fruit pies tend to be a little runny, even with the use of cornstarch.  After cooling the pie, you can chill it in the refrigerator to help it set, if needed.

                                                                                        

Peach Pie

Recipe for Double Crust Pie Pastry (see this post for recipe)

About 10 medium peaches

1/4 cup crushed ginger snaps (about 6 ginger snaps)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 Tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

                                                                   

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2.  Prepare a double pie crust and line pie plate with half the dough.  Roll top crust out and cut into strips for lattice crust.

3. Cut the peaches in half through the stem end.  Peel the peaches, remove pits, and slice each half into 5 wedges.  Place the peaches in a large bowl, and add white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg.  Toss to coat.  

4.  Sprinkle the crushed ginger snaps into the bottom of the pie shell.  These will help to absorb the juice from the peaches as the pie bakes, keeping the bottom crust from getting soggy.

5.  Empty the peach mixture into the pie shell.  Sprinkle the peaches with the lemon juice and almond extract and dot with the butter pats.

4.  Weave the lattice top over the top of the peaches.  Optional:  Brush the top crust with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar for a nice presentation.

5.  Set the pie on a metal baking sheet (to prevent a messy oven if the pie spills over).  Bake pie for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F.  Turn heat down to 350 degrees F and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes or until crust turns golden and pie is cooked through.  Cool on a wire rack.

                                                 

Tip:  Fresh fruit pies tend to be a little runny, even with the use of cornstarch.  After cooling the pie, you can chill it in the refrigerator to help it set, if needed.

Enjoy!

Solebury Orchards

Local summer fruits are plentiful here in Bucks County, PA. The peaches and plums are in now, and you can still find local blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Last Friday afternoon my husband and I stopped by Solebury Orchards on Creamery Road in Solebury Township to pick some berries. Solebury Orchards currently has "pick your own" blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherry tomatoes, and flowers. You can also purchase already picked peaches and pears in their market. Check their website for hours and directions: www.soleburyorchards.com . If you do not live in the area, check www.pickyourown.org to locate a farm close to you.


The market at Solebury Orchards. They also sell apple cider and yummy cider doughnuts!



Rows of blackberries at the orchard. They keep the areas inbetween rows mowed, so it is easy to pick and not too buggy.

 Beautiful blackberries!

Some of our harvest!

You can pick your own flowers in the Cutting Garden.  There were many butterflies, moths, and bumble bees flitting around in the rows of flowers.  I didn't cut any flowers this time (husband was getting impatient to leave), but next time I would like to cut a small bouquet.

We had a great time at Solebury Orchards and I recommend them if you are in the area.  I made a blackberry pie with the berries I picked and I also made a peach pie.  I will post the recipes by the end of the week.  Also check back later this month for the recipe for South American Skirt Steak with Chimichuri Sauce.