This is what can happen when you spend just a little more time in prep mode: Instead of steak and greens side by side on the plate, you can create an artful blend of the two. The inspiration comes from a Japanese dish, and the marinade is quickly boiled and reduced to become a sauce you can use for dipping or spooning on top.
The sake doubles as a meat tenderizer, but may be substituted with dry sherry or Chinese rice wine. You’ll need kitchen twine.
Serve with sauteed baby bok choy and/or edamame.
Rolled beef and asparagus
2/3cup sake (may substitute dry sherry or Chinese rice wine; see headnote)
3tablespoons dark soy sauce
2tablespoons mirin
2½ tablespoons sugar
1pound wide piece top round
Salt
8 asparagus spears
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot yellow mustard, for serving
Whisk together the sake, dark soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a wide, shallow bowl; this is the marinade. Use a very sharp knife to cut the meat horizontally into 2 or 3 thin pieces, laying them out in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap and pound them a few times to make them thinner, without tearing the beef. Discard the wrap. Transfer the pieces to the marinade, making sure they are submerged; let them sit for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a saute pan filled with lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Discard any tough ends of the asparagus. Trim the tips and reserve for another use, if desired; cut each remaining piece of asparagus lengthwise in half or into quarters, depending on their thickness. (You’ll be rolling them inside the meat, so you want the asparagus pieces to be thin.) Drop them in boiling water to cook for 30 seconds, then drain and rinse until cool.
Lay a large swath of plastic wrap on the countertop. Pat dry the pieces of steak with paper towels, reserving the marinade; lay the steak pieces flat with the longer sides parallel with the edge of the countertop; you may need to overlap two smaller pieces of meat to make a base large enough for rolling up the asparagus.
Lay asparagus pieces across the flat pieces of steak at the edge of the wide side closest to you so they reach edge to edge. Roll up tightly and secure with kitchen twine in 3 or 4 places.
Heat the oil in a wide nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the beef rolls. Cook for a minute or two, until nicely browned all around, turning them as needed. They will not be cooked through; keep them moving so they don’t burn.
Pour the marinade into the skillet; increase the heat to medium-high to bring it to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer the beef rolls to a plate. Continue to cook the sauce for another 2 or 3 minutes; once it starts to thicken a bit, return the beef rolls to the pan. Turn them to coat evenly, then remove from the heat.
Transfer the rolls to a cutting board. Discard the kitchen twine. Cut the rolls crosswise into 1-inch-wide rounds. Divide among plates; serve each portion with a dollop of the mustard.
Nutrition per serving, 4 serving (using half the marinade): 280 calories, 25 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugar.
From “Practical Japanese Cooking: Easy and Elegant,” by Shizuo Tsuji (Kodansha USA, 2016).
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