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
4 servings
From “Practical Japanese Cooking: Easy and Elegant,” by Shizuo Tsuji (Kodansha USA, 2016).
2/3 cup sake (may substitute dry sherry or Chinese rice wine; see headnote)
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1-pound 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. Trim/discard any tough ends of the asparagus. Trim the tips and reserve for another use, if desired; cut the 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 the boiling water to cook for 30 seconds, then drain and rinse until cool.