#picnicsandBBQ Reveal: Beef Negimaki #secretrecipeclub

The Secret Recipe Club has a fun, themed - fifth Monday - event that blurs the lines between the groups. You can be assigned to any other participating blogger in groups A through D. Our theme this month: Picnic & BBQ. I was excited to be assigned to The Spiffy Cookie, written by Erin.

I've been reading Erin's blog for awhile. She's even taken part in a few online multi-day, multi-blogger events I've organized; and she's one of the hosting bloggers for our year-long project: The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Project. So, I was excited to get to explore her blog more.

I have a funny story. I recently saw one of my local friends bragging about the best chocolate chip cookies ever on social media. And it was one of Erin's recipes. I was so tickled to see my blogging life intersecting with my actual life. I told Jenn, "Not only is she a Spiffy Cookie, but she's a Smart Cookie!" Erin has a PhD in Microbiology. 

More importantly for my purposes, she's a lover of food. She cooks and bakes almost every day and loves trying out new recipes. And, like me, she rarely makes the exact same thing twice (much to people’s dismay).

Unlike me, though, Erin's "favorite food group is dessert." And she thinks that...

Peanut Butter + Chocolate  = one of the best combinations ever

I was intrigued with her Avocado Cheese Ball, Easy Corn Salsa, and Nutty Edamame Dip. Check out her Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad, BBQ Chicken Salad with Cornbread Croutons, and Asian BBQ Chicken. And though I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I loved the look of her Gluten-Free Avocado Brownies, Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Brick, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes.

I decided on her Beef Negimaki. I have made Vietnamese Beef Rolls before, but I loved Erin's version with carrots and broccoli in addition to the green onions. I did adapt her recipe slightly, using a gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce and using broccoli instead of broccolini because that's what I had. Also, for the event theme, I decided to cook this directly in a grill pan instead of in a foil packet on a grill. That fits into the BBQ category, no?

Beef Negimaki

slightly adapted from The Spiffy Cookie

Ingredients serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entree

• 1/2 lb thin sliced steaks
• 1/4 C hoisin sauce
• 1 T gluten-free tamari sauce (or use soy sauce)
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T sesame oil + more for drizzling
• 2-4 green onions
• 1 carrot, cut into long, thin strips
• 1 broccoli stalk, cut into long, thin strips
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• black sesame seeds
• also needed: 100% cotton twine

Procedure

Pound your steaks as thin as you can. I used a wooden rolling pin as I don't own one of those handy meat tenderizing hammers. Place meat in a rimmed dish. Combine hoisin sauce, tamari, vinegar, and oil in a bowl and pour over the meat. Let stand and room temperature for 20 minutes, flipping the meat after 10 minutes.

In the meantime, blanch your onions, carrots, and broccoli. Drain immediately and set aside.

To assemble, lay your marinated beef on a piece of parchment paper and arrange green onions, carrots, and broccoli in the center of the meat, letting the tips hang over the edge of the meat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and black sesame seeds.

Roll the meat into a tight cylinder and secure with 100% cotton twine. The diameter of the roll should measure no larger than 1½ inches. Repeat with remaining beef and veggies.

Grease a grill pan and heat until just below the smoking point. Grill the beef for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, searing the meat. Transfer the beef to a platter and drizzle with sesame oil.

Cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Using a sharp knife, slice the rolls into ½" pieces. Serve immediately. I served it with a dipping sauce of gluten-free tamari and sesame oil.

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