Weather won't let you grill? Get creative

I wanted to grill some steaks the other day. Yeah, it’s February, but the sun was out and the temperature was hovering around 32. Good enough for me!

Not so fast.

I hadn’t placed the grill in the right spot for the winter and discovered that between a snow drift and falling snow off the roof, my grill was actually buried in snow. A lot of snow. Even the smoker was “missing.”

I don’t mind using the oven in the cooler months, so I might as well do the whole meal in the oven.

I had a few T-bone steaks left from the last cow I had butchered, but I didn’t want to cook the tenderloin in this fashion, so I carefully trimmed them off for use later. I’ve had very good success in letting giving my steaks time to rest with a dry brine, even if just with salt and pepper. You could use a seasoned salt as well, or even a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar or oyster sauce spread over them. Allowing it time to brine will allow the salt to penetrate into the steak a bit.

My favorite way to cook broccoli is actually in the oven. Why put the florets in boiling water and cook them until they reach a drab green color and all the flavor gets washed out? Though getting the edges of the florets to reach a light brown around the edges is best, I have allowed my broccoli to get much darker on occasion, which does intensify the flavor. You do want the broccoli to cook through, but baking it will brighten the green.

With the oven at such a high temperature, it seemed the best to round out the meal with cornbread, which needs the high heat to cook properly. This is my favorite recipe, though I do sometimes add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the dry ingredients to sweeten the flavor.

OVEN STEAK

3 steaks of any kind

Salt and pepper to taste

Gently season steaks with salt and pepper about 2 hours before cooking. Place in the refrigerator during this time. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Preheat your rimmed baking pan as well. Carefully remove hot baking pan when needed and quickly place the steaks into it. Return to the hot oven and cook. Now here is the tricky part. Desired doneness will vary, depending on the type of steak, the thickness, and how well (or not) you want it cooked. You’ll want it cooked a little underdone when you remove it from the oven. Turn your oven to broil on its highest setting and adjusting the oven rack to the next to highest level. When it has fully heated up, return steaks to oven and allow to quickly brown and sizzle to finish to desired doneness. This may only be a minute or two. Remove from oven and serve right away.

GINGER BROCCOLI

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon ginger, grated

3 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 pounds broccoli flowerets

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon honey

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, gently toss all the ingredients until the broccoli is coated. Place in a rimmed baking dish and place in the oven. Bake until the edges are crispy and the stems are crisp tender, about 20 minutes.

SWEET MILK CORNBREAD

2 cups cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the cornmeal, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

Stir together the egg, milk and vegetable oil. Combine cornmeal mixture with milk mixture, stirring just enough to moisten. Pour into hot, well-greased 9 or 10 inch pan or muffin tins.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes for muffins, and 18 to 20 minutes for pan. Cornbread will begin to pull away from sides of pan.