New Mexican Holiday Pinwheel Steaks; arranged like a holiday wreath

 I have officially entered the dark side...mom blogger!  I am brand spankin' new to the blogging world, so you will have to excuse/ignore my rookie mistakes or ignorance of blog etiquette, if there is such a thing.  Is there such a thing?  I am not new, however, to health, nutrition, and cooking.  Friends and family are often asking me for recipes, and/or nutritional information (or I am giving them nutritional information without them asking, either way). I decided to start this blog for these purposes.  I give you, blog post #1:

I was trying to come up with a unique holiday dish, so I asked for my husband, Bernie's help.  Sometimes I am amazed by the things I ask him these days.  It reminds me that I am officially domesticated.  Those of you who knew me through my single years will know understand why this is strange. Anyhow, he suggested I make pinwheel steaks, slice them up, and display them in the shape of Rudolph.  A bit ambitious for pinwheel steaks, but I liked where he was going.  A few more back-and-forths, and this baby was born!  The two of us are good at making babies.  Figuratively and literally.  Was that TMI?  Blog faux pa #1 perhaps?

I used elk backstrap for the meat.  My dear White Mountain friends and family will totally get this, I may have already lost the rest of you.  Calm down.  I am not suggesting you have to go on an elk hunt to make this.  You can substitute with a beef flank steak, or perhaps something pork. I have never really made a meal with pork so I don't really know how that would turn out.  If you have access to wild game (deer, elk, antelope, etc.), use it! The nutritional value of the meat will be immeasurably higher than if you use store bought meat.  Wild game is truly organic, free of any growth hormones or pesticides, and totally lean.  Totally lean.  We are talking NO SATURATED FAT!  Naturally.  The animal was also living a happy, natural, wild life so I like to think that the meat contains positive energy that is also good for your soul.  Don't worry, I am not some free-loving hippy.  You will not be asked to drink any cool-aid at the end of this post. I just have a bit of a mystical side.

The first thing you want to do is roast your red bell peppers and green chile.  This is how you obtain that authentic New Mexican flavor.  I gave my family about 50 lbs of green chile fresh picked from a farm here in Las Cruces, and didn't save and for myself.  I kept thinking I had time to go back, and I never made it until chile season came to an end.  Very sad story.  I had to buy the pre-roasted chile from the store.  If you have to do this, make sure it is New Mexican green chile - that stuff from California or Mexico or from wherever else your produce travels is almost not even the same species.  Trust me.  Crank your oven up very hot and put your chiles in until their skin scorches and begins to peel away.  Your house is going to smell so wonderfully New Mexican! Now enjoy an image of my beautiful red bell peppers sweating in the oven. 

If you are using wild game, try to use a whole backstrap and butterfly it to make a thin, rectangular cut of meat.  I wasn't so fortunate.  All I had in the freezer was a backstrap cut up into tiny little steaks.  This will work out fine, it just requires a bit more work on your end.  If using a beef flank steak, you need to do nothing yet.  It should already be thin and rectangular.

If using wild game, make sure you remove all the fat and gristle, anything white.  Fat from wild game has a "gamey" flavor (whatever that means), and the gristle is like trying to chew through rubber.  Clean it up.  If you are using store bought meat, you will still want to clean the meat up a bit but it won't ruin your meal if you leave some on.  Now, lay the meat on a cutting board and gently pound it with a meat mallet.  And watch your fingers!  I actually got myself with the mallet a couple of times.  This comes as no surprise to those who know me.  Good thing I used my "gently" recommendation. If you are using small steaks pieced together like me, this process is marrying the pieces back together.   

Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place a piece of plastic wrap over the meat and turn the entire thing, cutting board and all, onto your counter top so that the pieces don't divorce (get it?  Since you married them, if they come apart they will be divorced.  Great, I just explained my own joke.  This may fall into the "blog etiquette" we discussed earlier.)  Lift your still-married meat back onto the cutting board using the plastic wrap to support it, and tenderize this side as well. It's already dead, you don't need to rekill it (Shawna, this is mostly for you.) If you go too nuts you will get meat splatters all over your cabinets and end up tearing your meat. I am laughing right now because I have a very clear visual of Shawna, my sister-in-law, "muscling" this part and ending up with hamburger, everywhere, even in her hair.  Now, salt, pepper, olive oil.

Next step, place your prosciutto on top of your meat.  You can also use bacon, but prosciutto is much leaner and the flavor won't over power.  I know, I know, it's pork and I just told you I never cook with pork.  I meant that I never make a whole meal of pork. I will, occasionally, add prosciutto to my meals.  Moving along!

Now get out your rinsed kale.  Did you know that kale is the most nutrient dense food in existence?  Well, now you know.  Incorporate it however, and whenever you can.  Your body will thank you!  It is also a very sturdy leafy green and holds up nicely under intense heat.  Grab onto the stem of the kale with one hand, wrap your fingers around the base of the leaves with your other hand, and pull.  The stem is like a tree trunk - you don't want to eat it.  Lay the kale leaves on top your prosciutto, and press them down gently. Otherwise the leaves will not lay nice and flat and may prove difficult to roll later.

Sprinkle your chevre cheese over the kale.  You can use a cow-cheese product if you wish, but you will be missing out of the wonderful nutritional benefits of goat dairy, not to mention the intense flavor.  Why is it more nutritious? I'm so glad you asked!  The protein structures of goat milk are much smaller than cows milk, so our bodies have a much easier time digesting and absorbing the proteins.  Goat milk is much more similar, structurally and nutritionally, to human milk than cow milk.  You eat it, and your body says "Hey!  I know what to do with this!"  Often times when we eat cow dairy, your body says "What in the heck?  That is way to big.  I can't process it."  What happens when your body can't process something?  That's a whole other chapter.  Google it for now. 

By now, your chiles and peppers should be nice and charred!  Shock them in some cold water, peel off the skins, slice them up, and place them on top of your chevre.

Now, I added some Santa Fe Peppers.  This is because Bernie grows some wonderfully extra hot Santa Fe Peppers.  I'm not sure how he does it, but every year they come out way hotter than our jalapenos, even though they are supposed to be medium heat.  Also, I thought it fitting to add them to a New Mexican dish because of their name.  You can add some more burn here if you want, but it's entirely up to you.  Those of us raised in the border states can probably handle it.  The rest of you, perhaps not. 

 

 

Now, your ready to roll!  Start with the long end of the meat and and roll it up like a cinnamon roll.  If you start with the short end, you are going to have some large pinwheels which will not make a nice wreath for display.  If you are using little married pieces, you will need to use your plastic wrap to assist in the rolling process.  It works beautifully. 

Give your meat another good drizzle of olive oil, especially if you are using wild game.  Since it is totally lean, it tends to be a bit dry if you aren't careful. Now, wrap it up with foil. The foil will hold the juices in while cooking and keep your meat tender and moist. 

Place it in the oven on broil for about 20 minutes if you want the center medium rare.  Adjust based on your preference of doneness. Remove from oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so to cool off.  While the meat is cooling, use the rest of your kale to create a circular wreath on your largest circular platter.  Now, unwrap and slice the meat into beautiful little Christmas colored pinwheels, about an inch thick each.

 

Doesn't this image just make you want to sink your teeth in?  It does me, and they taste as good as they look.  The red bell peppers add some wonderful sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the prosciutto.  The bold flavor of the chevre is balanced by the kale.  Since you didn't marinate the meat you can actually taste the wonderful meaty flavor.  The center came out perfectly tender and moist.  The display is beautiful and is going to impress the pants of your guests!  They will assume you slaved in your kitchen for hours.  You don't have to tell anyone the truth, unless, of course, they ask.  I don't promote lying.  This would pair well with some mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.  That's right, more veggies! Did you know your plate is supposed to be 1/2 fruits and/or vegetables with every meal?  Well, now you do.

 

Thanks for reading and being apart of my first blog!  I am anxious to hear your thoughts!  Please leave a comment.



Recipe:

Yield: about 15 pinwheels
Serves:  4-6 adults
Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking time:  20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

One large cut of meat, butterflied.  Or, many small pieces of meat.
1 package of prosciutto
1 bushell of kale
1 container of chevre cheese (about 4 ounces)
4 roasted green chiles
1 roasted red bell pepper
3 Santa Fe Peppers (optional)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to about 475 F.

Place your pepper and chiles in a hot oven and begin roasting.  Remove from oven when the peels are scorched (about 15 minutes). 

Lay your meat on a cutting board and trim up the fat and gristle. 
Tenderize gently with a meat mallet.
Salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle in olive oil.
Cover in plastic wrap, turn over, and tenderize the other side.
Salt and pepper this side to taste.  Drizzle in oil.
Lay prosciutto over meat.
Lay kale on top of prosciutto, stems removed.
Sprinkle chevre cheese on top of kale
Shock your peppers and chiles in some cold water.  Peel and slice.  Place on top of cheese. 
Beginning with the long end, roll your meat.
Wrap in foil.

Place in the oven for about 20 minutes for medium rare pinwheels.  Adjust duration depending on your preference in doneness.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Prepare your kale in a circular pattern on your plate.

Remove meat from foil and place on a cutting board.  Cut into pinwheels about 1 inch thick each. 

Arrange onto your kale in a circle.