Orange Pepper Steak

A little bit of trivia about me: I have moved 4 times in the last four years. After the unpacking is complete (or sometimes during the unpacking process) one of my goals is to find the most quality and affordable, strip mall Asian cuisine take-out establishment within a 5 mile radius. A personal menu favorite: Orange Peel Beef. Done correctly, it has that fresh citrus flavor, a little heat to keep it interesting, and the texture and substance of the beef I was raised on. So, as I perused an old issue of Kraft Food and Family, this recipe caught my eye. Not sure why I overlooked it before...

You begin by creating the marinade for a sirloin steak. Start out with 1/2 cup of Catalina dressing.

Now grate the peel off of a medium size orange. Add the peel to the dressing and then squeeze the juice from the orange into the marinade as well. This proved, unexpectedly, to be my favorite step. A little more trivia about me...I had the privilege of knowing my great-grandparents into my adulthood. As a matter of fact, my great-grandfather is still alive and living independently. Pretty amazing, huh? When I was a kid, my great-grandparents wintered in Florida and worked in an orange grove. They shipped boxes of fresh Florida citrus to our family throughout the winter. All types of oranges, tangerines, grapefruit. Probably why I crave grapefruit on snowy mornings to this day. Winter = citrus fruit. Didn't any of you ever get a Christmas orange from Santa? Still with me? Okay. So, here is why the grating and juicing of the orange was my favorite step in this recipe. Today, at the same time the invigorating citrus aroma hit the air while I grated and squeezed...big, beautiful snowflakes gracefully fell outside of my kitchen window. These two simultaneous events conjured a feeling of nostalgia so powerful that for a few moments... I was a kid again. All cozy and warm on a winter morning, gazing out the window of my mom's kitchen. Completely content. Don't you just love those moments?




Now just add 2 chopped green onions, some garlic powder, and of course, pepper. Then give it a good stir. Be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade to serve with the steak before you add the uncooked meat to the dish.



Now place the steak in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and put it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour. I marinated mine for four hours.


When you're ready, place the steak on the rack of a broiling pan and broil 2-3 inches from the heat source for about 8 minutes on each side.


I also cooked a little brown rice in beef broth to serve with the steak. So while the steak was broiling, I sauteed some chopped green onion and mushrooms. Then I added them to the rice and sprinkled with some parsley.




When the steak was ready, I cut it into strips and topped it with the reserved marinade. I served this flavorful sirloin with the rice and some asparagus.


So there you have it, Thursday dinner and a little trivia on me. Enjoy!

Here's the recipe from Kraft:

Orange Pepper Steak
Prep Time:
5 min Total Time:1 hr 21 min Makes:8 servings
What You Need:
1/2 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing
Grated peel and juice from 1 medium orange
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 boneless beef sirloin steak (2 lb.)

Make It
MIX dressing, orange peel, orange juice, onions, pepper and garlic salt in large shallow dish until well blended. Remove 1/4 cup of the dressing mixture; set aside for later use.

ADD steak to remaining dressing mixture; turn to evenly coat both sides. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to marinate.

PREHEAT broiler. Drain steak; discard marinade. Place steak on rack of broiler pan. Broil, 2 to 3 inches from heat source, 8 min. on each side for medium doneness (160°F). Cut steak into 8 pieces. Serve with reserved 1/4 cup dressing mixture.