The Gold Rush of 1976

I spent a number of years in the Denver area as a child. I loved going up into the mountains during the spring and summer. You would think that once the snow melted all of the ski resort towns would become ghost towns, but they were almost as popular for hikers and tourists who wanted to explore the area.

One favorite place of ours was Central City. A short drive up the mountains, it had previously been a mining town. Remembering my third grade state history, Colorado had a gold rush in 1859 (ten years after California’s famed one). Throughout the mountains you’ll see the remnants of many mines with either a hole in the side of the hill or a collapsed and decaying pile of timber that once held track from a mine car.

Central City was tucked into a very narrow valley and while it once served the mining community, it was serving tourists when I used to go there (and still is today). One afternoon, I was walking around the town with my family and a sparkle caught my eye. I stepped off the wooden sidewalk and over to the sparkle. Reaching down I picked up a very small pebble. Looking carefully, it was shiny and had gold specks in it. GOLD! I had found gold! I proudly showed it off to my family and was both walking tall and keeping my eyes peeled for more.

The ride home to Denver, all I could think about is all the things I’d buy with my gold. I must have at least a million dollars worth in that pebble, right? At some point I learned that it was very likely Iron Pyrite (“fools gold”) but it still never diminished my own gold rush of 1976.

The tangerines are the gold in this dish.

Do yourself a favor and purchase a thin steak for this dish. It will marinate better and be less chewy.

Marinating.

Ready for the broiler.

Turning the marinade into a sauce.

A fabulous combination of flavors!

Tangerine Beef with Scallions

Cook Time: 10 min | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds beef tri-tip steak, trimmed of excess fat

• 1 tangerine

• 4 scallions, sliced, plus more for garnish

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons orange preserves

Directions:

Pierce the steak with a fork several times on each side. Remove a 2-inch strip of zest from the tangerine, halve the fruit and squeeze the juice into a resealable plastic bag. Add the zest, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and 1/4 cup water to the bag and mix well. Add the meat, seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the broiler with a broiler pan in place. Remove the steak from the bag and reserve the marinade. Pat the meat dry and place on the preheated broiler pan. Cook, without turning, until the meat is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 130 for medium-rare, about 10 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing; reserve the drippings.

Meanwhile, boil the marinade in a small pot over medium-high heat until slightly thickened. Stir in the orange preserves and the drippings from the meat. Slice the meat against the grain and top with scallions. Serve with the sauce.

Nutritional Info:

Per serving: Calories 341; Fat 18 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 91 mg; Sodium 994 mg; Carbohydrate 10 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 38 g

Source:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/tangerine-beef-with-scallions-recipe/index.html