Friday Night Food Porn

Braised Flank Steak and Risotto Arancini

Kris and I love to think outside the box for a grilling competition. When we saw flank steak for a category at The Bailout and it was open garnish, we both knew we were not just going to grill up some flank steak. We've been on a real risotto kick lately; Kris wants me to make it almost every night. One night I made it with a pan seared steak shaved thin and mixed throughout the rice. We thought this would make some great arancini. So at last weekends comp, we braised the flank steak until it shredded apart and made some risotto. Kris mixed the two together, rolled into balls, and breaded them. Then I deep fried them until golden brown. I salted them and shaved some good parmesan cheese over the top. The judges didn't exactly love them. But anytime I can deep fry something at a grilling contest I get very happy. Now, the problem with doing this is very simple: sometimes the judges will actually be looking for grilled flank steak, not deep fried rice balls. Fair enough. But still, I had fun cooking them and even more fun sharing them with my fellow competitors.