I was talking with a friend last night who, like me, is a big-time planner. “Winging it,” as a concept, may work just fine for other people, but flying without a plan — even for something otherwise fun like a party — is honestly a little bit terrifying to people like us.
So as we were sharing our genuine excitement over the fast-approaching holiday season, we were also comparing notes on recipes that would not only satisfy our guests, but also be simple to prepare. There’s nothing I hate more than being “stuck” in the kitchen while everyone else is mingling and having fun!
Here’s one of my favorite bites for the holiday season: Beef & Scallion Rolls. Not only is it virtually foolproof and easy to prepare (a necessity for my get-togethers), but also delicious and dazzling (just as important, in my book). Flank steak, one of my favorite cuts, is marinated in a flavorful blend of soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Once grilled, it’s sliced thin, and brushed with hoisin sauce — a perfect complement to the Asian-inspired flavor. Then the steak is wrapped around a small bunch of scallions, resulting in the perfect little bite-size bundle.
As the recipe below states, you can simply cut the scallions into small segments and roll accordingly. But the show-off in me likes to give them a little extra panache on the plate! After cutting the scallions to size — and it works best in this case to go with 3-inch pieces — take a small paring knife and cut a series of about 6 small parallel slits about 1 inch into each end. Then place the cut scallions into a bowl of ice water and watch the magic as the cut ends curl up. It’s kind of like the culinary equivalent of curling ribbon, or a small fireworks explosion!
Looking for more holiday recipes and entertaining tips? Visit our recipe collection, or our ‘Tis the Season board on Pinterest!
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:7]