I am notorious for losing things.  Tom is notorious for retrieving them.  I’m not sure what set of genes is responsible for either of those skills, if losing (or finding) things, could, in fact, be classified as a skill.  I do know that without question, Tom is constantly following in my wake and finding the very things that I swear have been permanently lost (as I adamantly exclaim).

This is especially true when it comes to my keys.  I lose them, on (frequent) occasion.  They are always found straight away, by Tom, the “House Detective”; or, is it “Detective in the house!”  Or, perhaps, as Magnum PI, Season 6, Episode 4 is titled, “the Hotel Dick”. But Magnum would correct that and say…”Investigator”!

The latest episode of my key “disappearing act” came when Tom was out of town.  I spent the weekend inside, never leaving the house, doing my usual, um, well, tidying up in-Tom’s absence-thing-that-I-do when he is away.  I honestly hadn’t left the house; not once all weekend!  So, on Monday morning, when I woke up and could not find my car key (!!*), I was perplexed (?).  Needless to say, short of tearing the house apart, I looked everywhere! (*insert, multiple, swear words here)!

Upon Tom’s return, he had a few choice words to say as well since he was also unable to find the key.  Months went by (yes, months)!  In that time, I also managed to lock the spare car key in the car while at work.  I called the dealership to try and get them to  unlock it for me only to be told that they couldn’t.

To add serious injury to the whole lost-not-found key debacle, weeks later when Tom was out of town yet again, I went to start the car with the “spare key”, which happened to be the somewhat mangled key (since it had been in my possession mostly the last 10 years, yet the key I had lost was the “good key”), the key actually failed to start the car altogether.  As in, it was permanently broken (!!*).  No spare key to be had.  The dealership was not helpful in that, Mercedes does not allow another key to be made unless, both  the car and Owner are present in the service shop.  Given the current state of my car keys, this would require the car to be towed into the shop.

At an unsuspecting time, months later, Tom found my keys!!!!!! (?).  House Dick/Private Investigator extroirdinaire.  The keys, it turned out of course, were in my bag all along.  Well hidden, but…well, there they were n o t  i n  p l a i n  s i g h t.

He told me he had a premonition when he went into the bedroom and looked in my bags.  His little voice was saying, look in here (even though he already had). So, there we had it, mystery solved…until the next time.  Yes, it happened for the other car too, but we won’t go there…

I am not the house detective but I have become very good at detecting great new sources for food.  One of my favorite places to frequent on the infrequent occasion that I venture into the neighborhood of Pioneer Square during my work day, is Rain Shadow Meats.  They are a butcher shop but also one of the best places to grab a great lunch.  The vibe is casual, New York meat packing district cool with a high energy and a long wait during the noon hour and a slow, next-door-neighbor vibe, welcoming you in during the off-hours.  I buy most of my meat from them as well as fresh eggs, and the occasional condiment.

Friday night, along with my late-lunch sandwich that I took back to the office, in addition to other grocery necessities: two butterflied hanger steaks that had been lovingly marinated in salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and preserved lemon. I served it next to a salad of fresh butter lettuce, sweet cherry tomatoes topped with my buttermilk blue cheese dressing.  To sop up the goodness, I grilled thick slices of Columbia City Bakery sourdough that I picked up at The London Plane, a mere few doors away from my office.  I prepared the bread kissed with olive oil, rubbed with fresh garlic and swathed in a swipe of Romesco sauce before smashing avocados over top.

HANGER STEAK SALAD

serves 4

Hanger steak is one of the most tender cuts of meat from the cow, but can become tough if overcooked.  Until recently, it had not been readily available in the market yet could be found on menus in many restaurants.  Locally, I am able to source it from Whole Foods or Rainshadow Meats.  It is a deeply flavorful cut that cooks quickly and requires little adornment, but does benefit from a brief marinade.  It should be trimmed with membrane removed by the butcher, so be sure to ask.  If you live in/near Seattle and visit Rain Shadow Meats, they will be happy to butterfly and marinate the steak for you at one of their two locations.

I used butter lettuce last week for the salad but most recently used arugula, which I feel is a more elegant and spicy partner for the rich, juiciness of the steak and blends magically with the blue cheese dressing and the sweetness of the tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs hanger steak, trimmed, membrane removed and butterflied

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper (Rain Shadow uses their in-house made salt blend; I use my homemade seasoning salt blend by roasting 1 part salt to 1/2 part black pepper corn and 1/2 part coriander seeds, grind after roasting for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees)

1 TB olive oil + more for sautéing

1/4 of a preserved lemon, finely chopped

1 TB chopped parsley

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing (approximately 1/2 cup)

12 cherry tomates, cut in half

2 green onions, chopped

4 cups baby arugula, washed and dried thoroughly

Sea salt and pepper for seasoning salad

Lemon squeeze

PREPARATION

Combine the garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and preserved lemon in a bowl.

Add the steak and gently rub the marinade into the steak with your hand.

Scatter the parsley overtop and let marinade, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the steaks and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.  Flip the meat every 30 seconds after the first turn until the temperature reads 120 degrees.

Let rest on a plate while you prepare the salad.

To prepare the salad, toss the arugula with just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves.  Season with sea salt and pepper.

Divide the salad among four plates and top with the tomatoes and green onions.

Drizzle some additional dressing over top.

Slice the steaks against the grain into 1/2″ pieces.  Divide them overtop of the arugula and squeeze some lemon over each plate.

“Gee, I should have shared with Ginger cuz’ a full belly sure makes me sleepy.”