The Unvegan

A few years ago I paid a visit to Duluth Grill in Duluth, Minnesota. I am a man who loves dining in the Northwoods and so when Duluth Grill reached out to me and offered me a free copy of The Duluth Grill Cook Book II I could hardly contain my excitement. Sure, I had no idea that there was a first cookbook, but I was eager to try this one out.

Despite the reputation of the Northwoods, Duluth Grill and its cookbook actually have recipes for people of all eating restrictions. Nonetheless, my wife found a near-perfect unvegan recipe: Rolled Flank Steak. The ingredients were simple:

1 Flank Steak
1 Cup of Goat Cheese
2 Roasted Red Peppers
8 Large Basil Leaves
Salt and Pepper
Balsamic Reduction

I wasn’t too happy about the red peppers, but I humored my wife.

The only ingredient the book failed to leave out was “butcher’s twine,” which appeared later in the recipe. While this might be just as common as paper towels or forks in fancy kitchens, we had to make do with some yarn and hoped the green dye was non-toxic.

Regardless, the result was unquestionably delicious. We didn’t reduce the balsamic because we aren’t reductive people, but I think I actually enjoyed it more that way because it was less sweet. The peppers were easy to avoid and the combination of flank steak, goat cheese and basil was impressive in its relative simplicity.

There are a ton of much more complex recipes in the book, and it should be noted that this is another aspect of the book’s charm. Sure, you can use it to cook food for any dietary restrictions, but there are also options in there for cooks that range from never cooked anything except toast (like an entire section of Condiments and Sauces) to using the various grill settings for a zanussi oven for slow roasts (some crazy delicious looking Swedish Meatballs). With that said, I’m definitely looking forward to my next home-cooked Duluth Grill meal. Or at least one of its condiments.

You can buy it here if you’d like.