Flatiron Steak (1964); Naanwich and Naanini; Google Answers

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

GOOGLE ANSWERS (continued)

   I saw Robert Hendrickson's FACTS ON FILE WORD AND PHRASE ORIGINS book cited in several answers, and that's just bad.  I had to say so.
   The problem with "Google Answers" is that the person who's answering these things doesn't know what (s)he's doing, and just Googles away--never looking at actual books or journal articles.  The HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN SLANG and the DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN REGIONAL ENGLISH aren't on the web.
   So, for example, instead of checking a book like the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK CITY or Gerald Cohen's monograph  on "the Big Apple," you cite an internet hoax.
   No Cecil Adams, if you ask me.

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NAANWICH & NAANINI

   Time for our menu items of the day, from the Indian Bread Co. 194 Bleecker Street (between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street), New York, www.indianbreadco.com.
   I had posted on "nanwich" on 27 Deember 1999.  The name is still infrequent--this ADS-L post is the first relevant hit on Google!
   "Naanwich" was supposedly invented by Minara Foods in England in 2001 (it has a trademark for the name "Naanwich"), but that's late.
   "Naanini"--a "panini" variant--is new.


(GOOGLE)
Minara's Foods Ltd - Home of the Naanwich
My family has been making Indian food since my late father, Nazir Ud-Din
opened the first Indian restaurant in Manchester, the Bombay in 1938. ...
www.brandragon.co.uk/minarasite/minarafoodsltd/ - 6k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages

BBC News | UK | Curry on two slices of naan, please
A curry-based rival to the traditional sandwich - the "naanwich"
is launched at a food fair in Birmingham. ...
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1394483.stm - 31k - Cached - Similar pages

Curry butty set for store launch
... fast food. The "naanwich" combines the quintessentially British sandwich
with the spicy flavours of a traditional Eastern curry. It ...
www.manchesteronline.co.uk/ news/s/19/19849_curry_butty_set_for_store_launch.html - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

NYC Restaurant & Menu Guide. Menus, Ratings, Reviews. MenuPages ...
... They have stuffed paratha (like quesadillas), kathi rolls (thin wraps),
naanwich (naan pocket) & naanini (grilled naan pannini). ...
www.menupages.com/ restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=5180 - 62k - Cached - Similar pages

Bite of Seattle
... Cinnamons Grill ** (425) 670-1000, Masala Salmon, Potato Naanwich. Dancing
Zorba ** (503) 706-1751, Classic and Low-Carb Gyros, Village-Style Gyros. ...
www.biteofseattle.com/dining/restaurant/ - 29k - May 23, 2004 - Cached - Similar pages

Bite of Seattle
<- BACK. Cinnamons Grill. Featured Item, Masala Salmon. Take a Walk on the Wild
Side, Potato Naanwich. Address, 829 NW 205th St. Shoreline, Washington 98177. ...
www.biteofseattle.com/search/ detail.aspx?VendorID=10800 - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

AOL City Guide: New York - Restaurant Guide - Indian Bread Co. ...
... rolls. Alternatively, there's a cross-cultural "naanwich" or "naanini"
-- a panini created with naan bread and various fillings. ...
www.digitalcity.com/newyork/dining/ venue.adp?sbid=126456 - 32k - Cached - Similar pages


(GOOGLE GROUPS)
PAKDAY--March 23 Commemorated
... Considering it was Pakistan Day, this 'farishta' (or is it 'farishti') had
called round and brought a most desi kebab naanwich for my lunch. ...
soc.culture.pakistan - Mar 24, 1998 by IHSAN IBN ASLAM - View Thread (2 articles)


(FACTIVA)
CURRY'S JUST THE START AT INDIAN SPOT
Bella English, GLOBE STAFF
930 words
16 December 1999
The Boston Globe
THIRD
6
(...)
Lunch specials include a choice of entrees served with soup, rice, and chutney ($5.95 to $7.95). Or try a naanwich, delectable Indian bread stuffed with chicken, lamb, or veggies ($5.95 or $6.95) and served with a creamy yogurt dressing.


(FACTIVA)
Minara Foods.(Introduces the naanwich)(Brief Article)
137 words
1 February 2002
Frozen and Chilled Foods
16
ISSN 0265-6485; Volume 56; Issue 1
English
Copyright 2002 Gale Group Inc. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT 2002 DMG World Media Ltd.

* The naanwich, the brainchild of Birmingham-based Eastern Foods' sister company Minara Foods, was launched at the European Ethnic Food Show this year. The curry in a naan is available in frozen or chilled format and comes in four flavours - chicken alloo, chicken tandoori masala, vegetable bhuna and sweet and sour.

Minara Foods said: "Combine the growing market for snack products with society's changing eating habits and the naanwich is ideally suited to our new grazing lifestyle."


(FACTIVA)
FOOD NOTES
GAIL CIAMPA
1,264 words
28 January 2004
Providence Journal
All
G-02
(...)
'Nanwiches' and Valentine's dinner
Kabob and Curry, 261 Thayer St., Providence, has introduced the nanini. It's the Indian version of Italy's panini or Mexico's quesadillas. The restaurant has put three new "nanwiches" on the lunch menu, using its own homemade nan an Indian flatbread. The nanini include vegetarian, made with paneer or homemade cheese and caramelized onions; lamb, minced and seasoned with ginger, jalapeno peppers and fresh mint; and chicken tikka meat marinated in yogurt and spices, roasted in the tandoor oven, sliced and served with pepper and onions. All three nanini are filled with caramelized onions and peppers and a mango honey mustard dressing. The nan is stuffed with the respective filling and heated in a press, creating a warm nanwich with blended flavors.

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FLATIRON STEAK

FLATIRON STEAK--3.330 Google hits, 18 Google Groups hits

   This seems to have started in California.
   I was asked about this and was given this:

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/food/industry/features/n_9182/
"It’s the same thing that happened with hanger steak a few years ago,” says butcher Jerry Ottomanelli. A slew of smart chefs are just discovering the flatiron steak, a remarkably flavorful, surprisingly tender, and—most important—cheap cut from the shoulder that old-school butchers call “chicken steak.” “You always have to give the public something new,” Ottomanelli says. “But it is a very tasty piece of meat.” And don’t worry: It doesn’t taste like chicken.


(GOOGLE GROUPS)
Thai Grilled Beef Salad
... minced 1 teaspoon Black peppercorn 1 tablespoon Fresh coriander roots 1/2 teaspoon Salt 2 teaspoons Vegetable oil 1 pound Flank or flatiron steak -- trimmed of ...
alt.food.asian - Sep 27, 2001 by Not The Real Nancy - View Thread (1 article)

BIGHORN GRILL - Unhappy Update
... brine a brisket. A friend's flatiron steak (a welcome menu addition) served an ample portion, tender and nicely done. Her garlic ...
ba.food - Sep 6, 1996 by David Schwoegler - View Thread (1 article)

COLLECTION: Thai Recipes
... minced 1 Teaspoon Black peppercorn 1 Tablespoon Fresh coriander roots 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 2 Teaspoons Vegetable oil 1 Pound Flank or flatiron steak - trimmed 3 ...
rec.food.recipes - Mar 13, 1995 by Paul Charlesworth - View Thread (2 articles)


(FACTIVA)
STEAK OUT? (BEEF CONSUMPTION RISING) (INCLUDES RECIPES)
By Kerri Conan
2,041 words
10 February 1993
Restaurant Business
89
English
Copyright Restaurant Business Magazine 1993
(...)
MULHERN & SCHACHERN San Francisco
FLATIRON STEAK $12.85 Sliced, Santa Fe style


(FACTIVA)
FOOD
DINING OUT
A Brew-Pub for the Young and Hungry
TOM SIETSEMA, Chronicle Staff Writer
1,121 words
7 July 1993
The San Francisco Chronicle
FINAL
8/ZZ7
(...)
There are dishes you shouldn't miss. Smoky grilled flatiron steak ($16.95 at dinner) comes with horseradish-spiked mashed potatoes and a crown of addictive onion rings.


(FACTIVA)
Kitchens without passports. (cooking styles in 1995)(includes menus)(What's Cooking in America)
Nancy Ross Ryan
4,539 words
15 January 1995
Restaurants & Institutions
36
Vol. 105, No. 2, ISSN: 0273-5520
English
COPYRIGHT 1995 Reed Publishing USA
(...)
BARBECUE FLATIRON STEAK

Chef-proprietor Bradley Ogden, One Market, San Francisco

Yield: 4 portions

Beef flatiron steaks, trimmed,

6-oz. each (see photo caption) 4

Salt, pepper to taste

Barbecue sauce (recipe

follows) 2 cups

Method: Season steaks liberally with salt and pepper; grill on hot grill, constantly basting with barbecue sauce, until done to desired temperature. Remove steaks from grill; let rest at least 5 minutes. Slice each steak on bias into 4 pieces. Serve with potato-chive cakes, mixed greens and creamy garlic dressing. Food cost, 27%; menu price, $17.75.

Barbecue sauce

Yield: about 4 cups

Red-chili sauce, canned 12 oz.

Molasses 1/2 cup

Soy sauce 1/4 cup

Dark-brown sugar 3 Tbsp.

Dijon mustard 3 Tbsp.

Medium garlic cloves,

peeled, crushed 2

Chicken stock 1 1/2 cups

Water 1/2 cup

Louisiana-style red-pepper

sauce 1/2 tsp.

Salt 1/3 tsp.

Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp.

Small pasilla pepper 1/2

Small Anaheim pepper 1/2

Chipotle pepper 1/2

Crushed red-pepper flakes to taste

Method: Combine ingredients in heavy-bottom saucepot. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Puree; strain.


(FACTIVA)
FOODDAY
FOR TENDER AND FLAVORFUL MEAT, GO FOR TOP BLADE STEAK
JOHN WILLOUGHBY and CHRIS SCHLESINGER - New York Times News Service
1,294 words
23 February 1999
Portland Oregonian
SUNRISE
FDGRIND
English
Copyright (c) 1999 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.

Summary: Its only drawback is a cartilage streak down the middle, but it can be trimmed

In food, as in life, the truly remarkable often lurks among the merely ordinary. Take, for example, the top blade steak. It comes from the chuck or forequarter of the cow, which usually produces cuts that are flavorful but very tough.

Full of connective tissue, these are best cooked by slow, moist cooking methods like braising or stewing.

But the top blade breaks this mold. It is actually the second most tender cut of meat, surpassed only by the butter-soft tenderloin. This underappreciated cut of beef is a hidden culinary gem just waiting to be discovered.

The top blade steak's position in the pantheon of beef tenderness is not based on mere supposition. In Texas, where beef is truly king, measuring tenderness is serious business.

And while attending a Beef 101 course at Texas A&M University, we saw meat scientists measure beef toughness with a piece of equipment called a Warner-Bratzler, after its inventors. This gizmo measures the amount of pressure required to break apart a piece of meat.

When the top blade was put up against all other cuts of beef, it came in second only to the extremely pricey tenderloin. A blind tasting of 10 cuts of beef held at the end of the course confirmed the machine's evaluation, since the top blade was rated extremely tender by all tasters.

Despite this, the top blade is only about half the price of steaks like the Delmonico and the sirloin, which are generally regarded more highly by consumers. In most supermarkets, top blade costs only a few cents more a pound than tough steaks like top round.

So, why is this meltingly tender, flavorful and inexpensive steak not the darling of chefs and home cooks alike? Well, like a tragic hero, it does have a flaw: running smack down the center of each steak is a line of inedible cartilage.

This poses a problem, for sure, but hardly an insurmountable one. To our minds, tenderness and flavor make it worthwhile to simply eat around the cartilage, leaving it on your plate.

For the more fastidious, though, there are excellent options. One is to remove the line of cartilage, cut the raw steak into chunks and then use them in stir-fries or on skewers. Another possibility is to cook the steak whole, remove the offending gristle and cut the cooked steak into thin slices before using it in salads or other composed dishes.

One word of caution: Do not mistake the top blade steak for what is sometimes called the chuck blade steak. The chuck blade is about three levels further down on the tenderness scale and is better suited for moist, slow cooking methods that melt the stringy collagen that it contains.

Though the top blade steak is usually clearly labeled in supermarkets, it's also recognizable from its chunky triangular shape, which resembles that of an old-fashioned iron. This likeness has given the steak the moniker of "flatiron steak."

As is typical in the often-confusing world of butcher terminology, the top blade may also be called the book steak, lifter steak and butter steak, among other names.

Whatever it is called at your local market, this is a piece of meat worth seeking out. After all, what's a small flaw when you get tenderness and deep beef flavor?


(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
   1. A Steak to Rival Filet, at a Chuck Price
By JOHN WILLOUGHBY and CHRIS SCHLESINGER. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Dec 9, 1998. p. F5 (1 page):
   Though the top blade steak is usually clearly labeled in supermarkets, it is also recognizable from its chunky triangular shape, which resembles that of an old-fashioned iron.  This likeness has given the steak the moniker of "flatiron steak."  As is typical in the often-confusing world of butcher terminology, the top blade may also be called the book steak, lifter steak and butter steak, among other names.
  (Same as above article--ed.)

   2. Love Me Tender; A little extra care transforms beef from stringy to succulent.
MOLLY O'NEILL. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Jan 31, 1999. p. SM59 (2 pages)
First page:  Flatiron steaks, also called "blade steaks" or "top blade chuck steaks," are cut from the shoulder of the beef and have an intense, beefy flavor and a medium grain.  Unfortunately, they also have a thin wall of gristle running down the center.  You can lift this gristle out with a sharp knife, or eat around it.  That effort spent in careful trimming, then marinating and grilling (Following page--ed.) a flatiron steak will reap rich rewards in money saved and flavor gained.  Flatirons, along with other chuck steaks, can also be marinated and then stewed slowly, as in the recipe here for chuck-steak tacos.  The red-wine marinade is especially good for other underused cuts.
   Triangle steaks, sometimes known as "tri-tips" or "culottes," are taken from the hip section of the beef.  Technically, they are sirloins.  However, since beef has been bred to be leaner in recent years, this cut in particular requires a marinade to keep it moist.


(WWW.NEWSPAPERARCHIVE.COM)
Mountain Democrat - 12/3/1964
...Cross Rib Roast Chuck Fillets us A FLATIRON STEAK u" UJDACh-u'M. 59c 1.49..
Placerville, California   Thursday, December 03, 1964  405 k
Pg. 12 "Safeway" ad:
Flatiron Steak  Less, boneless Beef  Lb. 89c