As we get busier preparing for the December holidays and the weather shifts with a shiver into a deep freeze, comfort food such as this broiled steak and mashed potato dinner will welcome the family in from the cold. And you will appreciate the left-overs on a later evening when you can quickly turn them into a savory ragout (a well-seasoned stew) with little time and effort.
On day 1, begin marinating the steak first. Once that's done, you can cook the potatoes and start beans. Try to time yourself so that the pears go into the oven when you start broiling the steaks. that way, the pears will be done and cool enough to serve. While the steaks are cooking, whip the potatoes and finish the beans.
To prepare the second meal, start the ragout and then prepare the persimmons to get them chilling. Do the rice next. Once it's cooking, rinse the greens (even those these packaged greens are prewashed, we always give them a quick rinse to freshen them), wrapping the greens loosely in paper towels and back into the fridge to crispen while you make the dressing. The addition of the beef broth to the vinaigrette is a savory trick we learned from Patricia Wells when she was on book tour for her cookbook, Trattoria.
We like to serve the coconut rice mounded in the middle of a large heated platter, spooning the stew around the edges. For dessert, we suggest Hachiya (also called Japanese) persimmons. You'll need to find plump, slightly soft persimmons at the market or allow a few days for them to ripen at room temperature. Toss the salad and you're done -- it should take you about 30 minutes from start to finish.
