Cooking with Brendan
London Broil is Fogging Up
Brendan Guay
Issue date: 12/8/08 Section: Lifestyle
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A great fog clouded the entire city of London for four days. The cold caused people in London to burn more coal than usual which resulted in a higher rate of air pollution. The pollution was trapped by the inversion layer formed by the dense mass of cold air. Coal smoke and other concentrations of pollutants built up over the atmosphere dramatically. To make matters worse, Londoners used low-quality, high sulfur coal from home heating due to the country's postwar economic situation. The fog quickly built up and made it close to impossible to drive and entered inside of houses easily. Concerts and outdoor films were cancelled due to the inability to even see the screen or stage.
At first, the people were just used to the fog, as was common in London at the time. However the fog led to the deaths of approximately 12,000 people during and in the aftermath of the problem. The death of thousands of Londoners was partly due to respiratory tract infections from hypoxia, which is a low level of oxygenation of blood. Others died due to mechanical obstruction of their air passages by pus arising from lung infections caused by the smog. After the epidemic was over, new regulations were put in place restricting the use of dirty fuels industry and banning black smoke. The Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968 and the City of London Act of 1954 were all brought up in the aftermath.
In honor of those who died in the fog and the horrific aftermath that the fog laid on the city of London, we will be making a hot English dish to keep those warm over break in London Broil.
Ingredients:
5 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1- 1 ½ pounds top-round London Broil -- 1 ¼ inch thick
Now let's put it all together:
First we need to mince and mash the garlic into a paste using salt and a blender. Then add the remaining marinade ingredients. In a re-sealable plastic bag, combine the London broil with the marinade. Seal the bag and press out the excess air, and then put it in a shallow baking dish. Marinate in the bag for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours in a chilled place, turning occasionally. Now its time to grill. Bring the steak to room temperature before grilling. Remove the steak from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and grill on an oiled rack set 5 or 6 inches above the coals for 8 minutes on each side for medium rare - or longer according to your taste. When finished, let the steak stand on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing. Cut the steak against the grain into small thinly sliced pieces. Serve with buttered noodles and add a piece of parsley on top of the steak as a garnish.
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