Everything’s at Steak

My darling father recently bought half a cow.  HALF A COW.  His intention was for him & my mother to keep a quarter of a cow, and my sister and I to split a quarter.  One eighth of a cow is about a laundry basket full of cow.  A LOT of cow.  Needless to say, that didn’t happen.

We don’t eat a lot of red meat, but if I’m going to have beef I want it to be a good steak.  My favorite type of cut is rib eye, my second favorite is whatever is free.  On behalf of my father, I present to you: STEAK!  In this case, two lovely t-bones.

My steak recipe is a mix between Gordon Ramsay’s & Anne Burrelle’s.  I was a vegetarian for a good portion of my adult life, so I never had to learn how to cook meat.  Once I was back on the carcass train, I went in full swing.  Gordon Ramsey had a video on youtube how to make a good steak.  I followed it religiously… Until I turned on the Food Network and saw Anne Burrelle marinade a steak in olive oil and seasonings.  It was a game changer.

For your marinade (I used approximately this much for two steaks) you’ll need:

• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 Tablespoon dried Rosemary
• 2 Teaspoons dried Chives

Throw your ingredients into a bag and give that steak a nice olive oil massage.  Delicious.

Give it a good seal and put it in the fridge for at least one hour.  Well, the pros say one hour, I say at least 3.  I usually prepare mine the night before and let in marinade for about 20 hours!

Now I know what you’re thinking.  “But, Kitten! It appears that you have used far more chives than you instruct us to use above in your marinade! But WHY!?!”  I’ll tell you why.  Because when I was dumping the chives in (life is too short to measure such things.) I dropped the bottle and more chives came out than I had originally intended.  That’s why.

Now that your marinade is complete, take your meat out of the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for a bit before cooking.  I’m not sure where I learned this tip, but the goal is to bring the temperature of the pan down less when you add the steak. That’ll help ensure you get a nice sear.

Put a large pan over medium high heat.  You want to make sure your pan is plenty big enough so you don’t overcrowd it.  Throw a nice butter pat in there, about 1 Tablespoon (or maybe a bit more. I won’t tell.) per steak.  Allow the butter to melt and slightly brown

And in goes the steak! The crowd (and the garlic bits) go wild!  Now that you’ve got your steak in the pan, DO NOT TOUCH IT. A good steak should only be flipped one time. (If you have to flip more than once, don’t stress it.  It’s a steak, not FEMA.)

I’m not 100% certain how R likes his steak, but I like mine Medium Rare, so that’s how I cook it.  It takes about 4 minutes per side, plus or minus. Just stick it in and let it go.  Really, it couldn’t be any easier. 😉

Take your steak out and let it rest.  This is an important step. Do not skip it.  You could put it somewhere warm to rest (An oven on it’s lowest setting works great.), or just put it on the plate and let it chill out.

While the steak is resting is the opportune time to get your toppings ready.  I’m a fan of sauteed mushrooms on my meat, but whatever tickles your fancy. Throw your little morsels into the still hot pan, with the butter and steak drippings. DEEE-lish.

I chose to serve this with a baked potato & salad with my homemade Ranch dressing. This one’s a winner, guys.

PS: If using a bone in steak, save the bones!  We’ll make a beef stock soon enough and be in dire need of that delicious marrow.

 

Kitten Makes a Steak

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 Tablespoon dried Rosemary
• 2 Teaspoons dried Chives
• Two cuts (your choice) of steak
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Any toppings you like; I used mushrooms

1. Place olive oil, garlic, rosemary, chives, and meat into a resealable plastic baggie.  Give the meat a good massage.  Let sit for a good few hours, even overnight.
2. Take steak out to room temperature and allow to sit in marinade for about 10 minutes to rest.
3. Sprinkle steak with salt & pepper, to taste.
4. Heat pan on medium high. When pan is hot, add butter.
5. Allow butter to melt, and slightly brown, you want the pan very hot.
6. Place steak salt side down, and do not move for about 4 minutes. Flip steak when it’s halfway done. A good steak should only be flipped once.
7. Cook to desired done-ness.
8. Allow steak to rest before serving & eat that sucker up.
9. If using any toppings, throw them in the pan now while the steak is resting. They should be ready about the same time.