The warm spring weather
turns a man’s thoughts
to Steak on the Grill! Here are some tips and recipes
to quell those primal urges.
- Choose high-grade steaks with generous amounts
of fine marbling and at least two weeks of
cooler aging.
- Burn all old grease and debris
from your grill and brush the cooking grate
clean.
- Heat grill to 400-450 degrees, turn
off some of the burners or shift coals to create
an indirect fire.
- Mist or brush grill with
oil immediately before adding steaks
- Place
steaks over direct heat, cover and sear for
2-3 minutes, turn and sear 2-3 minutes longer.
Flip and repeat.
- Move steak to indirect portion
of grill, cooking with medium indirect heat
(300-350) to desired temperature.
- Remove and
rest for 10 minutes – this will result
in a juicier steak. Don’t
worry it won’t get cold.
Papa’s
Sicilian Steak
Dad used to make this
when we were kids, and it’s been a family favorite ever since!
The keys to success are simple – a great
steak, great produce, and a full-flavored Extra
Virgin Olive Oil.
1 medium sweet onion, or red onion
2-3 medium tomatoes, vine ripened
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
1-2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1 tsp Sea Salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper – to
taste
pinches of crushed red pepper
4-6 TBS full-flavored Olive Oil
4-6 Beef Loin, rib, or flank steaks
Sliver onion and place in a stainless mixing
bowl. Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, oregano,
salt and pepper. Using a flat-bottomed glass,
mash and muddle the medley together for several
minutes to marry flavors. Add olive oil, stir,
taste and adjust seasonings. Rest for one hour
at room temperature.
Preheat grill to medium high. Brush or mist
preheated grill or cast iron grill-pan with oil
and immediately add seasoned steak. Grill first
side for three minutes and rotate 45 degrees.
After three minutes longer, flip steak over,
reduce heat to medium and top steaks generously
with tomato salsa. Cover and cook somewhere between
rare and medium (about 6-8 minutes). Remove and
rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with
more fresh tomato salsa. – Chef Michaelangelo
(mick) Rosacci
Chef’s Notes: Make plenty of this smothering
sauce and simmer the leftovers down for a quick
marinara – serve with pasta as a side dish,
or save for tomorrow.
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Balsamic Pepper Steak Brochettes
Made with Rib Eye Steaks, cracked pepper, sea
salt and real balsamic vinegar, this is the ultimate
steak ka-bob!
3 Rib Eye Steaks
2 Vidalia or Sweet Onions
extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt flakes (fleur de sel)
Cracked pepper medley
Balsamico di Modena
Pre-heat grill. Cut steak into 1.5 inch cubes,
taking care to remove large fat wedge if present.
Drizzle cubes with olive oil and toss to coat
lightly - just enough to coat in a thin layer.
Sprinkle with sea salt and a generous amount
of cracked pepper medley and toss to distribute
evenly.
Cut sweet onions into 1-1.5 inch wedges, one
to two layers thick. Thread meat and onion alternately
onto skewers.
Clean cooking grate and brush or mist with olive
oil. Grill brochettes over hot coals to brown,
taking care to remove at rare to medium rare.
Cover with a clean towel and rest for 5 minutes,
serve drizzled with Balsamico di Modena, a sweet
balsamic glaze from Modena Italy and serve. -
Chef Michaelangelo (mick) Rosacci
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Steak Medallion Gremolada
Smaller medallions of steak
make for elegant presentation – for the
grill, pan, or social tabletop cooking.
1 pound of premium aged beefsteak, cut into
medallions
1/4 – 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and salted
zest of one orange or tangerine
zest of 1/2 lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed
coarse ground black pepper
sea salt flakes (Fleur de Sel)
Have your butcher cut your steaks into small
medallions 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Tenderloin
is ideal for this and the most tender, NY strip
is the next best and sirloin can also work nicely.
Trim fat if desired. Also delicious with bone
in Lamb Chops.
Preheat a medium hot to hot grill, or preheat
a grill pan. Rest steaks at room temperature.
Shortly before cooking, season steaks lightly
with fine sea salt and black pepper.
Toss fresh minced parsley with pine nuts and
zest to combine well, drizzle in olive oil to
marry and season with cracked pepper and sea
salt flakes as desired.
Grill steaks to rare / medium rare, remove from
heat and top with a pinch of gremolada and serve
over rice, risotto, polenta, potatoes, salad.
Also great as an appetizer on a knot roll, or
as a steak sandwich on a Honey Wheat Demi Baguette.
Chef’s Notes: This is a fun dish to cook
socially sitting around a tabletop or island
stove or a tabletop electric grill – each
person cooking their own and serving themselves
as medallions are done cooking.
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Real Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes with fat free sour cream, buttermilk
and real wasabi.
2 lb. white potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 ounces low fat or fat free sour cream
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 teaspoons prepared Real Wasabi paste
Salt and white pepper
Peel and quarter potatoes - place in large pot,
cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook
until fork tender.
Drain and put potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
With a handheld mixer on low speed, break up
potatoes. Add sour cream, butter, 1/4 cup buttermilk,
and prepared wasabi paste and whip potatoes on
medium speed. Add more buttermilk until the desired
consistency is reached. Season with salt and
white pepper, to taste.
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