Eighty-sixth Post ~ Pesto marinated steak

This is a quick and fool-proof way to create a savory, tender steak.  MARINADE!  As long as your marinade contains some acidic compound (such as wine or soy sauce, even orange juice) your odds of having a far more tender steak increase exponentially.

Tonight's marinade was thrown together so hastily, it felt like I was just taking a little of this and a little of that and dumping it in a bowl.

Which, actually, is precisely what I was doing.

Here's what you'll need for the marinade:
~ Olive oil
~ Soy sauce
~ Truffle oil (why not?)
~ White wine (I had some leftover vidal blanc that's a little past the enjoyable drinking mark)
~ Basil pesto (premade from Wegmans)
~ Dash of sea salt

Obviously, you'll also want a petite sirloin to put it on.

Combine the ingredients in a bowl that is just the right size to nearly submerge your steak.  Whisk together with a fork.  Marinate the steak for a few hours, turning every so often and spooning the marinade over it.

I broiled it for 8 minutes on one side, 5 on the other.  This is the magic number of minutes for a petite sirloin, I believe.  I served it with green beans sauteed in garlic.  I paired the meal with some more French Maid cabernet sauvignon - so yummy!  It was fruity enough to stand up to the savory marinade, but full-bodied enough to compliment the steak.  All in all, a quick, satisfying meal!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Thirteenth Post: Breathing New Life into Tough Steak

It happens. Sometimes you get a steak that just doesn't turn out the way you'd hoped. And as you're sitting there chewing on this darned piece of meat until your jaws ache because you're sure not going to throw it out, you come to the decision that there's nothing to be done with tough meat. Right?.

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Wrong!

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I prepared some steaks the other night when my mother came over for dinner, and of course, because I was preparing food for someone other than myself, bad luck was on my side. The fire alarm was relentless, the broiler inconsistant, and in the end, the steaks were tough. My mom told me that when she had bad luck with steaks, this was always her fallback plan (I always thought it was just a yummy way to cook steak, little did I know...)

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What you'll need to save your steaks:

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~ Steak that has caused you personal, emotional harm, cut up into smallish pieces (use the aforementioned Crocodile Dundee knife from post #12 to maximize feelings of proper revenge)

~ Leftover juices from cooking said steak

~ Soy sauce

~ A baggie and a bowl

~ Time

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After eating and apologizing to your guest(s), smile to yourself with the secret satisfaction of knowing that later on in the week, you shall reincarnate your steak into a delectable dinner for you and you alone. Place the chopped pieces of steak in a baggie in a bowl (It will leak. Trust me). Pour in the remaining juices (I had broiled it in the herbed marinade from post #8, and had added some fresh rosemary). Add some soy sauce. Soy sauce is one of nature's marvels. Not only is it awesome on sushi, but it also acts as a tenderizer for tough meat. Let your steak marinate in your fridge for a few days.

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When you do decide to eat it, heat it in the baggie in the bowl in the microwave for about 2 minutes or under. Serve it over buttered toast.

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::PAUSE::

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It's a very common practice in our family to eat steak on top of buttered toast. It was not until quite recently that I learned that buttering one's steak is a very English thing to do. Perhaps this was my family's way of, over time, adhering to their cultural culinary habits without actually having to admit to putting butter on their steak ("It's not on the steak! It's on the bread which is under the steak, see, I've not buttered my steak at all...")

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::UNPAUSE::

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So you'll need:

~ Bread

~ Butter

~ A toaster

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Just in case you needed help with that one. Extra snark in this post is courtesy of my English ancestry.

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I served tonight's dinner with some baby bella mushrooms sauteed in white wine and olive oil with some fresh basil and a bit of grated parmesan. I uncorked my last bottle of Norton Cabernet Sauvignon (ultimately, a good decision - the cork was crumbly!), which became fruity in the face of the salty marinade, but full-bodied enough to stand up to the ::ahem:: butter.

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And the steak was delightfully tender!

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Yours in the love of giving food a second chance,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.