The voice speaking in this recipe is that of Robin Garr... visit his site for a collection
of truly terrific recipes, and threaded discussions on wine and food
that are friendly and fun. I've gone there for advice on pairing wine and food
when I've been searching for a certain recipe, and when I just felt social
and wanted to shmooze about food.
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ITALIAN RED-WINE STEAK
I threw together an old favorite tonight, and it occurred to me that
I hadn't shared this procedure online before. It's a Northern Italian
(Piemontese) preparation that works with just about any form of steak;
we used it with strip steaks from a local outfit called "Laura's Lean Beef"
that promotes beef products bred for minimal fat content.
Anyway, it's remarkably simple and tasty:
Coat the bottom of a heavy (I use cast-iron) skillet with just enough
olive oil to dampen it, and place over high heat with three or four
smashed garlic cloves, stirring them around until the garlic starts to
sizzle. Then slap in two steaks of your choice and sear them quickly
on both sides.
Have ready 2/3 cup of leftover dry red wine, and as soon as the steaks
are seared, start pouring in the wine, 1/3 cup at a time, turning
the steaks periodically and adding more wine, a splash at a time,
as the liquid evaporates. It should take about 7 or 8 minutes to use up
all the wine, at which point the steaks should be mahogany-brown on the
outside and medium-rare in the middle. Move them to a serving plate, and
deglaze the pan with a splash of water, stirring over high heat to incorporate
the pan drippings and burnt fragments. Discard the garlic, pour the pan
juices over the steaks, and serve.
Robin isn't kidding, I've made this and it turns out just fantastic.
It's also great for using up wine that is one day too old to drink