Tuesday Tutorials- Better Than a Restaurant Steak with Wild Mushroom Sauce
/
About a year ago I wrote an article for a local online magazine on finding the best steak in the city. I ate some great steaks, and had an extremely happy boyfriend who came along with me. But while I was eating my way through the city, I realized something; there is no reason to order steak at a restaurant.
I’m going to tell you something else; I don’t buy expensive steaks.
I’ve never been a big tenderloin fan, I find sometimes the tenderness verges on mushy and that totally freaks my mouth out. I like something with a bit more chew, although not too much. Mostly though, what I like in the cheaper cuts of meat is the flavour.
The rich beefy flavour comes from muscles that have moved and been worked, which means cuts like the flank, the flatiron, the sirloin are all great cuts of meat, if you give them a little love.
And to back up this argument, I encourage you to think of steak frites in France, where the steak is always a bit tough.
The easy way to get the sinue out is to marinade it. It takes nothing but planning your meal 12 hours in advance, which, well, I know that doesn’t always happen. In that case, buy a ribeye.
But if your feeling prepared, and thought about dinner the night before, marinade your steak.
The other thing that is easy to do at home is make a super fantastic sauce. It requires not much money, and about 15 minutes of your time. And the rest, as they say, is gravy. Sorry, I couldn’t help it.
Seared Steak with Wild Mushroom Red Wine Sauce
1 Steak, Flat Iron, Flank, or some Sirloin
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Salt
1tsp Black Pepper
Sauce:
1 pckg Dried Wild Mushrooms (I found dried chanterelles!)
1 lb Cremini Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1c Red Wine
1 tbsp Flour
3 cups Chicken Stock
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cover with seran wrap and put in the fridge overnight.
Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup of water.
In a large saucepan over medium high heat, warm a big glug of olive oil and start sauteeing the cremini mushrooms. You want to get them nice and browned.
When they’re brown push them to the edges to the pot and in the middle, put in the onions and brown them. Add the garlic and the tomato paste and and stir them until the middle as well.
Push that to the outside of the pot and put in another glug of olive oil and the flour. Stir that for a minute.
Now mix it all up and add the red wine and stir to make sure there are no lumps.
Add in the chicken stock.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
Once your sauce is simmering, start getting ready to cook your steak.
Bring a large saute pan on a medium-high heat and let it get hot for about 3-4 minutes.
Pour in a glug of canola oil, and tilt the pan to spread the oil all over the whole pan. Carefully put the steaks into the pan, making sure you face it away from you so no oil will splash at you.
Cook until it is deep brown and then flip it and do the same.
Here is a trick for telling how done your meat it: Relax your hand, and then bring your index finger to your thumb. With your other hand press the meaty bit of your hand at the base of your thumb. That is what your steak should feel like when it’s rare.
When you do the same with your middle finger your steak is medium rare.
When you do the same with your ring finger your steak is medium.
When your do the same with your pinky finger your steak is medium-well
Anything past that is well done.
BUT If your not sure pull it off and let it rest for a minute and then cut into a corner of it.
If your steak is cooked let it sit for at least 5 minutes before you cut.
Then, slice it into thin strips, and serve with your perfect sauce!