Balsamic onion steak

Let's talk about food again shall we? I know it's been awhile, but I want to share my secret for an incredible steak that is oh-so-summer easy.

For the tools, you will need:
A sharp knife
A cutting board
A skillet
A wooden spoon
A spatula

For the yummy stuff, you will need:
4 1-inch thick grilling steaks (like sirloin or round)
1 sweet onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 C. Balsamic vinegar
Kosher Salt
Pepper

Let the steak reach room temperature. I know, when you got your food handler's permit they said this was a no-no, but trust me your steak will be juicier and more tender.


Heat the skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Rub the salt and pepper into the room-warm steak. I just read about this method of salting if you're feeling adventurous. (I'll try it out and let you know how it goes.) Throw the steaks into the hot pan and let cook for seven-ish minutes.

While the steak is happily grilling, slice the onion. You want nice, thin even rings. So slice carefully and slowly. Now, mince the garlic clove. You should end up with about a cup of onion rings and two tablespoons of garlic.

Turn the steaks over and let cook for another seven-ish minutes. The outside should be a little bit charred and a nice brown.

When the steak is cooked through, remove to a plate and let rest for five minutes. The resting lets the steak reabsorb all it's yummy juices.

Keep the heat on your skillet. Toss in the EVOO, the onions and garlic and Kosher salt. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring with a wooden spoon until they are nice and sweaty-about five minutes. Add the 1/2 C. of balsamic vinegar and let everything simmer.

The onions should cook down until the juices run clear. The balsamic vinegar should cook down until it becomes sauce like in it's consistency. About seven more minutes.

You may notice this gives you more than five minutes for the steak to rest. I like to cover the steak with a tent of aluminum foil so it stays warm. If you must, you can cover the steak and place it in the oven on warm. Be warned: the oven will dry out the steak a little bit.

Top your yummy steak with your Balsamic caramelized onions. Enjoy!

Note: The recipe is for medium rare steak. The photo is from Colavita.

Cowboy Steak with Mango Salsa

Alright this recipe needs a little work it definitely didn't come out as good as I had hoped so any suggestions are definitely encouraged. Let's get to work!

Hardware:
Chef's knife
Paring knife
Wooden cutting board
Two small bowls
Two forks
Tablespoon measurerer
Teaspoon measurerer
Skillet or grill
Spatula
Plate

Ingredients:

Cowboy Steak
Four rib eye steaks, thawed
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh, ground coffee
1 Tbs. fresh, ground black pepper
1 Tbs. thyme
1 Tbs. rosemary
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt

Mango Salsa
2 tomatoes, diced
1 mango, diced
1/3 C. onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. fresh, ground black pepper
2 tsp. cumin

Instructions:
In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the coffee, pepper, thyme, rosemary, cayenne, sugar and salt. Now take your Cowboy Steak rub and rub it on the rib eyes. (Yes, use your hands and massage it in.)

Let the steak rest for a few minutes. Heat you skillet over medium flame. Coat the pan with E.V.O. let heat until the oil begins to smoke. Place the steaks on the skillet. Let cook for about 5-7 minutes a side for medium rare.

As the steak cooks begin dicing the ingredients for the salsa. Dice the tomatoes using your wooden cutting board and chef's knife. Place the tomato in a small bowl. Next, slice the skin off the mango. Now, dice the mango working around the pit in the center. Add the mango to the tomato.

The steak is probably read to turn now. Using your spatula, quickly flip each steak over. Let the steak continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.

As the steak cooks, dice a small onion or a few slices of a larger onion to get about a 1/3 of a cup. Mince the garlic and ginger and add to the mixture. Carefully, seed and dice the Serrano pepper. If you would like more heat in your salsa include the seeds. Add the pepper to the salsa. Slice a lime in half. Squeeze the juice from one half into the mixture.

Turn the heat off under the steak. Use you spatula and place the steak on a plate. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes as it reabsorbs it's juices.

Chop fresh cilantro and add to the salsa. Now, add the salt, pepper and cumin to the salsa. Using a fork mix all of the salsa ingredient together. Mix until well-blended, being careful not to over mix and mush the tomatoes.

Serve the steak topped with salsa. The steak went very well with baked potatoes topped with guacamole. Happy eating!