I can count how many times I've cooked steak. Thrice.
Two of those times I was in the company of a chef so I guess it didn't count.
So technically, I've only cooked steak once. I feel so special! Haha!
It's quite tricky.
For 1 and ½ inch steaks: 7-8 minutes medium, 4-6 minutes medium rare.
I prefer mine medium or medium rare, which has got to be the sweetest.
Not a lot of people are partial to rare.
Not many people like the sight of “blood” in their food despite their love for vampire shows/movies/books/dreams and Dexter.
But let me play mythbuster.
See the “blood” that oozes out when you slice a juicy slightly cooked steak? That is not blood, hon.
It’s actually water and Myoglobin: an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates and in almost all mammals.
Myoglobin forms pigments responsible for making meat red so think of it as food coloring, that’s all.
Nothing gross.
I’m no steak genius. I’m steak dummy.
I didn’t grow up in a beef-eating home mainly because my parents were hardcore believers that of all meats, beef takes the longest to metabolize.
Also, it’s a tad expensive compared to pork and chicken.
But I just had to cook it.
Because this is probably going to be the last meat recipe I'm going to post this year.
Why?
I'm going to tell you in another post.
For now, let's get to the heart of the matter!
Simple Surf and Turf
: a main course in American cuisine which combines seafood and meat
For the TURF, you will need:
4 cuts 1 and 1/2 inch steaks (sirloin or fillet mignon steaks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
For the SURF, you will need:
1/2 kilo shrimp or prawns
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lime or kalamansi juice
1 clove garlic, minced
For the sauce, you will need:
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
How-to:
1. Prepare the steak. Take out all the visible fat around the steaks with a small knife. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and sear the steaks 3 minutes on each side for medium rare and 4-5 minutes on each side for medium. Set aside.
3. The pan where you cooked the steak is where you will nake the sauce (in my case, I used a dutch oven). Add butter and finely chopped onions and saute for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent.
4. Add red wine and sugar and turn up the heat to high. Let boil and reduce to half while stirring constantly to avoid burning your sauce.
5. Turn off the heat when your sauce reaches a silky consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Prepare the shrimp/prawns. Add a tablespoon of lime or kalamansi juice to the shrimp/prawns.
7. In a pan, melt butter and saute minced garlic. Add the prawns (with its juice) and cook for about 3-4 minutes if you're using small shrimp or 6-8 minutes when using large prawns. Season with salt and pepper if you like.
8. Place the steak on a plate, pour sauce over it and top it with the prawns. Serve it with your favorite salad or rice or my recipe of Scratch Potatoes.
Holy guacamole, indeed!
As what I stated above, this is probably going to be my last meat recipe for this year.
Also, it may take a long time for me to post another meat recipe so savor it while it's cold outside. :)
Much love!
Till the next (holiday) eats,
