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OMG. Without risking my employment, I can’t actually use the word I used to describe the first bite of the ribeye steak I cooked for my In a Jiffy video this week. My vegetarian tendencies were no match for the beautifully marbled, local beef’s succulent texture and mouth-watering flavour. It all became a bit of a hedonistic, carnivorous experience that was so good it overrode any guilt I had in its pleasure.
Making the cut
Cooking the perfect steak is equal parts quality of the beef and how you cook it. In this week’s column, I show you the steps to transform a beautiful, raw product into culinary fantasy. From the time it takes to bring a steak to proper cooking temperature to the seasoning and sides, there is a process to replicating the steakhouse experience. I show you not only how to cook a great steak, but also offer a step-by-step plan for replicating a great steakhouse dinner experience in your own home.
The supporting cast
Making a great steak dinner is like a great play: the beef is the star of the show and the side dishes its supporting cast. We all know, no matter how talented the headliner, the show is hollow without the talents of the ensemble. In this article, I focus on great side dishes to serve alongside your steak dinner. I put my own spin on the classics: replacing creamed spinach with kale, crafting a tangy and spicy horseradish sour cream to add to baked potatoes and updating risotto by making it with farro.
Steak-less steak?
Even though I espouse a mostly vegetarian diet, I am guilty of at times dismissing the meat-like quality of vegetables. Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage’s recipe for Portobello steaks with butter bean mash delivers steak-like yumminess. It’s all enough to have me crack a bottle of Cabernet, or better yet an Italian Chianti Classico Riserva, to wash down its indulgent flavours.
See you next week when we'll offer more great food and drink recipes. Until then, keep following your foodie dreams.
~ Mark DeWolf
Mark DeWolf is a connoisseur of all things food and drink. He's a creative director with SaltWire and local fare is his specialty. Watch Mark whip up seasonal plates in his video series, In a Jiffy, and go deeper with food trends and kitchen challenges weekly
