A Simple Steak Dinner

Sometimes simple is best and sometimes all we want is a good, tasty steak.   My husband is from Kansas, and Kansas is steak country after all.   In fact, the steak I used was from one of the cows his sister raised on her farm in Kansas.  We went in with some of my husband’s family and bought a 1/4 of a cow.  Our freezer is full of fresh beef.  There are many different cuts of beef, and each has its own unique style and personality.  With these unique personalities, come various cooking methods that will really make these cuts of meat shine and brings out their best qualities.   Steak used to be eaten on special occasions and was thought of as the symbol of American well-being and prosperity.  Today, people just enjoy it because it is so versatile and tasty.  There is no end to the ways that beef can be cooked and prepared.  Use your imagination, be bold, be creative.

Dinner tonight was a round steak that I marinated in a lemon-bourbon sauce for about 8 hours.  Once we cooked the steak, I used the same marinade to saute my mushrooms, and I added some butter and red pepper flakes and then I topped my steak with these.  For side dishes, I served a green bean salad made with grape tomatoes, red onions, red bell peppers and green beans tossed in a mustard vinaigrette and garlic roasted potatoes, with my left over lemony tomato-zucchini tart.  Lemony Tomato Zucchini Tart .  I finished everything off with a smooth Spanish temperanillo.  Simple and delicious.

I marinated the steak in a sauce made from lemon juice, bourbon, garlic, black pepper and olive oil, for about 8 hours.  Then I grilled it up.  Searing this steak and braising it is very good too.

While the steak was cooking up on the grill, I used the marinade to saute my mushrooms.  I also added some butter to make the sauce creamier as well as some red pepper flakes, to give a little more zing to the mushrooms.

Round steaks have a tendency to be a little on the tough side, so marinating them for longer periods of time, braising them, and slicing them in thin strips against the grain of the meat are all simple ways to maximize the flavor while minimalizing the toughness of the cut.  A nice rare to medium rare is my favorite way to eat a steak.   It is still tender, juicy and full of flavor.

I served the steak with this green bean salad, topped with some leftover tortilla strips I had.  Cool Green Bean Caesar Salad and some roasted red potatoes mixed with garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper and parsley.  We roast the potatoes in foil on the grill quite often.

 

Lemon-Bourbon Steak with Mushrooms

1/4 cup olive oil

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP bourbon

1 heaping TBSP garlic

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup of beef broth (if searing)

2 TBSP butter

red pepper flakes to taste

1-1 1/2 lbs of chuck or round steak

1/2-3/4 cup of sliced mushrooms

 

Combine the first five ingredients and mix well.  Then pour over the steak and chill for 4-8 hours, turning at least once.  You can grill your steak or sear it on all sides.  If you are searing it, sear it in a little olive oil until all sides are browned, or about 3-4 minutes per side, then add the juices and the beef broth, along with the stems of the mushrooms and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 7 minutes, then turn the steak over and continue to simmer for another 7 minutes.  Saute the mushrooms separately, then add to the beef mixture, along with butter and red pepper flakes.  If you are grilling the meat, then just saute the mushrooms in the marinade, along with the butter and red pepper flakes and serve over your steak.  No need for beef broth is grilling the steak.