Pan-Broiled Steaks with Marsala and Chili Pepper
I am very impressed by my cohorts on this project – by the knowledge they bring to these recipes, their culinary skill, very good photography, and by many of their narratives, with an especial nod in the direction of Jerry’s contribution on October 30. I don’t have a lot to say about many of the recipes I’ve prepared. I try to follow the directions as close as possible and I am candid in my comments, but I don’t bring much extra to each recipe. I don’t have much experience with Italian cooking – in fact the novelty of almost all of these recipes is the best part of the project from my perspective.
Today is a good example of my difficulty in expanding on the basic narrative. The title pretty well says everything you need to know.
The ingredients: sirloin steaks, olive oil, salt, pepper, Marsala wine, red wine, garlic, fennel seeds, diluted tomato paste, hot red chili pepper, parsley.
I cannot remember the last time I pan-broiled steaks. Got some steaks to cook? That’s what barbecues are for, isn’t it?
The directions are pretty specific and easy to follow. The only tricky part for me came when I had to keep the steaks warm while a couple of other dishes were being prepared. I should have had everything else ready before starting to cook the steaks.
The final result, with potatoes & carrots from the garden::
What I liked about this recipe:
Quick and easy.
What I didn’t I like about this recipe:
No issues for me.
Would I make it again?
Ah, there’s the rub. We don’t eat steak very often. I might use this recipe again, but likely not very often.
Thank you for giving it the old college try, Doug. Victor and I don’t cook steak very often either any longer, but we are much older than you. Your meat looks very red, no marbling, too little fat. In meat as in practically everything else including lettuce leaves, fat is essential to flavor, and in steaks, to tenderness as well. Incidentally, I think you do very well with the photographs and arrangements of ingredients.
Doug, I enjoy the way you report your results. I especially like the What, What, Would questions at the end of each post. And your photos are always great!
The ingredients of this recipe (except perhaps for the chili pepper) sound like those of a pork-chop recipe that was in Marcella’s first book (or was it the second?).
If you prefer pork chops to steak, you might try it. The major difference, as far as I can tell, was that the meat simmered for a fairly long time in the sauce, until it was very tender. Which would also eliminate the timing problem.