The Chinese calendar calls 2006 the Year of the Dog, Australia the Year of the Sea Turtle. A technology magazine dubs it the Year of LCD TV and musicians the Year of Mozart. With rhetorical inelegance, the U.S. Senate calls it the Year of Study Abroad, the UN the International Year of Deserts, the European Union the Year of Worker Mobility.
Me, I’ll remember 2006 as the Year I Learned to Cook Meat in a Skillet. You long-time cooks who’ve been dishing up fast skillet suppers for years, now that you’ve stopped chuckling, won’t you please welcome me into the club? It has a proud heritage and I’m proud to proclaim new membership.
The trick, you see, is in the pan. It needn’t be expensive. It does need to hold its heat so precludes non-stick finishes that don’t tolerate temperature. Here, I use two skillets, one beautifully seasoned cast iron, the other brand-new stainless steel.
At first, I worried about sticking. But if the pan’s hot enough to sizzle when the meat hits and if I can resist moving the meat before a tasty crust forms, no worries. Will you help mark 2006? It’s Kitchen Parade’s Year of the Super Skillet Supper featuring Steak and, ahem, ‘Shrooms.
For taste and texture variety, mix in some exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles or shiitake. Even so, a simple mix of white buttons and baby portabellas is terrific. If you make the mushroom sauce in advance, supper’ll be on the table in no time.
QUICK SUPPER:
PEPPER STEAK & MUSHROOMS
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4
-
MUSHROOMS
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced thick
- 1 cup good red wine
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound top sirloin steak, fat trimmed, cut into four pieces
- Coarse pepper
- Kosher salt
PEPPER STEAK
In a large skillet, melt butter on medium high til shimmery. Add onion and mushrooms as prepped, stirring to coat. Adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 10. Add wine and broth, cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over top, gently whisk into sauce and cook until just thick, 1 – 2 minutes. Transfer to another dish and cover.
While sauce cooks, prep steaks by pounding between sheets of waxed paper with a mallet or rolling pin until half-inch thick. Generously season both sides with pepper and salt.
Melt butter in same skillet (don’t worry if some sauce is left) over medium high. Add meat, cook until done, about 2 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer meat to warm plates. Return sauce to skillet, stir in meat juice. Top steaks with sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food writer Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.
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© Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade
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Welcome to pan frying.{g}