Steak and Stuffies!

Nothing like a Friday night steak, hot and juicy from the grill...

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Give me some stuffed mushrooms, a honker green salad, and a bottle of red wine. I. Am. A. Happy. Girl !

If you're liking the look of that photo above, there is one thing you must know about grilling a good steak ... my brother Jim's marinade. These steaks sat for three hours in his marinade and then were grilled for 5 -6 minutes per side (inch thick rib eyes) on a pre-heated grill that got downed to 'low' the minute the steaks hit the hot metal. They came off done to a perfect medium rare pink - OMG, how good can it be - doneness. Surrounded by hot-from-the-oven stuffies,they made for a nice fast photo before SB and I fell on them like lions. The poor dogs didn't have a chance of a scrap. Okay, maybe one scrap.

So... here are the marinade and stuffies' recipes. I leave them in your capable hands. Go get that grill out and fire that baby up!

A word about this recipe - Jim made this up as he experimented in the kitchen. His terminology reflects his tendency toward humor in the kitchen ... the sounds that the bottles make as one shakes or squeezes are reflected in his recipe ...

Jim's Steak Marinade

Ingredients:

20 poits from the Worcestershire sauce bottle

5 - 10 glugs of cheap bottled Italian salad dressing

5- 10 glugs of A-1 steak sauce

4-5 shakes of dried oregano

4-5 shakes of garlic powder

a few good grindings of the pepper mill

Mix the marinade in a shallow glass pan that will hold the steaks easily. Swirl the marinade well with a fork and then place the steaks in, turning to coat. Stab the steaks with a fork on both sides. Turn the steak a few times to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

Getting a 1 to 1½ inch thick steak right:

1. Pre-heat a grill on 'high' setting for several minutes.

2. Place steaks on the hot grill. Turn the heat down to 'low'. Put the lid down and walk away for exactly 5 minutes.

3. Flip the steaks and put the lid back down. Walk away for another 5 minutes.

4. Remove from the grill and let them rest for just a few minutes. Slice and serve - these should be pink and juicy.

The stuffies recipe comes straight from The Silver Palate Cook Book. I have made these with roasts, steaks, as hors d'oeurves for parties, and sometimes just for an accompaniment for a couple vegetable sides.

They are easy, fast, and really tasty.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

12 large mushrooms

2 links Italian sweet sausage, removed from casings and crumbled

1/4 c. chopped green onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. fennel seeds

pinch kosher salt

pinch black pepper

1/2 c. white sauce

1/4 c. black olives, minced

1/4 c. green parsley, minced

olive oil for rubbing the mushroom caps

Parmesan cheese, grated for topping the stuffed mushrooms

Making the Stuffies:

1. Heat a non-stick fry pan and add the crumbled sausage, onions, and garlic. Stir until the sausage is browned.

2. While the sausage is browning, make a classic white sauce ( butter, flour, milk, pepper, nutmeg, sliver of onion) in a small saucepan ... just down the amount for what you need here.

3. Add the fennel seed and red pepper flakes to the sausage, stirring and heating the spices to release the flavors.

4. Measure in the white sauce, black olives, and parsley. Stir to combine and remove from the heat.

5. Correct the salt and pepper ... taste.

6. Pre heat the oven to 425° F.

7. Brush clean some fresh large stuffing mushrooms. Snap out the stems and reserve them for some other use.

8. Rub the caps with some olive oil and lay them into a shallow rimmed pan.

9. Spoon in mounds of the stuffing, pressing gently to firm the mounds.

10. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

11. Bake for 15 minutes  - until bubbling and golden. Remove and let rest for a few minutes before serving.