Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola

If you are reading this, you are either excited about the recipe or cringing by the words gorgonzola.  Salty cheeses, like gorgonzola, are hit-or-miss in my book.  Some people love the taste.  Others simply cannot stand it.  I was like this with blue cheese when I was younger, but I have since adapted to it and if its included in a dish, I'll eat it.

I was quite nervous to mix this recipe up as I don't often cook anything with red meat.  When we do have steaks, Ron normally grills.  So, when I saw that I had spent $30 on a pound of meat, I knew I better not mess it up.  I didn't!  Phew!  And this was delicious.  Even though the caramelized onions look like worms, I would definitely make this meal again.  But next time we wouldn't pair it with the bitter tasting white wine we used.  Bleck!  In our defense, we were out of pinot noir.

Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola
from Eating Well
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
• 2 large onions, sliced (about 4 cups)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound beef tenderloin (filet mignon) or sirloin steak, 1-1 1/4 inches thick, trimmed and cut into 4 steaks
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola, or blue cheese

Instructions

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add onions and brown sugar; cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Add broth, vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring, until the liquid has almost evaporated, 3-4 minutes more.  Transfer the onions to a bowl; cover to keep warm.  Clean and dry the pan.
2. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and pepper on both sides of each steak.  Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in the pan over medium-high heat.  Add the steaks and cook until browned, 3-5 minutes.  Turn them over and top with cheese.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the steaks are cooked to desired doneness, 3-5 minutes for medium-rare.  
3. Serve the steaks with caramelized onions.  Pair with some vegetables, a baked potato, or some garlic mashed potatoes.

Roasted Cumin Crusted New York Strip with Buttery Lemon Broccolini

I'm sure that Ron was thrilled when I hung the weekly menu on the fridge.  Nevermind the freezing snow/sleet/rain that was in the forecast, a steak was listed on paper, ready for preparation, and requiring an outdoor grill.  I did ask ahead of time if he wanted to grill in the 20 degree weather, because I was more than willing to broil the steaks or use the grill pan. but Ron wanted to rough it I guess.  Plus, I request red meat so infrequently that I don't think he'd care if I requested it in the middle of January.

I had been preparing the menu for the week of Thanksgiving and knew that I wanted to try some harvest flavors and side dishes.  McCormick recently launched a new line of seasonings and advertisements were popping up in all of my food magazines.  This one caught my eye and I wanted to try it out.  This steak rub was amazing.  It was the first time that I ever had a steak in which I did not enlist the help of steak sauce.  The rub cakes on the steak and forms a crust (hence the title) that is spicy and sweet.  With the lemony broccolini, it was a mixture of the best flavors.  All of the sides that I prepared were pretty quick and easy to whip up.  So, the meal that looked like it took a decent amount of time to prepare actually only took about 1 hour or so.  I served this with some maple-hazelnut sweet potatoes and butternut squash biscuits.  The entire meal was delightful.  The recipes for the sweet potatoes and butternut squash biscuits will be posted later this week.

Roasted Cumin Crusted New York Strip

McCormick
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp McCormick Roasted Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp oregano leaves
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne red pepper
• 1 lb. boneless beef sirloin or New York Strip steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)

Instructions

1. Mix first 6 ingredients.  Brush steaks lightly with oil.  Rub spice mixture on both sides of steak.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Grill steaks over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes per side or until desired doneness. 

Buttery Lemon Broccolini
Cooking Light
Yield:  8 servings
Ingredients

• 4 quarts water
• 2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) packages Broccolini
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan; add 2 tsp salt.  Cook broccolini in batches for 5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon.  Drain.
2. Combine butter, rind, and juice, stirring with a fork until well blended.  Return broccolini to pan over medium-high heat; stir in butter mixture, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper, tossing gently to coat.