Steak: a nice change in approach
January 17, 2009
Steak at Ristorante Tasso, Sorrento, Italy
One of the key elements of the classic American steakhouse is girth. We love big steaks, and steakhouses know how to cook 'em: charred on the outside, and medium rare inside. I'm certainly of the opinion that a steak needs a good "char" on the outside, which adds to the flavor and texture of the meat. A thick cut of meat and 1800 degree broilers help to make that char possible while still keeping the inside at a medium rare temp. That's the steakhouse approach, and one to which I fully subscribe.
But on occasion I've had steak that doesn't fit into that paradigm: steaks with little to no char, and much thinner than 2 inches thick. And they were phenomenal. We had a steak in Sorrento (pictured above) a while back that fell into this non-American steakhouse category. And it was wonderful. The Italians know a bit about food, and a bit about steak as well.
Inspired by that steak, I went off to the Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, NJ, and figured I'd get a nice thin strip to duplicate the experience. Well they just don't have them cut thin (they'd do it if you ask, I suppose). But not wanting to ask for a special cut, and feeling a bit defeated, I grabbed a couple of 1.5/1.75 inch thick strips, figuring I'd fall back on what I know best: high heat, char, etc.
But I couldn't get that steak from Sorrento out of my head. I was determined to taste those flavors: beef, salt, pepper, olive oil, maybe a squirt of lemon to brighten everything up. So I did what anyone with a knife can do: I cut the steak in half, making four thin strip steaks. Like magic, I had perfectly thin steaks.
On the grill they went. Just a bunch of salt. I'm starting to pepper after cooking, rather than before. I guess I'm not convinced that high heat doesn't turn pepper's flavor into something not quite as pleasant as raw pepper.
The steak came off the grill a bit more charred than I had even hoped for, but still not nearly as much as it would have been if it were 2 inches thick. Finished with some EVOO and a light squeeze of lemon.
Served with green beans (blanched, shocked, sauteed with olive oil, s/p, garlic and a squirt of lemon to finish) and olive oil poached potatoes, which I stole from Oceanos in Fair Lawn (low heat, olive oil, a piece of lemon, and potatoes).
It wasn't Sorrento, but it was a nice change from the norm. And quite frankly, 1 piece of 8 ounce steak was pretty much the perfect amount of protein. But truth be told, I did eat 2 pieces.
If you've been trying in vain to duplicate those steakhouse steaks, why not switch it up a bit. You might be very pleased with the results (and you'll save money as well).
Ristorante Tasso : Via Correale, 11 : 80067 Sorrento (Campania), Italy : +39 081 8785809
The Market Basket : 813 Franklin Lake Rd : Franklin Lakes, NJ : 201.891.2000