The current issue, August 2007, of Bon Appetit magazine has an article about 13 summer recipes that one would make over and over again. They all look promising and last night I prepared one that was not only promising, but also delivered.
It was a sirloin with a fresh herb rub, grilled and served with a red/orange bell pepper saute seasoned with vinegar and capers and a touch of the same herbs used for the steak. It was easy, and tasted fantastic. I had two guests, my daughter and my sister, as well as my husband, acting as critics for tonight’s meal and they unanimously agreed that it was a great recipe. I humbly agree that it was a great recipe and it was prepared wonderfully as well. Ahem. No modesty here.
We had fresh corn on the cob, potato salad, cucumber and onion salad, and sliced tomatoes. Something green would have been good, but we were not thinking about color tonight. We were busy playing with the new puppy we brought home two days ago. He is a cockapoo named Knuckles. He is almost all black; he has a white mustache and white goatee and a little white patch on his chest and a touch of white on one back paw. His hair is wavy, not curly like a poodle’s, but it is so shiny and soft like a cocker’s. So far he is getting on relatively well with our four year old Maltese. She is a little wary, but he is trying to get her to play with him. She went from giving him a wide berth on Sunday, to letting him come near her today. She is used to playing with another Maltese and I think she and Knuckles will be friends before too long.
Back to cooking. This dish can be prepared ahead of time, if desired, all except grilling the steak. This makes it a valuable entree for a special dinner for guests, or one for a busy day. I plan to keep it well notated in my special recipe book. “This is a keeper! Four stars.”
Of course it helps that my meat market had such great sirloins. It helped even more that they were on sale this week. If you don’t have a sirloin, this would be good for any other steak suitable for grilling or broiling. I used sirloins about 1 inch thick and cooked them 4 minutes per side.
So, thanks to Bon Appetit for this great recipe!
HERB-RUBBED TOP SIRLOIN STEAK WITH PEPERONATA
6-8 servings
PEPERONATA:
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 small red onions (about 12 ounces total), halved, sliced crosswise
2 pounds mixed red and yellow bell peppers (about 4 large), cut lengthwise into 1/2″ strips
1/4 t. dried crushed red pepper
Coarse kosher salt
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. salt-packed capers, rinsed, drained, or 2 T. capers in brine, drained
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
STEAK:
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
1 T. freshly cracked black pepper (I used just ground black pepper, not cracked)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 3 to 3 1/4 pound top sirloin steak, 2 to 2 1/2 inches thick
Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
(Start the herb rub at least 4 hours ahead)
For Peperonata: Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; saute until almost tender, about 6 minutes. Mix in bell peppers and crushed red pepper; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until peppers are tender and silky, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Stir in red wine vinegar, capers, oregano, and thyme. Increase heat to medium; stir uncovered 3 minutes. Season peperonata to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Transfer peperonata to bowl and cool to room temperature.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
(If you can’t find one big sirloin steak buy two smaller ones that are at least 1 1/2 inches thick. Cook them for about 8 minutes per side for medium-rare.)
FOR STEAK: Mix oregano, thyme, pepper and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of steak. Place on large plate; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before grilling.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Drizzle both sides of steak lightly with oilive oil. Grill steak to desired doneness, about 15 minutes per side (if using 2 inch thick steak) for medium-rare, or 17 minutes per side for medium. Transfer steak to cutting board; let rests 5 minutes. Cut steak crosswise into 1/4 to 1/3 inch-thick-slices.
Arrange steak slices on platter; surround with peperonata and serve.
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