It's Sunday. I generally view this day as the end of the week or the beginning of a new one. End of the week translates to - I'm tired, its been a long weekend and I don't feel like making something elaborate and creative. Beginning of a new week means - My mind is fresh, I feel well rested, and I have all the energy in the world to create a masterpiece. Either way, it has to be a well balanced meal so that I feel refreshed starting work Monday morning. This Sunday felt like the end of a tiring week. I wanted to cook with ingredients that are simply delicious on there own. I also didn't want a kitchen full of dishes and a huge mess all over the counters and stove top. It's a grilling night!
When thinking of a meat that really doesn't need a sauce and that will energize, steak immediately comes to mind. If cooked correctly and a good cut is chosen, this meat becomes the fool proof staple of the meal. In addition to this hearty meat, I chose a few vegetables to throw on kabobs and maintain the no mess, no fuss dinner. Baby bellas, baby red potato, red onion, and red bell pepper are some of the most flavorful vegetables I could think of. The sauce below is completely optional. I had some extra red onion and rosemary after putting together the kabobs, the sour cream can easily be substituted for a plain yogurt or mayonnaise, and I always just use whatever interesting mustard I have on hand. See below for recipe after reading about this fun wine pairing...
In one of my previous blogs, "My Passion for Australia", I mentioned a group of producers called "Some Young Punks". They're labels are inspired by old literature and comic books from the 1920's through the 1950's. The wines are generally blends of Shiraz with other interesting varietals. The idea was to create a boutique style, unique wine with a funky label. Delicious wine with a screw cap and hilarious label... perfect for an easy going Sunday. I recommend the Squid's Fist Sangiovese Shiraz with this meal. Notes of black cherry give this wine a fruit forward and juicy flavor on the palate and the Shiraz gives a nice spicy finish to complement the steak. Limited production but can easily be bought online.
Steaks and Vegetable Kabobs
-Ribeye steaks (grass fed are extremely delicious) seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery seed, paprika, and rosemary
For a juicy steak with a nicely grilled crust, start by leaving steaks in rub for about 20 minutes at room temperature. Heat a cast iron skillet(sorry 1 dish needs to be used) on high heat and coat with olive oil. Cook the steaks for about 3 minutes on one side and flip. Leave in skillet for about a minute and then take the fillets out to the barbecue and cook for another 5 minutes with out flipping the steak again. Flipping meat more than once will lead to a chewy steak. The cast iron skillet gives a nice blackened crust and the grill finishes the job.
For the vegetable kabobs
- Chopped red onion and red bell pepper, whole baby red potatoes and baby bella mushrooms
- Fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to drizzle over the top
Poke the potatoes with a knife and microwave for 2-3 minutes to soften before putting on grill. Taking metal skewers, layer the vegetables with a bit of space in between. Drizzle with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic. Grill on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes. Lay the herbs on top as you grill.
For the optional sauce for dipping steak and/or vegetables
- Equal parts sour cream and mustard (I used horseradish habanero whole grain mustard tonight)
- Diced red onion and fresh rosemary
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