Steak With Cherry Tapenade Recipes

GRILLED STEAK WITH TAPENADE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Pulse the olives, shallot, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon in a food processor; season with salt and pepper.
• Pierce the steak all over with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Rub 1 heaping tablespoon olive mixture all over the steak, then set aside, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the remaining olive mixture with the tomatoes, parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon in a small bowl.
• Grill the steak until browned on one side, about 7 minutes. Flip and cook about 7 more minutes for medium rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Cut in half; reserve one half for steak sandwiches. Thinly slice the remaining steak against the grain and top with the olive-tomato tapenade.

GRILLED FLANK STEAK ON CIABATTA WITH RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Smear flank steak with 2 tablespoons olive oil, massage with paprika and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Combine 11/2 tablespoons of the tapenade with the parsley and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Set aside.
• Heat remaining oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté on medium until soft. Add garlic, sauté briefly, then add peppers. Reduce heat to low and sauté gently until very tender, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in wine and remaining tapenade, cook briefly, then remove from heat.
• Heat grill to hot. When peppers are done, put steak on grill and sear fairly close to the heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Timing is tricky because it depends on the fire and the thickness of the meat, but you can make a diagonal cut at one end of the steak to gauge doneness.
• Transfer steak to a cutting board and place ciabatta halves, cut side down, on the grill to toast. Watch closely. Smear toasted ciabatta with the reserved tapenade and parsley from Step 1. Slice steak thin on the bias and arrange slices on the ciabatta. Reheat peppers and spoon on top of the steak. Cut each ciabatta half in six pieces, arrange on a platter and serve.

NEW YORK STEAKS WITH A VANILLA AND CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate. Rub the New York steaks on both sides with the Worcestershire sauce, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook the steaks on the preheated grill until they are beginning to firm, and are hot and slightly pink in the center, 6 to 7 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Once the steaks are done, cover them with two layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes.
• While the steaks are cooking, prepare the cherry sauce by bringing the red wine to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; boil for 5 minutes. Stir in the cherries, sugar, and vanilla extract. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the cherries are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water, then stir into the simmering cherry sauce. Cook for a few minutes until the cherry sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the steaks to serve.

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK WITH SHAVED FENNEL, ORANGE, AND GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE

Steps:

• Lay the skirt steak flat on a baking sheet and season evenly on both sides with the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside so the flavors can sink in a bit.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil over medium-high heat. Add the fregola and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook the pasta for 15 minutes until the pellets are al dente. Drain and cool.
• Preheat an outdoor grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat. Rub the grill with oil to prevent sticking. Grill the onion slices for 2 minutes, turning often, until charred on both sides. Remove them from the grill and set aside.
• Lay the steaks on the grill and cook, turning with tongs from time to time, to sear well on all sides; this takes about 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 2 or 3 minutes to allow the juices to recirculate.
• In the meantime, make the salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine the fregola, grilled onion, fennel, radishes, arugula, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, divide the salad among 4 or 6 plates. Arrange 4 or 5 slices of orange on top of each plate. Cut each skirt steak into 3 equal pieces, then turn each piece sideways and cut into thin slices against the grain, ensuring tenderness. Shingle the sliced meat on top of the salad. Spoon some of the tapenade on top and serve immediately.
• Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times. Scrape down the sides of the processor and pulse 2 more times; the tapenade should be coarsely chopped. It will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Fregola
• Fregola, sometimes called Italian couscous, is a terrific addition to your pantry. It's much more interesting than regular pasta and has a unique texture. The pasta dough is rubbed by hand to form little pellets, which are then toasted to give a distinctive nutty flavor. If hard pressed, you can use Israeli couscous, but there really is no substitute for fregola. It is worth getting your hands on. It also makes great risotto (page 116).

PORTERHOUSE STEAKS WITH TAPENADE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix tapenade and rosemary in small bowl to blend. Sprinkle steaks with salt and generously with cracked black pepper.
• Divide olive oil between 2 heavy medium ovenproof skillets set over high heat. Add 1 steak to each skillet and cook until both are browned, about 3 minutes per side. Spread half of tapenade mixture atop each steak. Transfer skillets with steaks to oven. Cook both steaks until thermometer inserted into center of steaks registers 125°F for medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Transfer both steaks to platter. Pour 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar into each skillet and cook over medium heat until liquid is slightly reduced, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute. Drizzle hot skillet juices over each steak and serve.
• *Look for tapenade (an earthy, thick paste or spread made from brine-cured olives, olive oil, capers, anchovies, lemon juice, and seasonings) at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and Italian markets.