Here’s a great way to stretch a nice steak into two portions– serve it with some buttery red cabbage and nutty romesco sauce. Both the cabbage and the romesco are great “trust your instinct” dishes– taste and adjust based on your preferences. I like adding ras el hanout to my romesco… which is definitely not traditional but I like the warmth it brings to the dish. Already gluten free, opt for oil or animal fat instead of butter and this dish becomes paleo and whole30 friendly as well.
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the steak
- 1 new york strip steak, around ¾ of a pound
- Lots of salt
- 1 tbs oil
- ½ tbs butter
For the romesco
- 1.5 roasted red peppers
- ⅛ cup almonds
- 4 oil packed sun dried tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbs sherry vinegar
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp ras el hanout (optional)
- ¼ tsp salt, or more to taste
- 2 tbs parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
For the braised cabbage
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tbs butter, oil, or duck fat
- ¾ head of red cabbage, thinly sliced (mandoline works great)
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 tbs butter, oil, or duck fat
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- ½ teaspoons of salt, or more to taste
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 apple, peeled, then finely minced or grated
- Lots of black pepper
- Torn parsley, for serving
Instructions
24 hours prior to cooking:
- Salt your steak generously on all sides. Place the steak on a wired rack on top of a baking sheet
The next day..
FIrst, make the romesco:
5 minutes
- Add all the ingredients other than the oil to a food processor.
- Turn the food processor and slowly drizzle the oil through the top until a smooth paste forms.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
For the steak:
30-50 minutes
I have two preferred ways to cook a rib eye or strip steak.
- Quick and easy – Alton Brown’s version, takes all of 5 minutes
- The reverse sear – outlined in detail here by Serious Eats, can take 30-45 minutes. Requires meat thermometer.
I recommend doing the reverse sear here because it takes about the same time as the cabbage. If you put your steak in a 200 degree oven at the same time you start your cabbage, they should be done around the same time. If you are not confident in your kitchen timing, err on the side of starting the cabbage earlier. The cabbage can sit and reheat, the steak cannot. If you go the quick and easy version, start your cabbage first.
I highly recommend reading the serious eats guide for reverse searing, but general instructions are below:
- Let your steak come to room temp.
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
- Place the baking pan with the steak and wired rack in the oven.
- At the 20 minute mark, start taking the internal temperature of the steak every 5-7 minutes. Stop when the steak comes to 115.
- At this point, if your cabbage isn’t done yet, you can hold the steak at room temp
- Preheat a cast iron on the stove top for 10 minutes over medium heat, then 1-2 minutes on high heat.
- Add 1 tbs oil, let heat for a minute, then add your steak and the butter. Sear each side for about 45 seconds, and 10 or so seconds on each edge. Remove from the pan, let rest a minute, and slice and serve.
For the cabbage:
30-45 minutes
- Heat a dutch oven over medium, Add the cumin seeds, wait until they sputter, then remove them and set aside.
- Add 1 tbs of butter to the pan, followed by your shallots.
- Saute shallots over medium for 3 minutes
- Add your cabbage, vinegar, toasted cumin seeds, 1 tbs of butter, and ½ tsp of salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and turn to low.
- After 10 minutes, add your apples, stir, and cover again.
- At the 25 minute mark, taste. Decide if you want to continue cooking or it tastes done to you. Can take up to 45 minutes.
- When the cabbage is to your liking, add lots of fresh ground black pepper, and most likely more salt to taste.
Serving
Split into two plates and top your braised cabbage with the sliced steak and then the romesco sauce. Top with torn parsley. Likely you will have more romesco sauce than needed. Save it! Eat it on toast with eggs in the morning, or just on toast, or with a spoon 🙂
