FLORENTINE STEAK WITH A ROASTED GARLIC AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION

I first had this at a restaurant nestled in the rolling hills of Florence. The flavors are bold and bring out the freshness of the ingredients. The sauce compliments the steak beautifully.



Serves up to 10

What you'll need:

Steak (skirt, rib eye, or London Broil): 6-8 oz per person
Italian/flat-leaf Parsley: 1 bunch
Fresh Garlic: 1 head
Balsamic Vinegar: 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 1/2 cup
Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

I prefer using rib eye steak for this recipe as it's generally the most tender and works best with the sauce.

To make the sauce:

First, preheat your oven or toaster oven to 450 degrees F. Take your garlic head and cut it through the center horizontally so you are left with two halves which expose the flesh of the garlic. Grab some aluminum foil and place the two halves of the garlic on the foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top and sprinkle salt, pepper and crushed red pepper over it. Wrap the garlic in the foil tightly and place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until it softens.

Take the garlic out to cool. Once cool, gently squeeze the cloves of garlic out of the skin (it should come right out) and into a bowl. Take out a food processor or blender. Place the garlic into the processor and add the washed and dried parsley leaves with some stems intact (stems add quite a bit of flavor). Add a quarter cup of olive oil and start to process. Then add your good-quality balsamic vinegar, as well as two teaspoons of sugar and pulse until the sauce settles. Add a couple pinches of salt, black and crushed red pepper and set the sauce aside in a bowl.

Now, the steak. For this recipe, I'd recommend pan-roasting. Make sure your steaks are completely dry! You can only get great color on the steak if the steak is dry. Turn the pan up to high and wait for the oil to start smoking. Once you place the steak into the pan, let it go for 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. If you are using an oven-safe frying pan, turn down the heat on the oven to 300 degrees and place the pan into the oven. If your pan is not oven-safe (plastic handles), grab some foil and wrap the steak(s) before you put it in the oven.

For medium rare--6 minutes
Medium--9 mins
Well done--15 minutes

Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before cutting into them. Serve with the sauce and enjoy! Great with garlic mashed potatoes or french green beans or spinach.


Buon Appetito!