Pan-Seared Steak with Pizzaiola Sauce

Name: Pan-Seared Steak with Pizzaiola Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 small red and 1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 3 cups total); Salt; 4 strip or shell steaks, trimmed of most fat, each about 6 ounces and 3/4 inch thick; 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1 1/2 cups sliced assorted mushrooms; Freshly ground black pepper; 3 cups peeled, seeded, and crushed ripe plum tomatoes (see page 9), or one 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), seeded and crushed; 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper; 4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, shredded

December 9, 2011

Recipe information

Yield
makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 small red and 1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 3 cups total)

Salt

4 strip or shell steaks, trimmed of most fat, each about 6 ounces and 3/4 inch thick

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled 1 1/2 cups sliced assorted mushrooms

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups peeled, seeded, and crushed ripe plum tomatoes (see page 9), or one 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), seeded and crushed

1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, shredded

Preparation

Step 1
Stir the sliced peppers into a large pot of salted boiling water. Return to a boil, cook 2 minutes, and drain. Rinse with cold water and let cool.
Step 2
Rub both sides of the steaks with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and let them stand at room temperature while preparing the sauce. Place a large heavy skillet—cast iron is ideal—over low heat.
Step 3
Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic with the flat side of a knife, add to the oil, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden on all sides, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and stir until wilted and caramelized, about 6 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and stir in the crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to simmering, and cook 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced peppers and the basil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves or, if you like, leave them in. Cover the skillet to keep the sauce warm.
Step 4
Raise the heat under the empty skillet to medium-high. Add the steaks and cook until the underside is well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the steaks and cook 3 minutes for a medium-rare steak, longer for more well-done steaks. Transfer the steaks to warm plates and spoon some of the pizzaiola sauce over each.

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From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Buy the full book from Amazon.

TagsItalian European Italian American Bell Pepper Vegetable Steak Beef Meat Plum Tomato Tomato Canned Tomato Main Dinner Dairy Free Sear Cast Iron Skillet Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Recipe notes