STEAK IT EASY: Chilli & Mushroom Sauced, Black Pepper & Rosemary Rubbed Steaks

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There are few quick dinners that can top a deliciously rare steak - not in my opinion anyway! They are one of the simplest and quickest things to prepare and are oh so tasty! I normally keep my steaks quite simple, but on occasion I like to dress them up quite a bit and this rub is without question one of my absolute favourites and it pairs absolutely fabulously with the mushroom and chilli sauce.

I am not a fan of buying "pre-packed" anything! So when it comes to the sauce (whatever it is), unless I am feeling PARTICULARLY lazy, I will make it from scratch. This one is a cheese, chilli & mushroom sauce. It is a "combo" sauce because as any good woman and mother would - I try to keep EVERYBODY in my family happy! Some of us like cheese, others mushroom lol - Thankfully, all the flavours marry well, so its a "win win".

Making the sauce is really as easy as ABC, so if I am honest, there is no excuse for me to occasionally buy packet sauces..lol Right, so first things first... let's get to the sauce.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pot... In this instance I added the ground pepper and chilli sauce (which is a homemade one, so no additives or rubbish in it!) One of my moms age old secrets for ANY base sauce (which is now a staple when I make sauce), is a half a chicken stock cube. I put this into ANY sauce that I make these days and it just adds that "wow factor" to the flavour profile! Whatever your choice of additional flavouring for the sauce, in terms of herbs and spice... now is the time to add it!

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As I added a mushroom flavour to this sauce - I sauteed some white button mushrooms separately in a pan... Whilst brown mushrooms are more flavourful, I find they tend to make the sauce "grey" in colour, so I stick to the white mushrooms. Mushrooms hold a lot of moisture naturally, so I A) don't wash them (yes I am still alive and kicking lol) and B) sautee them for quite a bit longer than say an onion.... as for the most part they tend to "boil" a little in their own moisture in the beginning... but when they look turn nice and golden then they are good to go!

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Ok - Back to the sauce... whilst the butter and spice etc. is busy melting I get the grated cheese ready. A nice handful is about right... The butter and spice is now melted and ready for a tablespoon of flour. Use a whisk for this part and do it quickly! Add the flour and whisk briskly. It turns to paste very quickly and also burns fast if you leave it for even a second.

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You need to have the milk on hand for this part... before the butter mixture burns! You can use cream, but on most days I either forget to buy cream or feel like too much of a cheapskate - so I generally just go with milk. lol! Add about a cup of milk and continue to whisk! You can always add more later to thin the sauce - but re-thickening it is not always as successful! lol

Keep whisking.... as the mixture heats and gradually reaches boiling point, it will thicken - but again... if left unattended for even mere seconds it will burn on the bottom... so now is a good time for those arm exercises ;)

Once the sauce is a nice thick consistency, remove it from the heat and add the grated cheese. NEVER add the cheese while it is still on the heat (we all know what happens to overheated cheese) and also, do not add all the cheese at once as it will cause the sauce to cool down too quickly and it will struggle to melt.

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Once the cheese has melted and blended with the sauce into a nice creamy consistency you can add your deliciously sauteed mushrooms and stir them in... The sauce is quite "stodgy" right now, but like I said - thinning it is a lot easier than having to thicken it again ;)

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That is the sauce done and now time to prepare the steaks. The rub although simple in ingredient, is exceptionally tasty! All you need is some barbeque flavoured meat basting mixed with a little olive oil, a handful of fresh rosemary diced and ground salt and pepper. Cover the steaks in the basting sauce and olive oil combo and then cover them with the rub ingredients.

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Heat the "griddle pan" for about 30 minutes before placing the steaks on. I like a VERY RARE steak, so two minutes per side normally does it. Some people might argue this point, but I generally prepare my steaks an hour or two before we eat them because it allows you to get everything done in advance and when entertaining this is a major advantage. I cannot STAND still being busy in the kitchen when my guests arrive - and ANYBODY who has "dined" at my house will know well, that EVERYTHING - is ready to go, well in advance. But, apart from that - meat also needs time to rest - and doing it this way allows for that.

I cook the steaks almost bleu and then I just "zizz" them for a minute in the microwave before serving. It doesn't at ALL affect the texture or flavour of the meat and having slightly under cooked them allows for that "re-heat minute" - nobody is the wiser I can assure you!

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With the steaks done and resting, you have time to prepare the sides - whatever they may be. I went rather easy on the sides, because the steaks are filling and the sauce is chunky and rich... So a small ramekin of spiced cous cous with added veg it was... Accompanied by a baby spinach and kale salad.

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❤❤❤

Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea

FOUNDER OF THE POWERHOUSE CREATIVES & STEEM SOUTH AFRICA

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18 comments
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Damn @jaynie! That looks super tasty, nice presentation! Fairly easy too, by the looks of it. If I wasn't trying to cut down on my dairy intake I would give this a go, so I may just have to try the steak spice rub.

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Hehe thanks @intothewild :) appreciate the positive vibes!! Yeah well, you can lose the sauce I mean steak goes well with just about any side!! Perhaps avo? It has the creaminess of a sauce.

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Oh yum that steak and sauce looks amazing! I agree those instant packets are great but nothing beats making food from scratch with real ingredients not so:)

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Absolutely! And I am ever grateful that this was howbmy mom taught me to do things. :)

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@jaynie - your food posts are amazing - every ... single ... time ! I always get a new idea or learn something!

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Aaah thank you sweetie! What a lovely compliment!

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I must say that is some fine looking sauce. You sure put out a nice spread there for sure. The steaks look divine and the spiced cous cous a nice touch!

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Oh I am a total sucker for a spiced cous cous Haha! Thanks for the lovely feedback

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I used to make something similar in my old restaurant. Your recipe sounds pretty fantastic though and will give it a try for sure!

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Awesome!!! :) would love to hear your feedback if you do!

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That looks like it would be a favorite for me too @jaynie.
I have a griddle pan, like a cast iron frying pan, about 10 inch diameter
With the ridges, and a long-ish handle. I use that for any meat I'm cooking
Now, I love the lines and the 'char' flavor. I also love thicker cuts, and
While I too tend toward the 'rare' side for cooking meat (moreso beef than
Pork) it scares me, because I also tend to go to the "managers special"
Section, where they put the meat that is JUST about to go out of date.

(also marked down in price)

On the one hand you may consider this to be aged meat, on the other
hand, It is out of date. Or almost. So... many times I will heat the pan till it
is Smoking, put in my meat to sear/char those lines, then put it in a
preheated Oven (especially the thicker cuts) to finish.
So far, I've not been sickened by eating any of this meat, and most of the
Time, it is fantastically tender. Flavorful as well. I don't have access to
The fresh rosemary, though I know some gardeners who grow it, and I
have some dried from fresh cuttings in a baggie, and now I finally have a
real Granite Mortar and Pestle so I can grind that stuff up.
I use a lot of soy sauce, I know it isn't good for us with the sodium etc. but
I just love the flavor.
I love salads, but now that I have full dentures, me and salads don't get
along too well. I just can't seem to chew up lettucy/leafy things well
enough.
Leave out that, make a salad of chunked raw veggies dressed with some
Variety of vinaigrette and I'm a happy camper.

Next time I do something, I'll try to make an exposé of it to share.

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Yes it is a fine line with meat like that - but agreed, it is always super tender! I am also definitely more of a "rare meat" person. Even the lamb chops, I like it when they are crisp on the outside but tender and pink on the inside.

Perhaps you could try growing some rosemary in a pot? It is very hardy and super easy to grow.

Oh and yes please - I would love to see some of your culinary adventures!!!

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