Salted Beef Steak with Herbed Ricotta

 
Any tender, quick cooking steak will work here. The tenderloin steaks I got from Hipwell Ranch were Ah-Mazing!

Any tender, quick cooking steak will work here. The tenderloin steaks I got from Hipwell Ranch were Ah-Mazing!

Sometimes you’ve got access to a bunch of fresh tender herbs, fresh garden greens and delicious tender grassfed steaks and you just want to let your ingredients SHINE. This is the recipe for you. No need to think ahead, chopping the herbs is seriously the most labor intensive part of this recipe.

There are two ways to salt a steak; way ahead of the cooking time where we use the magic of osmosis to draw the seasoning deep into the muscle tissue, or immediately before cooking.

As my first college biology professor said all those years ago “particles suck” its obviously super simplified, but its stuck with me all of these years. Salting will pull moisture out of the meat leaving you with a tougher drier cut, that is unless you allow it significant time to draw the moisture out…and back in. This is how brining works. This is also why marinades need to be “salty” The heavily salted surface i.e. particles, draw moisture out of your meat, but given sufficient time the osmotic pressure gradient will equalize causing the salt solution to be drawn back in to the meat. This is great for cuts that tend to be drier or require longer cooking times. The other option is to season, more heavily, right at the time of cooking. This method is great for super tender cuts that don’t have much connective tissue requiring a long cook, cuts that you give a quick sear. This recipe utilizes the latter technique.

Ingredients

1.5 lb sirloin steak or similar (2 large steaks, 4 smaller) I get my beef exclusively from Hipwell Ranch.

1-2 cloves garlic, grated

2 T fresh Italian parsley, minced

2 T fresh Italian Basil, minced

3 T fresh chives, minced

1 Lemon, zested, wedged for garnish

1 cup ricotta cheese, you can very easily make your own with quality milk and lemon juice here’s a fantastic example, but store bough it perfect too.

Sea Salt and pepper

4 cups arugula or mixed salad greens

2 Tbsp Extra virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

AIP Options

  • Black Pepper

  • Substitute 1/2 cup olive oil the Ricotta. Its a fatty carrier for the herby flavors, not the same but just as tasty.

Equipment

Grill or Cast iron skillet

Tongs

Microplane*optional

Medium mixing bowl

Method

  1. Combine Herbs, Lemon zest, ricotta and 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper. Set aside

  2. Place Arugula or baby greens in a medium bowl.

  3. Thoroughly dry the surfaces of your steak, massage with a bit of olive oil and season one side heavily with salt and a small amount of pepper. Its going to feel like a lot, but you will use half a teaspoon or more of salt per side.

  4. Place the steak on the med-high grill or hot cast iron immediately, seasoned side down.

  5. Season the second side of the meat, just as you did before. Cook 4-6 minutes, depending on your cut and desired doneness. Turn it over and cook for another 4-6 minutes.

  6. Remove the steaks from the grill and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes.

  7. While the steak rests, toss the greens with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

  8. Plate the steak and top with a dollop of the ricotta mixture and pile with dressed greens. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

 

Notes: I live for herbs, so it should come as no surprise that this stuff is herby as heck. If you don’t dig the potency, by all means scale it back to your taste.

 
 
Main DishErin Shearernampa farmers market, Nampa, nampa, nfm, NFMComment