Temptation Averted

After a day of hanging out at the mall - caught a movie and did some shopping (found some great shoes!) - it was tempting to load up on fast food. After all, we did hit Quik Trip for a drink (soooo dry) on the way home, and the taquitos looked really good (especially the spicy cheese with some cool ranch dip), but we were good. We forked over for the 69 cent drink special only. This, of course, meant I had to cook something worthwhile when we arrived at the house. I mean, if you're going to give up calorie-laden goodies, there better be a treat waiting somewhere. Upon surveying our choices, I opted for the steak and onions - simple, classic, and yummy since we had a couple of toppings to make the dish sparkle.

Jeff was catching up on email, so rather than fire up the grill I turned on the broiler. While it preheated I doused the steak (london broil on sale) with a good deal of pepper and a little sea salt. Next, I cut a large red onion into eight chunks and distributed them across the broiler pan with the steak. This went into the oven for five minutes on each side leaving it medium rare. While the steak was resting, I spread the onions out and put them back in the oven for another three minutes to finish cooking them through. (By the time I pulled them out, they were slightly browned, soft, and sweet.)

Meanwhile back on the stove top, I put a quarter cup of tangerine balsamic vinegar, three diced shallots, and a little water on to boil. Once it reached temp, I turned the heat down to low and let it simmer while the steak cooked. It reduced to a sweet and tangy sauce that greatly enhanced the peppery-tenderness of the steak. In addition, I chopped some parsley (about half a cup), added two spoonfuls of pre-minced garlic, the juice of half an orange, and the zest of the whole orange. This created a second topping that had a fresh green taste from the parsley coupled with the brightness of the orange.

When the onions came out of the oven, the steak was ready to cut into thin slices, which I put on a platter and surrounded with the sweet onions. We ate the steak with the shallot and vinegar sauce, but topped the onions with the parsley mixture. Of course, I liked it best all mixed together - a bite of steak with a bite parsleyed onion, all dredged in the vinegar. This was heaven on a fork. To make the whole thing even better (if that is possible), Jeff opened a bottle of chianti, which really hit the spot.

After a long day of playing and shopping, it was lovely to have an excellent meal at home with the guys. Sure, we could have eaten out, but it would not have been nearly this good. And, as an added bonus, it only took about 15 minutes from start to finish. No restaurant could have served up something so wonderful, so quickly, and at such a bargain price.