Monday, July 5, 2021

Dry Aged Ribeye

​

The dry aged ribeye is an incredible treat and I serve it in an Italian style, in homage to my Sicilian grandparents.

Broccoli rabe is a traditional contorni or side dish enjoyed by Italian families, and my grandmother does an amazing job with just olive oil and garlic. I love broccoli rabe, but always become frustrated with the fibrous nature of the vegetable. One day I decided to make a puree out of it, though I had never heard of anyone doing that to broccoli rabe, and voila! It carries on the typical delicious flavor and yet eliminates the unwanted floss feature for the diner. Take the delicate florets of broccoli rabe and simply blanch in boiling salted water and submerge in an ice bath.

Further enhance the ribeye by charring red peppers, then peeling and pureeing them with toasted Marcona almonds, olive oil and garlic for a tasty Romescu sauce. Reserve some of the sauce for final plating. Take the remaining Romescu and fold it into softened butter, then roll it flat in between two sheets of parchment paper chill it for a Romescu butter that goes far beyond the reach of any Maître d ‘hotel.

Garlic chips, first blanched in milk from cold four times to remove the bitterness, are fried in canola oil and add a nice aromatic and textural element to the dish. Bring melted butter to a simmer in a sauté pan and add sliced Marcona almonds. Continue moving the almonds in the pan until they develop a light golden-brown color and squeeze the juice of one lemon into the pan to stop the cooking. Pour the almonds on a towel-lined pan and season with salt.

Use either a stainless steel or cast-iron pan to sear the ribeye for optimal crust development. Season the steak liberally with salt and black pepper on both sides and place in the pan with enough oil to coat the surface. Once the first side is sufficiently browned, tilt the pan to allocate the oil towards one side and flip the steak away from your hand to the opposite side. The moment the second side of the meat achieves a golden-brown color, add one clove of garlic and two tablespoons of cold butter to the pan. With a spoon, move the steak to the upper left corner and slowly tilt the pan to allow the butter and garlic to pool on the opposite side. Baste the steak with the butter until further caramelization occurs and flip the steak over to finish basting the other side. By now, the steak will be close to rare in doneness and should carry over to medium rare once removed from the pan and fully rested.

Heat the broccoli rabe puree and spread in a rectangle in the center of the plate. Use a spoon to create a swoosh design with the reserved Romescu sauce on the left side of the plate. Arrange the broccoli florets on top of the Romescu and intersperse with the garlic chips and toasted almond slices. Garnish with garlic flowers to accentuate the garlic flavor and add color and dimension to the dish. Slice the ribeye in half-inch pieces and top with portions of the Romescu butter cut to proportionate measurements. Quickly toast the butter under a broiler to conform to the edges of the steak. Place the ribeye slices over the broccoli rabe puree and garnish the meat with micro cilantro. The complementary flavors, contrasting colors, and textural interplay of the Ribeye Romescu assemble to adorn such an incredible cut of meat with pure simplicity.