Manly Food? Steak, Of Course

June 27, 2009 · Filed Under easy, entree, gluten free, recipe · 33 Comments

“How do you handle a manly man? Manhandler? Manwich? (“A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal.”) Do those old commercials ring a bell? When Carol of Simply … Gluten Free said her theme for the June Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! blog carnival would be manly food, a few thoughts immediately came to mind, including those silly commercials. However, I decided to go to my man—Mr. GFE. So I asked what he considered manly food. His first answer was Sloppy Joes … no kidding! Okay, I do make some mean Sloppy Joes (without the help of Manwich or other mixes). But, I wanted to make this particular manly dish for his Father’s Day meal and Sloppy Joes just didn’t measure up. So, I asked him for more ideas. Then the answers I had originally expected came forth: prime rib, rib eye steak, T-bone … meat, meat, and more meat. Have I mentioned my husband is a real carnivore? Yes, I think I have. LOL At the store, I found Porterhouse steaks on sale, so that became the manly meal. I am not a huge steak person, but Porterhouse steaks are one of my favorites because they are a “two-in-one” steak and, therefore, one is plenty for both of us. I eat the tenderloin part (well, naturally) and Mr. GFE eats the sirloin strip portion.

When I cook steaks, I usually only add some salt and pepper, maybe a little oil or butter, relying on searing and natural flavor to render good results. This time I was looking for something more special though.

I modified the following recipe from The Splendid Table. Verdict—It has to be the juiciest, most flavorful steak I’ve ever prepared. Mr. GFE agreed and didn’t find it unmanly in any way (despite red wine, honey, and smoked paprika being used). Served with corn on the cob and steamed artichokes, it made for a very special Father’s Day meal. Not as special as it would have been if Son had been able to make it home, but this meal and a phone call on Saturday and Sunday from him plus a promise for a future trip to the mountains with us worked well enough.

Steak Manly 006-1

Pepper—Honey Steak
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

6 tbsp red wine (I used Pinot Noir)
3 tbsp honey (any time we can use our bees’ honey is great!)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp coarse sea salt
2 lbs steak

Combine ingredients in glass dish and let steak marinate while heating grill to high. Turn steak at least once in marinade. (I marinated the steak longer … probably 30 minutes in all.)

Remove steak from marinade and sear quickly on both sides. Turn grill down or move steak to lower heat area. Cook additional 10 minutes for medium rare (or longer as desired). Move to platter and let rest about 10 minutes. It will continue cooking, but hold in the juices this way.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Note: Naomi Devlin (Straight Into Bed, Cakefree and Dried) is the originator of the Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! blog carnival. Each month it is hosted by a different gluten-free blogger who gets to choose the theme. Next month I’ll be hosting. Stay tuned! Until then, please go check out all the recipes for this month’s carnival over at Carol’s by clicking here. Carol and all the contributors did a phenomenal job. You will be delighted with all the contributions … something for everyone!