Sorry, it has been a while since I have written, but work has kept me quite busy. I hope to be able to get some more recipes here!

Since the grilling season is upon us, I have been cooking a lot of steak. Not only is it quick in these busy times, but of course, delicious! Lately I have been working on pan sauces and quick marinades. I have begun to find that most marinating going on out there is too much. I see no need to marinate most anything over night in the fridge. Don’t get me wrong, I am just as guilty as the rest of you as I have done the same thing for years, but you know what? I have found that most of the time you can get the same results by marinating quickly at room temperature.

Think about it, most marinades have some sort of acidic component, such as lemon, or vinegar, and then an oil like olive oil or canola and then a few spices. What happens when you put oil into the the fridge? It coagulates and basically seizes. In my mind, once this happens, the marinating is over and all that is left is pickling of the meat.

The acidity and salt added to marinades kills most of your flagrant bacteria that will quickly spoil meat so why put it back in the fridge? Myself, when it comes to steak and chicken, I whip together my marinade, put it and the meat in a large plastic zip lock bag, and leave it in the sink for about an hour or so. Now, the meat is already cold from being in the fridge, and when I am ready to cook, it is just getting to room temperature. The oil has a way of holding in the cold longer than if you just left the meat sitting bare. I have found little to no difference in taste, but a huge difference in texture. The meat does not taste broken down. There is no pickled taste/texture to it.

When you try this recipe, it will illustrate the point perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds steak (any kind, but the more fat (marbling) the better).
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce.
• 1/4 cup soy sauce.
• 1 1/2 cup Marsala wine.
• 2 – 3 cups beef broth.
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter.

Preparation:

Mix the first four ingredients together in a large zip lock bag. Swish the bag a few times and press the marinade into the meat. Leave in the sink (clean sink 🙂 ) occasionally flipping the bag for 1 hour.

Preheat grill to high.

In a small pot, bring the beef broth to a boil. Begin cooking the steak on the grill, RESERVE the marinade. Remove steak and let rest 10 – 15 minutes.

When the beef broth has reduced by half, add the marinade and continue to boil until reduced by 2/3’s. Reduce heat and add butter. When butter has melted, remove from heat and let cool a couple minutes to thicken.

Spoon the sauce over the steaks before serving and keep some for on the side.

This dish will wow them all, trust me. 🙂