Thursday, January 15, 2009

Rigatoni with Steak Sauce

I’m supposed to be eating more red meat these days, so of course, steak is the first thing that comes to mind. However, it’s a bit too chilly to be grilling. And I actually did consider it.

But the first thing I had to do when I got home from work tonight was to mount a rescue mission. Our puppy Charlie was stuck in a snow pile in the middle of the backyard, and somebody had to climb out and save him. (He’s lacking in survival instinct.) I saved Charlie, but lost a shoe. And then I got my hand stuck to the door handle. And I still can’t feel my pinkie finger. And it was just time to go inside and stay there.

So we made rigatoni with steak sauce, instead. I had some steak thawed, and some marinara sauce in the freezer. This is based on a Giada De Laurentiis recipe. You cook the steak, and then simmer the marinara with veggies, wine, and broth.

This is a pretty economical use of steak, and I used rib-eye. I simmered the steak in the sauce for a while both to make the steak more tender and to flavor the sauce, and because of the simmering, I think any more tender cut of steak would work.

And now I’m full and sleepy. Is frostbite an excuse to get out of dish duty?

Rigatoni with Steak Sauce
Makes 2 generous servings

2 Tbsp. olive oil
12 oz. steak
Salt and pepper
Steak seasoning (preferably Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
½ large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. dried oregano
1/3 c. red wine
1 c.
marinara sauce
½ c. beef broth
8 oz. rigatoni, cooked according to package directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, and season generously with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until there is a crust on the outside, and the inside is pink.

Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and carrots, and cook about 5-7 minutes, or until onions are translucent and starting to caramelize. Add garlic and oregano and cook 1 minute.

3. Add wine and cook 1 minute. Stir in marinara and broth. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.

4. Cut steak into bite-size pieces, discarding any extra fat. Add steak to sauce. Cover and continue simmering about 10 minutes.

5. Toss sauce with pasta.

4 comments:

stompinlikeadisco said...

I thought this recipe would be rigatoni with A1 or something. I gotta admit I'm just a little dissapointed that the "steak sauce" isn't really "steak sauce" ... but moreover well, steak ... in sauce.

I think rigatoni covered in A1 sauce sounds awesome by the way.

Sarah K said...

seriously, i can't keep up with you. i am amazed that you keep posting recipes multiple times a week! delicious, easy recipes. the entertainment value alone is worth it. if i could just get myself to cook, i would try almost all of your recipes......keep it up!!!!

Jay W. said...

It is never to "chilly" for grilling. You just swtich from having a beerin your hand to a rocks glass half-full of bourbon.

Jay W. said...

Oh, and I see you have that fascist "comment approval" option turned on. Nice job, mein fuhrer!