Pan Seared Rib Eye Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

Okay, okay, I know I'm probably over doing the who cast iron skillet thingy, but dang do I love cooking in it. What I love the most is the fact that if you keep your skillets seasoned, they basically become non-stick and you have to use very little oil to cook in them. Anyhoo, this recipe is great, but then again how can anyone ever go wrong with rib eye steaks? NUMMY.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

• 2 rib eye steaks, about 1" thick and 1/2 lb. each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Montréal Steak seasoning by McCormick
• 1 shallot, minced or 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/2 pint pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine or chicken stock
• 3 - 4 Tbsp sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning. Evenly distribute marinade over both steaks and tightly wrap with plastic wrap or place them in a zip-loc bag; marinate 30 minutes, or longer, in the refrigerator.
2. Take the steaks out of the fridge and bring to room temperature, about another 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 500ºF and place a 12" cast iron skillet that has been slightly wiped with canola oil in the oven as it preheats.
4. Unwrap the steaks. When the oven is finished preheating, take the skillet out and place on the stovetop over high heat for another few minutes. Be very careful because the pan is very, very hot. Use your oven mitt!
5. Add the steaks to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds on one side. DO NOT MOVE THE STEAKS! This is essential to developing the seared crust.
6. After 30 seconds, flip the steaks and cook for another 30 seconds on the second side.
7. With an oven mitt on, put the pan with steaks into the 500ºF oven for 3 minutes. Flip the steak then back in the oven for another 3 minutes on the second side (4 minutes for medium well).
8. Take the pan out of the oven and remove the steaks; tent with foil and let it rest while preparing the mushroom sauce.
9. Return the pan to the stovetop on medium high heat; the pan should still be very hot. Add the shallot and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for one minute. Add the wine (or stock) and bring to a boil and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of skillet. Simmer for another minute.
10. Remove pan from heat and add sour cream, any juices from the seared steaks, and season with salt and pepper, and cook for a minute. Serve immediately mushroom sauce with steak. Delish!

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe for pan seared rib eye recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

Best Rib Eye Steak

Dearest readers, I apologize I haven't updated my blog in over a week, but you see, yours truly was in O'ahu soaking in the sun and the waves. As a matter of fact, I was also eating my way through the North Shore, down to Honolulu and Waikiki, but that's another blog. For this blog I decided to post my recipe for absolutely delicious rib eye steaks. To me, rib eyes don't need much seasoning because the meat is already well marbled, and the best part is that you don't have to marinate the meat for hours and hours. Now, I use a store-bought spice rub, which basically contains peppercorns, dried onions, dried garlic, thyme, sea salt and other spices, but I find that this particular spice rub is the best one for this type of meat. Also, keep in mind that this recipe is for just one ½ pound piece of rib eye steak. So double the recipe according to how many pieces you plan to make for supper.

INGREDIENTS (1 serving)

• 1 half pound (between .49 to .55 lb) rib eye steak, boneless, about 1/2" to 2/3" thick
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus more for sauteeing
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning, divided
• 1 normal sized garlic clove, finely minced and divided
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 zip-lock baggy big enough to fit the meat

DIRECTIONS

Wash the rib eye in cold water and pat dry on a paper towel. Trim off any excess fat, if you wish. Drizzle half of tablespoon of olive oil on one side of the meat and massage into meat. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of the Montreal Seasoning, then add ½ of the minced garlic clove. Spread with your fingers and massage into meat. Turn meat over and repeat by drizzling the remaining olive oil, massage, then add remaining ½ teaspoon seasoning and remaining garlic. Rub into meat and place the meat into the plastic bag. Drizzle the soy sauce into the bag, close the baggy and make sure you remove the air from bag, and spread the soy sauce around with your fingers. Place the meat in the fridge. You can let it marinate for as little as 15 minutes, but 30 minutes would be ideal.

When you're ready to cook, preheat oven to 375° F.

In an oven safe sauté pan over medium-high heat, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Make sure the oil is really sizzling hot. Add the rib eye and let it sear for 2 minutes. DO NOT MOVE IT. I know you'll be tempted, but believe me, you want it nicely caramelized.

After two minutes, turn meat over and sear it for another 1½ minutes more (if you want your meat on the medium side, sear it for 2 to 2½ minutes). Immediately place the sauté pan into the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare. If you don't have an oven safe pan, simply put the steak into a baking sheet. Remove meat from oven, tent it with foil and let it rest exactly 4 minutes. When ready, serve it as is, or slice against the grain.