Alice Waters Grilling 101: A properly cooked steak is brown and crisp on the outside, and pink and juicy on the inside. Chopped herbs mixed with rosemary, coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper, rubbed onto the steak with olive oil about an hour or so before grilling will really elevate this dish — the steak should be allowed to come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before grilling.
Prepare a hot fire — you know it’s hot enough if you can’t keep your hand over the heat for more than 2 seconds. Oil the grill and put on the steak. If you want nice cross-hatch grill marks, rotate the steak by 90 degrees after 2-3 minutes. Cook another 2-3 minutes and then turn the steak over. Repeat the same process/time frame before checking for doneness.
When you press your finger or tongs into the meat it will still be soft when rare, a bit springy when medium-rare, and quite resilient when well-done. You can also check your steak by cutting into it — but using this pressure method you will soon learn to judge without cutting into your steak. Remove the steak from the grill slightly before it is cooked, and allow the steak to rest a moment before eating it.
- Grass-fed sirloin steak
- 3 TBS of mixed chopped herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano or marjoram)
- 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- Broccoli
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- Butter
- Lemon
- Potatoes, cut in medium-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup milk or potato cooking water
- 4 Tbs butter, cut into pieces
- Salt, to taste
- Boil the potatoes in well-salted water, for 15 to 20 minutes, until fully cooked through. Drain well and set aside. Heat the milk in the empty pot, return the potatoes and add the butter. Mash the potatoes over low heat to keep them hot. Season and add milk if needed.
- Trim off all but 1/4 inch of fat from your steak. Mix the herbs with the salt and pepper and rub into the steak, then drizzle with the oil. Let the steak sit for 1 hour at room temperature. Put steaks on a hot, oiled grill and cook for 5 minutes, then rotate 110 degrees to make crosshatch marks, if you want those, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the steak over and repeat. Rare steak = 8 to 10 minutes in all, medium-rare = 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Cut the thick stems from you broccoli, peel and trim the stems and cut them in pieces. Cut the tops into florets. Steam the prepared broccoli until tender. While the broccoli is steaming, melt a few tablespoons of butter in a small heavy pan, add 2 or 3 garlic cloves, chopped or pounded, and some salt. Cook until the butter starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Pour the flavored butter over the broccoli in a serving bowl and serve.
- Not included in the Large Culinary Inspiration Box: Coarse Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, Butter, Milk
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