Rib-eye with Carrot Red Bell Pepper Puree

Since we have already done our grocery shopping for the week we will explain our menu planning and shopping adventures starting next week.

For the next few days we will show you what we cooked, how we did it and what it tasted like (just to make you jealous).

Tonight Ryan was Mr. Mom. I had an appointment this evening so he bathed the babe, fed him, put him to bed AND COOKED DINNER! What a lucky woman I am! (you will hear that a lot in reference to his amazing cooking skills!)

The menu tonight was Rib-eye Steak and Carrot Red Bell Pepper Puree.

We kind of have a rule that we buy .75 – 1 lb of meat for two of us. The rib-eye was on sale for $11.99 a pound ($5 off its usual price).  Being the BBQ Master in this household, Ryan always likes to charcoal BBQ our steaks but before we had a grill, we invested in a grill pan. A grill pan works great but it doesn’t add all of that amazing BBQ grill flavor.

We season our steaks simply: salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Ryan likes to take the back of a spoon and push the seasoning into the meat. Ryan has heard that some people think that doing this is a BBQ “no-no” but he really thinks it tenderizes the meat, pushes the salt into it, and brings out the natural flavor and juices. 

He then cooks it (depending on the thickness), 4 minutes on each side uncovered, then 2-3 minutes on each side, covered. For doneness, we like the “feel of it” technique. When cooking beef, we like to pull the meat off of the heat when it feels like the squishy part of your hand, right by the base of your thumb, when making a loose fist). Weird, I know. Once the meat is off the grill, we let it rest for 8-10 minutes, uncovered.

For the Carrot Red Bell Pepper Puree we are following the Paleo Foodie Cookbook by Arsy Vartanian. On a side note, one of the great things about Sonoma County – we have awesome libraries! I picked up this little gem along with a few other paleo cookbooks at our local library. Back to the recipe:

2 Red Bell Peppers, halved and seeded

1.5 LBS. Carrots, peeled and chopped

2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar

.5 TSP Salt

.25 TSP Pepper

.25 Cup Butter

.5 TSP Sweet Paprika

2 TBSP Cilantro, chopped

“Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peppers on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Bake for 45 minutes or until peppers are blackened. Removed the skins. While the peppers are baking, place carrots in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until carrots are soft, about 30-45 minutes. Drain carrots. Using an immersion blender puree the peppers, carrots, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, butter, paprika and cilantro.” 

Our take/ version on this recipe: Everything went according to the recipe, but it does take a little while to blend. And of course, as with every recipe, season to taste. We added a little more salt, pepper and paprika to ours. 

As for the vino, we love shopping for (inexpensive) wine at Trader Joe’s. Tonight we are drinking La Finca, oak aged, Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon. It was $4 and decent! Its not the most full-bodied cab sav we have ever had but for 4 bucks it works! We have found that for the money Argentinean wines are really great and Argentinean Malbecs are our favorite. (there is at least one bottle coming later this week)

And for the taste: Ryan says that the puree was AWESOME and I completely concur. The steak was cooked well, seasoned well and tasted decent but there is a noticeable difference between “choice” beef and “prime.” You get what you pay for. It was a great deal and overall worth the money because “prime” is for sure double the price.  

For me, I think the puree AND the steak was awesome. Ryan tends to be a little bit harsher of a critic than I. It was a great steak with no complaints from me!