Chef Johns Steak Pizzaiola Recipes

STEAK PIZZAIOLA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the steak all over with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak and sear until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the garlic to the skillet. Once it sizzles, add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the pepperoncini, tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes and 3/4 cup water and stir to combine. Bring to a rapid simmer, then nestle the steak in the sauce and simmer, turning once, until medium rare, about 7 minutes.
• Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest about 5 minutes. Continue simmering the sauce until thickened, about 3 more minutes. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and divide among plates. Top with the sauce and parsley. Serve with focaccia.

BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

STEAK PIZZAIOLA

Steps:

• Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt.
• In a large skillet, preheated over high heat, pan-broil the steaks, until the large ones are almost done to taste, or the small ones are well browned. If using large steaks, you probably will not be able to fit them all in the pan at once. Do a couple at a time, then remove them and set them aside while cooking the rest. The small steaks should fit comfortably in the pan side by side, but if they crowd the pan, do not brown them all at once. When all the steaks have been cooked, pour off any fat in the skillet.
• Add the 2 cups of tomato sauce and dried oregano to the pan, scraping up any brown film or bits in the pan. Return the cubed steaks to the pan if you are using them and they were set aside. Bring to a simmer over high heat. If using cubed steaks, cover the pan and adjust the heat so the tomatoes simmer gently for about 40 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
• Place each steak on dinner plate and top with sauce. If the sauce on the cubed steaks is not thick enough, uncover pan at the end of the cooking time and reduce.
• In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan, combine the oil and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is fully tender and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Or, over medium-low heat, combine the oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic, pressing it into the oil a couple of times to release its flavor, until it barely begins to color on both sides. Remove the garlic.
• With a food mill, puree the tomatoes directly into the pot and stir well. Add salt and either hot pepper flakes or black pepper to taste. Increase the heat slightly and bring to a brisk simmer. Adjusting the heat as the sauce cooks down, and stirring frequently, simmer briskly for about 12 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
• Season with herbs according to the recipe you are preparing. For the most basic sauce, add a few torn basil leaves or a tablespoon of finely cut parsley while the sauce is simmering. Then add a little more at the end of cooking.