New York Strip Steak with roasted vegetables

St. Louis weather is very strange. One day you have 12 inches of snow, the next day it is 60 degrees F. Most St. Louisans know to not squander a beautiful day, so Mike decided to dust off our grill, and make some yummy steaks. To accompany that we also made rustic roasted vegetables (a blend of carrots, celery, onion, and fingerling potatoes) and a kale and blood orange salad. This is a simple and hearty meal which is perfect during the week.

When cooking with wine, I think it is always a good idea to do a little research 1st to determine what pairs the best with your food. You can do this by trial and error tastings, which can be fun if you are adventurous, or reading wine guide/book. This time I lead by my taste buds. I used unsweetened dark chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon for the meat marinade which pairs well with the fats and proteins in the steak. Cabernet tannins can be counterbalanced by bitter foods as well (kale salad). I hope you enjoy this end to winter dinner! (April 2, 2013)

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

• unsweetened cocoa (Ghiradelli)

• Minced garlic- 1 clove

• Cabernet Sauvignon

• freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• On a patted dry strip steak, sprinkle and rub in the cocoa, garlic, and pepper on both sides of the meat. Place meat in a storage bag, fill with 1-1.5 cups of wine, seal bag and refrigerate for 2 or more hours.

• Take meat out of the fridge prior to starting your grill, and place on a plate to allow to come to room temperature. Salt with kosher salt, 1 pinch per side, before grilling.

• Grill to desired taste( about 3-5 min per side). My hubby prefers rare, but I like mine medium.

• Allow meat to rest at least 5-10 minutes before cutting to allow juices to reabsorb.

RUSTIC ROASTED VEGGIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 carrots: cut into 3 pieces then halved

• 3-4 celery sticks: cut into 3 pieces

• 1 medium white onion

• 12 fingerling potatoes

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• fresh rosemary and thyme (to taste; about 1 teaspoon each)

• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (freshly grated, about 1/8 cup)

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

• Wash and cut vegetables; pat dry

• Place veggies into baking dish; drizzle olive oil over veggies and toss to coat

• Add a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Add rosemary and thyme.

• Sprinkle cheese over the veggies and then place foil over baking dish

• Bake about 30-40 minutes until potatoes are tender. The skins should snap in your mouth, while the inside of the potato remaining tender and moist