Jungle Cat Cooking: Adventures in Cuisine: Super Simple and Super Delicious Stovetop Steak

The Story

STEAK.

On a friend's birthday, all you need is steak and whiskey. At least that rule holds true if this is the person you are cooking for:

Gerard DiPippo, Great American.

So, if you find yourself in a position of cooking for Gerard DiPippo, or Ron Swanson, or Jack Donaghy, or if you just really want a good steak and don't have a grill, this is the recipe for you.

The Food

STEP ONE: GARLIC. Mince garlic. A lot of garlic. I think I minced about half of a head- so approximately nine cloves.

STEP TWO: ASPARAGUS. Preheat the oven to 375. Rinse a bunch of asparagus, and snap the ends off. Lay the asparagus out on a foil-lined sheet, sprinkle with 1/3 of the minced garlic, a bit of salt, a bit of pepper, and some olive oil (about 2 tablespoons). Toss to combine. Put the sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, while you continue to work on the other steps.

STEP THREE: BUTTER. Soften about 2-3 tablespoons of good quality butter. Mince about 3 tablespoons of French tarragon. Combine the softened butter, 1/2 of the remaining garlic (so 1/3 of the original amount), 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the French tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, cover the container, and pop in the freezer to completely re-solidify while you cook.

STEP FOUR: MUSHROOMS. Slice an 8 ounce container of crimini or baby bella mushrooms. Heat one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil on medium-low heat (about a 3 out of 10). Add in the sliced mushrooms, the remaining garlic, and the remaining 1 and 1/2 tablespoons French tarragon, and cook until the steak is ready, stirring occasionally. It's ok if the mushrooms start to brown- that just adds more flavor.

STEP FIVE: MEAT. Buy good meat. I bought free-range sirloin from Whole Foods. My steak varied in thickness from about 1 inch to almost 2 inches thick, so the end result varied from pretty rare to medium done. Thoroughly preheat your pan on high heat, but not the highest ( about a 7 of 10). Pat the meat dry with a paper towel, on both sides. Sprinkle the top side with salt and pepper. Test the skillet by sprinkling some water on it- it should bubble/ sizzle. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the steak salt-and-peppered side down in the pan. Set a time for 5 1/2 minutes, salt and pepper the raw side that is facing up, and leave the steak alone until the timer goes off. When the time sounds, flip the steak, drop about a tablespoon of butter in small pats on top of the cooked side, sprinkle on a bit of Worchestershire sauce, and let the other side cook for 5 minutes. When the timer sounds, remove the steak from the pan and let it sit for 8-10 minutes. Take the garlic-tarragon butter out of the freezer, and remove the asparagus from the oven. Slice the steak and place it on a platter, top the slices with the mushrooms, top the mushrooms with the butter, and arrange the asparagus on the sides. By the time you eat, the butter will have melted down through the mushrooms and the steak, spreading its fatty deliciousness all over. NOTE: Cooking time will vary according to thickness and how well you want the steak cooked. I use this website as a rough guide: http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/OnlineShopping?Dsp=32&FID=recipe_cookchart&title=Steak+Cooking+Chart.