No tags yet.
Portuguese Style Pan Steaks with Molho
My boyfriend is a huge fan of red meat, particularly a good steak. He loves a thick, grilled filet mignon, so he was skeptical the first time he saw my grandmother cooking thin steaks in a frying pan, but he was pleasantly surprised. The thin steaks are tender and served up with a delicous pan gravy, or molho. The gravy has the flavors of wine, paprika, and some spice - it's different than the way steaks are typically served in an American steakhouse but it's a welcome change and has become a favorite in my house.
The steak starts with a simple marinade that will later be used to make the molho.
Smash and peel 4 cloves of garlic. (Or more...more garlic never hurt anyone!)
Add the garlic to a shallow dish with 3/4 cup of white wine, and add in a tablespoon of hot sauce.
Add two bay leaves, 1/2 a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon of paprika and whisk the marinade together. This makes an excellent marinade for chicken or pork chops too! It's so versatile.
Add the steaks to the marinade - I used thin-sliced ribeyes, but you can use strip steaks if you like. Just make sure the steaks are nice and thin, about half an inch.
Let the steaks marinate at least two hours, but if you have the time, you can marinate them up to overnight; they only get better the longer they soak up all that garlic and white wine and spice.
When you're ready to cook the steaks, take them out of the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel. Drying the outside ensures the steaks don't splatter too much when you add them to the hot pot and it also helps develop the color on the outside. Don't throw away the marinade! It's going to be used to the make the molho later.
Heat a frying pan or cast iron pan on high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the pan is super hot, gently add the steaks. Always drop them away from you, so that any splatter goes in the opposite direction and doesn't burn you.
Sear the steaks for about 3 minutes per side - They will start to get a little bit of brown color on them, but not too much. Since the steaks are so thin, you can't cook them for too long or they will get really overcooked. Just a few minutes per side is perfect.
Once the steaks are cooked, set them aside and reduce the heat to medium in the pan. Add the marinade to the pan, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon (this is where the flavor is!) and simmer until the marinade is reduced and thick.
Once the molho is reduced, use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic cloves and bayleaf.
Turn the heat off the pan, and swirl in two tablespoons of butter. This thickens the sauce a bit and makes it silky and delicious.
Add a handful of freshly chopped parsley to brighten up the molho both with color and flavor.
Pour the molho over the steaks and serve with rice and fried potatoes. These steaks are also excellent with a fried egg on top - the runny yolk mixes with the molho and it's absolutely heavenly!
Recipe:
Total Time: 30 minutes active, 2 hours inactive | Serves: 2
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 thin-sliced rib eye steaks, about 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons cold butter, diced
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
1. Combine the garlic, white wine, hot sauce, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and paprika in a shallow dish to make the marinade. Add the steaks, making sure they are submerged in marinade. Cover and refrigerate, 2 hours or up to overnight.
2. Remove the steaks from the marinade but don't throw the marinade away! Pat the steaks dry on both sides with a paper towel and preheat a cast iron pan to high heat.
3. Add the olive oil to the pan and then gently lay in the steaks. Cook them for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they are just cooked through. Set the steaks aside and reduce the heat in the pan to medium.
4. Pour the marinade into the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook, about 10 minutes, until the marinade has reduced to a thicker, gravy-like consistency.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter, then stir in the parsley.
6. Top the steaks with the finished molho and serve!