Recipe By Lynfriend Laura Lorenz
Ingredients
Steak Ingredients
Ribeye steak (good quality* 1.5 in-2 in thickness)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
(mushrooms)-optional but delicious
Portabella mushrooms (*see note on how to clean)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
Onion Jam Ingredients
2 large, sweet onions, chopped (can substitute yellow)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp salted butter
1 cup dry red wine*
3 tsp light brown sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
Sandwich Assembly Ingredients
Bread (I used small ciabatta rolls)
Butter or olive oil if toasting the bread
Baby arugula
Cheese- optional but delicious (recommended-cheddar gruyere blend)
Directions
Let your steak come to room temperature before cooking, mine took about an hour to come to room temperature (never cook cold steak).
Onion Jam. This can be done a day in advance. Place a large pot over medium-high heat on the stove; add the butter and onions. Cook the onions for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently so they do not burn (you want the onions to be soft, a little color is okay). Once the onions are cooked down, turn the heat to low and add the wine, balsamic vinegar, salt, and brown sugar, stir well. Bring the onion mixture to a simmer (stirring frequently). Simmer the onions for 20-25 minutes (stirring frequently, this mixture can burn easily so watch closely). Every stove is slightly different, you may need to adjust the heat; you want the onions to simmer in the liquid and eventually become a jam-like consistency (the mixture will thicken and most of the liquid will reduce). Once the consistency resembles a jam, turn the heat off, salt to taste if needed and set aside. If preparing the jam, the day before, cool the mixture and refrigerate. Make sure the mixture sits at room temperature for 30 minutes before using and stir well.
Mushrooms. Season the mushrooms 10 minutes before grilling. Once the mushrooms are clean, rub with a little olive oil, and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper on all sides. Preheat the grill
to medium-high heat. Grill for 5-10 minutes (you cannot really overcook them). Tip-grill the mushrooms gill side up first then flip over and grill the other side. You do this because mushrooms give off a lot of liquid when cooking and this liquid will collect in the cap, so when turned over the liquid will drain through the grill grates, which will result in a perfectly cooked, non-soggy mushroom (no one wants a soggy mushroom). Once the mushrooms are cooked, slice and set aside.
Steaks. I grilled my steaks on a gas grill, this is personal preference. A cast iron pan is another great option for cooking a ribeye. If using a grill, oil the grill (not the steak) and preheat to medium-high heat (450-500 degrees). Salt and pepper each side of the steak. I grilled mine to medium rare which was roughly 5-6 minutes per side (make sure to keep the lid to the grill closed). After the steaks are cooked, pull off the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. When slicing, always go against the grain (this will result in a very tender, melt in your mouth bite of steak).
Assembly. I chose to lightly toast my ciabatta rolls under the broiler with a little butter. I also shredded some cheese and melted it on the bread. Next, spread some of the onion jam on one side of the
bread, then a handful of arugula, the sliced mushrooms, and finally the sliced steak. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
*1 steak made about 3 sandwiches. The onion jam made about 1.5 cups. Serving size differs depending on size of rolls and size of the steak.
*When looking for a great ribeye, check the marbling (you want a nice fat content), grass-fed and grass-finished are always a plus, and make sure the color is correct (no old gray meat). The choice is personal preference on bone-in or boneless. I chose boneless.
*How to clean portobello mushrooms: gently wipe the outside of the mushrooms with a damp paper towel to remove dirt. Remove any large stems. Removing the gills is optional, they are edible, removing them is strictly for visual purpose. If removing the gills, scoop out with a spoon.
*The red wine of the month works great in the onion jam (Cabernet Sauvignon) or any other medium to full bodied, dry, red will also work.