Recipe – Pan Seared Steak, Pork Chops, Lamb Chops with Toppings

July 20, 2012

Servings: 1-4

Ingredients:
1-4 cuts of the meat
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp. grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
1 cup of water

Additional herbs and spices (add as desired based on your taste, or the theme of your meal):
Dried onions
Garlic powder

Add-ons to top meat:
Red wine or red cooking wine (1/4 cup to ½ cup)
5-6 baby portobello or white mushrooms, dusted and sliced
¼ yellow onion, washed and sliced
2-4 garlic cloves, washed and sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Wash the meat. Combine the meat, salt, pepper, and other dried herbs/spices in a bowl until the meat is coated. Warm a skillet over medium heat. I prefer to use a cast iron skillet when cooking red meat and pork in steak or chop form. Add the meat to the warm skillet. With beef steaks, sear or cook as desired (rare, medium rare, etc.). I generally leave my steaks just a little pink in the middle, so I cook a 1-2 inch steak for about 5-6 minutes on each side. I cook lamb and pork well done, though lamb can be cooked medium rare. Add broth (chicken or beef) to the pan if the pan becomes too dry. If you don’t have broth, water will do. This helps to keep the meat moist while you are letting the meat cook thoroughly. Remove the meat from the heat. Cover the meat, and place it in a warm oven. Set the oven to warm. Don’t set the oven to a high temperature as this will dry out the meat. I sometimes just cover meat and put it in the microwave to keep it warm.

Deglaze the pan with the wine (cooking wine is good), and add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Sauté the vegetables. Remove the meat from the oven and top with the sauteed vegetables.

Bonus: If you want to make gravy, then leave your meat in the oven and do not cover it with the veggies. Leave your sauteed vegetables in the pan. The pan should have a bit of liquid in it, but if the liquid has all cooked off, then add a little water. Stir in a little thickener, flour or cornstarch. Continue to add water and thickener until your gravy is at a your desired consistency. Keep the gravy from getting lumpy by mixing the thickener into warm water in bowl or cup prior to adding it to the pan. Allow the gravy to brown, and add salt and pepper to taste. You may not need any seasonings as you are using the left over seasonings from the deglazed pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the meat from the oven, and poor gravy over the meat as desired. Allow to cool, and eat up!

* To deglaze means to use a liquid to remove the leftover drippings and seasonings that remain in a pan after cooking. The liquid can be wine, water, or a broth. You add the liquid to the warm pan (keeping the heat on the pan), warm the liquid, then scrape the drippings and seasonings from the surface of the pan. You can now use the liquid for other cooking purposes, such as making gravy or sauce.

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