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Dinner Tonight: Grilled Steak with Tomatoes and Pesto
When it's time to grill, the one thing I crave most is a great big steak. I'm talking a massive 16-ounce, one-inch thick monster. Accept no substitutes. One of these guys can easily feed two, and I actually still had leftovers. Steak and charcoal are quite fond of each other so I didn't need to look hard for a recipe. I just used the instructions for cooking a steak in Bobby Flay's Grill It! which amounted to cooking it over high-heat for about five minutes per side. What hung me up was the pairing part.
I had a glut of tomatoes and basil, so those two had to be involved. I found this recipe in the Chicago Tribune, which tops grilled thick tomatoes with a spoonful of pesto. My plan was to serve the tomatoes and pesto next to the steak to create a fresh sauce—it worked beautifully.
The fresh pesto lightened up the meal and the tomatoes added a much needed acid. Sure a steak served alone is always a treat, but this is a great way to spruce up the simple meal with the summer bounty.
Dinner Tonight: Grilled Steak with Tomatoes and Pesto
About This Recipe
| Yield: | 2 |
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce strip steak (about 1-inch thick)
- 2 large Brandywine tomatoes
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Procedures
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1
Bring a charcoal grill, gas grill, or grill pan to high heat. Meanwhile, make the pesto. Place the pine nuts in a non-stick skillet set over medium high heat. When they are fragrant and slightly browned transfer them to a food processor. Add the basil and garlic. Process until it becomes a paste. With the motor running, drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the Parmesan.
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2
Sprinkle the steak with salt and pepper, and coat in 1 tablespoon of oil. Set on the hot grill. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes a side for medium-rare. Cooking times will go way down if you are using a thinner steak. Adjust accordingly. Set aside.
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3
Coat the tomatoes in the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes on one side, flip, and cook for another minute on the other side.
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4
Slice up the steak, or leave it whole. Serve with the tomato slices. Spoon some of the pesto sauce on top of the tomatoes. Serve.
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