Steak Pizzaiola

For years now, I’ve been dying to try Steak Pizzaiola.  I don’t know why…it just sounded interesting to me.  One afternoon, I was watching 30 Minute Meals and Rachel Ray made Pork Chops Pizzaiola.  So, I did what any girl would do…I pinned the recipe on my “Recipes to Try” board on Pinterest! 

Steak Pizzaiola

Compliments of It’s a Keeper
Adapted from Foodnetwork.com
www.itisakeeper.com

1-2 pounds thinly sliced Eye Round
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup chicken stock

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Season both sides of meat with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and stir it around to flavor the oil. Add in the beef, in a single layer, and quickly brown on both sides — it doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through. Remove the meat to a plate and reserve. Stir in the onions, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Reduce the heat and cook for 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute, then add the wine, and cook for another minute. Stir in the stock and combine well. Slide the beef back into the pan and simmer to finish cooking the meat, about 2 to 3 minutes. Arrange the been and sauce on a serving platter and serve.

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Why did I wait so long to try this recipe?!?  It was amazing!  And, because I used thinly sliced eye round, the entire dish was done in under 30 minutes!   A perfect weeknight meal.  I always thought Pizzaiola would involve tomato and pepperoni or something like that.  Apparently, I was wrong (it wouldn’t be the first time!).  It must get it’s name from the garlic and oregano.

This dish was extremely flavorful too.  Make sure you use a good red wine (one you would actually drink).  As the liquid cooks down, the flavors are  concentrated, so you want to make sure you use a good, flavorful wine.

I also liked the slight heat from the crushed red pepper.  Well, sort of.  Funny story here…I had just picked up some new crushed red pepper because I knew mine was pretty old.  When I added the pepper to the pan, I immediately noticed how strong the pepper smelled.  Within a few minutes, my eyes started tearing (which is odd because they don’t usually do that when I’m cutting onions).  Then, we all started sneezing!  Apparently, my new red pepper was MUCH more potent than the old stuff!  Just look at the difference in color in the photo.

Needless to say, the sauce was VERY spicy!  I like spicy food so I didn’t mind.  But, my six year old couldn’t eat the sauce — although he absolutely loved the dish!  It was too much for his little palate! The lesson here:  add the red pepper slowly.  You can always add more, but you can’t take it out of the dish!  You could also leave it out completely if you don’t like heat.

I served this with my Perfect Risotto.  It was a great pairing because the creaminess of the risotto balanced the robust flavors (good description, huh?!)  of the Pizzaiola.  This would also be great on a sandwich — sort of like the Slow Cooker Sloppy Steak recipe I posted last week.

If you’re looking for something new to add to your weeknight rotation, give this recipe a try!  It’s a keeper!

Enjoy!