So I find myself home alone on a Friday night in New York City. My girlfriend is away for the weekend, and I am traveling tomorrow, so here I sit. This is a big city, with an endless stream of things that someone could do. I could meet up with friends for dinner and a movie. I could head downtown for a gallery opening. I could travel out to Flushing to have the priceless rush of being a foreigner. Some would say I should party like tomorrow doesn't exist. None of these things appeals to my sensibilities right now. I decide to stay in for the night. I enjoy doing this very much from time to time. I get in a good workout, since this always helps me feel better about everything, alleviating some of the focus off of Ash being gone. The truth is I like when my girlfriend is around, and when she is gone I certainly miss her company. This sentiment can be unpopular in some circles, where the presiding logic seems to be something akin to a goal of hanging out with your significant other as little as possible. I am lost in attempting to understand this line of thinking. After working out there are few things that are as satisfying as a good piece of red meat. Something about it just feels right to me-though I'm sure my vegetarian friends would disagree.
Cheap and Delicious
I head to the my local market and spot a nice pile of hanger steak in the butcher case. Hanger steak is often sold much cheaper than other cuts of red meat. On this particular day I paid one third the price of a strip steak, and half as much as skirt steak. It was cheap, which is funny because there is only hanger on each steer. Delicious and cheap are two words that are rarely paired, yet beautiful together. Hanger steak has a mineral taste that accentuates its beefiness. Here is all you need to know to confirm its worthiness, it used to be called a butcher's steak. Would you like to know why? It's because butchers wouldn't sell them, preferring instead to take them home for their own eating pleasure. This is akin to finding out the contents of Warren Buffet's portfolio. Whatever is in there is probably a pretty safe bet. The same logic applies to butchers and what they are bringing home. I also pick up some spinach. Having a heaping portion of greens with meat seems to cut the heaviness, playing a perfect supporting role. Though it is popular at many steakhouses, I did not feel compelled to make creamed spinach. This decision centered mainly on the fact that creamed spinach is gross.
Ready for a ten minute rest
Infinitely more appropriate than the creamed variety
A simple yet perfect duo
Pan sauce will change your life!
I got home and put on my apron. I like aprons, regardless of what Al Roker recently said in the press. They keep my clothes clean. Al's assertion that it isn't okay for a man to wear an apron does not even warrant a response from me. There are too many snide comments I could make about Mr. Roker, but I prefer not to shoot fish in a barrel. So, it is Friday night in New York, I am home alone, and wearing an apron. I am quite comfortable with this state of affairs. I season aggressively, then cook the hanger steak at high heat in a saute pan. I always encourage people not to be afraid of heat. When you see a professional kitchen in action, what type of flames do you see? The fact that you can see them should give you a hint. The hanger is rather thick so I deeply brown each side, and then finish in the oven for a few minutes. I don't overcook the steak, because that would place of veil of deep regret over the remainder of the evening. I set the steak aside to rest. I place the pan back on a medium heat and toss a minced shallot in the pan. I deglaze the pan with a little sherry, then add beef stock and reduce. I saute the spinach in another pan with olive oil, garlic, and shallot. I season, because salt makes greens taste so much better. I mount the pan sauce with a bit of butter, swirling it off the heat, adding a bit of thyme to finish. If you learn how to make a simple pan sauce it will change your life, it certainly changed mine. I slice the hanger steak against the grain, and plate in a simple fashion. I enjoy it thoroughly. I read The Art Of Living According To Joe Beef: A Cookbook Of Sorts. Definitely one of the finest cookbook/memoirs out there. It makes me want to go to Montreal.
It officially makes my Top Five Cookbooks Of The Year List. I then realize that I don't have a Top Five Cookbooks Of The Year List, but should probably now come up with one. In no way do I regret my choice to stay home, I rarely do. I resist the temptation to eat a pint of ice cream. I sleep like a hibernating bear.
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