Morel Grilled Rib Eye

Connie says, "This is why people eat steak."  My hubby who is so sweet to indulge my love of a good steak - a meat slab as he says - actually loved this steak. Amazing.  Thank you to Heartland by Judith Fertig.  I've been cooking from this cookbook for a week and am loving it.  It has earned a spot with my favorites.

My wonderful blogging friend, Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake (and, I might add she CAN COOK too!!) asked what my favorite cookbooks are.  It's a pretty short list, actually.  Winners and Back Home Again - both from the Indianapolis Junior League.  Park Tudor Treasures.  Smoke and Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.  Greene on Greens by Bert Greene.  The Silver Palate.  Talk about an iconic cookbook!   The Complete Book of Breads by Bernard Clayton.  I'm not a baker but Bernard was a step-cousin and the cookbook was a first wedding present from his step-mom - my grandmother's younger sister.  Cooking with a Twist by Cat Cora.  She cooks like I do.  I grew up with the I Hate to Coobook - even though Mom loved to cook.  And, last, but not least, pretty much any cookbook by Jane and Michael Stern. 

Back to our regularly scheduled programming :)  We bought some morel mushrooms this summer.  I read up on how to preserve them.  Lots of great ideas.  But I was most comfortable with my own idea - refridgerators dehydrate and have very low temps.  I knew this because I'd bought some shitakes and they'd been put in the fridge in a paper bag and had turned into lovely dehydrated shrooms that way.  I proceeded to put about half a dozen morels on a bed of paper towels in a 9x13 cakepan and put them into the fridge uncovered.  In a bit over a week, they were dehydrated.  

When I saw this recipe I knew instantly that I had to try it.  We don't often do meat slabs but every once in a while I'll decide its time.  This was super easy to fix and there was just enough morel there to give the steaks a wonderfully earthy flavor.  This will be my new go-to recipe for the couple of times a year we have steaks. 

Morel-Grilled Rib-Eyes

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 T sugar
1 T kosher salt
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T red pepper flakes
1 T freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c dried morel mushrooms1/4 c canola oil (I used olive oil)
4 - 1" thick boneless rib eye steaks

Directions:

Grind the morel(s) to a powder in a coffee grinder (I cut the recipe in half and used one large morel and one teeny, tiny one.)  I took the lid off the grinder too quickly and was inundated with morel dust, so be careful.

  

Mix everything but the steaks together to make a paste. 
 
 

 
Coat both sides of the steaks, pressing the paste firmly onto the steak.  Allow the steaks to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
 
 

 
Grill on direct heat, turning once.  Remove the steaks from the fire and allow them to rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
 

from Heartland by Judith Fertig