Bison Cheese Steak with Broccoli & Sweet Cherry Peppers
Recently, I came across an intriguing recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine for Skillet Cheese Steak with Broccoli Rabe that I knew I had to try; though, I did have to modify the ingredient list a bit. The original recipe calls for peppadew peppers and pepper jack cheese (two things Jacque is not a fan of), and features a New York Strip, of which I had none. I did, however, have some bison Ribeye Steaks in my freezer from The Honest Bison that I used instead.
Jacque and I have become big fans of The Honest Bison and I am happy to endorse the company. I love what they say on their webpage:
“Food you can trust. Naturally. The Honest Bison was founded on one very simple truth: we believe everyone deserves access to food they can trust. When we realized just how hard it was to find unprocessed, humanely raised, quality meats in today’s markets, The Honest Bison was born. We started out with just 100% grass-fed bison but have since branched out to include a curated selection of other high-quality meats as well. As we continue to expand, our mission still remains the same – to bring trust back into today’s food system.”
We have ordered from them several times and they have always exceeded our expectations. According to this WebMD article, when compared to beef, bison meat is richer in protein; it has higher amounts of micronutrients like vitamin B12, zinc, iron, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids; and of the two, bison has less saturated fatty acids (SFA) and more polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
On top of all that…it tastes really good!
*Note: I still love beef, the above endorsement does not detract from a good old angus T-bone.
As for wine, we opened a 2019 bottle of Caprio Cellars’ Eleanor to accompany our meal. Jacque and I found Caprio Cellars last year on a tour of Walla Walla wine country and it was easily one of our favorites from the trip. We liked their Eleanor bottle (a bordeaux blend) so much that we had cases shipped not only to our home in Omak, Washington, but also to our place in Scottsdale, Arizona so we’d be able to enjoy it on a night like this.
This meal was absolutely delicious and easy to make, I hope you love it as much as we did!
Ingredients from Bon Appetit (Doug Substitutions) Serves 2
1 lb. boneless New York strip steak (9 oz Bison Ribeye), patted dry
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper (Montreal Steak Seasoning, one of my go-to favorites)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch broccoli rabe (I used normal broccoli), about 1lb, cut into 1"–2" pieces
⅓ cup thinly sliced drained Peppadew peppers (Sweet Cherry Peppers) in brine
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (I forgot to buy fresh lemons, so I omitted this)
3 oz. pepper Jack (Monterey Jack), coarsely grated
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (Bottled lemon juice *see previous comment RE: fresh lemons
Directions (Prep-time 2 hours, Cook-time 25 minutes):
Pre -Step:
Remove steaks from the refrigerator at least 1-2 hours before preparing; the meat should be room temp or just below room temperature before beginning.
*Note: Don’t forget to turn the cooking fan on at the beginning, this pro-note is brought to you by an amateur’s experience.
Step 1:
Season steak with Montreal Steak Seasoning then gently rub olive oil onto steak. Heat a large cast iron skillet (or any oven-safe pan) over medium heat until rare, about 115-120 degrees (remember you will be putting the sliced steak under the broiler). Cook all sides, including the fat cap, about 5-7 minutes total. Remove the steak from the skillet and set aside for later use.
Step2:
Add more oil to the remaining fat in the pan and reduce heat. Add the garlic, stirring often until golden brown, about 1 minute (this is a good time to add any other aromatics to the dish that you would like). Add the broccoli, season with Montreal Steak Seasoning and/or possibly some garlic powder. Keep moving the broccoli in the pan occasionally and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the sweet cherry peppers (I opted to add them about half-way through, though the original recipe calls for adding them later). Add ¼ cup water and cook for about another 3 minutes.
Step 3:
Adjust your oven rack to the high and heat the broiler. Retrieve the steak and cut into ¼ - ½ inch thick slices to lay over the broccoli. Take any juices from the cutting board and drizzle over the steak. Sprinkle cheese (as much as is to your liking) over the dish and place under broiler until for about 3 minutes for medium rare. Squeeze lemon juice over vegetables and serve.
Links of import
Recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/skillet-cheesesteak-with-broccoli-rabe
Meat: https://thehonestbison.com/shop-meats/ribeye-steak/?v=e2ae933451f4
Wine: https://capriocellars.orderport.net/product-details/0165/2020-Eleanor-Estate-Red-Wine
