Steak Medici

I haven't made steak in a long time.  Being a part-time vegetarian, I didn't realize how much a nice cut of meat costs.  Most of the beef I buy is either ground or some kind of roast/stew meat.  Once I got over the sticker shock of $10.99/lb for boneless top sirloin, I had to face up to $16 for the port.  At least the latter will last for quite some time, or until I ever get around to this year's tea party.  That's on hold while I remodel a room.  The tea should be its grand reveal.

I was actually doing comparisons on a different recipe from a couple of the cookbooks, when I turned to a page in the Bible I had never used.  Going online for variations, this seems to be the prevailing one and possibly an invention of GH.  As far as I'm concerned, that counts for this blog topic.  I'll do the roast I was originally researching when I have a full day to commit to it.

4 Tb butter or margarine
4 beef top loin steaks, boneless, 3/4" thick (about 24 oz)
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C ruby port wine
chopped parsley for garnish (or, if you forgot to put parsley on your shopping list, whatever fresh herb you have around)

1.  In 12" skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tb butter.  Brown steaks on both sides, about 3 minutes per side for rare.  I'm on the medium end of the spectrum and went for 5.  Remove steaks to a serving platter and keep warm.

2.  In same skillet, lower heat to medium and melt the remaining butter.  Add the mushrooms and salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender.  They will give off a lot of water.  If you want a thicker sauce, turn up the heat and let it reduce.

3.  Add the wine, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits.  That's called deglazing.  It also gives most of the alcohol a moment to burn off.

4.  Pour mushroom and wine mixture over steaks.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π