Steak Pizzaiola

I made this a while ago, but I guess I forgot to blog about it.  Even though it's been a while, I can still remember how yummy it tastes!  This is a pretty simple recipe but yields a lot of flavor.

You start off by browning the chuck steak and make sure you really brown it because that's part of building the flavor.  A neat thing about this recipe, you're only using 2 pans for it.  One for the chuck steak and sauce and the other to cook the pasta.  It'll take a few hours to complete, but the majority of that time is spent in the oven.  For the pasta, I would recommend penne pasta.  Real meaty sauces seem to call for this tube shape pastas.  Actually I don't have much more to say about it, because it's that easy.  Enjoy!

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Steak Pizzaiola

Ingredients:

·       2 1/2 lb. bone-in chuck steak, or 2 pounds if boneless

·       1 tsp. coarse salt

·       freshly ground black pepper

·       2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

·       3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

·       1 tbsp. tomato paste

·       28 oz. can whole tomatoes, with juice

·       1 tsp. dried oregano

·       1 tsp. dried thyme

·       1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·       cooked tube pasta of your choice

Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 325º. Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat and swirl in the olive oil. Brown the meat on both sides. Remove the meat from the skillet and take the pan off the heat.

    Stir into the pan the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the whole tomatoes, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes. Mash up the tomatoes with a large fork, return the meat to the pan, spoon the sauce over it, and cover tightly.

    Braise in the oven for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook in the oven for an additional 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened up.

    In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook pasta of choice according to package directions.  Reserve some water before draining in case sauce is too thick.

    Note:  Serve this tender, fall-off-the-bone meat with bread and polenta. You can also present it as a "sauce" by shredding the meat, mixing it with the leftover tomatoes from the pan, and tossing with pasta.

Servings:  6-8