Diane's Food Blog

Here is a re-post of a recipe I wrote for my favorite winery: Castello Banfi. I fell in love with Banfi wines long before I ever started food blogging — even before I started cooking — and now I’m going to start contributing food and wine pairings on their blog. They asked me to create a Father’s Day recipe that would pair well with some of their “Super Tuscan” red wines, and this grilled steak, which boasts subtle flavors from Tuscany, really hits the mark. And it tastes even better when paired with any of these Banfi wines: Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino or BelnerO.

Grilled Tuscan-Style Ribeye
One pound of ribeye serves two (8-ounce servings) or four (4-ounce servings)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil (4 ounces)
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
4 tablespoons tightly packed fresh rosemary leaves
1 pound boneless ribeye steak, about 1-1½ inches thick
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to taste)
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, sliced into quarters, visible seeds removed

Make the marinade: Place the olive oil, garlic and rosemary in a small blender or food processor. Process for about 10-15 seconds until very smooth and well blended. Pour the marinade into a jar with a tight lid. Set aside or refrigerate if not using right away. (Do not keep the marinade longer than one week.)

Marinate the steak: Place the steak in a gallon-sized resealable bag, and pour 2-3 tablespoons of the marinade onto each side. Seal the bag, squeezing out excess air, and squish the bag and marinade around the steak to completely coat all sides. Place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, or even overnight. Place the jar of marinade in the refrigerator as well: do not leave out at room temperature for an extended period.

Grill the steak: An hour before cooking, remove the bag of steak and jar of marinade from the refrigerator; set aside to allow them to come to room temperature.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high (about 400 degrees F). Remove the steak from the bag, allowing most of the marinade to drip off; place the steak on a plate and discard the bag of marinade. Season both sides of the steak with salt and black pepper (to taste).

Place the seasoned steak – and the lemons, cut-side down – on the hot grill and close the cover. Cook, turning once, until desired doneness. (For a medium rare steak, cook for about 4 minutes on each side.) Transfer cooked steak to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the lemons from the grill as well and set aside to use as a garnish.

Serve the steak: After the steak has rested, slice it into narrow strips (¼ to ½ inch thick), transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining marinade from the jar. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary and grilled lemons.

 

Step by Step Details

Start by making the marinade. Some people love rosemary; others aren’t as crazy about it, so feel free to tailor the recipe according to your guests’ tastes. The amount listed in this recipe, while detectable, is still rather subtle, so feel free to increase the amount for a bolder rosemary flavor.

Place the olive oil, garlic and rosemary in a small blender or food processor. Process for about 10-15 seconds until very smooth and well blended.

Pour the marinade into a jar with a tight lid. Set aside or refrigerate if not using right away, but do not keep the marinade – even in the refrigerator – longer than one week.

To marinate, place the steak in a large resealable bag and pour 2-3 tablespoons of the marinade onto each side. Seal the bag, squeezing out excess air, and squish the bag and marinade all around to completely coat all sides of the steak.

Place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, or even overnight. Put the jar of marinade in the refrigerator, too, until just before serving: do not leave it out at room temperature for an extended period.

An hour before cooking, take the steak and jar of marinade out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. Remove steak from marinade and season both sides with the salt and black pepper. Discard the bag of marinade.

Next, slice the lemon into quarters and scrape out any visible seeds.

Place the seasoned steak – and the lemons, cut-side down – on a hot grill (about 400 degrees F) and close the cover.

Cook, turning once, until desired doneness. (For a medium rare steak, cook for about 4 minutes on each side.)

Tip: to get a nice grid of grill marks on the presentation side, rotate the steak 90 degrees after the first 2 minutes.

See how great those grill marks look?

Transfer cooked steak to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the lemons from the grill as well and set aside.

After the steak has rested, slice it into narrow strips (¼ to ½ inch thick).

Transfer to a serving platter (or to individual dinner plates) and drizzle with the remaining marinade from the jar. Garnish with the grilled lemon wedges, allowing each guest to squeeze as much lemon juice as they like over the steak. Enjoy!