A good supper for a change.....

On the way home today..... feeling alone..... looking for some comfort...... I thought of the supper to come. What would sooth the tired and lonely beast within...

How about some steak and roast carrots?

Yup..... that will do just fine. Just fine indeed.

Shall we?

The steak, tasting as good as it did, was nothing special.
Simply a decent chuck steak that was marinated in a
balsamic vinaigrette for about thirty minutes.

While the steak is marinating, saute half a small onion (chopped) in butter in the iron pan the steak will be cooked in. Set the onion aside for a bit.

The real star here is the roast carrot side dish. Whole carrots, un-peeled, and chunked into plate filling sections about the same size. Coated with olive oil, lightly salted and lots of fresh ground pepper. Roast in a 450 degree oven till just barely tender.

While the carrots are roasting, and the onions sauteing, make a sauce. A can of Swansons beef broth, heated and thickened with a bit of corn starch. Heat most of the broth till simmering. While the broth is heating mix the corn starch with some reserved cold broth. Stir the corn starch slurry into the simmering broth and return to a boil as it thickens. Only a tablespoon of corn starch is needed. Just enough to give it body, but not real thick. It's going to reduce later.

Into the simmering sauce add (to taste) chopped garlic, whole rosemary, lots of dried parsley, fresh ground black pepper, and a pat of butter. The broth is usually already salted enough for this sauce. Stir in the sauted onion and let this simmer gently.



When the carrots are almost done, but not quite, pour the sauce
over them. Stir the carrots till well coated, then shove them back in the hot oven. They will finish cooking in the few minutes it takes to start the steak. The sauce will reduce quickly to a thick and lucious rich glaze on the carrots.

Start the steak in the hot cast iron fry pan. It will need about two minutes on the first side. Once you flip it, yank the carrots from the oven and slide in the pan with the steak. While the steak is finishing for another few minutes in the oven, stir the carrots in their glaze and let them rest on top of the stove to start cooling.

When the steak is ready, about three minutes later, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for a short while (maybe five or ten minutes, tops). Plate with a big pile of the carrots, as much steak as you can fit, and maybe a leftover cheddar garlic biscuit if you have one (G). Sauce can be spooned over the steak as well, and it will add to it's flavor.



A supper that is almost guaranteed to sooth a ravaged and lonely soul, eating alone on a cold, rainy evening.

Supper, a mug of tea, and a Vivaldi concerto playing softly...... it's almost possible to forget how much I miss someone.

Almost.....