Birchwood Farms Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Spaghetti!

What a dinner. The steak from Birchwood Farms  was unbelievable, and I will stick to my assertion that the quality of the meat (or fish, chicken or veggie) is essential to a fantastic meal.  I was determined to use locally grown and raised ingredients, and I largely succeeded and was so glad I did. I had a great visit at Birchwood, and the beef was so good that it was gone in no time flat. In fact, my daughter was largely responsible for that, she's a steak lover through and through. And quite an expert, I may add.  Still, after spending time and care preparing the meal, I urged her several times to slow down!  The blue cheese pasta is strictly for people who love blue cheese (me!) or that love strongly flavored food (me again!). The steak is prepared so that you enjoy the flavor of the beef rather than what it's topped with. Very little was added to this steak, and it couldn't have been more perfect. 

Here, as usual, is the hyperlink recipe for Strip Steak with a side of Blue Cheese Spaghetti.  Below is the steak from Birchwood, prepared only with pepper and salt before cooking. Afterwards, we add butter (also a fantastic purchase from Birchwood!) flavored with garlic and I used garlic scapes: 



Here are the ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces


• Salt


• 1 pound spaghetti


• 4 (8-ounce) NY strip steaks


• Ground black pepper


• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan


• 5 tablespoons butter, divided


• 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided


• 2 shallots, finely chopped  (I used scapes from my garden)


• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


• 1 cup chicken stock


• 1/4 to 1/3 cup cream or half-and-half, eyeball it


• 8 ounces blue cheese crumbles


• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped sage leaves (from garden)


• 2 tablespoons chives, chopped, a palm full  (from garden)


• 2 cups arugula, a small bunch, cleaned, trimmed and shredded (from garden)

If you noted that I put (from garden) and you're not currently growing these, you may want to consider a small garden or container garden at least, the ease of being able to walk out your door and clip away is lovely.  I have a garden, but I plant my sage out front because it's quite decorative and smells nice when you walk up to the door.



I always begin by prepping all of my ingredients and keeping them by the stove. It's much more simple then preparing as you go, and makes the process much faster. Once you prepare all of your ingredients, prepare the pasta al dente, and cook the bacon until it's crispy. Set aside on a paper towel, and keep the pasta warm. The sauce is prepped fairly quickly, as is the steak.  Set the broiler on high, with the rack at the top. While cooking, crack the oven door to prevent too many flame flair ups. I cooked the steak for 4 minutes on each side because I like it medium rare. It turned out perfectly. 

Meanwhile, begin the sauce. You'll need the skillet from the bacon, with most of the fat from the bacon drained. Add the olive oil and the butter, once it's combined well, add the shallots and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Once you add the garlic and shallots, add in flour and cook a minute more. Whisk in the stock, bring it to a bubble, and then stir in the cream. When that comes to a bubble, add in the blue cheese and sage and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir until cheese melts. Reduce heat to lowest setting.  If you are using a cast iron skillet, remember to turn down the heat way ahead of time since the cast iron takes much longer to cool down. I removed it from the heat altogether and the cheese melted just fine. In the meantime,  soften 4 tablespoons of butter in the microwave on high for 15 seconds. Mix in the chives and 2 cloves minced garlic and reserve.  Try to do this all while your best friend is photographing you, and try to avoid unflattering angles. 



Remove the steaks from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes while you rush around taking pictures for your blog and setting the table. Oh wait, maybe that last part is just me. Place 1/4 of the chives and garlic butter mixture on each steak to melt down over the meat as they rest.  And that's it.  It's just that easy.



 

 

Tomorrow morning I'll post the simple, awesome tips for making ice cream sandwiches with Birchwood Farms Cinnamon ice cream and homemade caramel. Stay tuned and THANK YOU for reading!