A Family That Eats Together: Skillet Steak Peperonata

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features soy-ginger chicken kebabs, spaghetti with a raw tomato sauce, rotisserie chicken Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi), slow cooker carnitas tacos, and this skillet steak peperonata.

I met Lynne Curry author of Pure Beef: An Essential Guide to Artisan Meat with Recipes for Every Cut at the Farmer’s Market last month. During her book signing, she had her book open to skillet steak peperonata. The image of the perfectly cooked steak with peppers drew me right in. I knew I needed to read her book and so, now I am in the process of cooking my way through it with a future larger discussion on local meat to come. Just skimming through the pages, I knew a lot of her recipes would work perfectly for the carnivore families who read A Family That Eats Together.

Skillet steak peperonata is rich with the flavors of caramelized onions and peppers. Similar to fajitas, it is best cooked in a cast iron skillet. Prepared with an Italian flair using paprika, tomato sauce and basil, this peperonata is to die for. I think it might be my new go-to meal. It was quick and easy to make and we finished every last morsel of it. I would serve this for dinner, on a sandwich roll for lunch or on bruschetta as an appetizer at a party.

Recipe adapted from Lynne Curry

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 12–14 ounces top sirloin steak (ideally grass-fed and organic), thinly sliced (you can do this or ask your butcher to do it)
• ½ red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• ½ orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• ½ yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup tomato sauce (your favorite for pasta)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 hand full of fresh basil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil

Directions

1. 

   Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet (ideally cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are limp and brown. About 8 minutes.

2. Add garlic, paprika and red pepper. Cook until it becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and vinegar. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Wipe out pan, season steak with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, browning both sides, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the peppers, onions and basil.
4. Serve with crispy toasted baguette slices.