Giusto Gusto

Ahoy’hoy. We’ve managed to fight off the yellow bellied, land lover trolls corrupting my beloved site so I apologize for the lapse in posts. I’m most saddened by the lack of an August Booze of the Month, an atrocious loss of control on my part but I’ll make up for it in September, pinky swear.

Back from a week long business trip in Indy surviving off the meat and potatoes of the mid-western restaurant scene, I found myself in the giusto kitchen craving something fresh and utterly delectable. A trip to the market supplied a new cut of steak unknown to my gastro-infused neurons: Teres Major Steaks. This economic and flavorful cut from the shoulder blade is not only affordable but damn delicious, though hard to come by. It’s similar in marbling to a flank steak but looks more like a miniature tenderloin. The following riff on a steak crostini tapa will work perfectly with a flank, skirt, or strip steak too (hell, this will work on an old shoe with enough romesco):

Coffee-Rubbed Steak & Romesco Crostini
serves 4

1lb Teres Major Steaks

2tsp Sweet Pimenton (paprika)

2tsp Finely Ground Espresso

1 Loaf Crunchy Baguette or Ciabatta

2-3 Scallions

1 Cup Romesco Sauce

Salt, Olive Oil

First things first: whip up that Romesco Sauce and allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour so the flavors can mingle. You can make a shortened version with just roasted peppers, some toasted bread, handful of roasted marcona almonds, pimenton and a little olive oil.

Next, season your steaks with the pimenton, espresso, and plenty of salt. Allow the steaks to come to room temperature. Bring a cast-iron pan up to med-high heat, wiping down with Olive Oil on a rag or paper towel. Add your steaks and sear to dark brown on all sides. Once seared all over, move the steaks to a 400 degree oven until the internal temp reads 130F. Remove and cover with foil to rest for 15-20 minutes.

While the meat rests, cut your bread into thin crostini and grill or toast under the broiler until golden brown. Slice your scallions on a bias as thin as possible and set aside.

After 15-20 minutes, slice the steaks on a bias across the grain (like you would a flank steak) into thin strips.

To assemble, top each crostini with a few slices of steak, a spoonful of Romesco, a few sliced scallions and a last drizzle of good Spanish Olive Oil.

You’ve got the warm crunch of toasted bread, the buttery-tender spiced steak with it’s coffee-rich rub, the roasted, cool and sweet zing of Romesco, and the bright fresh bite of slivered scallions. To steal from the clever writers of Sonic, you won’t have Tastebuds after these crostini, you’ll have Tastebros.

And of course, the ubiquitous addition of Vesta will make this all the spicier for our heat-loving readers. It’s good to be back, and next week’s Booze of the Month is going to be a knock out so stay tuned and start stretching that liver, light as a feather, quick as a laser-guided mountain lion!

PAULIE’S SPARK NOTES: 1.MAKE SOME ROMESCO SAUCE 2.RUB DOWN A STEAK LIKE YOU WORK AT A KOREAN MASSAGE PARLOR 3.SEAR SAID STEAK AND SLICE THIN 4.STACK SKY HIGH ON SOME CROSTINI AND BECOME BFFF WITH YOUR TASTEBROS.