Pan-Broiled Steak with Tomatoes
Submitted by Karin
Pan-broiled steak with tomatoes sears thick sirloin in olive oil, then finishes under a quick garlic-oregano tomato sauce. A rustic Italian one-skillet supper, ready fast.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minThis is rustic Italian cooking at its smartest. A thick sirloin steak hits a screaming-hot olive-oil pan for a hard crust, then briefly braises under a fresh garlic-and-oregano tomato sauce that gets layered on top. The result tastes like steak and sauce had a complicated love affair in under 30 minutes.
Making the sauce first is the technique that earns this recipe its character. Tomatoes sauté in oil until their liquid boils completely away, concentrating them into something closer to a thick relish than a sauce. Skip that reduction step and you’ll end up boiling your steak in tomato water.
Seed the tomatoes. The recipe is specific about this. Seeds carry bitter notes and excess water; removing them keeps the sauce intense and the steak crust intact.
The steak doneness test is old-school: cut a small slit near the bone and look. For modern accuracy, a thermometer reads 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare, 140°F (60°C) for medium. Either way, pull it before you think it’s done because residual heat keeps cooking.
Chef Tips
- Bring the steak to room temperature for 30 minutes before searing. Cold meat steams instead of browning.
- Pat the surface bone-dry with paper towels right before it hits the oil. Moisture is the enemy of crust.
- Don’t move the steak for the first 2 minutes. It releases naturally when the crust forms.
- Rest the sliced steak briefly before adding the simmered sauce so the juices don’t dilute it.
Variations
- Stir in a tablespoon of capers or chopped Kalamata olives for a more aggressive Mediterranean turn.
- Add a splash of red wine to the pan after the tomatoes for a deeper, sauce-y finish.
- Use ribeye instead of sirloin for richer marbling. The cooking technique stays the same.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy 8 inch skillet over moderate heat.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the garlic, and stir for 30 seconds with a wooden spoon.
Add the tomatoes, oregano, ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of pepper, and cook over moderate heat, stirring with the wooden spoon.
When the tomato liquid has boiled away, remove the pan from the heat.
In a 10 inch skillet, heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil.
Over high heat, brown the steak in the oil for a couple of minutes on each side.
Reduce the heat to moderate and spoon the tomato sauce over and around the meat.
Cover and cook for three to five minutes, or until the steak is done to your taste.
(To test, make a small incision near the bone, and judge the redness of the meat.)
To serve, scrape off the tomato sauce, and transfer the steak to a carving board.
Simmer the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping in any potcake from the bottom of the pan.
Taste for seasoning.
Slice the steak and serve with sauce.
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