Steak& Parmesan-Grilled Vegetables

This is a complete backyard steakhouse dinner cooked entirely on the grill: seasoned beef steaks alongside bell peppers and red onion that get a Parmesan-olive oil-red wine vinegar glaze brushed on during the final minutes. The cheese mixture doubles as a seasoning for the steaks and a sauce for the vegetables, which keeps the ingredient list lean and the flavors linked across the plate.

Pressing the reserved seasoning into both sides of the steaks before they hit the coals builds a proper crust as the salt and spices cook directly onto the surface.

Grilling over medium ash-covered coals, not raging flames, is the move. Too hot and the outside chars before the middle hits medium-rare, especially for thicker steaks. 14 to 16 minutes with occasional turning gives you medium-rare to medium.

The vegetables need more time than the meat, so start them first. Peppers take 12 to 15 minutes, onion slices need 15 to 20 to get properly tender. Brush with the cheese glaze only during the last 10 minutes, any earlier and the Parmesan burns into bitter black spots.

Rest the steaks 5 minutes before slicing crosswise into thick pieces.

Chef Tips

• Bring steaks to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling for even cooking
• Keep the vegetables in large pieces so they don’t fall through the grates, quartered peppers and thick onion slices are ideal
• Let the Parmesan glaze do its thing without disturbing, moving vegetables too often knocks the cheese off
• Slice steaks across the grain for maximum tenderness

Variations

• Swap Parmesan for crumbled blue cheese or feta for a different cheese finish
• Add grilled zucchini or asparagus to the vegetable mix
• Use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar for a sweeter, more complex glaze