Steaks with mushroom sauce

I am normally a steak purist and really prefer my steak grilled over hot charcoal. The other day, however, my steps were covered with snow and ice and I didn’t want to risk loosing the steaks as my feet slide out from under me.

I decided I can prepare them in the kitchen using the broiler with sliced mushrooms, bacon and a little wine. The steaks should be rare coming out of the broiler. By the time you add the gravy, they'll end up medium rare.

2 ribeye steaks

White pepper

Onion powder

Cajun seasoning

Cayenne

2 slices of bacon

1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms

2 shallots, slice razor thin

Flour

Smoked paprika

1/2 cup of red wine

Chicken broth

Preparation

Season a couple of rib steaks with a good sprinkling of onion powder, white pepper, cajun seasoning and a little cayenne. Let them sit for a half hour. Heat a large cast iron skillet cook a couple of slices of bacon until crisp. Remove and chop the bacon. 

Add the steaks to the hot skillet and place them under a hot broiler. Broil about two to three minutes per side and remove the steaks to a platter. Keep them warm.

Place the skillet on the stove and add the mushrooms to the pan. Let those cook a couple of minutes, stirring often and then add the sliced shallots. Stir that for another minute and add flour a little at a time to the fat, until you have a wet roux. 

Sprinkle on a little smoked paprika and stir. Add the wine and the crumbled bacon and stir to mix and scrape up the pan. Now add chicken stock, a little at a time, to make a gravy-like consistency. Let the gravy simmer for a few minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Serving

To serve this, place a pile of steamed barley on a plate and then place a steak with gravy next to that. Spoon some gravy over the barley. Now add a pile of buttered Brussels sprouts to round out the plate. Warm fresh bread, a salad and a bottle of Merlot will complete the meal.