Bone-in Cowboy Ribeye with Pinto-Wild Mushroom Ragout and Red Chili Onion Rings:
Ingredients:
4 bone-in ribeye steaks (14 to 16 oz. each)
½ cup kosher salt
1 cup ground assorted dried chiles (such as, ancho, pasilla and chipotle)
1 cup paprika
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 quart ham hock broth or water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon clarified butter or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups cleaned and sliced assorted fresh wild mushrooms
½ cup fresh corn kernels (1 small ear)
½ cup dry red wine
1 ½ cups veal demi-glace (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon chipotle chile puree
1 teaspoon chopped sage
1 medium ripe tomato, blanched, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Procedure:
Thoroughly combine the salt, dried chilies, paprika and sugar in a mixing bowl and dredge the steaks in mixture to coat evenly. Let marinate for 12 hours or overnight.
To make the sauce, place the beans in a saucepan with the broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until tender) checking every 20 minutes or so Then add more broth or water as needed to keep the beans covered and when the beans are tender, season with salt and pepper and reserve.
Heat the clarified butter or oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat until lightly smoking. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and reduce the liquid by three quarters over high heat, while scraping the pan with a spatula to dissolve the solidified juices. Add the demi-glace, chipotle puree, sage, reserved beans and tomato. Reduce the liquid by one third, add the basil, whisk in the butter and season with salt. Keep sauce warm while grilling steaks and preparing onion rings.
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill with charcoal briquettes. Grill steaks to desired doneness -- about 5-7 per side for medium rare.
Serve with sauce and onion rings.
Red Chili Onion Rings:
Ingredients
canola oil, for frying
3 onions - cut into very thin rings
milk for soaking
1 cup flour
½ cup paprika
½ cup pure chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin seeds
salt to taste
ground cayenne to taste
Pour enough canola oil in a frying pan to come 3-4 inches up side of pan. Heat to 350 degrees.
For the onion rings, pour enough milk in a large mixing bowl to cover sliced onions; let soak for 20 minutes.
Thoroughly combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl, except salt and cayenne. Shake excess milk off of onions and toss into flour mixture until well coated. Fry in canola oil until golden. Remove from oil and season with salt and cayenne to taste.
