Baby, I'm Back

Sliced Skirt Steak flash fried to a crisp atop a thick mixture of cremini mushrooms and onion in a rosemary red wine reduction.

A bonus picture. Iceberg lettuce on bottom for a crunch, with tangy spring onions from the farmer's market.

After nine months of cafeteria food at college, I'm back in the kitchen making everything I desire to ingest. I'm back, and I'm hungry - get ready, it's going to be a wild summer.

Coming back from Ultimate Frisbee tonight, I knew I needed something delicious, absolutely savory to top my evening. So I fired up two burners, crisping up sliced skirt steak in a pan with olive oil at a high temperature. In the other skillet, I mixed equal parts of red wine and beef broth, reducing it with an onion that I sliced. As that simmered off I sliced a bunch of cremini mushrooms, sold to me at a farmer's market by a hippie claiming that his mushrooms were the "freshest". They were pretty fresh, but the hippie could have used a shower.

Anyway, I sprinkled some rosemary into the sauce, some salt and pepper, and a bouillon cube because I was out of stock. I spooned in some mustard to give it a bite,  then after tasting it, I realized a touch of cumin would neutralize the overwhelming floral taste of rosemary. After adding some milk and a pad of butter, I let it all reduce into a delicious mixture. I threw it all onto a bed of iceberg lettuce for a crunch, and sprinkled some tangy spring onions on top. I may have made up this entire meal, but it was great. The meat was crispy but juicy and a little pink inside. I left it unflavored, so it could be mixed with my onion and mushroom cream sauce. Offsetting all the richness was the crispy lettuce and tangy green onions. With a smile, I ate contently tonight.