Recipe: Ribeyes with Creamed Mushrooms and Leeks

Leeks are everywhere right now, a seasonal treat piled high at the stalls of my Farmers Market. They can certainly be dirty, dirty little alliums, but the trouble of cleaning them is worth every savory bite. Especially when paired with mushrooms and deliciously drowned in heavy cream. Oh yeah, with a honking steak on top.

Ribeyes with Creamed Mushrooms and Leeks

4 ribeye steaks, preferably grass fed

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

8 Tbsp. butter, divided (1 Tbsp., 3 Tbsp. and 4 Tbsp.)

1 small shallot, finely diced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and washed to remove grit (see Notes, below)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup heavy cream

1) Set steaks out at room temp for at least a half hour before cooking. Salt and pepper both sides. Melt butter in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks, cooking until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and cover pan with a lid. Continue cooking about 6 minutes more for medium-rare.

2) Remove steaks from skillet to a platter, dot each with a Tbsp. of butter, and tent with foil.

3) In same skillet over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp. butter. Add shallot and stir until translucent, scraping up any browned bits left by the steaks. Add mushrooms, leeks, and garlic. When mushrooms are cooked and have released all their liquid, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in heavy cream and any accumulated juices from steak platter. Simmer cream (do not let boil!) until reduced slightly and thickened, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with S & P.

4) Spoon creamed mushrooms and leeks onto a plate and top with a ribeye. Serve and enjoy.

4 servings.

NOTES: I wash leeks by taking the white and light green part, halving it lengthwise, then slicing into little half-moons. I put them in a bowl and spray them with cold water until they’re floating in about two inches of water. Give them a good agitation, and let them sit so the dirt can fall to the bottom of the bowl. Then, when I’m ready to add them to the pan, I scoop them out with a slotted spoon. This seems to do the trick, but if you get a little grit, it’s probably good for you.

As you can see, I served these with green beans, lightly steamed and tossed with garlic sauteed in butter. Yep, that’s right. Butter in all three portions of the meal. Oh yeahhhhhh. Take THAT, Food Pyramid!