Steak for Stamina

It's 7.30pm and I am exhausted. Yesterday my friend Ericka and I moved into our sunny new apartment. After hours of sweeping, mopping and rearranging we were both left tired and strangely loopy, probably from all the bleach we ingested while scrubbing the floor. At 12.30am, after a much needed bottle of wine, we were in our bed, semi-content, ready to wake up for the first time in our apartment in San Francisco.

I woke up promptly at 9am, eager to settle in and continue the never ending job hunt. It was a long day to say the least, beginning with a trip to two grocery stores, followed by hours of walking around various neighborhoods in the city to handout my resume. As I walked from restaurant to bar I yearned for my job in Barcelona, a job that I had always wanted. Now I am almost starting from scratch, back to square one, but to be honest, I don't mind too much considering I get to live in this vibrant city.

So here I am waiting for a phone call of some sort, letting me know I have a job. Although I am so drained I may not even have the energy to pick up the phone. The only thing that can perk me up at this point is a full protein meal followed by my newest addiction, frozen yogurt. Last week I made steaks with balsamic vinegar sauce for Ericka and I and they were absolutely perfect. Seeing as I used to be a vegetarian for eleven years, I never understood the importance of a good quality piece of meat until now.

While at Whole Foods I picked up two thick rib-eye steaks that turned out to be unbelievably tender when cooked medium-rare. I cooked them in butter, rosemary and garlic, and when paired with the balsamic sauce the soft meat and mixture of flavors resulted in an all-over comfort food kind of meal. Just what I'm craving right now.

Sorry about the poor image quality, I only had my phone on me.

Steak with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Serves 2

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tsp. Grey Poupon mustard

2-3 Tbs. butter

1 rosemary sprig

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

2 thick rib-eye steaks

1 sprig of parsley

1. Mix the vinegar, sugar and mustard together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.

3. In a large saucepan heat the butter over medium heat, add the rosemary and garlic.

4. Once the garlic is soft, not brown, about 5 minutes, add the steaks.

5. Cook until the desired result is achieved, I recommend medium rare, which depending on the thickness of the steak, takes about 3-4 minutes per side.

6. Remove the steaks and place them on two plates, pour the balsamic vinegar mixture on top and garnish with the parsley.

7. Serve over a bed of mixed greens, with mashed potatoes or steamed string beans.