Flat Iron Steak in a Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

I'm keeping this whole "cook something new" thing going as long as I possibly can. I know that if I fall back to my old ways, I'll probably end up cooking a different variation of chicken night after night. Don't get me wrong, I love chicken. There's nothing wrong with grilling a quick piece on a busy night, but I wouldn't necessarily post about it, unless of course there was an amazing secret ingredient.

With that said, It's time to make myself a new goal. Here it is: at least 3 times a week I will cook new, out-of-my-comfort-zone, blog-worthy meals! (And since prior to October, I was constantly cooking pasta, the sky is my limit!)

It's been a while since I've had a good piece of steak so I thought it would be the perfect meal to make tonight!

Flat Iron Steak in a Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

Recipe:
2 (6 ounce) flat iron steaks (My grocery store did not have flat iron (or skirt steak) so I picked up thinly sliced sirloin. I wouldn't advise doing this - the meat was too thin and cooked too way too fast to follow this recipe - but still delicious!)2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 1/4 cup sliced portobello mushrooms


1) Allow the steaks to come to room temperature.
2) Stir together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ground paprika, salt, mustard powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl to make a paste.
3) Prick steaks all over with a fork and rub them well with the spice rub paste, working the rub into the meat. (This rub is insanely delicious!!!!)
4) Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat oil until it just begins to smoke and quickly sear the steaks until the outside has browned but the center is still blood red and just warmed, 2-3 minutes per side.
5) Remove steaks from skillet with tongs. Pour the dry red wine into the skillet, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
6) Stir in sliced portobello mushrooms, and cook on high while stirring until mushrooms are fully cooked and have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.
7) Return steaks to the skillet on top of the mushroom-wine sauce. Reduce heat to LOW and cook until sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.
8) Remove steaks to serving platter and pour mushroom sauce over steaks to serve.



It's hard to make out the mushrooms in this picture, but that is because they are packed full of flavor! The rub for the steak is orange in color (because of the cayenne mixed with the black pepper and mustard.) Once combined with the red wine and the steaks, the mushrooms absorbed this color and the flavors of the entire pan.
I don't usually like spice rubs, but this rub was fragrant, spicy and savory. It would be delicious on almost any kind of meat - and probably taste even better if it was cooked on a grill!
Enjoy!