Sous Vide RibEye, Broccoli Raab (Rapini) and Cauliflower purée

Are you ready to level up your cooking game?  THIS dish will not disappoint because it boasts the right ingredients and the flavor profile is AMAZING!!!

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I love to sous vide, just about everything.  Honestly, it is a fool proof way to cook and it frees you to concentrate on other components of the meal.  Because you control EVERYTHING via the app, you can LEAVE YOUR HOME, and your food will still cook and I PROMISE, it will not be over or undercooked.  Okay, I will step off my sous vide soapbox….for now.  Let’s talk about all of the sexiness that’s going on, on this plate.  I mean, the ribeye and the broccoli raab were prepared sous vide, however you can still enjoy this deliciousness by searing that steak in a cast iron pan and sauté the broccoli raab.  I steamed the cauliflower, which is a great substitute for potatoes.  Trust me.  It is one of the easiest things that you can create and it works with other vegetables as well.  I’ve used sweet potatoes and peas and they have elevated my dishes.  If you are having a dinner party or just want a quick and easy side, this is surely a go-to.  I’ve always been a true fan of raw cauliflower and it was even better if it was dunked into an unhealthy amount of ranch dressing.  It was always a guest on the vegetable platter, along with carrots, broccoli and celery.  Although it wasn’t my first choice, I later found out that the cauliflower had more to offer on the culinary scene.  I was asked to present some healthy options to a women’s group at my church and I immediately started to experiment with cauliflower.  At that time, I mashed the cauliflower, leaving a little texture to hopefully convince these ladies that they can ditch potatoes for a while.  They were receptive in front of my face, but out of my presence, they probably returned to potatoes.  I really couldn’t blame them because I loved and still love potatoes, and I know for some people, the whole mashed cauliflower thing didn’t work for them texturally.  So, what to do, what to do?  How about a puree as a stand-in, but I was certain that some would think that it resembled baby food.  The texture truly is amazing.  It lays on the palate ever so lightly, leaving a trail of buttery goodness on the tongue.  Have I convinced you to try it yet?  Look at how beautiful it is!!!!!  All you have to do is chop the cauliflower in small, uniformed pieces.

Add the cauliflower into a small saucepan, along with a small amount of water, butter and salt.  Begin heating at a high temperature to start that steam, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a nice medium and continue steaming until that cauliflower is fork tender.  Be sure to check it so your cauliflower does not scorch.  I mean, don’t stare at the pot, but check on it from time to time.  Once its done, place it in a blender and blend until smooth.  TASTE IT, and adjust seasonings if necessary.  You can even add a little juice from a lemon, NOT lemon juice from the bottle, for good measure and a good damn kick of flavor.  The lemon seems to add a cheery brightness to the cauliflower.  If you don’t like lemon, don’t add it.

You’re probably thinking, Dori, I get the cauliflower…sort of, and now you want me to eat broccoli as well?  Actually a lot of the vegetables we should enjoy have gotten a bit of a bad introduction to us, when we were children.  They were probably not served to us and became foreign which is why we are reluctant to try it, or they were prepared poorly and once you’ve had something that you’ve deemed terrible, it’s highly unlikely that you will try it again.  Unless your doctor instructs you to indulge in more vegetables.  Well, if you meet any of the aforementioned notions, let me give a brief history on broccoli raab or rapini.  It is a cruciferous vegetable that is part of mustard plants.  It should not be confused with broccolini, although that could work in this recipe if you have trouble locating rapini.  The buds on top resemble broccoli and that’s the only similarity it has.  It is full of vitamins and cancer-fighting compounds!  It can have a bitterness to it, but that’s why we season our food.  This vegetable needs salt and garlic with a little butter.  If you’re not a fan of butter, omit it and use olive oil.  I use olive oil in this recipe.  Once again, if you can’t sous vide, you can easily sauté these wonderful greens. Start by trimming the rapini and remove the woody stems.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat.  Add a swirl or two of olive oil, depending on how much rapini you are using. Move the rapini around and season with kosher salt and black pepper.  If you want a different flavor profile, you can use complete seasoning without MSG.  You can typically find it in your local grocery store and online.  Add a splash of low sodium chicken stock and some freshly minced garlic.  Please don’t use the garlic from the jar.  It has an unpleasant taste to me, and fresher is better….TRUST ME.  Cook until the rapini is tender and TASTE them.  If you need to adjust your seasonings, do so at this point. You can choose to add about 1 tablespoon of butter for good measure.

Ribeye.  What more can I say, other than this particular cut of beef is a go-to for me.  There are plenty of other beef cuts available.   The ribeye is what’s called a subprimal or fabricated cut, that comes from the rib, which is a primal cut.  Another common name is Delmonico Steak.  Delmonico is a boneless ribeye that is pounded flat. The preferred cooking methods for this cut is grilling or sautéing.  For this particular recipe, I made a little herb butter.  To make herb butter, I typically use one stick, softened, and add freshly chopped parsley, chopped dill and thyme, the zest of a lemon, fresh garlic, kosher salt and black pepper.  You can add blue cheese, chives, lobster or crayfish, roasted red peppers, or pesto.  The possibilities are truly endless as well as the applications for them.

Go ahead, and give this recipe a try.  It really won’t disappoint.

*Recipe adapted from those wonderful people at ChefSteps.  They are my best friends, in my mind.