I Tried Stanley Tucci’s “Delicious” Steak Oreganato
Every so often I crave a nice steak dinner. Over the years, cooking steak for myself at home has gone from an absolutely disastrous experience to a somewhat controlled one as I’ve picked up a trick here and there throughout my journey. Up until recently, I hadn’t experimented too much with steak recipes, as I have an unreasonable fear of messing them up. But now, with a little extra confidence from a heavy year of cooking at home, I have been itching to tackle my fears once and for all.
After a bit of research, I discovered that one of my favorite actors and fellow food connoisseurs, Stanley Tucci, has the perfect Steak Oreganato recipe for me to try out. The Searching for Italy star has a lifelong love of food that translates wonderfully through his storytelling. And if you follow Tucci on social media, then you know just what a gem of an experience learning a recipe from him can be. I was excited to give his Steak Oreganato a try.
Get the recipe: Stanley Tucci’s Steak Oreganato
How to Make Stanley Tucci’s Steak Oreganato
For starters, if your steak is more than 1/2-inch thick, use either a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten it to 1/2-inch. When ready, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and warm up some butter and olive oil inside of it. Once the butter is foaming, add the steak to the pan and fry until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn the steak over and season with salt and pepper, cooking for another 3 minutes or until the second side is browned. Turn off the heat and transfer to a warm plate and set aside.
Using the same sauté pan, add minced garlic, red wine, and butter, scraping up any bits that have been left behind on the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat back on and sweeten the wine by letting it simmer for about 1 minute. Toss the steak back inside the pan for a couple more minutes, adding fresh oregano while it finishes cooking. When ready, remove the steak from the heat and cut it into equal portions. Use any leftover red wine sauce to pour over the steak and serve immediately.
My Honest Opinion of Stanley Tucci’s Steak Oreganato
I’m a big fan of simple, and this recipe hit the mark perfectly in that category. I recommend that anyone looking for ways to improve their steak cooking skills give Tucci’s recipe a try. It uses natural flavors, doesn’t go overboard in any way, and ultimately creates one of the finer cooked steaks you’ll likely ever make at home if done correctly. I thoroughly enjoyed the addition of red wine to the recipe and loved the hint of sweet that it added to the overall flavor profile.
Tucci’s instructions are straightforward and insightful, which is all one can really ask for from a good teacher. Plus, if I could hear his voice narrating every recipe in my head, then I would be one happy home cook. Definitely try this delicious recipe out for yourself or the next time you are entertaining guests and sharing a nice bottle of wine together.
3 Tips for Making Stanley Tucci’s Steak Oreganato
Use a meat tenderizer. Tucci tenderizes his cut of rib-eye steak by beating it with a meat mallet beforehand. He recommends using either the meat mallet or a rolling pin for this method. Since I did not have a meat mallet on hand, I opted for the rolling pin and was not able to get my steak as thin as the cut in Tucci’s video.
Test the pan before searing. A properly heated pan is the first key to a nicely seared steak. A good way to tell if your pan is hot enough and ready to cook is by pouring a few drops of water onto its surface. If the water instantly sizzles up and dances across the surface, you’re ready to go.
Choosing the right red wine. Two of the best wines for cooking steak are Syrah/Shiraz and a nice Zinfandel. If either of those options are not handy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot are all pleasant alternatives to cook with.
