Craving a quick red meat meal? Rib-eye steaks are front and center here, while pimento-stuffed green olives and white wine provide a salty, briny component. With just the two of us for dinner, only one steak was necessary, but it was big and thick—we even had some leftovers. We did not cut back on the other ingredients, and intentionally used more than a half cup of the olives.
Oh, an addition to the recipe was dry-aging our steak. Dry-aging, improves flavor and texture while making cuts easier to cook simply and beautifully. Tenderization occurs when enzymes naturally present in the meat act to break down some of the tougher muscle fibers and connective tissues. A well-aged steak should be noticeably more tender than a fresh steak.
As you are well aware, dry-aged meat at a restaurant or grocery store can cost twice as much as its younger counterparts, but you can do it at home, better—and for free. Exposing meat to cold, circulating air for an extended period of time gently dehydrates it, concentrating flavor and increasing the ratio of fat to muscle. It’s best to dry-age a steak on a rack, uncovered, overnight and up to several days.
Don’t slice the steaks until they have rested for 10 minutes. Resting not only permits the meat to finish cooking with residual heat, it gives the muscle fibers a chance to relax, thereby allowing the juices forced to the surface during cooking to redistribute throughout meat. This results in less moisture loss during slicing.
A little history behind this recipe: This is a riff on a dish from the new edition of “Spain: The Cookbook” written by Simone Ortega and first published in Spain in 1972. The 1,080-recipe tome has since become a bible of Spanish home cooking. We use pimento-stuffed green olives to add pops of bright color and flavor to the white wine pan sauce. Serve with warm, crusty bread to soak up any sauce left on the plate.
Steak with Olive White-Wine Pan Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 1-lb. boneless ribeye steaks, each about 1 inch thick, trimmed and patted dry
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 3 Tbsp. salted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces, divided
- 1 medium garlic clove, smashed and peeled
- ½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives, finely chopped, plus 1 Tbsp. olive brine
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
Directions
- Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. If possible, dry age the steak on a rack, uncovered, overnight and up to several days.
- In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking.Add the steaks, reduce to medium and cook until well browned on the bottoms, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Flip and cook for 3 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of butter and the garlic. Swirl the pan to distribute the butter and continue to cook until the second sides of the steaks are well browned, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
- While the steaks rest, remove and discard the garlic, then set the pan over medium-high. Add the olives and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the olive brine, vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then stir until melted. Remove from the heat, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
- After the steaks have rested, cut them on the diagonal into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a platter, pour over any accumulated juices and spoon on the sauce.
Adapted from a recipe for Milk Street
Accounting for Taste 
Yum! No need to say more.
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