Dad’s All Time Anniversary, Phenomenal (rated by me) Steak

by Ayana Alamgir

Ingredients (Makes 1 serving)

• 1 piece of New York strip, thinly sliced steak ribs (don’t cut it too thin)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Fresh rosemary (it’s optional, but take it from me, you’ll love it! )
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon of red cooking wine
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (if you like that tart / flavorful feeling, use it!)

Now, those are the ingredients. But what about marinade for the steak? With me, you ALWAYS need a marinade for everything.

Marinade

• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

As a kid, I’ve never favored steak. But now I do. Especially when it comes to my dad’s homemade anniversary steak. I know it isn’t MY anniversary, but that’s okay. Now that he always has kids, he has to make it for the whole family. As he marinates the steak I look at it, daydreaming about the exact moment I place it into my mouth feeling hope from the salt, tasting rosemary, salt, and basil.

Finally, it’s that moment of truth, the moment my whole body intenses. My dad carefully takes the bowl, unwraps the plastic wrap and then he washes his hands. “Dad, you’re killing me with the slow tactics,” I yell. He chuckles. The butter is slowly melting on the hot, cast iron pan. It starts bubbling and gets really hot, as hot as a crispy turkey that came out of the oven on a freezing day. Finally, he lays the big piece of steak, and it starts sizzling as the aroma of red cooking wine fills the room like love filling in on an anniversary, an anniversary between a family.