We just got back from a long day in the car..we started going to yard sales at 8 o’clock this morning for a few hours & proceeded to drive down to NH to meet some family for dinner. Usually our little guy HATES his car seat, so the idea of that many hours in the car with a very upset baby was horrifying…however, Unusually, he was a wonderful & happy baby in his seat all day, like he is when we’re at home! It was amazing, and made for a very wonderful Saturday! We’re home now relaxing, and as I’m writing this, I’m watching and listening to my little man laugh and laugh and play on his play mat. His laugh is the greatest sound on earth to me <3 I have to note, it had been a rough couple of days, he has started teething & it makes him absolutely miserable..poor guy, it’s heartbreaking.
Anyways, last night he had a rough day, so time to cook dinner was absolutely limited. I’ve had a huge bag of tomatoes in my fridge that desperately needed to be used, so I had started making bruschetta as an appetizer, & realizing I’d have no time to make an additional course turned plain old bruschetta into a meal. (This recipe could definitely still be used as an app, if you don’t eat six of them like I did! :O) As well as needing to use those tomatoes, I had some steak tips that had been marinating for a few days that also needed to be cooked asap! I had no idea what I wanted to do with those but I knew they were about to be cooked somehow…behold Steak & Cheese Bruschetta! Super easy & super delicious!
First I made the bruschetta so I could let all the flavors marinate together in the fridge while I prepared everything else. I diced up about six tomatoes, threw them in a bowl and drained the juice. Chop up about 1/2 cup of fresh basil and 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes. Throw in 1 Tbsp. minced Garlic, (or more if you’re a garlic lover like me!) 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, about a tbsp. olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix it all together & throw it in the fridge while you get everything else going!
Next I took my steak tips, which had been in a large zip-lock bag marinating in 1/4 c. Worcestershire, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. minced garlic, 1/4-1/2 c. brown sugar, a tsp of cracked salt and pepper, and a good shake or two of Montreal Steak Seasoning. (The amount of Worcestershire depends on the amount of steak tips you have. Basically you just want enough to coat the steak to soak in.) Seal the bag, mix it all up and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. Usually with this marinade I would grill these up, and they’re delicious!! Try it sometime! But this particular day we didn’t really have time to start-up the grill so I used them up! So, grab a mallet and flatten out the steak tips. Set the flattened out tips in a skillet with oil in it and set aside.
Pull out a loaf of french bread, I used Multigrain, or whatever bread you have on hand. Cut in about 1/4 inch slices and spread out on a pan. Brush each slice with olive oil.
Next grate your fresh cheese. I have to say I used to loooove the pre-grated, bottled Kraft Parmesan, (why?) now I’m such a cheese snob, I couldn’t even imagine touching the stuff! I recently purchased the most amazing cheese grater, I highly recommend anyone who grates a ton of cheese, as I do, have this miracle worker of a tool: Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater. It works SO fast and SO smooth! (Below is a picture of the grater!) Anyways, I used a block of Italian Pecorino/Romano cheese, and just grated enough to cover each slice of bread. This really kicked up the bruschetta, added a delicious salt & flavor to the final product, although I could have just mowed down on the yummy cheesy bread! 🙂
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Now, everything is prepared! Turn on your broiler, the steak and the bread take about the same amount of time. Once your oven is heated toss in the cheesy bread. At this same time your stove should be heated to med-high. Your steak tips will take about 1 1/2- 2 minutes on each side. The bread is ready when you see the yummy bubbling cheese and golden brown crusts, between 4-6 minutes.
Pull the bread out and pull off the pan onto a platter. Top the bread with the yummy, steaming steak tips!
Pull your bruschetta from the fridge, give it one more quick toss & top your steak and cheese bites with as much as you’d love! It’s a delicious mess as you bite into it and the tomatoes fall all over you plate, but my oh my soooo good!
This was such a random combination based on what I had on hand, what food HAD to be used that day, and my time restraints due to my sadly fussy, teething baby. But I was so happy with the result! I ate six of them! Whoops! 😉 I hope if you try these you enjoy them as much as I did! Always let me know what you think! I love the advice!
Enjoy & Have a fabulous Sunday!
Steak Tips:
- 1/4 c. Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/4-1/2 c. brown sugar
- tsp of cracked salt and pepper
- A good shake or two of Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Bruschetta:
- 6 tomatoes diced
- 1/2 cup of fresh basil chopped
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 Tbsp. minced Garlic, (or more if you’re a garlic lover like me!)
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste.
The Bread:
- I used Multigrain French bread but feel free to use what you have on hand
- Olive oil, enough to spread on the slices.
- Freshly grated Italian Pecorino/Romano Cheese
- Throw your steak tips, Worcestershire, olive oil, minced garlic, brown sugar, salt & pepper, and Montreal steak seasoning into a large Ziplock bag. Shake it up & marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Preheat your oven to broil and stove on med-high,
- Dice and drain the tomatoes, add the basil, sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Mix together and store in the fridge until everything else is ready.
- Pull your marinating steak tips from the fridge, and use a mallet to flatten them
- Slice the bread in 1/4 inch slices, lay them out on an oven pan, coat each with olive oil. Grate your cheese.
- Sprinkle on the cheese. I used about a tablespoon on each slice. I LOVE a lot of cheese!
- Cook the steak in a skillet with heated olive oil for about 1 1/2-2 minutes on each side while simultaneously Broiling the cheese bread in the oven for about 4-6 minutes.
- Pull the bread from the oven and top it with the cooked steak tips.
- Spoon on your bruschetta mix and Enjoy!!