Grilled steak, with balsamic heirloom tomatoes

Grilled NY Steaks, with Balsamic Tomatoes and Peppers!

My husband has a very high stress job, as an Army Recruiter.  Nothing makes his day better than grilling, especially when the grill is full of some gorgeous, perfectly marbled steaks!  Yesterday, I knew the Hubbs was having a rough day, so I picked up some New York strips, and picked some of the beautiful heirloom veggies growing in our garden!  It took most of the afternoon, but I finally had the inspiration for this meal!

There are several tips to making an amazing steak.  The first one, I just learned the other day!  At least 4 hours prior to cooking, give the steaks a nice hefty salt and pepper dusting.  Wrap the steaks in 2 layers of paper towels, press with a heavy dish, and set in the fridge.  This makes the most flavorful, juicy steaks, with the most amazing crust!

The next step is equally important.  Take the steaks out of the fridge an hour before cooking.  A room temperature steak will ensure that you get an even cook through the whole steak, whatever temp you like. 

 Also, while I have this pic here, I am taking a second to point out how beautiful the color and marbling are on these steaks.  Pulling out the moisture from the outside of the steaks with the salt and paper towels gives you this color!  Totally worth it!

While the steaks are coming up to room temp, I am taking another second to brag about my garden babies!  I am known  to have a well documented black thumb, and this year, I have actually created food!  Go Me!  The coolest part was that I grew the bell peppers in the same pot as Jalapenos, and somehow, the bell pepper took on a hint of jalapeno spice!  So cool!  Okay, now back to business!

I chopped the "garden babies", with some additional grape tomatoes, in varying sizes and shapes, to enhance the impact of the beautiful heirloom veggies.  

Drizzle the whole bowl, with about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of good quality olive oil, salt and pepper, and set aside.

This is where my handsome soldier comes in!  He gets the charcoal and mesquite wood burning about 20 minutes before cooking, until the coals are all flameless and covered in a white ash.  The steaks go on for about 6 minutes on each side, until cooked to the heat you like.  We like a high heat grill to sear the outside, and get a pink medium rare on the inside.  

The third MOST important trick, is to let those steaks rest for at least 15 minutes after cooking!  This allows the juices to calm down, and seep back into the meat it'self, so when you cut in, the juices should stay put!  

We served last night's steaks with some grilled zucchini spears.  My portion of the steak (4-5 oz. after shared with my son) is placed on the spears, then topped with the heirloom salad, and drizzled with the balsamic and tomato juices!  I cannot even explain how good the acid of the balsamic vinegar is with the rich meat!  You have to try it yourself!