grilled sirloin with golden delicious apple sauce

controfiletto con salsa di mele e cipolle fritte

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes plus marinating

MAKES: 4 servings

Of course, you don't have to make the onions rings that are included in this recipe, but then you would be missing out.

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Ingredients

STEAKS

4 (3/4-pound) boneless sirloin steaks (1 inch thick)
4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 leafy sprigs fresh rosemary
4 leafy sprigs fresh thyme
5 cups baby lettuces
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

ONION RINGS

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, then separated into rings
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine corn flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
About 4 cups vegetable oil for frying

GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLE SAUCE

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 leafy sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 dried red chile pepper
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: a deep-fat thermometer

Instructions

FOR STEAKS: Place steaks in a baking dish; rub on all sides with 2 tablespoons oil, rosemary and thyme. Marinate, chilled, for 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare onion rings.

FOR ONION RINGS: Pour buttermilk into large bowl. Add onion rings; stir to coat. Let stand 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In
a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt and pepper; set aside flour mixture. While onion rings soak,
make apple sauce.

FOR SAUCE: In a medium skillet, combine oil, butter, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and chile pepper; heat over medium-high heat until butter is melted, then add apple. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine and salt; cook 1 minute more. Remove skillet from heat. Remove and discard thyme, bay leaf and chile pepper. Transfer apple mixture to the bowl of a food processor and pulse, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed, until sauce is smooth yet textured. Transfer sauce to a serving bowl.

Prepare a charcoal grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas). Heat oven
to 225º with rack in middle (for keeping onion rings warm). Remove marinated steak from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until grill is heated. Grill steaks to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest while you fry onion rings.

Pour enough oil into heavy large pot to reach depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°. In batches of 8, let excess buttermilk drip off from onion rings, then dredge in flour mixture to coat. Fry onion rings until deep golden brown, adjusting heat as necessary for each batch to maintain temperature at 350°, about 2 minutes per batch (return oil to 350º between batches). Transfer onion rings to paper towels to drain, then place on baking sheet and keep warm in oven while frying remaining onion rings.

Toss lettuces with remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, vinegar and generous pinch salt and pepper. Serve steaks with lettuces, applesauce and onion rings.

August 2011