Steak Tips and a New Wine

While Noel and I were shopping for groceries I saw streak tips that had not all been cut up, so I asked the for a large uncut strip. There were not marinaded so I had to come up with my own. All week I asked my foodie friends for advice. I finally found one online that made my mouth water. It came from the website easysteakmarinades.net, it used A1, Worcestershire, soy sauce and red wine (I did not use the same wine that I drank with the meal. I didn't want to open the wine the day before so I used a wine that I knew I could show the next day at work.)  How could I not use this recipe? It uses everything I like except bacon.

The marinade was fun and easy to make, I made it the night before just so it would be easy to use in the morning. I put the steak in around 1pm so that it would marinate more than five hours. I flipped the steak at 430 so all the steak would get the chance to be in full contact with the marinade. At 7 I finally started dinner. First cooked some biscuits***note to self when you turn the broiler on and the biscuits are in the oven watch the biscuits or THEY WILL BURN!! Five minutes into the biscuits cooking I started the steak in the broiler at five minutes a side (this came out medium rare, I could have cooked more like six to seven minutes a side). After  the first flip I started some brussel sprouts and shallots. The meal came out well. The marinade was good, Noel and I agree more A1 and Worcestershire next time. But there will be a next time. Fun, easy and made me feel like Chef Dan.

The wine was one that I have never had before. Its a Uruguayan Tannat by De Lucca. What and what? First a wine from Uruguay, who would have thought. Wine is made all over the world, many years ago people thought New Zealand was a bizarre, shit some people still think Chile and Argentina are bizarre. But Uruguay is slowly becoming the next to the next to the next big place for wine. Second what the f*@k is Tannat?? Originally a grape from Southwest France in Madiran AOC, where the wines must be at least 40% - 60% of the grape. The Tannat grape has become the "National" grape of Uruguay. The grape is different, in the nicest way possible, I like different!! Its got a lot of the green fruit that I look for in Cabernet Franc and Carmenere. Its very tangy earthy with lots of dark fruits and has a similar body to Cabernet Franc. Tannat wines are very high in polyphenols, this are the chemicals that are great for the heart!! I would like to in the future try a French tannat, and will most likely buy the next Uruguayan one that I find.