Gayadas de Caliman13: Bifé de chorizo marinado. Receta del 1000 AD.

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A Venetian Bath of Wine and Spice
By MARK BITTMAN
Published: January 27, 2009

Evan Sung for The New York Times
Marinated steak.

THIS is a column about luck, not skill or at least not mine. Having become enamored of Peasant, on Elizabeth Street, I discovered that the chef, Frank DeCarlo, also ran the newer Bacaro. (Bacaro is the name given to a Venetian bar serving what are called cicchetti but are better known elsewhere as tapas or small plates, or snacks.)

The first time I ate at Bacaro I was struck even dumbstruck by one particular dish. It's a marinated rib-eye, and part of the luck came in ordering it in the first place, since I'm not big on marinating meat that tastes fine just by itself. This, however, was clearly an ancient recipe you could taste the sweet spices and the rich red wine immediately and an unusual one.

The next time I saw Frank I asked him about it, and he agreed to share the recipe. Turns out it is indeed an ancient Northern Italian preparation, originally created for horsemeat. To improve the flavor of the meat, this powerful marinade relied on rich local wine (typically, says Frank, Amarone, but you can use something cheaper, as long as it's full-bodied), along with aromatic spices.

It's dead easy. Start with a relatively thin rib-eye. Marinate for one to three days. (We tried one of these steaks after a 30-minute marinade; it was good, but different. Try longer first.)

The cooking should be quick and hot, in a heavy pan, for just about two minutes per side; you might generate a bit of smoke but the cooking time is short enough that it will be tolerable.

Which makes us even luckier, given that indoor steak-grilling season is here for real.

Related
Really Old-Fashioned Marinated Rib-Eye

Bifé de Chorizo

Published: January 28, 2009
By MARK BITTMAN
Adapted from Frank DeCarlo

Time: Marinade: 3 days; Cook: 10 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings.

1/2 bottle rich, full-bodied red wine, preferably Amarone
2 tablespoons sugar
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 8- to 12-ounce rib-eye steaks, about 1/2-inch thick
Salt and pepper.

Combine wine and sugar in a large pot and bring to boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange zest, and remove pan from heat to cool.
Put steaks in a large baking dish and pour marinade over them. Marinate steaks in refrigerator for at least several hours and up to three days.
Take steaks out of the marinade, season with salt and pepper, and cook them in a very hot skillet, about 2 minutes each side for medium rare. (You can grill or broil them if you prefer.) Slice the meat about 1/4-inch thick and serve.

Bitten