Spiritual Bliss with Steak

Last night was a cathartic reminder of how much better and simpler life is with steak. There's nothing more natural than man chowing down on a big slab of beef. All you vegetarians, let's be honest with each other: we are carnivorous animals and eating meat is what we are supposed to be doing. Granted, eating it is relatively unhealthy and expensive and millions of animals are mercilessly slaughtered every day. But for me, steak is a stabilizing, grounding force that balances the connection between the physical and spiritual. In addition to eating steak on a regular basis, one should also practice this related "grounding" exercise to achieve complete life balance.

Adequate preparation is the prerequisite for success. I began by slicing onions, tomatoes, red peppers, summer squash, and zucchini for mom's casserole. If you dislike these fine examples of nature's bounty, please stop reading now. In a slightly-greased saucepan, I layered the veggies and three kinds of cheese: aged Gruyere, Jarlsberg (Swiss works fine here), and Parmesan. In between layers, I sprinkled thyme, salt and pepper. This one sat in the oven on 350 degrees for thirty to forty five minutes.

The four gorgeous, proud fillets shown here are salted, peppered, and ready for grilling.

I grilled the steaks for three to four minutes on each side under high heat. Upon smelling that classic, irreplaceable, post-grilling smell of perfectly-cooked beef, I decided to whip up some sauteed mushrooms and onions to accompany it and the squash casserole. Fried up in balsamic vinegar, this makes for a perfect companion for any cut of beef. I briefly considered melting Gorgonzola cheese on top of the fillets, but an investigation of the refrigerator revealed the bitter truth. Here is the complete ensemble.


I really do recommend giving the casserole a try. It is easy to make, healthy, and something you can look forward to eating. Once again, the pictures really do tell the whole story.