Grass-Fed Ribeye with Bone Marrow Mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano

Red meat gets a bad rap.  There are a lot of studies out there that say eating red meat is not good for your health.  Yet, if you make certain choices, you can actually enjoy a steak that can also be healthy.  For example, as I have mentioned in a previous post, I always try to buy grass fed beef, because it has more Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for a healthy diet.  One can add to the health benefits of eating red meat with the ingredients used in the dish.  For example, from what I have read, beef bone marrow is high in protein and monounsaturated fats, which are supposed to lower your LDL cholesterol levels. 

Previously, I tried my hand at cooking beef bone marrow as part of my Iron Chef challenge.  It was my first effort at roasting the bones, extracting the marrow and then using it as an ingredient in three different dishes.  Although I think I did okay for a beginner, I have always wanted to use this ingredient in different ways, seeing what I could do to impart the flavor of the marrow to other ingredients. 

For this dish, I decided to use bone marrow in making a topping for a grass-fed ribeye.  I first roasted the marrow in the traditional way.  After removing the marrow from the bone, I used it in place of oil or butter to saute oyster and shiitake mushrooms with various herbs and spices.  Generally, if you overcook marrow, it reduces to a liquid; however, that is exactly what I wanted for this recipe.  The bone marrow would become the liquid in which I would cook the mushrooms, which would soak up the liquified bone marrow as they cook.  When the mushrooms were done, and the ribeye was almost done, I topped the ribeye with the mushrooms and a good amount of Parmigiano Reggiano.   I finish the ribeye off under the broiler, allowing the cheese to melt into the mushrooms and begin to brown.  The end result is a very decadent, but somewhat "healthy," topping for the ribeye. 

GRASS-FED RIBEYE WITH BONE MARROW MUSHROOMS

AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

6 marrow bones

1 pound of grass-fed ribeye

3.5 ounces of oyster mushrooms

8 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

4 cloves of garlic, diced

2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped finely

2 tablespoons of fresh sage, chopped finely

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon of mixed peppercorns, cracked

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1.  Roast the marrow bones.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook the marrow bones for 30 minutes.  Remove the bones from the oven and remove the marrow from the bones into a bowl.

2.  Begin to cook the ribeye.  Start the broiler.  Salt and pepper the ribeye to taste.  Place the ribeye into the broiler and cook for about eight each side.

3.  Saute the mushrooms.  Add the bone marrow to a pan on high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about two minutes.  Add the mushrooms, rosemary, sage, thyme, cracked peppercorns and crushed red pepper.  Cook for about ten minutes.

4.  Add the mushrooms of the ribeye steak.  After flipping the ribeye and about five minutes into the cooking of the second side of the ribeye, add the mushrooms and top with the Parmigiano Reggiano.  Return to the broiler to cook for three minutes and perhaps more until the cheese begins to melt and brown.  When that starts to happen, remove the steak.  Let rest for a few minutes and then serve.

My mouth is continuing to drool as I finish this blog post and I wished that I had more of both the mushrooms and cheese (as well as the ribeye).  Although I am still learning how to use this ingredient, I really love cooking with bone marrow.  Not only will I make this dish again, but I will also think of new ways to use bone marrow in other recipes.

ENJOY!