The Beef is Here

Steak and Veggies yellow bkgd-c.tif

Photo by Laura Owen

Posted Wednesday, May 15, 2024 8:00 pm

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By Laura Owen

Keeping things local, we have been talking about produce and stone crab. But did you know Florida raises a lot of cattle? According to the Florida Beef Council, there are more than 886 thousand head of cattle and 15,000 beef producers throughout Florida. Currently, Florida ranks 13th in overall cattle numbers nationwide. The three top-ranking counties for cattle are Okeechobee, Highlands, and Osceola counties. Cash receipts from cattle and calf sales totaled over $546 Million. Now that’s a lotta bull!

I visited Circle C Farm in Felda, FL (www.circlecfarmfl.com). It is an impressive operation about 70 miles northeast of Marco Island in Florida’s agricultural heartland. Circle C is a first-generation farm that is the first and only farm in the State of Florida to have an on-farm USDA Federally Inspected and Custom Inspected Abattoir (Slaughterhouse) and Butcher Shop. Circle C offers 100% sustainably pasture grass-fed, grass-finished free range, non-GMO, healthy, natural and nutritious beef, lamb, broiler chickens, turkey, pork, duck, eggs and honey close to home. They ship directly to you from the farm and have two farm stores, the closest in Bonita Springs. A great stop if you are headed to Ft Myers for a day trip.

When looking for a quick and impressive dinner for two, one of my favorite go-to’s is an eight-minute ribeye. Start out with a nice steak, at least an inch thick. Do not cut corners here, get the best ribeye you can find. The pan is important, too. Cast iron is not the best choice here; I use a non-stick Calphalon sauté pan for this. The last critical need for this recipe is a timer. Use the timer on the stove or on your phone - do not try to guesstimate the timing.

Here is the process: Season that beautiful steak with salt and pepper. Let the steak sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. When ready to cook, place the seasoned steak in a COLD pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and start a two-minute timer. After two minutes, turn the steak over. It's going to look tan or gray, not very attractive but that's okay, trust the process. Cook the steak for two more minutes (using your timer) and flip again. Cook on each side four times, two minutes each. After eight minutes, you should have a nice, medium to medium rare steak. Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest under a loose foil tent for five minutes.

Once the steak has rested, it can be sliced and served over a warm salad of grilled vegetables or alongside some sautéed asparagus and baby new potatoes. Easy and delicious! Bon Appetit!

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