I like surprising my husband on Valentine’s Day with a special dinner. This year I am going to make Guinness Wagyu Sirloin Steaks. I serve it with a side of zucchini fritters topped with fresh marinara sauce. While the menu is fairly simple and uncomplicated, the flavors brought in by the coffee, molasses and stout are complex and complimentary of one another. The coffee tenderizes the beef without adding extra sodium, while the molasses and the stout blend into a rich caramelized syrup, both sweet, bitter and full bodied.
Photos by Lynn Donaldson.
Guinness Wagyu Sirloin Steaks – Serves 4
The sweet-tartness of the Guinness Stout marinade combined with the spices, coffee, and molasses, adds a sweet-hearty western flavor to these delicious cuts of steaks from Montana Wagyu Cattle Company.
Ingredients
1 cup Guinness Stout
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 TBSP molasses
1 TBSP garlic, mashed
1 TBSP orange marmalade
4 – 6 ounce Wagyu Sirloin Steaks
Olive oil for brushing
Spice Mix
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili NW Hatch
1/4 teaspoon Little Red Wagon Sumatra coffee, espresso grind
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
Combine the ingredients and spice mix in a bowl
Brush steaks lightly with olive oil, then add steaks to marinade
Place steaks and marinade into a large zip-lock bag
Marinade overnight
Preheat grill
Remove steaks from bag and pat dry. Reserve marinade. It is important to pat the steaks dry otherwise the marinade can drip down and give you a little more fire on the grill than you want
Grill to desired temperature, see Montana Wagyu cooking tips for more information
In a small pot, reduce marinade and serve on the side of steaks
Enjoy with a full body Rioja
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
1 lb. or 2 medium zucchinis
1 teaspoon salt
1 TBSP freshly grated lemon zest
10 springs of parsley, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
Fresh ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2-4 TBSP olive oil for frying
Directions
Grate zucchini into a medium bowl. Add salt, lemon zest, parsley, garlic, pepper and eggs. Mix to combine
Add flour, a little at a time, stirring to avoid lumps
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, and drop a tablespoon of zucchini mixture at a time, spacing a few inches apart
Cook fritters 2-3 minutes on one side, until golden. Lower heat to medium, turn fritters and continue to cook until golden
Transfer to a cookie sheet, set aside in a warm place until all done
Serve with marinara sauce on the side
Best Ever Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 35-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
2 basil springs
Directions
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and sauté over medium heat for at least 3 minutes. Do not brown
Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and crush with a wooden spoon
Salt and pepper to taste
Add sugar and basil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes
Remove basil springs and serve marinara in a separate bowl