This dinner consists of a ribeye steak with a fennel dressing and a fennel salad.
Fennel is an amazing ingredient that you should definitely try cooking with! It consists of 3 main parts: the bulb, the stalk, and the leaves. The bulb has a texture similar to celery, but when cooked it turns very soft and has such a beautiful flavor, minimal seasoning is necessary (yes and that's coming from ME 😂). The stalks have a little bit of a tougher texture, to combat this I like to slice them VERY thin and use them as a garnish. Now the leaves, looking almost like dill, have a beautiful flavor and are incredible as a garnish, like any herb, or mixed in with sauces.
Now, this meal is a bit of a challenge because it requires making homemade aioli. You can always use store-bought mayo and mix it with the ingredients I include as a short cut, this will definitely reduce stress and time, but if you're like me and enjoy an unnecessary challenge and the taste of homemade aioli here are the best tips I can provide you from my mistakes and experiences. (I definitely recommend you try making homemade aioli just once to see what the hype is about, but if not my favorite mayo is Duke's olive oil mayo)
Aioli tips:
•Pour oil into a squeeze bottle if you have one. This will help with dropping LITERALLY one drop of oil at a time into the whisked egg yolk.
•Add salt and lemon juice BEFORE beginning the emulsion process. This will help break down the proteins and help create a smooth emulsion a little faster with less whisking needed.
•Wrap a damp towel around the base of your bowl so you do not have to hold it. This allows you to have two free hands, one for dropping in the oil and one for whisking.
• If your aioli starts to break (as in separate), add another egg yolk into the mixture and keep whisking until it comes back together and then proceed to adding the oil slowly.
• The more egg yolks you use, the more room for error you have. Meaning, using more eggs yolks allows you to not have to be as precise with using single drops of oil, but maybe a very slow stream of oil.
Substitutions:
if vegetarian: substitute steak for portobello mushroom. Grill for 3-4 minutes each side.
If no steak: substitute steak for pork and season with salt, pepper, and blackening seasoning and grill until fully cooked.
If in the mood for seafood: substitute steak for scallops, salmon, mahi-mahi, lobster, or shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, blackened seasoning or garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of sugar, and cayenne pepper.
I definitely recommend you make this for a dinner date. It is such a good meal, perfectly balanced with the lightness fo the fennel aioli and fennel salad and the fattiness of the steak. This will definitely impress your significant other or a friend or whoever you decide to enjoy it with! ENJOY!
Looks so good!