Tri-Tip with Tomato Romesco

May 21 - out late shooting a video with the Canadian Pie Co & Acts of Sweetness
May 22 - dinner out a Guu for my birthday courtesy of Carole & Shack
May 23 - Meatless Monday Pizza with garlic, caramelized fennel, shaved asparaus &  parmigiano with a side of sauteed fiddleheads
May 24 - trip-tip with romesco, roasted asparagus and mache salad

Yay! Finally, a full day without rain, I think Tuesday was the first one we've had since I've been home from my travels.  I made the most of it.  I walked, yes that's right walked, to a Zumba class and then did all kinds of errands on my walk back home.  It felt so good to be outside in the sunshine, getting some good exercise and being productive too.  One of my errands on my trek home was to pick up some poo bags (probably not appropriate chatter for a food blog, but I'm doing it anyway) for the pups at our local dog supply shop, while there I couldn't help but pick up some marrow bones for my loves.  First, because they love them but second, because I knew I want to get some planting done and if they (specifically Stella, our puggle) were occupied with bones I could plant in peace.
I gave the pups their treats, put my groceries away and set out to planting.  I weeded and planted the rest of the flowers we bought along with some Romano Beans in one of our planters.  I also washed and prepped the last ramps of the season to pickle and making into kimchi and pesto.  The dogs were happily occupied this whole time, which was great.  At this point I was ready for lunch and while I was getting it ready, I looked outside to see Stella digging in the bed I worked on over the weekend and digging up my flowers.  I ran outside and as I was about to yell at her I saw her bone all dirty in the hole, she had wanted to bury it.  Yes, my little puggle is so much more beagle than pug.  In the last six months or so she has become a hoarder, burying and hiding whatever bones or toys are most important to her.  My plants were fine so I didn't yell, but moved the bone to an area in the yard that she could bury it.  All would have been great until our golden retriever walked into the backyard and saw where she was burying it, which is so not ok to Miss Stella. I proceeded to spend the better part of an hour making sure she didn't destroy my beds or worse bring the bone upstairs to bury it in laundry.  It was eventful to say the least.

I recognize that this story has little to do with the recipe I'm sharing, except for the fact that it was super simple, super fast dinner, so you can spend your afternoon chasing around a puppy or kids or working or whatever it is that keeps you busy and easily get dinner on the table in under an hour.  I adapted the original recipe, which cooked the steak on the stovetop and in the oven, to be done entirely on the grill.  Great for those days when you don't want to turn on the oven or slave in front of the stove.  Click through to the original recipe as the times are slightly different. I paired this steak with some asparagus that I threw on the grill while the steak was resting and a simple mache salad, it was the perfect meal for the first really great day we've had this season.

Tri-Tip with Tomato Romesco
adapted from the New York Times

1 1.5 lbs tri-tip steak or another 2" steak
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsps raw almonds
3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
1 jalapeno - seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp pimenton or chilli powder, optional

1.  Heat your grill over high heat, so it hovers between 450F and 500F with the lid closed.  Pull your steak from the fridge and coat liberally with sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper.
2.  Place a cast iron pan on the grill, close the lid until the pan heats (NOTE: be very careful with the pan moving forward as it will be crazy hot).  Open the grill top and place the steak on 1 half of the pan and the tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno & almonds on the other.
3. Cook the steak for approx 10 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms on the first side.  Occasionally toss the tomato mixture.
4. When a crust forms carefully remove the tomato mixture to a bowl, flip the steak and close the grill top.  Make sure it heats back up to around 500F.  Cook the steak for 6 to 12 minutes longer until it comes to an internal temperature of 125F for medium rare.
5.  Remove steak from the pan and let rest. Transfer the tomato mixture to a food processor, pulse to combine and then add in the olive oil, vinegar and chili and pulse more to create a slightly chunky sauce.
6.  Slice the steak against the grain and serve with tomato romesco.