Summer Beef Toast

This post is sponsored by Georgia Beef Board to celebrate Georgia Beef Month.

The Summer season is quickly approaching, so I wanted to prepare you for Summer hosting by giving you an easy recipe that will have your guest thinking they’re at a restaurant. In partnership with Georgia Beef Board, today I’m sharing my simple Summer Beef Toast recipe to celebrate Georgia Beef Month this May. Toast is all the rage right now, so I wanted to give you a recipe that not only is delicious, but is current with today’s food trends. (No need for you to be left behind.) My Summer Beef Toast is a great way to include beef on your menu in a way that’s not too heavy or overbearing for the warm weather. The fresh herb sauce is inspired by my husband Harvey, who believes the world is a better place because you can make a sauce for anything. This time I kept him in mind, and created a simple herb sauce that is built out of parsley, garlic, and olive oil. The light veggies accompanied by the sauce, steak, feta, and ciabatta creates an attractive flavor that will make it hard to keep your guests from devouring it.

When purchasing beef it’s important to me to know that it has been raised safely and humanely. With all of the misinformation out there it’s easy to get confused about the facts. Since I’ve started working with the Georgia Beef Board preparing for Georgia Beef Month I have learned a lot about beef cattle production in our state. Whether you chose to by organic, grain-finished, no antibiotic or any of the other labels, you can be assured that a cattle farmer or rancher’s number one concern is animal care. Beef producers use a program called Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) as a set of standards for raising their cattle. This set of guidelines contains training and information on nutrition, low-stress management techniques, treatment and more. In Georgia there are 15,000 beef cattle producers raising over one million head of cattle a year and they are committed to raising safe, wholesome, nutritious and delicious beef for our families!

If you’re like me and live in Atlanta, I’m sure we’ve heard similar things on the news or read the same Facebook articles. We’ve heard some crazy things about antibiotics in our food so we tend to want to stay away from beef that doesn’t say “antibiotic free.” But, I’ve recently gained a new peace of mind about that. I’ve learned that beef producers use antibiotics for the same reason we treat our children with antibiotics- they are sick and it is the best treatment to make them well again. These practices are overseen by veterinarians  and then cattle receiving antibiotics must enter into a withdrawal period before they go into the food system. If that wasn’t assurance enough, the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) overseas processing and inspection of each and every animal that is being processed. They test each carcass that comes through and if there is any antibiotic residue the animal will not enter the food supply. Learning that USDA oversees all parts of processing, packaging and shipping gives me so much assurance that I’m giving my family a safe product.

Since I have a Farmer’s Market nearby, I have an opportunity each week to purchase beef from a local producer. This also gives a great chance to ask questions about how cattle are raised on their farm and I encourage you that if you have the same opportunity to take advantage by asking your questions and getting to know the people that are raising your food. When I told them that I was making this dish for your Summer entertaining, they gave me the perfect cuts of sirloin. If you would like to do more research on your own, you can check out Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.

Now, let’s discuss the 3 signature pieces to this recipe that will give the dish all of its flavor:

The Herb Sauce

This sauce is meant to pull everything together in the dish. Because of this, you want to make a couple large batches. I typically make about 2 cups of sauce off of two handfuls of parsley. You will be adding this to the tomatoes, the ciabatta, and the steak, so make sure that you taste test before you pour it on everything.

 The Steak

When cooking your steak, you want to start off with a hot skillet and olive oil. Make sure to season your sirloin with salt and pepper and press it into the steak with the palm of your hands. Lay the steak in the skillet away from you to avoid being splattered by the oil. If you hear a sizzle, you are doing it correctly. After about two minutes, flip your steak and add butter, fresh thyme, and some of the herb sauce that we made.

The Bread

I know that I usually give you the discretion to choose your own recipe alternatives, but this time I have to insist that you use ciabatta bread. If you can’t get ciabatta for some reason, my second choice is sourdough bread.

If you get these three components right, then you are sure to have a winning dish when you pair it with the arugula, tomatoes, and feta cheese! I like to make 4 large Summer Beef Toasts, and cut them into smaller pieces for my guest to easily pull from. Display on a beautiful platter or cutting board and just allow your guest to grab as they please. (If they don’t grab it all at once lol).

If you decide to make this recipe, please post about it and use the hashtag #BeefOnGeorgiasMind. Also if you like this recipe, then you may enjoy my Reuben Stuffed Hasselback Potatoes.