Sauteed Steaks w/Red Wine and Peppers.

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
4 top chuck steaks (about 2 pounds in all), pounded to 1/2-inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3/4 cup red wine


Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium frying pan over moderately low heat. Stir in the onion, oregano, garlic, and bell peppers. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Season the steaks with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Put the steaks in the hot pan and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until done to medium rare, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove.

Add the bell-pepper mixture, the wine, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper to the large frying pan. Boil until the wine is completely absorbed, about 5 minutes. Serve the steak topped with the vegetables.

Pounding Meat:
Pounding tenderizes meat and also makes it thinner so it will cook more quickly. Cover the meat with a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper and then flatten the steak with a traditional meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy frying pan. Or, ask your butcher to pound the meat for you.

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Chuck steaks have a full beefy flavor and stay remarkably tender when cooked to a rosy medium rare. If you like steaks well done, though, choose a different cut or the meat will be chewy. The red wine is meant to flavor the onion and peppers, not to make a sauce. Boil it until it's completely absorbed by the vegetables.

WINE RECOMMENDATION:
With these steaks, you need a richly flavored, full-bodied red. Take a break from the same old cabernet sauvignon and try a refosco, a robust yet surprisingly sophisticated wine from the extreme northeast corner of Italy.