Grass-Fed Strip Steak with Kabocha Purée, Sautéed Mushrooms, Wilted Greens, and Raw Sauerkraut
A deeply seared grass-fed steak on a velvety kabocha purée, with golden sautéed mushrooms, garlicky wilted greens, and a bright spoonful of raw sauerkraut to cut through the richness. A cozy, mineral-rich plate for a cool evening.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 35 min · Total: 1 hr 15 min (plus optional dry brining) · Best in North America from fall through winter, when kabocha squash and hearty greens are at their peak · Best eaten: early evening
Ingredients
Steak
2 grass-fed New York strip steaks (12–16 oz each, 1¼ inches thick), or ribeye or sirloin
2 tsp Baja Gold sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp beef tallow or ghee
2 tbsp grass-fed butter, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and a few thyme sprigs, for basting
Squash purée
1 small kabocha squash (or substitute with butternut squash, or sweet potato)
2 tbsp grass-fed butter
⅓–½ cup beef or chicken bone broth, warm
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Mushrooms and greens
12 oz mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, or oyster), sliced or torn
1 large bunch kale, chard, or collards, stems removed, leaves torn
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or ghee, divided
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt and a squeeze of lemon
To serve: ½ cup raw sauerkraut, flaky sea salt
Method
Dry brine the steaks (optional, 12–24 hours ahead). Salt them all over and refrigerate uncovered. Pull them out 45 minutes before cooking.
Roast the kabocha. Halve it, scoop out the seeds, and roast cut-side down at 400°F for 40–50 minutes, until very soft. Scoop out the flesh and blend with the butter, salt, and enough broth to make it silky. Keep it warm.
Sauté the mushrooms. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms in a single layer, and leave them alone 3–4 minutes, until golden, then stir and cook 2 minutes more. Season and set aside.
Sear the steaks. Pat them dry and season with pepper (and salt, if you didn't dry brine). Heat the tallow in a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking, and sear 3–4 minutes per side, rendering the fat cap on its edge. Lower the heat, add the butter, garlic, and thyme, and baste 1–2 minutes. Pull at 125°F for medium-rare and rest 10 minutes.
Wilt the greens. Warm the remaining oil with the garlic over medium heat, add the greens and salt, and toss 3–5 minutes until silky. Finish with lemon.
Plate. Swoosh kabocha purée across each plate, slice the steak against the grain and fan it over the purée, add the mushrooms and greens, and finish with a spoonful of cold raw sauerkraut and flaky salt. Add the kraut last, since heat kills its living microbes.
Storage: Steak, up to 3 days refrigerated; kabocha purée, up to 5 days; mushrooms and greens, up to 3–4 days.
Nourishment Notes
Grass-fed beef — heme iron, B12, zinc, creatine, and CLA.
Kabocha squash — beta-carotene (made more absorbable by the butter), potassium, and fiber.
Mushrooms — ergothioneine, beta-glucans, B vitamins, and selenium.
Greens — vitamin K, folate, magnesium, and calcium.
Raw sauerkraut — live probiotic microbes, vitamin C, and a bright tang that balances rich meat.
For your cycle: Grass-fed beef's heme iron (the body absorbs about 15–35% of it, compared with roughly 2–20% of plant iron), plus its B12 and zinc, makes this especially restorative during the menstrual and luteal phases.
Sourcing
Steak — 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, from a local regenerative ranch, Alderspring Ranch, White Oak Pastures, or US Wellness Meats
Kabocha squash, mushrooms, and greens — organic, from a farmers' market
Raw sauerkraut — homemade (see my Ferment Foundations post), or raw and unpasteurized from the refrigerated section, made with just cabbage and sea salt
Grass-fed butter, ghee, and tallow — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows; Ancient Organics ghee; tallow rendered from grass-fed suet
Bone broth — homemade, or Bonafide Provisions (organic, sold frozen)
Garlic, thyme, and lemons — organic
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon or fleur de sel de Guérande for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall