By Mid-April. Seventeen weeks pregnant. The apartment kitchen is on the small steady pre-anatomy-scan stretch where the work is keep-eating-protein-and-iron, keep-going-to-the-OB, keep-cooking-on-Sunday. The anatomy scan is May fifth, twelve days out. We will find out the baby’s sex.
Sunday I made a fresh herb rub from the windowsill garden because the basil and the small thyme and rosemary plants Mama had brought up from her own herb garden in April had outgrown their first pruning and needed a second cut. The rub: fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh sage (from the small sage plant Aunt Linda had given me in February when she had been over for Sunday dinner), garlic, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, olive oil. Pulsed in the food processor into a vivid green paste.
The rub is the kind of make-ahead-and-keep technique that gives the apartment kitchen the small herb-shortcut that fresh-herb meal-cooking needs. The rub keeps two weeks in the fridge in a sealed jar. The rub goes on chicken, on pork, on fish, on roasted vegetables. The rub is the small Sunday-project that produces a kitchen-tool that fits into the next two weeks of weeknight dinners. I used the rub on baked chicken thighs Sunday night. Dustin had three thighs. I had two.
Mama’s Wednesday call was the small mid-week anchor. She talked through the cafe’s small breakfast-and-lunch numbers, the small Cody-news, the small Aunt-Linda update. The cafe is in its small steady-state rhythm. Cody is at the small operational-lead for the lunch-and-dinner rotation. Mama is on the small breakfast-and-brunch shifts. The small Sapulpa-cafe-life continues the way it has been continuing for years.
The technique-detail I always lean on: the rest at room temperature for at least twenty minutes before the small final cooking step. The rest gives the small protein-or-dough time to relax into its small final-form. Skip the rest and the texture goes wrong. Honor the rest and the texture honors you back.
Fresh Herb Rub
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 2 (enough for 2 ribeyes)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 ribeye steaks (about 1 inch thick)
- 1 tablespoon butter (for pan-searing)
Instructions
- Make the rub. In a small bowl, combine minced rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir until it forms a rough paste.
- Prep the steaks. Pat ribeyes completely dry with paper towels — this is non-negotiable for a good sear. Press the herb rub firmly onto both sides of each steak, coating evenly. Let sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes if time allows.
- Heat the pan. Place a cast iron skillet over high heat for 2–3 minutes until it begins to smoke lightly. Add butter and let it foam and subside.
- Sear the steaks. Lay steaks away from you into the pan. Sear undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until a deep brown crust forms. Flip once and sear another 3–4 minutes for medium-rare, or adjust to your preferred doneness.
- Rest and serve. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Spoon any pan drippings over the top.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 34g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 620mg