Leftover Steak Is Your Chance To Try Steak Pizzaiola

Steak pizzaiola is a Neapolitan dish that essentially translates into "steak pizza-style" and involves smothering a cut of beef in a hearty, savory, tomato-based stew. The only thing we love more than homemade Italian food is a meal that uses leftovers as the shortcut to a quick and tasty weeknight dinner, and Foodie spoke with chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr. about how to do just that. Chef Mirabile is the owner and chef behind Jasper's Restaurant in Kansas City, as well as the host of Live! From Jasper's Kitchen Radio. With the wisdom acquired from years of serving and talking about delicious food, chef Mirabile tells us that it's wholly possible to whip up a yummy steak pizzaiola with leftover meat ... as long as the cut is right and you treat your leftovers delicately.

While affordable steak cuts that taste expensive definitely exist, chef Mirabile tells us that "a good piece of meat" is an essential starting point for steak pizzaiola. Breaking it down, he specifies that "[t]he three best cuts of meat are ribeye, Casey strip, and top sirloin," with ribeye winning his preference due to its tenderness and higher fat content. But starting with the correct leftover steak isn't enough. You also need to heat it the right way, and make sure that it was stored correctly before you can build your dish.

We already knew that the best way to reheat steak is not in the microwave, and chef Mirabile concurs. "Reheating in the microwave is the worst thing you could do to a piece of meat," he tells us. "The only way I suggest reheating a steak is in a black cast-iron skillet with a touch of olive oil in it." And don't fall for that alleged "hack" about putting some water in the skillet while the meat heats up, warns chef Mirabile: "that just steam[s] the meat and makes it even tougher." 

Once your steak is hot again, you can introduce your homemade pizzaiola sauce. If you don't have a few hours to simmer everything, you could always use a pinch of baking soda to remove the bitterness from your canned tomatoes, while chef Mirabile further tells us that "some essential ingredients that are a must such as Italian tomatoes, garlic, onions and bell peppers." Experts swear by San Marzano tomatoes for authentic Italian taste, which would just as well here as they do in the best homemade pasta sauces.

Successful dinner with leftover steak starts with proper storage, says chef Mirabile. Ideally, you "let the meat cool for at least 30 minutes and then wrap in plastic wrap and then put into an airtight storage container or bag and refrigerate for no more than 3 to 4 days." If you need the steak longer, he says, freeze your leftovers by utilizing the same plastic-wrap-and-container method to trap moisture.