Steak Pizzaiola




A Viking certainly can change the way you cook, even for a professional. When I began cooking on a Viking over four years ago, I was wowed by the superb heat control of the gas burners, and perfect cookies from the convection oven. The indoor range-top grill turned out amazingly juicy grilled chicken breasts again and again. But it was the range’s infrared broiler that revolutionized my cooking the most.

Steaks and baked potatoes have been a Friday night tradition since my husband and I were married more than 18 years ago. We’ve always grilled our steaks because I’ve never liked the results I achieved when broiling steaks under a regular oven broiler. The amazing steaks broiled under the infrared broiler in my all-gas range, seared to perfection and juicy inside, turned a weekly routine into something truly special.

While steaks broiled "as is" can be quite tasty, our weekly steaks are now most often given a classic Italian-American treatment as Steak Pizzaiola, with a rub of olive oil, chopped fresh garlic and parsley. The steaks alone would lead me to recommend an all-gas range with its infrared broiler, and I’ve shared the recipe with many of you who have asked for tips on using this great feature.

You can serve these steaks with potatoes baked at 425 degrees F for one hour, but I prefer a side of spaghetti tossed with butter, Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

  • 2 6-8 ounce rib-eye steaks, approximately 3/4-inch thick each
  • Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic, about 1 to 2 large clove
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Place an oven rack to the second position from the top (position 5). Turn the oven on broil and set the temperature control to broil.

Sprinkle steaks with pepper and salt, and then rub with olive oil and garlic. Press parsley into steaks and place on the center of the broiler tray fitted with the grid. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, remove from oven and turn. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes on the second side for medium-rare. Test for doneness, and broil until desired doneness is reached.

Makes 2 steaks.