Rib Eye Steak and Tomato Sing The Blues!!

Now we don't have steak very often.... but when we do, we have rib eye on the grill! A good grilled rib eye steak is what turned me from a 7 year, vegetarian girl, into one carnivorous, medium rare, steak loving lady! And I haven't looked back! Tonight the twist is blue cheese! So let's start with what we'll have with our steak, some spinach and orzo, blue cheese stuffed tomatoes! I started with 3 big hot house tomatoes (alas... it's still April, and it's a long way 'till fresh tomatoes). Core and cut the tomatoes in half. Scoop out the pulp from the tomatoes with a spoon and chop for later. Let the tomatoes sit on a paper towel to drain any extra liquid while you prepare the stuffing. Try to drain any excess liquid from the tomatoes after chopping. To stuff the tomatoes, we'll need one shallot, one clove garlic, the chopped pulp from all those tomatoes, 2 cups baby spinach, and one cup of orzo (cooked according to package directions). I cooked the orzo while preparing the tomatoes and rinsed in a strainer with cold water so it wouldn't stick. Chop that shallot and saute for about 3-5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender. When shallot is translucent, add chopped garlic clove and chopped tomato pulp, and cook until some of the liquid evaporates (about 3-5 minutes). Now add 2 hefty cups of baby spinach (seasoned with salt and pepper)... which we know will basically disappear (Houdini style)!! And after about 2 minutes, it will look like this! Now take that hunk of blue cheese you got for tonight's "bluesy" steak house dinner and cut in half (7 oz. of blue turns into basically 2 pieces of 3 1/2 oz. of blue). Now let's get ready to stuff those tasty tomatoes! Add the sauted spinach mixture to a mixing bowl. Now invite the orzo and blue cheese (half, 3 and 1/2 oz) in to play. Mix and season (though, if you season as you go, it will be delish)!! Pop your tomatoes into a baking dish and season (YES, season everything!) with s and p. Set your oven for 375 degrees. Add the filling to the tomato shells! You will have enough to over-fill each of the tomato halves. Pop into a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes until they look like this... Now, these little pockets of tomato flavor smell so good you'll want to DIG IN! And that would be a good thing! But, if you want your tomatoes to join your bluesy steak dinner, park them on the side for a bit while you prepare the steak! You won't regret it!! Now, tonight's steak is getting a bluesy hug with some blue cheese sauce. So, while the tomatoes cook, and before I toss that beautiful rib eye on the grill, I will whip this sauce together! You'll need the other shallot (chopped), 2 tablespoons of butter, one garlic clove (chopped), 2 tablespoons of flour (that's King Arthur's all purpose, please) and 1 and 1/2 cups of milk, along with the other half of that piece of blue cheese cheese (3 1/2 oz)! Start by cooking the shallot in the butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Now add the flour and season with pinch of salt and pepper (season now, the flour needs it!). Cook flour for about 3-5 minutes. Now, add the milk into the flour mixture (roux) while whisking. You want to incorporate the milk without any floury lumps. Pay attention to the sauce for the next couple of minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to thicken. As soon as you see a slow simmer (little bubbles), remove from the heat and get ready to add the flavor... the BLUE CHEESE!! Crumble in the remaining blue cheese and let it mingle with the sauce! Don't work it, just let the cheese and the sauce get to know each other. Now with your sauce ready you can slap that rib eye on the grill! Rub that beautiful steak with olive oil and add salt and pepper. You could add my favorite short-cut to flavor town... Montreal Steak Seasoning... and that would be just fine! Either way, when you start with rib eye, you will be a very happy steak eater. Heat up your grill and let that steak cook 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. Rib eye steak is best when medium rare... but if you want more sizzle on that baby, let her go 4-5 minutes for med, and (God forbid) you want it well done, 5 minutes... no longer than 6 minutes!! Hard part... let the steak REST for 10 minutes! You want tender juicy steak! Not super hot, cut up right of the grill, dried-out,chewy steak!! Stuffed tomatoes... good enough to be dinner all by themselves! But with grilled rib eye! Killer! Steak and tomato singing the blues tonight... and I'm loving it!