2026 Oscars Tasting Menu: One Battle After Another

Mangia McCann
Mar 15
2 min read

This movie was very long. If your film is going to be longer than 2 and a half hours, everything in the movie should be a necessary scene providing context. While Paul Thomas Anderson did ensure each moment provided context, was it all necessary? There is a good storyline in the movie. But, the opening scenes were just so overdone it made my eyes roll.

Oh, also, if the movie runs longer than 2 and a half hours, can you do me a favor and at least include one food item/scene? That would be great. So, there I was, sitting at the end of a very long movie wondering what I would possibly make…and then it hit me. Colonel Lockjaw had a hilarious explanatory line in the movie and I needed to find a way to use it to my advantage. So, I made seared “in reverse” tri-tip with a little chimichurri sauce and Texas caviar. This was the first time I reverse-seared steak and it was the best, uniformly-cooked steak I have ever cooked. Better yet, it all comes together in less than 2 and a half hours.

Reverse-seared Tri-tip

Steak

Tri-tip steak
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika

Chimichurri

Shallot
Garlic clove
Cilantro
Parsley
Red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Honey

Heat the oven to 250 degrees.

Meanwhile unpackage and dry the tri-tip.

Season both sides of the beef: generously with Kosher salt and pepper, a small amount of garlic and onion powder, then add a good cover of paprika, and rub it all in.

Place on a rack-lined sheet pan and place in the oven with a thermometer.

While the meat is slow-roasting, prepare the chimichurri by rough chopping the shallot, garlic, cilantro and parsley, and add it to a mini food processor. Pulse a few times until finely chopped, then add in oil and vinegar in a 2:1 ratio. Seaton with some coarse sea salt and black pepper and blend until it reaches a chunky salsa consistency. Drizzle on a little honey and give it a quick whirl. Taste for any final seasoning needs. Pour into a bowl and reserve.

Once the beef hits 115, remove it from the oven and allow to settle for about 20 minutes.

While the beef cools, place a large cast iron pan in the oven and heat to 500 degrees.

Once the beef has settled for 20 minutes and the cast iron skillet is hot, remove it from the oven and place over a burner set on high heat.

Sear the steak for 3-4 minutes or so per side until nicely charred. Be sure to sear the sides of the steak for a minute as well. If you don’t have a good exhaust fan, you can place the steak/skillet in the oven so your house doesn’t get smoky (or sear on a very hot grill).

Once the steak has developed a nice crust. Remove from the skillet and return to the rack to cool (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes.

To slice, you want to make your first cut through the curve of the meat with a sharp chef’s knife. Then slice it all up thinly across the grain.