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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When you restrict your beef intake to a once a month thing (as I do), you'd better make that once a month experience really worthwhile. Here is an excellent and easy recipe that certainly accomplishes this. It's absolutely brimming with intense flavor, and is so satisfying you won't believe it. Yes, it's that good.
Chimichurri is Argentina's answer to pesto, and I have to say, I think it wins. Pesto is fabulous too (and will be featured later this week), but chimichurri is simply incredible. It's spicy and herby, and with good quality extra virgin olive oil, it's a heavenly sauce to dollop on grilled meat or veggies. And it's super cheap to make!
So here it is, grilled steak with bell peppers and chimichurri, placed inside a beautiful crusty roll. Friends, meet dinner.
Grilled Steak Sandwiches with Chimichurri
adapted from Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook
serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 teapsoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons quality EVOO
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bell pepper, seeded, cut into 3/4-inch strips
10 ounce rib-eye steak (3/4 to 1 inch thick)
2 crusty rolls, warmed
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a food processor, process the parsley, cilantro, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, and 1/3 cup EVOO until almost, but not quite, smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat grill pan (or outdoor grill) over medium-high heat. Brush the steak and bell pepper strips on both sides with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the peppers for about 4 minutes on each side, until just tender. Grill steak about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or to desired doneness. Set aside and let the steak rest a few minutes.
3. Slice the steak thinly. Assemble sandwich as follows: steak slices on bottom bun, topped with chimichurri sauce (up to 1/4 cup per sandwich), then peppers, then put on the top bun. Serve immediately.
Be warned that you might get messy eating this. But it is sooo worth it. Enjoy!
It's not quite tomato season yet, but we can give ourselves a sneak preview with good quality canned tomatoes. If you prefer to hold off on making this until you can get some beautiful fresh tomatoes, by all means, please be my guest!
This is another variation on tomato soup, that oh-so-varied meal. This one is more brothy and elegant than your typical tomato soup. It features a delightful mix of dried herbs, so hit up your storecupboard for this recipe. Normally I'm not a huge fan of dried herbs, but it's important that you use them here, however tempted you may be to go to your herb garden instead. Trust me.
Serve this alongside a grown-up version of grilled cheese with a mild but interesting cheese of your choice - I went with Manchego, which is far from French, but it worked nicely.
South of France Tomato Soup
adapted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper
serves 3
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
EVOO
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt and fresh-ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons dry white wine
14 oz. can of whole tomatoes with their liquid, crushed
12 oz. low sodium vegetable or chicken broth + 4 oz. water
pinch of ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine basil, fennel, oregano, and thyme, and crush them together until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Film the bottom of a soup pot or Dutch oven with EVOO and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dried herb mixture and garlic, and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Stir in tomato paste, then add wine and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in broth and water, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to a bare simmer, and put a tight lid on the pot. Cook for 18 minutes. Stir in cinnamon, test for seasoning, and serve.
Nothing fancy, but it's wholesome and just different enough to keep things interesting. Enjoy!
Sometimes you want a side dish that is a little bit different from the norm. This is one that might take you outside of your comfort zone, but only slightly. If you've never had Israeli (or pearl) couscous before, it's about time you tried it. It's the bigger, better cousin of regular couscous. A tiny pearl of pasta, big enough that you actually bite into it but small enough that it still feels delicate.
This side dish comes together in just a few minutes. It's easy, versatile, and can be served hot, warm, room temperature, or even cold as a salad. It features the ever-delicious flat leaf parsley, a hint of lemon, and tasty sauteed onions. Other than the Israeli couscous, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. So what are you waiting for?
We're going to have ours on a bed of arugula, alongside sliced sauteed chicken sausages. I can't wait!
Israeli Couscous with Sauteed Onions and Parsley
adapted from Everyday Food Magazine
serves 2 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS:
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup Israeli couscous
1/2 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook couscous until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
2. While the couscous is cooking, heat EVOO in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned, about 4 minutes. Add to bowl with couscous. Add parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve at the temperature of your choosing, and enjoy!
You don't have to live with a kid to want to eat kid-inspired food once in a while. And you can always add a slightly grown-up twist to it, just to make it feel slightly less kid-ish. This recipe is from Giada's latest book, and she intended for it to appeal to kids. I added a vital ingredient to make it a bit more interesting for adults - spiciness. As well as a few other tweaks.
The meal is just fun - mini pasta with mini meatballs, not to mention the mini mozzarella balls and the mini tomatoes. Before it gets too cute, I'd better give you the recipe. But first, let me just say that these meatballs are fabulous. They could definitely be featured in other venues, too - like on the ends of toothpicks as appetizers, or in a sandwich. Yum.
Mini Pasta with Mini Chicken Meatballs
adapted from Giada's Kitchen
serves 3
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 pound small pasta, such as farfalline or orecchiette
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (or plain bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tablespoon skim or low-fat milk
1/2 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided
salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound ground chicken breast
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
a dozen or so cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 oz. bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain.
2. While water is coming to a boil, in a large bowl stir together bread crumbs, parsley, egg, milk, ketchup, 1/4 cup parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and combine well.
3. Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Using a melon baller or cookie scoop, scoop up approximately teaspoon sized balls of the mixture to make the meatballs. Plop them into the heated skillet, making sure not to overcrowd the pan (work in batches if necessary). Do not move them for about 2 minutes so that they get brown; then turn them over to brown the other side for another 2 minutes.
4. Add chicken broth and tomatoes to the skillet and bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Stir in red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
5. After pasta is drained and while the sauce is simmering, put the pasta in a serving bowl and toss with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan, basil, and mozzarella. Add the meatball and tomato mixture and toss to combine. If there is more liquid than you would like, feel free to discard some of it. Serve hot.
The mozzarella will be gooey and melty, the meatballs will be browned and flavorful, and the sauce will be slightly spicy. A wonderful grown-up version of a kid's meal! Enjoy.
We went to a really fun BBQ yesterday, and I (or I should say we, but I commandeered it immediately) was appointed to make dessert. That is always my favorite thing to contribute - generally speaking, people are easy to please when it comes to dessert! I wanted to do something that incorporated fruit, but was still decadent and delicious. I found what I was looking for in this Martha Stewart recipe.
Blondies are fabulous. I used to steer away from them, as they were always described as "brownies without chocolate" - and I thought, what's the point? But really blondies are not brownies at all. They are more like cookie bars. They are always made with lots of brown sugar (no white sugar at all) and butter. Can we say yum? Top it off with almonds and raspberries and you have a relatively sophisticated dessert that is still BBQ friendly, as you can hold it in your hand if you so desire.
These are sweet, delectable, and beautiful to look at. Definitely recommended!
Raspberry Almond Blondies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies
makes 16
INGREDIENTS:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour OR all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sliced almonds
2 2/3 cups of fresh raspberries, rinsed and gently dried
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment, letting it hang over two of the sides by an inch or two; then butter the parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until fluffy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Mix in 3/4 cup almonds.
4. Pour batter into prepared dish, spreading somewhat evenly and smoothing the top. Scatter berries and remaining 1/4 cup almonds on top. Bake until a cake tester comes out with moist crumbs, 55 to 60 minutes. It will look underdone on top but the bottom will be done - this is how you want it, so don't be alarmed if it's still a bit wet on top (that's because of the raspberries).
5. Let cool 15 minutes, then transfer to a wrie rack to cool completely. Cut into 2-inch squares. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Soo yummy! Enjoy!
If anyone ever accused salad of being boring, they obviously hadn't tried yesterday's or today's recipes. This is another fantastic salad with slightly unusual combinations of flavor that just works. Peppery arugula, tangy sweet apricots, and well-seasoned grilled chicken work together in concert for a fantastic meal. This is a salad for serving to company. Add in some yummy bread and you have a great dinner.
This one doesn't require much more commentary than that. It's healthy, flavorful, and delicious - the holy trinity of salads.
Arugula Salad with Chicken and Apricots
adapted from Cooking Light
serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
cooking spray
3 tablespoons EVOO
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3 cups loosely packed baby arugula
4 cups loosely packed mixed salad greens
3 apricots, pitted and thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat. Pound chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/2-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and parsley. Spray pan with cooking spray and cook chicken, about 4-5 minutes per side, until done. Set aside to cool slightly, then cut cross-wise into thin slices.
2. Whisk together oil, vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Combine arugula, greens, and apricot slices in a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over the mixture and toss well to coat. Divide evenly among four plates. Top with the chicken slices and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
My hands are bright pink again. You know what that means, people - beets! This is a fantastic salad, incredibly crisp and refreshing, with flavor to spare. None of the ingredients are "typical," and the dressing is unusual and delicious. This is an updated version of the Waldorf salad, but it is almost unrecognizable when you look at it as a whole.
Imagine it: tart Granny Smith apple, savory-sweet beets, crunchy toasted walnuts, and crisp savoy cabbage, all topped with a fabulous lemon-ginger olive oil dressing - I'm salivating at the thought, and I just ate it!
Updated Waldorf Salad
adapted from Stonewall Kitchen Favorites
serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pounds beets (size and color of your choice)
1/2 head savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons EVOO
salt and freshly ground pepper
pinch of sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400. Wrap the beets in foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until just tender and easily pierced with a sharp knife. Unwrap and let cool. Peel and thinly slice. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, whisk together the ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice, and oil. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Assemble the salad: Make a bed of cabbage on two plates. Top each with the beets. Drizzle with about 1/3 of the vinaigrette each. Top with apple slices and sprinkle with walnut pieces. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and serve.
I am so excited about this salad I can barely contain myself. Try it as soon as you can! Enjoy!
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