Pasta with Steak and Arugula

Nothing like building a new house to keep you from blogging. Even in all the chaos that is my life right now, I have actually been cooking. Well, not much in the past few weeks as most of my kitchen paraphernalia is packed up in boxes. But, I've been saving some recipes that I've been meaning to post.

My hubby has what some might call a "sensitive stomach." In actuality, the poor guy has lately been suffering from reflux which really limits what he can eat. For instance, he should really stay away from onion, garlic, and tomatoes. We're Italian. I like to cook Italian food. How's this going to work? So, that takes an entire category of pasta sauces off the menu. Cream sauces, you say? Nope. He needs to avoid the heavy creams and fats of say an Alfredo or vodka sauce. Thus, I've been on the lookout for recipes with light sauces that don't rely on tomato as a base.

Of course, Giada came through for me with her recipe for Penne with Beef and Arugula. While I didn't follow her recipe precisely, I did use it as inspiration. The result was an incredibly easy meal that can be served hot or at room temperature, and would make a perfect potluck contribution. Giada's recipe called for a strip steak, but I have also used a skirt steak and tri-tip. In addition, I decreased or eliminated altogether some of the ingredients in her recipe.

Pasta with Steak and Arugula

(inspired by Giada di Laurentiis)

Serves 4

1 pound steak (strip, skirt or flank)

1 whole, peeled garlic clove

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound penne

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (you could use a little less than 1/4 cup here)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more for steak)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (plus more for steak)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 cups chopped fresh baby arugula

Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

-- Season steak with salt and pepper.

-- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add steak and garlic clove.

-- Let steak cook about 5-7 minutes per side, depending on your desired doneness. Remove clove if it starts to overcook.

-- Once steak is finished, remove from skillet and let sit about five minutes. Once rested, slice it thinly.

-- Cook penne in boiling, salted water.

-- While pasta is cooking, add vinegar, olive oil, mustard, basil, salt and pepper to mixing bowl and whisk to mix.

-- When penne is al dente, reserve about 1/3 cup of the pasta water, and drain.

-- In a large bowl, toss the pasta with about 1/2 of the oil and vinegar mixture, and half of the pasta water.

-- Add the arugula and steak, and more dressing and water as needed.

-- Season with salt and pepper.

-- Add fresh Parmigiano cheese as desired.

Notice, that I used a whole clove of garlic instead of mincing it, per Giada's version. Since I am trying to protect R's stomach, I kept the garlic whole which simply infuses some of the flavor and aroma of garlic without actually having to eat it.

This recipe is also a great way to use left over steak. If you are going to do this, just slice the steak into bite-sized strips, and warm up in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Just keep it in the skillet long enough to warm it through, but not cook it any further.

Fig and Pecorino Crostini

A couple of weeks ago I made this appetizer for a dinner party.   Ordinarily I spend so much of my effort on the main course that I often feel like starters are an afterthought.  This time I planned ahead of time and found this recipe from Giada de Laurentiis.   It was a hit and may become my go-to starter in the future. 

Pecorino Romano with Apples and Fig Jam

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

(4-6 servings)

6 dried figs, halved

1/2 cup simple syrup*

2 tablespoons brandy

1/4 chopped toasted hazelnuts

24 baguette slices

Olive oil for drizzling

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano 

1 large apple (Granny Smith or Braeburn), thinly sliced into 24 slices

1/4 pound chunk Pecorino Romano, for shaving 24 pieces

-- Preheat oven to 375F

-- Place a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the figs, simple syrup, and brandy.  

-- Bring mixture to a simmer then turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  

-- Place the fig mixture and hazelnuts in food processor and blend until pureed.  Then set aside. 

-- Place baguette slices on a heavy baking sheet.  Drizzle each slice with olive oil.

-- Top each slice with 1 teaspoon of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
-- Bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 7 minutes. 

-- Top each slice of toast with 2 teaspoons of fig jam, a slice of apple, and a slice of shaved Pecorino Romano.  

-- Transfer toasts to a serving platter and serve.  

*Simple Syrup

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

-- In a saucepan combine water and sugar over medium heat. 

-- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. 

-- Take pan off of heat and let cool.  Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  

Just a couple of notes:

-- I didn't bother to toast the hazelnuts:  I was too lazy.  I am sure that if I had, the flavor would have been even better, but I honestly have burned so many nuts in the past, that I always skip this step in recipes now.   The hazelnuts I used were so yummy that the jam came out lovely without toasting them.

-- Hazelnuts are also called "filberts", so try looking for them under either name at your grocery store.  

-- I suggest that you add only about 3/4 of the simple syrup to the food processor.  See how thick it comes out first.  It's a lot easier to make it thinner, if you need to, than to thicken it up again.  Also note that as the jam cools, it thickens up.  Remember, the consistency should be that of a jam.  

-- I used a Granny Smith apple; they're my favorite anyway, and just really lend themselves in both sweetness and crispness to this recipe.

This appetizer was so good that my guests gobbled up every single one of them.  I also made extra jam which I've been using on toast in the morning as well as on our pork chops the other night (I used it on my Figgy Pork recipe).   I think I might even make a batch of this at Christmas time, put it in a pretty jar, and use it as my hostess gift when attending holiday parties.  

Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

I was wandering through Target the other day when Giada de Laurentiis' latest cookbook, Everyday Pasta caught my eye. Since I am always looking for new ways to make pasta -- a staple in our home -- I picked it up. In it, I came across a recipe for short ribs with tagliatelle that I had found on the Food Network website a couple of months ago. I made it then for a big family dinner that included my in-laws, who are not only Italian immigrants, but formerly butchers. So, if a meat and pasta dish passes their muster, I feel pretty good about it. And, it did. They really liked it then, so I decided to make it again the other night for just the four of us. The recipe actually calls for a topping of bittersweet chocolate shavings, but I skipped it just to avoid having my three year old ask me for more. The dish takes a while: more than three hours to prepare. But, most of it is allowing the short ribs to braise. So once you prepare the ribs, the only thing left to do is make the pasta.

The recipe calls for pancetta which is an Italian form of bacon. It doesn't come in strips like American bacon, but in rounds like some Canadian bacons. I've actually also seen it come pre-cut. If you can't find pancetta in your market, you can substitute Canadian bacon.

I would also suggest having your butcher cut the short ribs in half for you. It'll make it easier for you to fit them into your pot or Dutch oven and be able to manipulate them so that you can be sure to brown all six sides. That's right six -- don't forget the ends.

When you dice up the veggies and the tomato paste in the food processor, it should come out looking like a chunky salsa.

After three hours, the braised ribs will be really tender and will pretty much fall off the bone when you take them out of the sauce.

Tagliatelle isn't always available, but really any wide pasta will do. I wanted to use fresh pasta and the closest I could find to tagliatelle was fettuccine. But you can use a dry pasta, too.


Short Ribs with Tagliatelle
Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Pasta
(makes 4-6 servings)

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup red wine
1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle
4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate

-- Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat.
-- Cook the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes.
-- Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour.
-- Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
-- Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total.

-- Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced.
-- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse.

-- Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot.
-- Return the pancetta to the pot and stir.
-- Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine.
-- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. -- Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
-- Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones.
-- Shred the meat and return it to the pot.
-- Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.

-- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
-- Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh.
-- Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
-- Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine.
-- Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta.
-- Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

Risotto Rules

Once again, I've lagged on keeping up with my blog. It's not because I haven't found any good recipes, but simply because I haven't found much time to sit down and blog about them. But, this week I made a risotto and received rave reviews from the entire family -- even my hard-to-please three-year old. Newly inspired, here I am blogging about it.

I can't believe it, but it seems that I haven't yet blogged about risotto. Risotto is one of my favorite dishes to make (and eat). It's versatile, easy, relatively quick (can be completed in less than an hour), and can be used as a one-dish meal. I love finding new recipes and experimenting with various ingredients.

Recently I came across a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for Dirty Risotto and modified it in these ways:
-- I didn't have any pancetta in the house, but had some bacon that I needed to use. So, I substituted about three strips of bacon for the pancetta.
-- Her recipe calls for one link of spicy Italian sausage. I chose to use the sweet Italian sausage instead since my girls and husband can't handle the hot sausage. Personally, I would love it to be spicy, spicy, spicy, but I had to keep it low-key for them. I also added a second link since I wanted it to be meatier.
-- Giada includes red bell pepper in the recipe, but I omitted it.
-- Instead of button mushrooms, I used the cremini mushrooms that I already had in the house
-- I had a Maui onion, so I used that. It's a sweet onion, and it worked really nicely with the bacon and the sausage.
-- Mario Batali adds butter to his risotto once it's done. I've taken to doing that as well. It just adds a little more creaminess.
-- I also always add more wine than risotto recipes call for. I probably used about double (1 1/2 cups).
-- I omitted the parsley as my daughter regards anything green in her food with suspicion.

You can check out the original recipe as Giada wrote it on the The Food Network website. Here is my version.

Courtney's Dirty Risotto
(makes 4-6 servings)
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
3 strips bacon, chopped
2 links sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 Maui onion (or other sweet onion), finely chopped
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Arborio or medium-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, and more to taste

-- In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.
-- In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
-- Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes.
-- Season with salt
-- Add the rice, and stir to coat, allowing it to "toast" slightly -- about 1 minute
-- Add the wine, and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.
-- Add a ladle of broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes
-- Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth one ladle at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes total.
-- Remove from heat, and mix in remaining butter. Stir in Parmesan.
-- Serve immediately with additional Parmesan to taste.

Try it out. Once you get the hang of risotto, I promise you'll be experimenting with all different variations of it.