Feb29

Mussels with shallots and white wine

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When it’s cold out and Paco and I want to eat something relatively light, we love mussels steamed with shallots and white wine.  I usually make a vegetable on the side and eat this with toasted baguette, so I will make 1 pound of mussels per person. You can make half a pound if this is a first course or part of a heartier meal. It would be great with a simple pasta.

Mussels with Shallots and White Wine
Adapted from Ronald Johnson’s Company Fare

2 lbs mussels, soaked in cold salt water to release the sand, and scrubbed if any beards remain
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
pinch of dried thyme
1/2 dried bay leaf
1 c white wine
kosher salt
black pepper
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the butter and olive oil in a 3-quart pot over medium heat.  Add the shallot and saute for a minute or two, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Add the bay leaf and wine allow to cook for a minute or so.

Add the mussels and stir them around the pot. Cover the pot and allow the mussels to steam for 5 minutes, until all of them are open. Sprinkle parsley over the mussels, and serve family style or ladle some mussels and broth into wide bowls.

Feb27

Olive-crusted lamb chops

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My parents came over for lunch on Sunday, so I thought I’d try out Anne Burrell’s olive-crusted lamb recipe, from Cook Like a Rock Star.  Make the olive paste ahead of time, and it’s an easy meal to entertain with. I served these with sauteed zucchini with almonds and crash hot potatoes.

Olive-Crusted Lamb Chops
Adapted from Anne Burrell’s Cook Like a Rock Star

4 thick lamb chops (the butcher had shoulder chops so they were big, if you use smaller chops you may want to serve 2 per person)
kosher salt
2/3 c pitted kalamata olives
zest of 1 lemon
10 springs of fresh oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the lamb chops on a plate and allow to come to room temperature. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, blend the olives, lemon zest, oregano, and red pepper flakes in the food processor. Stream some olive oil in until it forms a paste.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the lamb, and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Sear the fat along the edge, as well.

Place the browned lamb chops on a baking sheet, and coat with the olive paste. Roast in the oven for 5-6 minutes, until medium rare.

Feb27

The Pioneer Woman’s steak sandwich

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I have wanted to try one of the variations of the Pioneer Woman’s Marlboro Man Sandwiches, so for Friday’s dinner, I decided on this one. It was quite delicious, and the perfect base for what we suspected might be a long night!

Cube Steak Sandwich
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

3/4 lb of cube steak (tenderized steak)
seasoned salt
black pepper
butter
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into rings
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, in thick slices
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T worcestershire sauce
1/3 c sherry
Tabasco
2 rolls
cheese (I used mozzarella)

Slice the cube steak into strips against the grain. Season with seasoned salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet over high heat, melting a tablespoon of butter in the pan. When the pan is hot, add the steak and allow to brown on one side. Flip after a minute or two, and allow to finish cooking. Remove from the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium high. Add a little bit more butter or oil to the pan if necessary, then add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes, until soft but with a little bite left. Remove from the pan.

Add the mushrooms to the pan, then add the sherry, worcestershire, and a bit of Tabasco. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, stirring, until the liquid has reduced by a third. Add the meat and vegetables back to the skillet and combine. Allow the meat to heat through.

Halve and toast the buns (with butter if desired). Spoon some of the sauce over both sides of the bun. Add the meat and vegetables to the bottom bun, then sprinkle with cheese. If desired, melt the cheese in the broiler (I didn’t bother since my cheese was already shredded). Then add more meat and vegetables, and cover with the top of the bun.

Enjoy!

Feb24

Linguine all’amatriciana

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Our dinner plans for the other night were postponed, so we decided to stay in and open a bottle of wine instead of going out two nights in a row.  After browsing through Anne Burell’s Cook Like a Rockstar, I decided on a modified version of her bucatini all’amatriciana.

I used bacon and linguine because that’s what we had on hand, and the whole point was to not leave the house!  I also had to add garlic and only used one onion (the recipe in her book uses 2 onions for each 28 oz. can of tomatoes). In the picture you can see that I added peas, but honestly they didn’t add much to the sauce, so I didn’t include that in the recipe.

The sauce turned out really well!   Simmering it for an hour really developed the delicious bacon-y flavor.

Pasta All’Amatriciana
Adapted from Anne Burrell

olive oil
8 oz pancetta or bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
kosher salt
black pepper
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
1/2 lb. bucatini, spaghetti, or linguine
grated parmigiano reggianno

Coat a deep skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon, and cook until the meat is crisp and the fat has rendered out. Remove the pancetta or bacon from the pan, and drain on paper towels. Drain off about half the fat if using bacon, which is generally fattier than pancetta.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and stir to coat in the fat. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. When the onions are soft, add the tomatoes. Pour about a cup of water into the empty tomato can and pour the water into the pan (this rinses out the remaining tomato juice). Add 2/3 of the pancetta or bacon to the pan as well.

Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour. Taste and reseason, adding more water to thin it if necessary.

Cook the pasta in salted water for a minute less than the instructions on the package. Remove two cups of sauce from the pan and reserve, then add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Allow to simmer in the sauce for a minute or two to finish cooking.

Serve the pasta with some of the extra sauce if necessary.