Tuscan Steak

Is it really Tuscan? No, but it has flavors I think of when I think of Tuscany: lemon, rosemary, olive oil.

This is a simple preparation. Rub olive oil into the steak, then sprinkle on some freshly ground pepper (I used a blend of tellicherry black, malabar white, and pink peppercorns), sea salt, rosemary (fresh from the garden, of course), and lemon zest. Be sure to season both sides. Let rest for 30 minutes or so, then grill.

After the steak has grilled to your desired degree of doneness, let it rest for five minutes or so. I used that time to step out to the garden, select a couple of tomatoes, rinse them off, and slice them. I finished the steak by drizzling some Villa Manodori balsamic vinegar on it.

The tomatoes were dressed with a bit of Villa Manodori extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and then dusted with a hint of Fleur de Sel. I added a bit of Black Jack Cheese from Scott “Dominic” Catino to round out an excellent meal.

Sauces: Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is a relatively recent addition to Italian cuisine. The sauce varies regionally within Italy as well as by country, and the pasta isn’t firmly traditional either.

Apparently the original sauce was made with guanciale, black pepper, pecorino romano, and eggs. Pancetta and bacon are commonly substituted for the guanciale, and parmigiano-reggiano for the pecorino (or in combination with it). Sometimes it’s made with cream instead of or in addition to egg yolks. Peas, broccoli, or other vegetables might be added for color. The pasta can be just about anything, with various regions claiming their own preferred pasta as the “only” acceptable one.

First, I made some fettuccine. Then, before starting the sauce, I put a pot of heavily salted water on to bring it to the rolling boil needed for cooking pasta.

I made the carbonara sauce by first cutting some lardons from a recent batch of bacon. Because the bacon is less fatty than mass-produced bacon seems to be, I used extra virgin olive oil in the fry pan to avoid sticking when I crisped the lardons.

Once the bacon had rendered some of its fat, I added diced onion, and then two cloves of garlic, minced. When the onion became translucent, I added a pint of heavy cream and reduced the heat to a simmer.

While the cream reduced, I grated some pecorino romano and parmigiano-reggiano, reserving some of the parmigiano-reggiano to sprinkle on top as a garnish. Then I added the cheeses and some freshly ground black pepper to the cream reduction and stirred until the cheeses were fully incorporated.

When the sauce was ready, I cooked the pasta and added it to the fry pan without draining it dry. A gentle stir of the pasta and sauce and it was ready to serve.

Notice, please, that I didn’t add any salt at all, except to the pasta cooking water. Some of that water migrated to the fry pan with the pasta, which both seasoned and thinned the sauce. Cheeses are also salty, so be very careful about adding any salt to whatever sauce you’re making.

If I had made a more traditional carbonara sauce, I would have left out the cream. Instead, I would have added one raw egg yolk per serving to the pasta in the fry pan along with plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. The residual heat of the pasta is enough to cook the yolks when you toss the pasta.

Chicken and Veal Stew

I needed a meal for four. I had chicken for two, veal shanks for two, and absolutely no desire to go to the store. A look into the pantry revealed potatoes and carrots. I had what I needed for a stew!

The first step was to braise the veal shanks. A braise will be successful if the meat is dredged in seasoned flour, then browned before beginning the actual braise. There’s nothing fancy here, just some salt and freshly ground pepper in flour. Be sure to leave air around each piece while browning, even if you have to do it in stages, as in this case.

It isn’t strictly necessary to use aromatics, but I really like to melt some mirepoix to make an extra rich broth. I didn’t have celery, so I used carrots, onions, and red capsicum (bell pepper), better known as the Cajun trinity. I just cooked the trinity in some extra virgin olive oil until the onions were starting to look translucent.

You really need wine and stock for a good braise, although stock alone will work fine. I had some wild mushroom stock left over, and a goodly stock of dried wild mushrooms to make more. I put the shanks into the pan and added hot stock until it was about halfway up the shanks. This went into a 350°F/175°C oven, uncovered, for about three hours. After an hour or so, I turned the shanks over, and turned them back about two hours into cooking.

At this point I needed the oven to make bread, so I finished the stew on the stovetop. It would have worked just as well in the oven.

While the braise was working, I skinned two chicken leg quarters and visited the herb garden for rosemary, thyme, and parsley. The rosemary and thyme were wrapped in a scrap of cheesecloth and secured with a food-safe band–kitchen twine would have worked fine.

After the shanks had cooked to the point that the meat fell off the bone, I removed the veal bones and added the chicken quarters along with more stock and the now-reconstituted dried mushrooms used to make it, three cloves of garlic, and the herb packet.

I cooked this, covered, at a simmer until the chicken meat literally fell off the bones when I picked them up with tongs. At that point I added baby red potatoes, quartered yukon gold potatoes, and carrots. I continued cooking at a simmer until the potatoes were done.

Then I strained the liquid into another container and degreased it. Meanwhile the pot went back onto the stove with wine, which was reduced by one-half, then more stock, and finally the degreased juices from the braise and simmer. At this point I tasted the sauce, and added a bit of salt and pepper. Notice that this was the first and only seasoning, other than the small amount of salt and pepper in the flour used for dredging.

Cooking slowly for more than five hours extracted a lot of flavor from the veal and chicken bones, as well as from the meat. Wine has some sodium in it, and reducing the stock and juices concentrated the flavors. Thus, only a small bit of salt and pepper was needed. The parsley isn’t there just for looks. A bit of  minced parsley adds a subtle fresh note that really finishes a dish.

Turned out that I made too much. No one seemed to complain about having this stew two days running, and yes, it was better the second day!

Ricotta-Stuffed Tomatoes

I’d just finished making ricotta. It was so soft and creamy that I just had to use it for supper. Ravioli would have been nice, but I didn’t have the time or energy. Then I remembered the roma tomatoes sitting in the produce basket.

The tomatoes were easy enough to prepare. After washing them, I sliced them in half, then used a melon baller to scoop out the seeds. I sprinkled some sel gris on the inside, then turned them over on a paper towel to let them dry out a bit.

The refrigerator yielded garlic confit and caramelized onions. The herb garden provided greek oregano, basil, flat-leaf parsley, and rosemary. I chopped everything up and added the mixture to some ricotta. After tasting I added a pinch of Fleur de Sel, then covered it to let the flavors get acquainted for about half an hour.

To finish the dish, I stuffed the tomatoes with the herbed ricotta, which I topped with crushed garlic-parmesan crostini.  Then I baked them at 400°F (205°C) for 20 minutes. Roasted beets and a green salad completed a very satisfying meatless dinner.

I served this as a main course, so allowed one tomato per person. As a side dish, I would serve a single half.

Beets Two Ways

Beets are magical. The tuber is sweet, especially when it’s roasted, and the greens are a tangy and nutritious addition to any meal.

When I have beets to roast I don’t mess about. I drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle some sel gris or kosher salt on top, cover them with foil, and put them into the oven (350°F/175°C). After about 2-3 hours (depending on the size of the beet) they should be ready. They won’t overcook if you leave them in the oven an extra quarter hour or so, they’ll just caramelize. I like to finish them with a drizzle of Villa Manodori Balsamic Vinegar.

The greens require a bit more work. A thorough cleaning is necessary, and I like to remove most of the stalk. You can braise them as-is with some onion, garlic, and maybe bacon. I used them as part of a skillet supper.

An inexpensive steak, like a round steak, is perfect for a simple skillet supper, and you can stretch a small steak to feed several people. Slice it rather thinly against the grain so that it’ll cook rapidly yet be tender. Be careful to clean it up by trimming excess fat and removing tendon and silver skin.

Chop up some aromatics–onion, sweet red pepper, some carrot if you like. Peel and dice a tomato or two, or cut some cherry tomatoes in half. Make a chiffonade from the greens, or at least tear them into smaller pieces. Get some garlic confit out of the refrigerator, or mince a clove or two of fresh garlic.

The actual ingredients really don’t matter that much, use whatever you have. The quantity doesn’t much matter either, just use more veggies than meat, and make enough for however many are eating plus one or two, because it’s mostly veggies, so you want to encourage a second helping.

Preheat your fry pan with some extra virgin olive oil–keep the heat down between medium-low and medium. Once the oil starts to shimmer, toss in the aromatics. Stir for a minute or so, then add the steak and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. When the steak is mostly done, add the greens. After a couple more minutes the greens should be wilted and the steak should have given up some of its water. Now toss in the tomato and add a splash of wine. Give the tomatoes just enough time to soften, and it’s done.

A simple dish like this will be successful if you follow a few guidelines. Use lots of fresh veggies of as many colors as you can manage; you need to eat all the colors for complete nutrition, and the color makes it more appetizing. Use an inexpensive protein–no need for porterhouse here. Remember the wine! Some alcohol is vital if you want to access all the flavors and nutrients, and it’ll cook out by the time the pan is deglazed.

Finally, the most important thing to remember is that there’s no recipe, and there are no recipe police looking over your shoulder to make sure you used exactly the same things I did in exactly the same proportions. Just get into the kitchen, use what you have, and create your own skillet supper. It’ll be great!