Marinated Skirt Steak

Combine the first 4 ingredients, pour over steak and marinate for 20- 30 minutes. Grill over hot grill or stove for 5 minutes then turn over and grill for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and let the steak rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly on the bias (across the grain) and serve.

Creamy Polenta

Simmer milk, cream and broth for 5 minutes. Add cornmeal and stir continually until polenta reaches a thick, creamy texture. Stir in cheese and place butter on top just prior to serving.

Fresh Tomatoes

Slice tomatoes in 1/4 slices; arrange on plate. Thinly slice red onion and sprinkle on and around tomatoes. Sprinkle capers on and around tomatoes. Pour olive oil on tomatoes. Squeeze the lemon juice on top of tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fettuccine alla Carbonara

Make the recipes of Quick Homemade Pasta (Recipe/Starch/Quick Homemade Pasta). Cook in boiling water for 3-4 minutes just prior to serving; reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

Place oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add pancetta, sliced into small cubes. When the pancetta browns remove to a plate. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Combine eggs and cheese in a bowl, reserving 3 Tb of the cheese, whisk to mix. Remove the pan from the heat; add the pancetta bits back in, then add the hot pasta to the pan. Rapidly mix in the egg and cheese mixture, allowing the heat from the pasta to “cook” the eggs. Thin with a bit of the reserved pasta water if needed. Plate, sprinkle with cilantro, pepper and reserved cheese and serve.

Quick Homemade Pasta

Place flour and egg in food processor. Pulse until the flour forms small beads. Turn off processor and squeeze a little of the dough between your fingers,; if it forms a ball it is ready. Dump into a plastic bag or plastic wrap and form it into a ball. Refrigerate the pasta for 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into strips. Cook in salted, boiling water for 3-4 minutes.

Note: Pasta will swell up when it is cooked so be sure to roll it as thin as you can.

This makes 2 servings as the starch in a meal. Make one recipe per person if you are just serving the pasta as the meal. This makes 1/3 lb of fresh pasta.

French Bread

Dissolve the yeast in 2/3 cup of tepid (105 degree)
water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes to proof yeast.
(bubbles). Add flour, salt and additional tepid water
to the mixer bowl. Use the bread hook attachment
and mix until a large ball forms, Add a sprinkle
more of flour if dough is too sticky. Spray another
large bowl with Pam or oil and place dough in
bottom; cover with plastic wrap and allow to double
in size in a draft-free area. (1-11/2 hours). Remove
to a floured flat surface and punch down into a ball.
Place back in the bowl and repeat the rising.
Remove dough to a flat surface and cut into 4
pieces. Punch each piece down, fold back into the
top of the front, and the sides into each other.
Shape dough into the shape you wish. Place on
floured surface on parchment paper, cover with a
towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees, (place pizza stones in
oven if available) Allow the stones or oven to pre-
heat for at least 30 minutes. Slide bread and
parchment paper onto an upside down cookie
sheet. Slash top of bread with a sharp knife in two
or three places. Carefully place in oven, still on the
parchment, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until brown
and hollow sounding when you thump the bottom.
Remove to a cooling rack. May be frozen. before
or after baking.

Note: For rolls divide the dough into equal logs, cut
logs into equal pieces , place each roll in the palm
of your hand and pinch the sides toward the middle
. Place on parchment, pinched side down, and
allow to rise for 20 minutes. Bake as above.

French Vinaigrette Salad

Whisk vinegar, shallot and mustard together in a small glass bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Toss with mixed lettuce and serve.
Shown here with a baked goat cheese medallion.

Di's Salmon

Combine first 6 ingredients in a pan, simmer for 5-7 minutes until blended. Cool and pour over salmon filets; marinate for 30 minutes. Cook salmon on a grill or in a hot pan for about 4 minutes per side or until done.

Jim's World Class Spinach

Wash spinach thoroughly and dry, heat oil in pan, add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Add ham and spinach, season with salt and pepper. Plate and sprinkle with romano cheese.

Goulash

Heat butter in a heavy skillet, add meat and brown. Add onions and flour and stir to combine. Pour consommé into pan and scrap brown particles from the bottom of the pan. Add spices and stir. Simmer for 1 ½ hour until the meat is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Hot Buttered Noodles

Cook noodles according to instructions on the package. Add butter and parsley while pasta is still hot. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

Lettuce Wedge Salad

Prepare one recipe Steakhouse Blue Cheese Dressing. Cut iceberg lettuce into wedges and chill. When ready to serve, spoon dressing over wedges then sprinkle with chopped fresh tomatoes and crumbled blue cheese. Serve with freshly ground black pepper.

Steakhouse Blue Cheese Dressing

Mix together mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in blue cheese, salt, pepper, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. This mixture will be very thick, Store in refrigerator. Immediately before serving, thin with buttermilk.

Serve on a wedge of iceberg lettuce.

Hint: Makes 3 cups of dressing.

Southwest Chicken

Cut chicken along backbone, flatten, remove backbone, cut a hole in skin between thigh and side and push the leg through to hold in place. Fold wings back to hold in. Cover chicken with cinnamon and chili powder. Rub olive oil over the top of the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for about one hour. Place mushrooms, onions, garlic, tomatoes, sunflower seeds and chili peppers in bottom of roasting pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place chicken breast side up in roasting pan. Cook for 1 hour to 11/4 hours.
Remove chicken from pan and let it rest. Remove solid vegetables from pan, place in blender or food processor and carefully (they will be hot) liquefy until it makes a chunky sauce, add this back to juices in pan, add chicken broth to pan, thicken sauce with flour mixed with some of the pan juices, adjust salt and pepper to taste, add raisins. Carve chicken, pour gravy over chicken and serve extra gravy alongside.

White Rice

Place all ingredients in a microwavable bowl. Mix and cook, covered on high for 15 minutes.

Easy Artisan Bread

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water, beer and vinegar and mix thoroughly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 14 to 18 hours. Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 10 -15 times. Line a round pan or basket with parchment paper. Spray parchment with PAM and place the dough on the parchment, spray the dough with the PAM. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise to double in size, about 2 hours. Pre-heat a Dutch oven in the oven at 500 degrees for ½ hour (with lid on). Remove lid and carefully, using the parchment under the dough , lower the dough into the Dutch oven, parchment and all, put lid on and lower oven temperature to 425. Bake for 30 minutes, remove lid and back an additional 10 minutes until the bread is nicely browned.
Recipe adapted from American’s Test Kitchen.

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