Penne with Beef and Arugula and Parmesan Popovers

When I watched Giada make this, I wanted to reach through the tv and eat it. I longed to work in her husband's office, in the hopes that I could look starved in the corner, so that she might share some with me. Alas, tv's don't work like that, and I don't work with her husband. Such is life.

It occurred to me, as I watched, that this dinner would make excellent lunch leftovers. I know, I know, how crazy is it that I made this meal looking forward to its leftovers? I knew we'd like it for firstovers, but still! We're trying to cut back on our grocery purchases and control our lunches, so it only makes sense! :)

I really enjoyed the mix of the balsamic and the mustard. Both went beautifully with the beef and pasta.

The popovers, while tasty, were a reminder to me that I have to pay attention to the instructions!! I baked them in regular muffin tins, not mini's, so they weren't as light and airy as expected. Still yummy, though.

I submit this tasty dinner-and-lunch to Ruth for her Presto Pasta Night round-up. Check over to her site on Friday for all the tasty pasta the Internet has to offer!

Penne with Beef and Arugula
c/o Everyday Italian, Food Network TV
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33971,00.html

1 (1-pound) New York strip steak
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for steak and pasta water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for steak
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 cups chopped arugula

Season the steak with salt and freshly ground black pepper, herbs de Provence, and minced garlic. In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook steak about 7 minutes per side. Remove the meat from pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak. Set aside.

Meanwhile, 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. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, fresh herbs, and 3/4 cup olive oil. In a large bowl toss the pasta with half of the salad dressing and the reserved pasta water. Add the arugula and steak, more dressing, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed. Toss, pack for the picnic, or serve.

Parmesan Popovers
c/o Everyday Italian, Food Network TV
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_33976,00.html

3 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a blender, combine eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, milk, and cheese. Blend on medium speed.

Spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove popovers from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. Save in a storage container to take to the picnic.

See the recipe...

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan

This a little something I made a couple of weeks ago. We'd gotten one fennel bulb in our CSA that week, and I wanted to do something super-fennelly with it, not just mix it into something else. Why? Well... I'm less experienced with fennel, so I wanted to get a feel for the flavor and texture on its own, so I'd have a better idea of what it was adding to recipes.

That said, this recipe calls for 4 fennel bulbs and I had just the one. No matter! I sliced the bulb thinly, into about 4 pieces. I'd made something else as the main (and I can't remember for the life of me what that was), so this was just for kicks.

I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, because if you know fennel, you know how sharp the flavor is. And with only parm and black pepper on it, it was indeed super-fennelly. Dave didn't care for them, so I got to have his slices, too.

If you love fennel, this makes a really interesting side (or snack, even). I don't know if I'll do this again, but it definitely served its educational purposes.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
From Giada’s Family Dinners, by Giada De Laurentiis
c/o Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30476,00.html?rsrc=search

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 2 teaspoons, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve.

See the recipe...

Really Really Not My Food

So, generally, I'd like to post pictures of food I haven't already dug into... but.. we were hungry... and it had been a few days since I'd blogged, and I'm still new... so I had a couple of bites before I remembered... oops!

What you see is Bobby Flay's Black Pepper Crusted Steak with Toasted Goat Cheese blah blah blah with Giada De Laurentiis' Baked Mashed Potatoes (only I didn't bake them, and I used smoked mozz. instead) and some asparagus with Emeril Lagasse's Sauce Bearnaise... whew! Luckily, I already had the chile sauce for the steak done (frozen extra from earlier).

We had my friend Stephanie over for dinner, so we thought we'd make an evening of it, hence the steaks. She was lovely enough to bring Wegmans awesome chocolate cake and ice cream, and we had a ton of wine. I think I might still be full. :)

Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Toasted Goat Cheese and Twice Cooked Red Chile Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_26238,00.html

4 filet mignon steaks, each 1 1/2-inches thick
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch thick) slices goat cheese
Red Chile Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat the grill to high. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before grilling. Meanwhile, combine the cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Liberally season both sides of each filet with the spice mixture. Grill the filets for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium doneness.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Remove the steaks from the grill onto a baking sheet, and top each with a slice of the cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is golden brown and soft. Alternatively, use a blow torch or kitchen torch to brown the cheese. Ladle the sauce onto each plate, place the steak in the center, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Red Chile Sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 New Mexican red chiles, lightly toasted
2 quajillo chiles, lightly toasted
1 ancho chile, lightly toasted
6 to 8 cups homemade chicken stock
1/4 cup creme fraiche
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft. Add the chiles and stock, and bring to a simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chiles are soft. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth.

Strain the mixture into a saute pan that has been set on high heat for a few minutes, and cook the sauce until slightly thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Accompanied by:

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs
Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32174,00.html

1 tablespoon butter
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

[Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead of time; cover and chill.

Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. ]

Skipped the part in brackets. I will say that it’s a great thing to do for holidays… you can get the mash ready ahead of time, and pop it in the oven right at the end of the dinner prep.

And:

Bearnaise Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_6401,00.html

3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons white wine
10 peppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon water
3 egg yolks
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves

In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine, peppercorns, shallots, and tarragon. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to 1 tablespoon. Add 1 tablespoon of water. Add the egg yolks and whisk, over low heat, until frothy, about 3 to 4 minutes. In a steady stream, add the butter until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce through a chinois and set aside. Garnish with the parsley leaves.

See the recipe...