Roasted Two Pepper Orzo and My Very Favorite (easy) Grilled Steak

Just about every woman I know has a go-to little black dress hanging in her closet. I have a fabulous black satin trimmed sheath dress that I like to think of as my dress-up, dress-down, never let me down stand by.

Well, I like to think of skirt steak as the little black dress of beef. Always tasty, always easy to cook with it never lets me down; it's the one meat I always keep in the freezer for that "just in case" moment. You can dress it up with a fancy blue cheese sauce or dress it down and serve it in a casual fajita, but tender skirt steak, fancy or casual, completes a menu much like your little black dress completes your wardrobe.

I've gone casual in my steak prep today, using a tasty marinade found in your supermarket: Durkee Grill Creations Black Peppercorn Marinade. Quick and easy, this ready to mix marinade gives your steak a nice, peppery kick; it's my very favorite supermarket marinade mix.

Keeping the pepper theme going, I paired the steak with a spicy Roasted Two Pepper Orzo that's equally easy to make and a perfect complement to the peppery steak. Don't be intimidated by roasting the peppers yourself-it could not be easier and the fresh roasted flavor is worth the effort. Use extra care when removing the skins from the jalapeno peppers-they're very hot and if you're not wearing gloves, be sure to wash your hands before touching your eyes...I can tell you from experience...it will burn!

Roasted Two Pepper Orzo with Charred Lime

1 red pepper

2 jalapeno peppers

1 lime, thinly sliced

32 ounces chicken broth

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups orzo

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small dice

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.

Place the peppers directly on the grill rack and cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let peppers sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to loosen slightly.

Carefully grill the lime slices 1-2 minutes per side until grill marks appear.

Bring the chicken broth and water to a boil in a large pot; add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes or until tender. Drain the orzo and transfer to a large bowl; toss with the oil, cilantro and salt.

Carefully remove the skins, seeds and membranes from the peppers. Finely chop the peppers and stir into the orzo along with the mozzarella and the limes.

My Very Favorite (easy) Grilled Steak

1 1/2 pounds skirt steak

1 packet Durkee Grill Creations Black Peppercorn Marinade

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the skirt steak in a marinating bowl or large zipper top plastic bag. Whisk together the Durkee marinade, oil, water and vingear; pour over the steak. Allow steak to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat. Remove steak from the marinade and place on the grill rack; grill steak 3 minutes per side for medium rare or continue grilling until desired doneness. Transfer steak to a cutting board, season with the kosher salt then allow the steak to rest for 5-8 minutes. Carve the steak diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Barefoot Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Oh boy...this one is a keeper.

Today is Barefoot Thursday (barely...I'm squeaking it in at the last possible moment-I can't even use Pacific time as a cover-I'm east coast and it's pushing 11:00 p.m.) and as with all Barefoot Thursdays, (Barefoot) food bloggers near and far prepare a delicious Ina Garten (aka: The Barefoot Contessa) recipe.

Today's recipe selection was made by Cat of Delta Whiskey. Cat, whose birthday just happens to be today (Happy Birthday!!); she selected Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes. This recipe was divinely easy and divinely tasty.

I prepared this recipe for the Women's shelter that I cook for so I had to do a little doubling and tripling here and there. Ina Garten's original recipe is here. I'm sharing the recipe as I adapted it for 20. (Oh and I forgot to buy the olives...so it's sans black olives...sorry!)

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes for 20
adapted from Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

1 1/2 pounds pasta (I used mini-penne)
kosher salt
Olive oil
3 pints grape tomatoes, quartered
2 pounds fresh mozzarella, medium diced
18 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
for the dressing:
10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 teaspoons capers
3 teaspoons kosher salt (I know, I know that's a lot...but it really tastes good)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions:
Cook the pasta in two batches 3/4 lb. at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 12 minutes or according to the directions on the package. Drain well, toss with a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the tomatoes, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic capers, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan and basil and toss well.

Avocado Oil and a Seductive Tomato

I have made evident in the past my love of the avocado; so it should come as no surprise that the other day while I was perusing my supermarket for something interesting I was drawn to a bottle of avocado oil.

Hmmm oil of an avocado...I knew it was "fatty" fruit (albeit the "good" kind of fat), but it honestly never occurred to me that there was such a thing as avocado oil; into the cart it went and off I went to find something to use it with.

During the "non-local-tomato-months" I am generally a purchaser only of those mini plastic containers of grape or cherry tomatoes since I often find the supermarket tomatoes to be gritty and flavorless. Well here we are June in Connecticut and obviously no one is harvesting tomatoes at any of the farms around here, but for whatever reason the Heirloom tomato selection at our local Whole Foods was looking rather seductive and quite honestly I could not resist a shapely and bright, yellow tomato. It was settled I would use my avocado oil for a salad using the yellow tomato, herb salad mix, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

This past weekend my H and I enjoyed a few glasses of a tasty Argentinian Malbec, but (shockingly) did not finish the bottle. Not being one to let tasty wine go to waste I decided to make a reduction to add to my salad. I had about 2/3 of a cup left and reduced it down to a tangy little tablespoon and swirled in a touch of honey-it was a perfect accent.

The avocado oil gave a lovely essence of avocado flavor to the salad. I am certain that a diced avocado added to the salad would be over the top delicious so in the future that is the only change I will make. But for today I'm cutting a few calories at lunch so that I can enjoy the tasty Carvel Ice Cream Cake I bought for my DH for his birthday today!

Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Avocado Oil and a Honeyed Malbec Reduction

2/3 cup Malbec

1/4 teaspoon wildflower honey

8 cups mixed salad greens

1 small shallot, very thinly sliced

3 large yellow Heirloom tomato, each cut into 6 slices

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cut into 8 slices

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 teaspoons Avocado oil

2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil

In small skillet over medium high heat reduce the Malbec to 1 tablespoon; stir in the honey, pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Divide the greens between 4 serving plates. Scatter the shallots over the greens. Alternate the tomato and the cheese and fan over the greens on each plate. Season each salad with the salt and pepper.

Drizzle each salad with a teaspoon of the Malbec reduction and two teaspoons of the oil. Garnish each with the fresh basil.

Yield: 4 salads

Extreme Bacon Cheese Pizza

I am not so old that I cannot remember fun and fabulous times on Spring Break in college. I can actually map out my life to date in a sort of "Spring Break" timeline:

• Let's start with college...fun times in Ft. Lauderdale (yeah I know, I'm old- Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break is so 80's)
• Post graduation years...Spring Break morphed into summer weekends in the Hampton's in a house shared with 20 of my "closest friends".
• Early married life...Spring Break was romantic weeks or weekends just for two-enjoying Robert Cray at Jazz Fest in New Orleans comes to mind.
• The kids were young years...Spring breaks were spent usually in a place with costumed characters and eating at anyplace that served chicken nuggets.
• The kids are getting older years...I've come almost full circle, we just returned from Spring Break and it was spent going on college visits for my oldest son who is a Junior this year.

I am pretty sure that I am a college marketers dream come true; I sat at every power point presentation mesmerized...drawn in...wishing I could choose college all over again. Don't get me wrong I love my alma mater (Fordham) and would probably choose it again given the choice (and would be thrilled if my son got in and chose it), but man...the presentations we saw this week...each one out did the next. I had to keep reminding my son (and myself) that they were in fact sales presentations. Oh and it didn't hurt that at one campus it was "Spring Fling" and the campus was bustling with activity-of course my 17 year old liked that school the best.

Our return from "Spring Break" has given me a real hankering for college foods so the kids and I made Extreme Bacon Cheese Pizzas which got an A+ from everyone.

Extreme Bacon Cheese Pizzas

5 slices bacon

1 prepared pizza crust divided into 4 equal pieces

1 cup prepared sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake the bacon in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Stretch the dough pieces into 6x4 inch ovals and place on a baking pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Divide the sauce between each crust, spreading in an even layer.

Sprinkle each with the cheeses, evenly dividing. Crumble the bacon and divide between the pizzas arranging on top of the cheeses.

Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake pizzas in the oven for 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crusts are golden brown.

Mediterranean Pearls

Pasta is a dinner staple in most homes and ours is no exception-but don't you get tired of the same old penne and spaghetti? My favorite find this week is in fact a pasta but not your typical Italian variety...this one originated in of all places Israel.

Favorite Food Find Friday's find is...Mediterranean (a.k.a. Israeli) couscous!

These little pearl shaped grains are similar looking to barley, but they are actually made from a wheat based dough which is shaped into little balls and toasted-as opposed to dried as pastas usually are.

The large grains make an impressive presentation as the base for chicken or seafood or tossed with caramelized onions and blue cheese for a tasty beef side dish. Today I've made a Mediterranean style salad that couldn't be easier...you need "1" of everything in it. You'll notice there's no added oil-I found it just doesn't need it, but if you're planning on chilling it before you serve it you may want to add a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive just so the couscous doesn't clump together. Also I used a fresh mozzarella because one of my favorite supermarkets makes it fresh in the store and it's just fabulous, but you can substitute a feta or goat cheese if you prefer.

"One" Mediterranean Couscous Salad

1 (32 ounce) container chicken stock

1 cup Mediterranean (a.k.a. Israeli) Couscous

1 cup diced roasted red pepper

1 cup coarsely chopped arugula

1 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 lemon, thinly sliced then halved

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Stir in the couscous, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Drain couscous and transfer to a large bowl.

Stir the red pepper, arugula, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, pine nuts and lemon slices into the bowl with the couscous. Serve warm or chilled.

Yield: 4 servings

Touchdown Treat Week

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a football fan.

Oh don't get me wrong I can bandwagon with the best of them. In fact I'm a total sports chameleon-you know that "I don't watch football all season but I'm wearing the team colors and sporting a #1 foam finger for my team of the moment come Super Bowl Sunday" kind of gal. I'm from NY originally so I can easily jump on the blue Giants bandwagon when called to (or the green Jets bandwagon for that matter). The Buffalo Bills would be great to root for too...I always love an underdog. I live in New England now, so if the Patriots are fortunate enough to get in, well...Tom Brady's awfully cute, so it wouldn't take much to get me to root for them...you get the idea.

With this year's Superbowl though, it will be very hard for me to choose a team to root for. I'm not feeling a hometown vibe for Arizona or Pennsylvania. I don't even feel an "I drove through there once and it was really nice" vibe...the best I can do is my cousin Joe who lives in Maryland has a daughter that goes to Carnegie Mellon which is in Pittsburgh so I guess this year I'll be donning black and gold and morphing into a Steelers fan. Or maybe I could just be really honest and say I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials (oh, and to eat the food).

This recipe is for my favorite party dip: Buffalo Chicken Dip. My version uses supermarket purchased rotisserie chicken, but if you prefer you can poach your own chicken or use leftover. I don't really like the canned chicken, so I would not recommend using that; it's too "tuna-fishy". You can leave out the crumbled blue cheese if you would like or you can replace it with shredded cheddar, but I think the fresh blue cheese gives it a little extra zip. Make it extra spicy by increasing the hot sauce-this version is mildly spicy.

I would love to hear about your favorite game day dip...who are you rooting for next Sunday and what dip are you serving?

I Wish The Buffalo Bills Were In The Super Bowl Chicken Dip (aka Buffalo Chicken Dip)

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

3/4 cup hot sauce (such as Frank's)

8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x9 inch or similar baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the chicken and the hot sauce, stirring to completely coat the chicken. Spread the chicken in an even layer in the bottom of the baking dish.

Using the same bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles and ranch dressing mix; spread in an even layer over the chicken. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over all.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving as it will be very hot. Serve with corn chips, celery sticks or carrot sticks.

Linguini and Oreos

Tomorrow is National Linguine Day. I’m not sure when or why it originated, but a day devoted to pasta sounds like a good idea to me. Don't panic-I did not create a recipe combining linguine and Oreos; we ate linguine for dinner and for dessert we had an Oreo vs. Hydrox cookie showdown. But now that would be creative...linguine with an Oreo cookie mole sauce perhaps?

Since my first attempt at cooking eggplant a few days ago, I’ve made a few kinds of eggplant dishes and this one-Roasted Eggplant Linguine with Smoked Mozzarella-was a favorite. I only made enough for two, since my son decided that he was going to make homemade pizza for himself and the other two kids.

Just a few words about the Italian seasoning grinder that I’ve included in the recipe…I love this stuff. Not too long ago, McCormick came out with spice grinders: seasoned salts, peppers and pizza seasoning. The Italian seasoning (originally called Pizza Seasoning) incorporates garlic and spices and I have found that it comes in very handy when you don’t have any fresh garlic in the house. It gives a mild garlic flavor without overpowering. Of course you can go ahead and substitute fresh garlic if you have it on hand, but in a pinch the Italian seasoning comes in mighty handy, it's great for seasoning pastas, omelets, sauces and pizza. You can find the spice grinders in the supermarket spice section.

Roasted Eggplant Linguine with Smoked Mozzarella

1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 ounces linguine shaped pasta, cooked al dente according to package directions
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon McCormick Italian Seasoning Grinder
1/2 cup diced smoked mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the eggplant in a single layer on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until eggplant is golden brown.


While the eggplant is cooking combine the tomatoes, basil, rosemary and red pepper flakes with the remaining salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Heat the broth in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the pasta, tomato mixture and the eggplant; cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pizza seasoning and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top.

Yield: 2 servings

For dessert, we decided to have an Oreo vs. Hydrox cookie taste test.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hydrox Cookies, the original cream filled chocolate cookie, Kellogg’s (the current owner of the Hydrox brand) decided to bring the cookies back.

I remember as a kid not really liking Hydrox cookies too much-I thought they tasted too waxy and tasted ironically like imitation Oreos. This incarnation of the cookies I think tastes ok. While each of us in the family were able to identify the Oreo and identify the Hydrox, it wasn’t because of the taste, it was because of the crunchiness of the chocolate wafer (the Hydrox cookie is crunchier). Ultimately the Oreo cookie won (3 to 2) because the chocolate taste of the Oreo wasn’t too overpowering. I’m pretty sure if we had thrown a double stuffed Oreo in there it would have been unanimous…what could beat a double cream filling?

Bullies in the Produce Aisle

I love eggplant.

At Christmas time every year my sister-in-law's Italian husband prepares the most delicious eggplant rollatini. I have always been intimidated by the thought of trying to cook eggplant, so I simply dream of dinner at the in-laws all year long. In fact I almost never buy eggplant and prepare it at home, it's always been one of those things I only order in restaurants.

When I was at the supermarket the other day, there seemed to be an abundance of beautiful purple eggplants. As I caught my reflection in the glare of a particularly large eggplant's shiny skin, I said to myself "how foolish are you that you allow yourself to be intimidated by a vegetable?" I defiantly placed 2 of the shiniest eggplants in my cart.

This eggplant recipe not only makes good use of abundant eggplant, but it's also a great way to use up any fresh basil and garden tomatoes you're probably overflowing with right about now (if you're lucky enough to have a garden).

If making your own pesto is not your thing, feel free to substitute the ready made variety from your supermarket.

The stacks turned out delicious and I think I showed the vegetables in the produce aisle that I won't be intimidated any longer....brussels sprouts, your next.

Eggplant, Tomato and Pesto Stacks

1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 medium sized eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups diced plum tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 basil leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
Pesto:
1 1/2 cups basil leaves, packed
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

12 thin tomato slices
6 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
Basil leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the flour, salt and pepper on a small plate, pour the breadcrumbs onto another small plate and pour the beaten eggs into a shallow dish. Dredge the eggplant slices first into the flour, then into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place the slices onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown and tender.

To prepare the sauce, in a small food processor or blender, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and pepper flakes; process until almost smooth. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan and warm over medium temperature for 5-10 minutes.

To prepare the pesto, in a small food processor or blender combine the basil, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and parmesan cheese; process until smooth.

Preheat an oven broiler.

To assemble the stacks, divide the pesto between the eggplant slices spreading on one side of each. Place a tomato slice onto six of the eggplant slices then top the tomato with the remaining eggplant slices (pesto side up). Top each with the remaining tomato slices then sprinkle each with a tablespoon of the mozzarella cheese. Place stacks under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.

To serve, spoon a portion of the sauce onto each of 6 serving plates, top with an eggplant stack. Garnish with basil leaves and additional pesto.

Yield: 6 servings

Tomato, Avocado & Mozzarella Stack with Mango-Cilantro Dressing

My next door neighbor told me once (in her delightful British accent) that she hates when she makes a recipe that calls for some particular ingredient, say cilantro, and you only use a bit of it. But when you are at the supermarket you can't just buy a bit of it you need to buy the whole bunch. What are you to do with all the leftover cilantro?

My most recent recipe was for a grilled scallop salad that was drizzled with a cilantro dressing. Well, I had quite a bit of leftover cilantro and when I bought the mangoes they were 3 for $4.00 So I have one of those left as well. In the interest of not wasting food I thought I would put something together that would make good use of the leftovers.

This salad calls for fresh mozzarella. I am fortunate enough to have a (super) supermarket that makes mozzarella cheese fresh right in front of you in the store (it's quite fun to watch). When I bought it the other day it was still warm and wrapped up right in front of me...it melts in your mouth. Basically what I'm trying to say is try if you can to get fresh mozzarella cheese, the texture is just so much better than the prepackaged variety and worth the bit extra you may have to spend.

I thought of this after I ate the salad, but it would have been really good with thin slices of the mango added. The mango in the dressing really made this salad pop-I hope you think so too.

Tomato, Avocado & Mozzarella Stack with Mango-Cilantro Dressing

1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced

2 Large tomatoes, thinly sliced

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt, such as French Grey salt or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:

1/4 cup diced mango

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Fan 4 slices of avocado on each of four salad plates. Layer the tomato and mozzarella cheese (you can add a bit of dressing between each layer if you would like) on top of the avocado, evenly dividing and ending with tomato. Fan 2 small slices of avocado on top of the tomato. Sprinkle each salad with the cilantro and drizzle with a generous amount of the dressing. Season each with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

For the dressing: combine the mango, lime juice, olive oil, shallot, cilantro, salt and pepper in a blender container or small food processor; blend until smooth.

Yield: 4 stacks