A Love Letter to Pop Culture
…is Alessi‘s*. It tastes fresh, isn’t too salty, and has the perfect consistency. For a quick meal, we combine basil, crushed garlic, crushed red pepper, browned ground sirloin, and one jar of Alessi sauce (the Fra Diavolo sauce is my favorite) in a pot over medium heat. Serve it over whole wheat spaghetti, and you’re done.
*If you can’t find this brand, or are just v. interested in canned pasta sauce, Chowhound readers have more advice here.
UPDATE: I tried this again, using the tomato sauce recipe. Much better!
Tonight I made tonkatsu, or breaded fried pork cutlet. It’s the first time I’ve deep-fried anything or used panko (Japanese bread crumbs), so that was exciting. I used this recipe, and substituted arugula for the rice. You could also substitute tofu for the pork to make it vegetarian (use a mix of soft tofu & soy milk instead of the egg).
Everyone found it tasty, but a little bland. Possible tweaks:
A extra tip from On Food and Cooking
Finally, a close-up:
If you don’t subscribe already, go now and experience the culinary wonder of TasteSpotting. The site has swiftly replaced my old favorite cooking mag, Cooking Light, as my go-to source for recipes, and best of all, it’s free. Below are two recent site-sourced successes:
1. Orange Roughy with Mango Black Bean Salsa: The original recipe called for sea bass, but we substituted orange roughy (upon further research, I’m not thrilled with the sustainability of either–any recommendations for a sustainable substitute?). We also used 3/4 of a large jalapeno, and that was plenty of heat.
2. Sundried Tomato & Basil Couscous with Balsamic Vinegar: Nothing to add, just that it’s delicious.
Dinner last night was unexpectedly good, so I thought I’d share. The cucumber tomato salad comes from Elle’s New England Kitchen (via Tastespotting). It tastes like a Greek deli (i.e. spot on), although I might use a finer dice. As for the steak, it was improvised from an old family recipe. I winged it, hence the loose instructions/quantities.
Soy Scallion Steak
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
12 sirloin tipside steaks, sliced thin*
sesame oil
soy sauce (I use Kikkoman’s, here’s why)
one bunch scallions, sliced thin
Preparation:
Cover the bottom of an enameled cast iron pan with sesame oil, over high heat. When warm, add steaks, scallions, and soy sauce. Make sure the steaks do not overlap (I did it in batches). Cook steaks, flipping once, until brown on both sides. Continue simmering steaks & sauce until sauce has a gravy-like consistency. Serve with French or Cuban bread.
*These steaks are tiny–1/2 inch thick and no larger than my palm.
Shrimp bruschetta is delicious and easy to make. The following is a modified recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Happy Days with the Naked Chef; I’d also recommend making Shrimp Bruschetta with Limoncello, another recent hit (add crushed red pepper if you like more heat).
Spicy Shrimp Bruschetta
Serves 3 if served as a meal, 4 or more if served as an appetizer.
Ingredients
about 1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 heaping tbsps ginger, peeled & julienned
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced thin
2 jalapeños, deseeded & sliced thin
16-20 large shrimp, peeled with tails left on
1 to 2 lemons
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, or to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
1 French baguette, sliced & lightly toasted
Preparation
Heat a frying pan over high heat. When hot, add 1/4 cup oil, ginger, garlic, jalapeños and shrimp. Cook until shrimp turns bright pink, about 3-4 minutes. Turn heat down to low and add the juice of one lemon, parsley, and the rest of the olive oil. Remove from heat, toss, and taste. Add more lemon juice or olive oil as needed, then season with salt and pepper. Serve over bread.