Rosemary-Garlic Steaks with Arugula, Tomatoes and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

4 sirloin steaks, 1-inch thick, about 10 to 12-ounces each
2 cloves garlic, cracked from skin and halved
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
4 sprigs rosemary very finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper or grill seasoning, if desired
4 cups arugula leaves
1 pint multi-color, yellow or red cherry heirloom tomatoes or 2 medium
vine-ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lemon
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high to high.

Rub room temperature meat with cut garlic. Drizzle the meat with olive
oil, rub with rosemary and season liberally with salt and pepper or
grill seasoning. Cook steaks 4 minutes on each side for medium, let
rest 5 minutes then slice.

Dress greens and halved or chopped tomatoes with the juice of 1 lemon,
2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Pile salad on top of
sliced steak and garnish with long grates of cheese made with
vegetable peeler.

Low Carb Big Beef Bacon Cheeseburgers with Sauteed Mushrooms

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

8 slices applewood or other thick, center-cut bacon, from the meat
case of market
1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
Worcestershire sauce, for brushing
Olive oil, for drizzling
Grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick) or
coarse salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
1 clove crushed garlic
1 pound crimini (baby Portobello) mushrooms, cleaned with a damp towel, sliced
3 or 4 sprigs fresh sage
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup dry cooking sherry
8 ounces fontina or Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
Grainy, stone ground prepared mustard, for passing at the table

Let meat rest to take the chill from the refrigerator.

Preheat 2 nonstick skillets over medium high to high heat.

Place the meat in a bowl and score it into 4 equal sections and form
the meat into patties. Season each patty with grill seasoning. Pour a
few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce into a small dish and using a
pastry brush, lightly baste the burgers with sauce. Drizzle a touch of
oil into the 1 hot skillet and arrange the burgers. Do not move the
meat for 2 minutes. Turn and sear the reverse side to caramelize the
meat. Lower the heat slightly and cook 5 minutes longer on each side.

Place bacon slices in the other skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each
side, until crisp. Drain fat and reserve bacon. Return the skillet to
the stove top. Add 2 tablespoons oil, the garlic and mushrooms to the
pan. Thinly slice sage leaves, then add to the mushrooms and season
with salt and pepper. Saute the garlic and mushrooms 5 minutes until
just tender. Deglaze the pan with dry sherry and scrape up the pan
drippings.

Pile the mushrooms on top of burgers, then top with bacon and cheese
and cover with lid or foil to melt cheese. Transfer burgers to dinner
plates. Pass grainy mustard at the table.

Hot 'N Sweet Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 (1-inch) ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable or other light oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 small red chili peppers, very thinly sliced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, deveined, tails off
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and quartered

Combine sugar, vinegar and ginger in a small pot and bring to a boil,
dissolve sugar and turn off heat, reserve.

In a skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions,
chili peppers, mushrooms and garlic 3 to 4 minutes then add shrimp and
toss 3 to 4 minutes more until pink and firm. Douse the pan with the
sweet vinegar, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with cold
lettuce for wrapping the hot-sweet shrimp.

Cherry Tomato Red Clam Sauce with Linguini

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Salt
1 pound linguini
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 to 6 anchovies
1 pint small cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 stems oregano, leaves stripped and finely chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
3 pounds Manilla clams, scrubbed
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn

Bring water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook pasta just shy of al dente.

While water comes to a boil, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium
to medium-high heat. Add anchovies and melt into oil. Add tomatoes,
onions and garlic to the pan, season with crushed red pepper flakes,
oregano, parsley and pepper, saute until the tomatoes and onions are
soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add wine and reduce for 1 or 2 minutes, melt butter into sauce and add
clams to pot. Cover the pot and cook clams until they open, 6 to 7
minutes.

Remove any unopened clams and add pasta to the pan. Toss linguini with
sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Add
basil to pasta and taste to adjust seasonings.

Mini Caprese Salad

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 lemon, juiced
1 small clove garlic, grated or minced
1 cup basil leaves, about 20 leaves, plus a few for garnish
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, multi colored if available, halved
1 cup bocconcini (bite-sized fresh mozzarella balls), drained, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine lemon juice, garlic, basil in food processor or blender,
process and stream in extra-virgin olive oil to form a smooth
dressing. Combine tomatoes, cheese and dressing in a bowl and season
with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with a few torn basil leaves.

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Sausage Balls, Tomato-Basil Sauce, Cacio e Pepe Potatoes and Roast Broccolini

This meal can be made with less than 10 items - hello Express Lane!

Level: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

9-item grocery list:
2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes
1 tub bocconcini, bite size fresh mozzarella in water
2 pounds Italian hot or sweet fresh chicken, turkey or pork sausage,
bulk if available
1 1/2 pounds broccolini
1 head garlic
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock or milk
1 tub grated Pecorino Romano
1 tub good quality fresh pesto from the refrigerated cases of the market

On hand:
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling, 4 to 5 tablespoons total
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Quarter baby potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then
salt water and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.

While potatoes come up to a boil, place a nonstick baking sheet
alongside a mixing bowl. Remove 12 pieces of bite sized mozzarella
from the water and set on work surface. Remove sausages from casings,
if bulk not available, and place in a bowl. Combine the meat into a
single mound then score it into 4 sections. Each section will yield 3
large sausage meatballs. To form each ball, take a handful of meat and
wrap it around a piece of mozzarella. Roll 12 balls. Wash up. Coat
balls with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until cooked
through and evenly browned.

While the balls are cooking, trim ends of clean broccolini and scatter
evenly over a baking sheet. Grate or chop 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and
drizzle the broccolini and garlic with olive oil, then season with
salt and pepper and roast 12 to 15 minutes to crisp the broccolini
tops.

While the broccolini is roasting, add tomatoes to a small pot or
skillet, mash with a potato masher and season with salt and pepper.
Heat over medium heat then simmer to reduce about 8 to 10 minutes.

When the potatoes are tender, drain and return to the hot pot to dry
them out a little. Mash the potatoes with 1/2 cup stock or milk, 1/2
to 2/3 cup grated Romano cheese, a few generous handfuls, lots of
black pepper and a little salt.

Turn the heat off the tomatoes and stir in 1/2 cup prepared pesto.

Serve three cheese-stuffed sausage balls with tomato-basil sauce on
top or underneath, cacio e pepe smashed potatoes and broccolini
alongside.

From: foodnetwork.com

Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Herbs and Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Pasta with Basil and Arugula

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 38 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

I made garlic-centric meal for my in-laws, not normally fans of
garlic, and they cleaned their plates! My husband was so happy to see
his parents FINALLY embrace garlic (his first love - I'm number 3
behind Scotch) that he literally cried about it later that night!

Salt
1 pound penne rigate
2 pints grape tomatoes
8 to 10 cloves garlic, cracked but left in skins, plus 1 clove peeled and halved
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus some, for drizzling
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tenderloin steaks about 1 1/4-inch thick
2 scallions, whites and greens
8 to 10 fresh sage leaves
A handful flat-leaf parsley
1 cup Gorgonzola crumbles
1 cup grated Parmigianino-Reggiano, a few generous handfuls
1 cup basil leaves, about 20, torn or shredded
2 cups coarsely chopped arugula

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil for the pasta.
Salt water, add pasta and cook to just-shy of al dente. It needs to
have a real bite left to it because it will sit in the sauce for 2
minutes later on and continue to cook. Heads up: you will need 2
ladles of starchy cooking water just before draining, about 1 1/2
cups.

Place the grape tomatoes on a cookie sheet with the garlic. Coat the
tomatoes and cracked garlic with 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
oil and season with lots of salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Rub with a clove of cut
garlic. Coat the steaks lightly in extra-virgin olive oil.

Chop the scallions, whites and greens. Thinly slice the sage and
finely chop the parsley. Combine the scallions and herbs with the
Gorgonzola crumbles.

When you are a few minutes away from taking the tomatoes out of the
oven, heat a skillet over high heat. Add the steaks and caramelize the
meat on both sides, a minute and a half per side should do it.

Take the tomatoes and garlic out of the oven. Turn the oven off. Top
the meat with the gorgonzola and transfer the skillet to the oven. Let
the meat sit in the hot oven 4 to 5 minutes. The Gorgonzola will melt
down over the meat and the steaks will be tender and pale pink inside.

Remove the roasted garlic from the skins and mash into a paste with
the side of your knife. Transfer the garlic paste to the bottom of a
pasta bowl. Using a fork, mix the garlic into 2 ladles of starchy
pasta cooking water, about 1 1/2 cups. Add the tomatoes to the bowl
and mash them with a potato masher until a sauce forms and tomatoes
are well combined with garlic broth. Add penne, grated cheese, arugula
and basil and toss a minute or 2 to allow the pasta to soak up
flavors.

Serve meat with pasta alongside.