Big Hunk of Meat {Seared Sirloin with Spinach and Balsamic Vinegar}

The Boy was born in Texas.  Maybe that's why he loves beef so much.
When I pull a meatless meal, he pushes food around his plate.

He tells me what he really feels for is "a big hunk of meat."

With summer suffocating us, a big hunk of meat is one of the last things I want.

Irritating as it may be, living with people means compromise.
The Boy wants to be a "shaggy hippy."  I want him to get a haircut.

We meet in the middle.  Not too short, not too shaggy.
Compromise.

Even when the other person is clearly long and stringy wrong, I guess it's best to be polite with a little give-and-take.

I gave seared sirloin.
The Boy took spinach dressed with balsamic vinegar.  (But not really)

Seared Sirloin with Spinach and Balsamic Vinegar

from Twelve: A Tuscan Cookbook by Tessa Kiros

He ate his "big hunk of meat," then immediately announced he was full.
Not so fast, bub...

Notes:
This is a simple, easy meal.  Great for a weeknight, especially a hot one.  I deviated from the original recipe by adding some tomatoes for color and by making a dressing with the olive oil and balsamic rather than drizzling each separately.  I also seasoned the sirloin before grilling instead of after.

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Seared Sirloin w/ Spinach & Balsamic Vinegar
adapted from Twelve: A Tuscan Cookbook

1 lb sirloin steak
salt & pepper
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
about 10 oz spinach leaves (6 cups), washed and dried
2 medium tomatoes, sliced in wedges

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill.  When the grill is hot, season the steak generously with salt and pepper.  Grill to your liking, turning once.  While the steak rests, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place the spinach in a mixing bowl and lightly dress with some of the oil and balsamic.  Divide the spinach between 4 plates.  Slice the sirloin and arrange the slices on top of each plate of spinach.  Add the tomato wedges to each plate.  Drizzle more of the oil/balsamic dressing over each plate and serve right away.


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Hun...What's for Dinner? Simple Suppers
 

  I Heart Cooking Clubs July Potluck

I Heart Cooking Clubs: Potluck Week {gratinéed tomatoes}

Maybe you've heard of Tessa Kiros.  Maybe not.  Maybe you know that she's on my favorite chefs list.  That's saying alot since I lean towards Cajun & Creole chefs.

I had never heard of Tessa Kiros until she was an I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) featured chef last year.  Food from Many Greek Kitchens was my introduction to Tessa Kiros, and it was quite an  introduction.  It still remains one of my favorite cookbooks on my shelves.

The stories Kiros tells in her books are full of things I want to read--history and lore related to her recipes.  These personal stories highlight those real life moments that elevate recipes to family favorite status.  These personal stories make for my favorite type of cookbook.  I'm not here just for the food.  I'm here for what started the food in the first place, what the food means today, and what carries on after it.

In case you're now thinking that Kiros is full of huggy, touchy-feely fluff, I'm going to add that her recipes are solid.  Out of everything I've made (> 30 recipes), only two didn't work out.  And one of those was because I horribly mismeasured tahini.  My bad.

A new feature during IHCC Potluck Week, which happens once a month, is that ANY current or previous chef is fair game.  I had to pull my Tessa Kiros books down from the shelf.  There are still many recipes I want to try.

This Gratinéed Tomato dish from Twelve, for example.

It is a simple dish.  But there's a certain elegance in it.  In the individual portions of tomato halves sitting on my plate rather than a scoop cut from a casserole dish.  There's also versatility.  Herbs and cheeses can be switched out.  We ate these tomatoes alongside grilled steaks for The Husband's birthday.  Fish, chicken, burgers, sandwiches, or soup would also have worked.

  

My favorite Tessa Kiros Recipes

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Gratinéed Tomatoes
adapted from Twelve by Tessa Kiros

6 Roma tomatoes
salt and black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
10 mint leaves, chopped
10 basil leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
3-4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
5 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
4 Tbsp panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Halve the tomatoes lengthwise.  Scoop out the flesh and seeds, leaving the shell intact.  Place the empty tomato halves into a baking dish cut side up, and season with salt and pepper.

Finely chop the tomato flesh and seeds and put into a bowl. Add the fresh herbs, garlic, oregano, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, and 1 1/2 Tbsp bread crumbs.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.  Gently but thoroughly mix.

Distribute the mixture evenly among the tomato halves.  Mix the remaining Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs together.  Top the tomatoes with this mixture.  Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the bread crumb mixture.  Bake about 30 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden.

IHCC: Farewell to Tessa Kiros

Having started the past six months having never heard of Tessa Kiros, it's a surprise to find that she is my favorite I Heart Cooking Clubs featured chef so far.  Sure, I look forward to the next chef, Rick Bayless.  But it's a sad thing to say goodbye to Tessa.

While I liked Twelve by Tessa Kiros and tried a few recipes from Apples for Jam, it's Food From Many Greek Kitchens that has been the star of the past 6 months.  This has become one of my favorite cookbooks--I'm crazy about it!  It has a prominent spot on the shelf right above my kitchen prep area.  A fantastic book.  Beautiful pictures of Greece, lovely personal stories from the author, and (most importantly) wonderful, exciting food.  If you have even the smallest desire to test out some Greek recipes, Food From Many Greek Kitchens would be an excellent pick.

For the last round with Tessa Kiros (although I'm going to continue cooking her recipes), I decided to go wild and do something completely insane.  Cook eggplant.  Eggplant, the bane of my childhood.  The bitter, mushy-mush that had to be eaten before I could even look at dessert.  The Husband feels even more ill will towards eggplant than I do.  We've decided it's pretty good grilled, but that's about as far as we go.

Enter weird child.  Who first tried eggplant simply because it grows in grandpa's garden.  Who asks my mom to send leftover eggplant dressing home with him.  Who convinced me to plant eggplant this year.  Figured I'd suck it up (or choke it down as the case may be) and make Kiros' Papoutsakia, or "Small Shoes" (stuffed eggplant) for him.

Truth: this takes a while to prepare and has multiple steps and cooling off periods.  I started to wonder if it would be worth the trouble.  But The Boy loved it--thought it was great.  The Husband and I also liked it and were pretty darn surprised by this dish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There have been so many winning recipes during our time with Tessa Kiros.  I tried 28 recipes (not all were posted due to time and either missing or poor quality images).  I can't limit myself to a Top 5.  How 'bout a Top 8?

Kebabs: Even though they look a little questionable when they come off the grill, that didn't stop all of us from hurting ourselves on this.  We liked them with hummus and feta inside Tessa'a homemade pita.


Pita: Simply the best pita recipe I've ever tried.  For realz.

Along with the pita above, would be The Husband's favorite over the past 6 months: Baked Feta.  When I make this for him...putty, yall.

Patates Tiganites with Alatopiperigano (French Fries with Salt, Pepper, and Oregano): I loved the cooking method for these fries, which made them extra crispy.  The Alatopiperigano added something interesting.


Chicken alla Pizzaiola:  This one starts with an excellent homemade garlicky tomato sauce that is useful in so many dishes.  With the sauce made ahead of time, Kiros' Pizza Chicken (as The Boy called it) was a great week-night meal.  Simple ingredients that deliver big flavor.


Penne alla Senese (Penne w/ Sausage, Walnuts, and Cream): Bacon, brandy, Italian sausage, and pecans.  A great Fall dish.  But memorable enough to want to eat year-round.  I still think about this dish.


Garides Saganaki (Shrimp w/ Tomato & Feta): Spectacular sauce that is slightly creamy from the feta.  This was easy/quick enough for a weeknight.  Also good tossed with pasta.


Revithada (Baked Chickpeas): Creamy with some sweetness from the slow-baked onions and a shot of lemon at the end...very simple, but very good.


Oh what the heck!  You've read this far. You deserve dessert.
Apple Cake w/ Toffee Topping: What happens when apple pie, apple cobbler, and apple cake get cozy in the oven?  This bit of bliss...
 


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Papoutsakia, or "Small Shoes" (stuffed eggplant)
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros

4 long eggplants, all similar in size and shape
about 1/2 c olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c red wine
2 14-oz cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 c chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper

for the bechamel:
3 Tbsp butter
7 Tbsp flour
10.5 oz warm milk
1 large pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp shredded kefalotiri (I used fresh mozzarella)

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and the cut surfaces sprinkle with salt.  Leave them upside down in a colander for about half an hour to drain.  Drizzle some olive oil into a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add half of the eggplant.  Fry until deeply golden and soft on both sides.  Remove and fry the remaining eggplants.  When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, leaving about a 1/4" border.  Chop the flesh and set aside.  Wipe out the skillet.  Add 3 Tbsp olive oil and saute the onion until golden.  add the beef and cook until browned.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Next, add the wine and let it simmer a minute or two.  Add 1 can of tomatoes and the parsley.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until thickened.  Add the chopped eggplant and simmer for another 10-12 minutes until most of the liquid is gone.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Make the bechamel by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir in the flour.  Whisk in the milk, removing all lumps.  Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.  whisk until thick.

Empty the remaining can of tomatoes to the bottom of a large baking dish.  Place the eggplant halves over the tomatoes, cut side up, and sprinkle with salt.  Divide the beef mixture evenly among the eggplant halves.  Spoon the bechamel evenly over the eggplants, top each with cheese, and pour about 1/2 cup water around them.  Bake about 30 minutes, until golden on top.






Put your cookbooks to use!  Link up with Cookbook Sundays #17 @ Couscous & Consciousness

Go Green!

I Heart Cooking Clubs is Going Green this week.

Guess I'd better post something green.  Don't want to get pinched!

Creamy Spinach w/ Feta from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

Spinach is my favorite vegetable and this recipe didn't disappoint.  The title tells you what you need to know--spinach, creamy from loads of feta.  This was a great side dish.  Truth be told, I could have made a meal out of it.

Well...as long as I'm telling the truth...I did make a meal out of it, tossing the leftovers with pasta the next day.

See how others are going green this week


Put your cookbooks to use!  Link up with Cookbook Sundays @ Couscous & Consciousness



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Creamy Spinach w/ Feta
from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

4 c water
salt
10 c firmly packed spinach leaves, roughly chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
1 c crumbled feta
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese, plus a few Tbsp for topping
fresh ground black pepper

*After cooking the spinach, save the broth for cooking rice or risotto

Put about 4 cups of water in a large pot, add a little salt, and bring to a boil.  Add the spinach, return to a boil, then simmer for just about a minute, until the spinach has wilted.  Drain, reserving the water.

Put the olive oil and garlic cloves in a large frying pan over medium heat.  When you can smell the garlic, add the spinach, turning it over with a wooden spoon to collect the oil.  Add the feta and 1/2 c of the spinach water.  Mix the feta through, mashing it in with the spoon so it dissolves.  Still at medium heat, saute for a couple of minutes until everything has blended together and there is only a bit of liquid left in the pot.  Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and taste for salt.  Serve with black pepper and additional Parmesan on top.  Serves 6.

Friday Night Suppers

Every Friday night for a couple of years, my in-laws would invite us over for supper.

Maybe it was strange for a young, just married couple to hang out with their parents on a big Friday night instead of partying the night away to celebrate surviving another week.  But there was good (free!) food and many laughs.  After supper, father-in-law would set to making the coffee.  Serving it up in mother-in-law's footed porcelain coffee mugs.  The ones with the painted birds and the fine, thin handles I always thought I would surely break.  It was the best coffee I've ever had.  And, I believe, ever will.  It was also some of the best times spent with my in-laws.  Sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and talking.  As is the Cajun way.

The meal was often BBQ.  Father-in-law was the grill master.  He'd grill chicken, green onion sausages, and/or smoke pork steaks to rival Dwight's--well known across Acadiana for their Sunday BBQ.  Mother-in-law always made BBQ beans, her potato salad (which was her mother's recipe), and cucumber salad.

I don't like cucumbers much.  And they don't like me back.  When the dish was passed, I served myself just enough to avoid suspicion.  Not so much that anyone would think the cucumbers were my favorite.

Because one thing about my mother-in-law.  She likes to please.  If she knows you like something, she'll make it for you every time she sees you.  Sometimes to the point that you never want to see it again.

So for years, I ate the cucumber salad to be polite.

And then there were no more Friday night BBQ dinners.  The cancer came.  Then experimental treatments.  Then a phone call I wasn't home for.  And a trip back home that no one wanted to take.

This spring will make 5 years.  Now when mother-in-law serves cucumber salad, I don't serve myself to be polite.

Instead, I swallow them slowly, bite after bite.
As if I can taste the past.
Savor it.
Eat it all over again.
~~~~~~~~

The I Heart Cooking Clubs theme this week is "March Mezze Madness."  I chose Tessa Kiros'  Cucumber Meze from page 143 of Food From Many Greek Kitchens, first because it was an obviously easy choice for the theme.  Second because it just seemed right.

Kiros describes this dish as "extremely instant and extremely simple."  And it certainly is.  It reminded me very much of MIL's cucumber salad--the lemon juice providing the acidic tang instead of vinegar and a little mint thrown in with the salt & pepper.  I used fresh mint rather than dried because that's what I had.  I thought it added a nice, summery freshness (if that makes sense).  This is the perfect recipe for when summer gardens are overflowing with cucumbers and mint.

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Cucumber Meze 
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros

2 servings
1 peeled, sliced cucumber
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp dried mint (I used enough torn fresh mint leaves to look right)
salt and pepper
about 1 TBSP olive oil

Put the cucumbers and lemon juice into a bowl and crumble in the mint.  Add salt and pepper.  Drizzle the olive oil over just before serving.



Some lagniappe for you...Roast Lemon Potatoes, also from Food From many Greek Kitchens (page 241).  We ate the Cucumber Meze and Roast Lemon Potatoes as part of a Greek feast with Tessa Kiros' pita bread and Kebabs.  Here, it's a nod to my MIL serving her cucumber salad alongside potato salad all those Friday nights.

As much as I like lemon in savory dishes, I have to admit that I'm still taken aback at the thought of lemony potatoes.  Even though I've been eating a version of these potatoes for years and love them.  To me, it's just something that seems not quite right but so totally is.  Kiros describes these potatoes as soft and moist and they are...not the browned on the outside, creamy on the inside standard roasted potatoes.  These potatoes cook in a lemony sauce full of oregano and come out wonderfully flavored.

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Roast Lemon Potatoes 
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros

6 servings
2 pounds, 10 ounces potatoes, peeled and rinsed
juice of 1 large lemon
6 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
1 heaping tsp dried oregano
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 350.  Halve the potatoes lengthwise then cut each half into 2-3 wedges.  Spread them in an 81/2 x 12" nonstick baking dish.  Splash the lemon juice and olive oil over them, and add salt and pepper generously.  Crush the oregano between your fingers, letting it fall over the potatoes.

Turn the potatoes to coat them with everything.  drizzle 2 cups of water down the sides of the dish and give it a shuffle.

Roast until the potatoes are tender and melting and a bit golden here and there with still a bit of sauce in the dish, about 1 1/2 hours, turning them and basting every 20 minutes.  Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Visit IHCC for more March Mezze Madness



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Cookbook Sundays @ Couscous and Consciousnesses


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