Archives for May 2016

Start by heating a pot of boiling salted water (add extra virgin olive oil so the noodles don't stick together).  

While it's heating up, season the ground beef with sea salt and black pepper and then brown it over medium high heat with olive oil.

Once the beef is browned, add in the onions, soy sauce and the zucchini and let them soften for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Now add the pasta to the boiling water until it's al dente and toss the garlic, thyme and crushed tomatoes into the pan. Once you've let them cook for 30 seconds, add in the sriracha and then let it thicken.

Once thickened, place the pasta on a plate and top it with your sauce and you're done.  

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Next chop your potatoes into 1/4 inch cubes and place them in a pot of boiling water and add sea salt. Once they're cooked through, drain the water (this takes about 20 minutes).

While the potatoes are boiling, season the steaks with sea salt and pepper and sear them for 5 minutes on each size over a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Once they're seared, place them on the baking sheet in the oven until cooked. I left them in for 10 minutes and they came out medium rare.

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and add in the garlic, milk and season with sea salt and pepper. Mash them together well and then remove 1/4 of them so you can add food coloring for the top frosting. Now color the bottom whatever color you want by adding food coloring and in a separate bowl, add a different color for the top frosting. Once it's mixed in, let it cool off so you can spread and pipe it.

Now remove the steaks and place one on a plate. I place a piece of parchment paper underneath so I can slide it off and not have mashed potatoes all over the plate when I serve it. Spread a layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom steak.

Now add the top layer and pile on the mashed potatoes. I start at the top and let them spill over the sides. Then using my frosting spatula I smooth it out into a circular shape.

Now take the cooled colored potatoes and place them in a Ziploc bag. Cut off the corner and pipe it onto the top of the steak cake. You can also pipe it around the bottom and decorate it however you'd like. I only did around the edges of the steak cake to create a border so I could fill it with shaved Parmesan. If I wanted to really go overboard, I could have torched or browned the Parmesan, but I was ready to eat so I left it as is.

Slice your steak cake, serve, and enjoy. 

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Wash all of your vegetables and food items that need cleaned.  

Now strip the rosemary, crush the garlic cloves, slice the red bell pepper into long strips and slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices.

Now take a baking sheet and place the red bell pepper slices on it with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Next take a piece of aluminum foil and place the garlic and rosemary in it with a large drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Wrap the rosemary and garlic and place it on the baking sheet. Put this in the oven for 15 minutes total, but take it out at 7.5 minutes so you can flip the red peppers and also add the steaks.

While the veggies are cooking, season the steak on all sides with sea salt and pepper. Then add a large drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to a large pan on medium high heat. Place the steaks in on each side for about 3 or 4 minutes. Once they've seared, your veggies are about ready to come out.

Place the steaks on the same sheet as the garlic, rosemary and red bell peppers and let them cook until completion (the red peppers and garlic and rosemary mix only need an additional 7.5 minutes).

Now unwrap the garlic and rosemary. With a fork or spoon, mash the garlic into a paste and chop the rosemary until it's really fine. Add those to a bowl with the white wine vinegar and add extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste. Now toss this with the bell peppers, salad mix and mix well. 

While you're mixing it, drizzle extra virgin olive oil onto the baguette pieces and place them in the oven until they crisp.

The last step is to slice the steaks into whatever size pieces you want, add the salad to a plate, place the steak on top and then place the feta cheese over the top. Add the baguettes to the side and you're done.

Start by adding the farrow to 2 cups of water with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Once it boils for a minute, reduce to a simmer and let it finish cooking. Drain the rest of the water out and let it cool on the stove. I added a little bit more extra virgin olive oil so it wouldn't stick together. 

While the farrow is cooking, mince the shallot, chop the tomatoes and mozzarella into cubes and slice the basil into long pieces.

Now combine the balsamic vinegar, shallots and honey into a small bowl and add a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of pepper. Then add about a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and mix it together. This is your dressing for the caprese and farrow salad. It's delicious and works really well with the chicken.

Now butterfly the chicken breasts (slice through the middle almost all the way) and season it on all sides and the middle with the herb de Provence, sea salt and pepper. Next drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a pan on medium heat and cook the chicken thoroughly. Once it's done, set it aside and when it cools, slice it into thin slices or large chunks.

While the chicken is cooling, your farrow should be cool. Combine it with the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Next pour the vinaigrette over it and mix it all together. Now add the slices of chicken and you’re done.