Warm beef on top of salad greens with a hint of gorgonzola -- ahh, summer

Finally dusted off the grill, and snapped back to attention here at Kitchenelly. My band, Border Radio, got very busy over the last month or so and I’ve been AWOL! We took a trip up to Northern California for some shows, recorded 5 new songs, taped a bunch of video, went down to San Diego, and wrote a few more tunes.

Singing with the band in San Diego at the Adams Avenue Roots Festival

But I’m back at the helm here, with a serious craving to get the grill going for some BEEF. That combined with a craving for tender salad after a wet winter filled with the super dark greens like chard and kale.

I love salad greens combined with something warm (I’ve lately been favoring putting my salad on top of my pizza). In this salad the juices from the warm beef combine with the vinaigrette to make a flavorful dressing that slightly wilts the tenderer greens. I recommend a combination of crisper lettuces, like romaine and radicchio, with tender leaves such as mache, arugula, frisee, and leaf lettuces. And instead of croutons I’ve made a garlicky crostata — the whole effect is like a fantastic steak sandwich completely deconstructed.

Here, along with the red onion and fennel for the grill, are romaine, red leaf lettuce, mache, radicchio, and basil

Warm Grilled Steak & Gorgonzola Salad | 4 servings

1 1/2 pound rib eye or other quality beefsteak (or 2)
1 large or 2 small red onions
1 fennel bulb
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/4 head red leaf lettuce
1/4 head radicchio
Mache or arugula
Basil leaves
Ciabatta or other loaf bread
1 clove of garlic

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Small pinch of salt
Small pinch of sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch of dried or fresh tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper

Pitted Niçoise olives
Several ounces gorgonzola or bleu cheese (crumbling type)

Light a charcoal grill. Remove the steak from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature while the grill is heating up. Slice the onion into thick slices. Cut the top off the fennel bulb, halve, cut out the solid core, and slice. Rub the steak and vegetables lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

I've sprinkled my steak with a little grill seasoning called "Chophouse Blend," made by Simply Organic

While the grill fires up, prepare the salad ingredients. Break the romaine and leaf lettuce into pieces. Thinly slice the radicchio. Wash all the greens and dry well, preferably in a salad spinner.

I love my salad spinner -- I also love salad lettuces broken into bite-sized pieces

Place the washed greens in a large bowl and cover with a squeezed-out dampened paper towel. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

The fridge keeps the greens crisp, and the dampened paper towel keeps them from drying out

Slice the bread into 1/2-inch slices and toast. Brush with olive oil on one side, and lightly rub the cut end of a peeled clove of garlic on the oiled side of the toast. Cut the toasts in half lengthwise and set aside until needed.

You will not need this whole clove of garlic, even for a dozen slices of bread -- raw garlic is strong so a little goes a long way!

Prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or measuring cup put the mustard, vinegar, salt, and sugar and combine. Using a small whisk, pour the olive oil into the vinegar mixture, whisking all the while. Add tarragon and pepper and set aside until needed.

I've used a Zinfandel vinegar here -- balsamic vinegar may overpower the honey mustard but feel free to get creative

The idea is to whisk constantly so that the oil and vinegar create an emulsion, and are in a suspended mixture -- use enough oil to have a rich, olive-y flavor, not too tart

The vinaigrette, properly emulsified, will be almost creamy

Now add dried or fresh herbs, like tarragon, a little pepper, salt if needed -- if it becomes separated just whisk it back together

When the coals are covered with ash but still glow red, grill the fennel and onion, covered, about 4 minutes per side or until browned.

Vegetables caramelize and brown beautifully on the grill

Remove the grilled vegetables and cook the steak over hot coals (open the vents completely), covered, approximately 5 minutes per side. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak.

A little char is great, but cover the grill to avoid burning the meat

Steak can overcook within a minute, so watch carefully -- the top will still spring back but it will feel more dense. Cook steak to 120°F for rare and then rest the meat under foil for 5 to 10 minutes -- it keeps cooking even after it's removed from the heat

While the meat is resting, slice the grilled vegetables into large pieces. Toss the salad greens with vinaigrette, taking care not to overdress the salad. Divide the dressed greens onto serving plates, and sprinkle with the grilled vegetables, olives and crumbled gorgonzola.

The salad is dressed and ready for the warm sliced beef

When the beef has rested for 5 minutes or more, thinly slice it, preserving the juices.

This is more toward medium-rare, but that's as cooked as I like it

Arrange the beef slices over each serving, and spoon some of the juices over each plate as well. Sprinkle with black pepper, arrange the garlic toasts on each plate, and serve.

Welcome grill, welcome summer.

Kelly McCune © 2011

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

A mini seedless from California, about 5 pounds

Summer is always full of watermelon, and for me that’s a trial. I have a small-ish refrigerator, and when The Husband brings home a regular size watermelon and expects it to get chilled or we need to store the other half of it, then everything else has to hang out on the counter for the afternoon getting un-chilled. That always makes me hesitate when I see those big melons piled up in the grocery store, and cringe a little when one comes home.

Watermelon doesn’t always have to show up as the unwieldy giant, ready to drip on your shoes, the cause of slurp sounds and seed-spitting. On a recent episode of Top Chef (yes, and I recommend it!) one of the contestants made “Watermelon Carpaccio.” That certainly pushes the definition of carpaccio, but what caught my attention was combining it with something savory. From there I tried some options, and here they are — all three follow the same principle: add an acidic flavor (vinegar, citrus), a bit of savory (cheese, vegetable) and salt.

By the way, Trader Joe’s has lately been bursting at the seams with the little mini melons shown above, and I’m happy to report they are seedless, tasty, and refrigerator-friendly.

Watermelon with Feta and Green Onion

I’m not giving any real quantities here since that can be determined by how many you’re serving.

Seedless watermelon
White balsamic vinegar or pear vinegar
Plain feta cheese
Green onion, white part and an inch of green, minced
Salt

Cube the watermelon, cutting off the green and white rind. Place the cubes in a large bowl and sprinkle with vinegar, tossing them to get a sprinkling on most of the pieces, using no more than a couple of teaspoons unless you’re making a large quantity. Crumble in the feta and minced green onion and combine lightly. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve.

This takes about 2 minutes to put together

Watermelon with Orange, Herbs & Manchego

Seedless watermelon
1 orange
White balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
Chopped fresh mint
Chopped fresh chives
Manchego or other firm cheese
Salt

Cut the watermelon into chunks, trimming off the green and white rind. Place the chunks in a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of most of the orange onto the watermelon. Squeeze the juice of half the orange (or more, if you’re making a large quantity) and sprinkle a teaspoon or so of vinegar over the chunks, tossing them to get a sprinkling on most of the pieces. Add a big pinch of chopped fresh mint and chives and toss again lightly. With a vegetable peeler, shave off thin bands of cheese over the watermelon. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve.

Yes, the cheese with the watermelon is fantastic

Watermelon with Ginger, Carrot and Hot Red Pepper

Seasoned rice vinegar has added sugar — you can certainly substitute regular rice vinegar or any white wine vinegar.

Seedless watermelon
3 thin rounds of peeled fresh ginger
1-inch piece of carrot
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 green onions, white part and an inch of green, chopped
2 cilantro sprigs
Salt

Slice the watermelon into 1/2-inch-thick triangles, cutting off the green and white rind, and arrange in one layer on a large plate. Slice the ginger and carrot into very thin strips.

The strips are like matchsticks

Combine the ginger and carrot and red pepper flakes in a glass bowl or measuring cup with the rice vinegar and muddle (push them around in the vinegar with a spoon). Let stand about 15 minutes — the vinegar will slightly wilt the carrot and ginger.

Muddling the carrot and ginger

Spoon this mixture over the watermelon slices, distributing it evenly. Sprinkle chopped green onion and torn cilantro leaves over the top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve.

A little heat from the red pepper with the watermelon will surprise you

kelly mccune © 2009

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

The heat of the tomatoes softens the fresh mozzarella

Last Monday night was an all-round great evening. The subject, from 5:30 until 10:30, was food. Very, very good food. We started the evening at Nancy Silverton/Mario Batali’s Pizzeria Mozza, and since there were 7 of us we tasted 7 different pizzas. And yes, the fuss is accurate and deserved — the pizza is deeply good. Then we saw Julie & Julia at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, and both the movie and the theater itself were also deeply good (especially all things Meryl Streep). You reserve in advance at the Arclight, are seated by an usher, and very kindly admonished by the same usher to silence cell phones and mouths during the movie. Ahhhh. I may be spoiled forever for pizza and movie theaters.

But back to Pizzeria Mozza. We started the meal with a different take on a standby, caprese, which I resisted because I make it at home with some regularity. And now that my home-grown tomatoes are ripe and I’ve found some amazing mozzarella at the creaky (I mean really creaky) little Italian store down the hill, I was trying to hold it off. But caprese fans will out, and the thing was ordered.

I got a tiny bite of it but it was delicious. The hot roasted tomatoes plopped right onto the mozzarella begin to soften the cheese but leave behind its slight tang. The basil, instead of chopped and sprinkled on top, was pureed with olive oil and drizzled over the mozzarella, making it even easier to mop up the goods with some bread. And that is one of the great pleasures of the last bites of caprese: the mozzarella gives off a little briny “milk,” which mixes with the oil which mixes with the tomato which you try to dab up with a hint of basil. Here it’s making its own soup for you.

This is my take on Mozza’s caprese — and a new way to visit an old friend. Look for the freshest mozzarella you can find, and some really good bread to go with it. After all, Nancy Silverton is the woman behind all that bread at La Brea Bakery. And some of us need something good to go with our bread.

Little cherries and pears were what looked freshest that day -- my own pears had been finished off

Roasted Tomato Caprese Served Warm | 6 hearty servings

1 pound little tomatoes, such as cherry, pear, little heirloom, mixed varieties
Olive oil
Sea salt
25 to 30 basil leaves, about 5 large sprigs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Small pinch salt
Small pinch sugar
Small squeeze of lemon
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Wash the tomatoes and dry thoroughly. Place them on a large baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Rub the oil over the tomatoes and sprinkle with sea salt.

I like to use a foil sheet so there's no clean-up, but I throw it in the recycling bin -- parchment would work, too

While the tomatoes are roasting, lightly rinse the basil and shake it dry. Chop coarsely.

There is some argument that rinsing the basil washes away some of the oils that flavor it, but mine is from my garden and has to be washed

You'll end up with a heaping half cup of chopped basil

If you have an immersion blender or a mini food processor, put the chopped basil along with the oil, salt, sugar, and lemon in the cylinder or bowl and puree until fine.

Here's my immersion blender, but it's not essential

The little squeeze of lemon will help keep the basil leaves bright

A cross between basil "sauce" and pesto

A regular-sized blender or food processor is too big for this job, so if you don’t have a little machine, simply chop the basil until its very fine and mix it with the salt, sugar and lemon.

Slice the mozzarella into rounds and arrange on a plate.

My creaky Italian market was closed (see how creaky?), so this mozzarella came from Whole Foods

Drizzle with the pureed basil, top with hot tomatoes, and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

And pass the bread, please.

Kelly McCune © 2009

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Tarts greens, salty olives, a little heat from the peperoncino, and ah, garlic

I was introduced to the worthy triumvirate of aglio, olio e peperoncino so long ago I can hardly remember who whispered it to me.  Maybe it was The Husband, who had spent time in Italy as a poor student (a+o+p is the essence of cheap eats). Maybe it was my friend, Rob, who is from a full-on, Long Island inhabiting, big-casseroles-of-zitti-Italian-American family. Whatever dream it came in on, garlic and minced hot peppers slow-cooked in oil and tossed into hot pasta has stood in as my macaroni and cheese. I use the oil base for so many dishes, and after all these years I’m still experimenting with how and where to apply it.

To me it's the "Holy Trinity" of Italian cooking

Potato Salad with Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino | 6 servings

I’m starting with the basic recipe for garlic and hot peppers cooked in olive oil. You can go on with the potato salad recipe or add the concoction to hot pasta and toss it with chopped fresh parsley, brush it onto pizza dough for a “white” pizza, or use it in a marinade. Leave out the pepper flakes if your small eaters object. I prefer the flavor of Italian olive oil here, green in color, first pressing.

1/3 cup olive oil
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 3/4 pound small potatoes (new, baby red, baby Dutch, fingerling, small purple)
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 green onions, white part and 2 inches of the green, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons capers, and some of their juice
20 pitted black olives, halved
1/4 bunch watercress, or other tart green such as arugula or Italian parsley

In a small saucepan, begin heating the olive oil over low heat. To separate individual garlic cloves from the head of garlic, place the whole head with the root end up on a board.

With the heel of your hand, give the whole garlic head a firm downward smack against the board right at the root

The force of the smack will break the cloves away from the root -- sometimes you need to give it another go but this was a dry head of garlic and broke up more than I'd have liked it to

To peel the garlic clove, use this simple method. Place a large knife flat on top of the clove. Give the top of the knife a firm smack with the heel of your hand. You’ll hear the paper crack away from the clove.

It's just a quick little blow, enough to crack the paper

Cut the little root end off the garlic clove and peel the paper off with it. The harder you smack the knife, the more smashed the garlic will be, so to keep the garlic clove whole use just enough force to loosen the papery layer. Slice the cloves into thin rounds and add them to the oil.

I don't mind the smell of garlic on my fingers, but if you want to get rid of it, rub your fingers with a lemon slice

Add the hot pepper flakes to the oil and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes or so. The garlic should not get very brown.

The smell of the garlic cooking is hard to resist

This is the color the garlic should be when it is cooked -- only slightly browner than its raw color

While the garlic is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the potatoes into large bite-sized chunks.

I've used a combination of baby Dutch and small red potatoes

Add the salt and potatoes to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to a low boil, and cook, covered for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender but not falling apart. Drain immediately. Put the hot potatoes into a large bowl and drizzle with the vinegar, tossing the hot potatoes as you go to distribute the vinegar evenly. Do the same with the olive oil mixture, tossing well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The potatoes hold their shape but are quite tender

Add the remaining ingredients.

I like to have a color balance -- and I like to balance the sweet (pepper) with salty (olives & capers) and tart (greens)

With a base of potatoes flavored with a little vinegar and the olive oil combination, any ingredients can be added. Try red onion, feta, chopped parsley, or hard-cooked egg, proscuitto, and arugula. Or how about cooked bacon, sweet onion, roasted pepper, and…well you get the idea!

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Panzanella along with a grilled gourmet sausage and a couple of serenading piggies

I could call this “True Confessions of a Bread-aholic” because that’s what I am. This is a bread-lover’s dream salad — it’s like stealing everyone’s croutons, or like taking all the bread in the basket to soak up what is on your salad plate. It’s easy to make and only gets better from sitting around.

This is not la nonna’s panzanella, though, I’ll admit that right here. It does a little dance with another of my favorite bread + tomato + olive oil dishes, caprese. The husband and I had the remarkable good fortune to live in Italy for a year (some years ago) and since we were barely more than poor post-college students, we sought out the cheap eats in our home city, Rome. One of our standbys was a little place that specialized in caprese served with huge chunks of ciabatta and vino sfuso (wine right outta the keg). Munch down the little stacks of tomato, fresher than fresh mozzarella and basil and then (alleluiah!) tear off bread hunks to soak up the juices left on the plate — a swirl of green oil, tomato juice, salt, pepper and basil essence. All this while prospective diners loom over you, jealously watching you dab away while staking a claim for your table.

I start thinking about panzanella when the weather gets hot since it is really the perfect summer dish. It’s better to make it in advance, so get it out of the way early and enjoy hanging out by the grill and sipping, well, a Campari if you’re keeping in the Italian spirit(s). Even better if you have home-grown tomatoes.  They’ll shine in panzanella.

The bread co-stars, of course

I’ve seen the bread for panzanella treated three different ways. Some cooks soak the stale bread in water, then thoroughly squeeze out the excess. Others simply use stale bread or dry out a fresh loaf, and yet another approach is to toast or saute the bread. I like a bit of tooth so I prefer not to soak it, and I don’t want it too much like a real crouton so I object to outright toasting. The middle road is best for me.

It’s worth it to look for a source for fresh mozzarella, which my cooking/language teacher in Italy called “diet” food. Ha!

Panzanella Does a Caprese | 4 to 6 servings

3/4 of a loaf of rustic Italian bread or ciabatta, about 3/4 pound, preferably stale, 6 generous cups when in chunks
8 medium-sized tomatoes, about 3/4 pound, chopped and juices retained
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/3 cup of olives and their juice
2 tablespoons capers and their juice
6 large basil leaves, chopped
4 whole stems Italian parsley, leaves chopped and stems discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette:
1 generous tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
Several grinds of black pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced to a paste
5 tablespoons olive oil

Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces. If your bread is very stale, you may need to cut it into chunks. Use a serrated knife for this task. If your bread is fresh, you can dry it out in a 200° oven: tear into pieces, put on a baking sheet, and leave it in the low oven for 40 minutes or so. It should feel dry but not browned.

Fresh bread tears easily into pieces

Put the bread chunks in a large bowl. You will end up with about 6 cups, and each cup will be generous, like this:

One cup is also like one big handful if you want to leave the measuring cup in the drawer

Add the chopped tomatoes and their juices, mozzarella, onion, olives, and capers.

Add all the juices from the chopped tomatoes

Mix all this together — with your hands, preferably — squeezing a little more juice out of the tomatoes as you go.

For the vinaigrette, combine the balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, and garlic in a glass or cup.

The sugar and salt dissolve quickly in the vinegar

Drizzle in the olive oil, mixing with a fork or a whisk as you go to make an emulsion.

My mini whisk, which I love for this task, sprang a wire the other day, so I'm using a fork

Pour the vinaigrette over the bread mixture, mixing well as you go. Toss again with the chopped basil and parsley. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for at least half an hour or longer. Refrigerate the panzanella if it will sit for much longer than an hour, but it’s best at room temperature so take it out ahead of time. Buon appetito!

Use a big bowl to make it easy to toss

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.