Well, Spring arrived and I’ve gone back to work and things have been so busy with Alicia having had a flare up with her MS, her finishing Grad School, finishing up the school year at work, the car needing repairs due to damages it received by the towing company when it got towed (over $3500.00 - how does that happen?), taking Atlas out to play as much as possible…etc, etc. and I’ve not been posting here. 

Now it is Summer and things are still busy, but we’ve adapted a little bit better to the routine and I wanted to touch base here just a bit with a Tuscan Steak recipe that I mentioned over at The Daily Atlas and was reminded by one follower (ekrepcho) that I “hadn’t brought my ass to the table in a while”…So, by request…

Tuscan Steak

1 Rib Eye (or T-bone) Steak

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Olive Oil

1/2 Lime

I can’t stress the importance of using a good quality cut of meat here. It doesn’t have to be an expensive cut, just quality. A bad cut and this recipe won’t do it any justice, but a good cut will be enhanced so much by this recipe. Personally, I like the Rib Eye ‘cause its thick and the fat works nice with the other ingredients. This recipe can be done on the grill or on a stove top griddle (although it tends to smoke up a bit indoors, so make sure your fan is working).

Salt and Pepper both sides of the steak.

Preheat the grill or griddle and get it nice and hot so the steak will sear.

Place steak on grill.

Drizzle top with Olive Oil.

Cook about 4mins. or longer, depending on how well done you like your meat.

Flip Steak over and drizzle the cooked side with Olive Oil and then squeeze juice from 1/2 Lime on top of that. 

Place the squeezed lime on top of steak while finishing cooking for added UMPH!

Remove from grill and enjoy when it reaches desired done-ness.

Super quick and simple and sooooo delicious! FYI: Sometimes we use the same technique on thick cut pork chops and it is delicious too.

I think most people who cook like to have a signature dish; something they cook really well that whenever others try it they fall in love with it at first bite. I love mashed potatoes and I haven’t always had the best outcome when cooking them. Badly cooked mashed potatoes are about as useless as a back pocket on a shirt. However, I think I may have finally put together a recipe and the techniques to make this my signature dish. They are a bit of work and very rich and oh so creamy too. I made these along with a crock-pot Pot Roast (that recipe will be posted over at The Sahmmy later this month - I’ll post a link here when it goes up) and veggies (tomatoes, carrots, onions & celery) for a fantastically filling meal for the whole family. 

Dill Shallot Mahsed Potatoes

Serves 4
Time 40 mins

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes
• 1 cup Heavy Cream (or Half & Half)
• 2 sticks Salted Butter
• 1/4 cup minced Shallots
• Salt
• Freshly Ground pepper
• 1/2 bundle chopped Fresh Dill

1. Boil potatoes whole in lightly salted water.
2. Once water boils, reduce heat and keep water rolling for 15-30 mins. (A knife should be able to enter the potato without resistance when fully cooked). 
3. Drain potatoes in a colander (remove peels now if desired) and wipe pot clean and place back on stove over medium-low heat. 
4. Add butter to pot to melt (do not let turn brown). Once melted, whisk in the heavy cream (or half and half) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. When butter is almost melted, and cream has been whisked in, remove pot from heat. Rice the potatoes or run through a food mill directly over the pot with the milk & butter mixture.
6. Add the shallots and dill. 
7. Return the pot to the heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to reach the desired consistency, adding more cream if necessary. Taste. Season. Serve.

I’ve found that there are a couple of key things to adhere to in this recipe.

1. Use starchy potatoes. 
2. Rice the potatoes or use the food mill. It is key to making them creamy and it removes the excess water - which is a potato killer.
3. Don’t be afraid of the butter and cream - it is SOOOO worth it!!

Hope y’all like ‘em. Tell me what ya think.

So, it is Friday afternoon and Alicia is out at Happy Hour with her colleagues and I’m pulling overtime Daddy duty (without pay, of course) with a youngin’ who’s makin’ it his purpose to make the word “NO” the only one in his vocabulary - mixed with a healthy dose of screamin’ and squirmin’. I needed something quick and easy for dinner and Friday night is as good a night as any for a nice rustic healthy handcrafted pizza. This time we’re doing a white pizza (what Italians call a sauce-less pizza) with Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil (‘cause that’s what I have lying around today). Hope ya’ll like it.

Handcrafted Pizza

Basic Dough

• 3/4 Cup warm water
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 2 Teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl mix water, milk & yeast and stir.
2. Add flour, salt & olive oil and mix it all up until it forms a messy ball.
3. Flour counter or table, place dough down and start kneading. Fold dough on itself and knead. Fold again and knead again. Repeat until it becomes smooth. (5-10 mins)
4. Rub inside of a large metal bowl with a little olive oil and place the ball of dough inside. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel, put in a warm place and let the dough rise. (about 1 1/2 hours)
5. Remove towel and punch down the middle with your fist. Turn dough over so it’s a smooth ball, cover again with kitchen towel and let it rise another hour.
6. Now you’re ready to cook pizza.

Fresh Mozzarell, Basil & Tomato Pizza

• 1 Basic Pizza dough
• Olive Oil
• 1 Ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• Fresh basil, torn
• Fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced (i like Roma-not too watery)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Stretch dough out into rustic free-form shape on an Pizza Stone or olive-oiled baking sheet. (Make it as thin and wide as possible.)
3. Arrange cheese slices on the dough. 
4. Top with the basil and tomatoes.
5. Bake until mozzarella melts & crust is brown. (about 20 mins)

Next time I’ll do my favorite white pizza for ya. The Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Pizza (à la Motorino).

UPDATE: It was very tasty but needed a bit of seasoning added. I added a tiny sprinkle of salt and a dash of garlic powder. That did the trick. Next time I’ll add fresh garlic slices directly to the pizza.

Figured we’d finish off that bunch of bananas…

When Alicia and I first met there was a new South African restaurant called Madiba that had recently opened in the neighborhood that I had fallen in love with and I wanted her to try it too. It was our first date. In the months prior to our meeting I found myself there on a very regular basis. The food was very different (yet strangely similar) than anything I had ever had before and I was obsessed with trying everything on the menu. Because my face was seen a lot in there I became friends with the owner’s brother who was the bartender (and now GM).  We would sit there day after day eating and drinking and talking. You see, the neighborhood wasn’t the steaming pile of Gentrification it is now and in what few restaurants there were in the neighborhood, the staff knew who their customers were because they really depended on them for their success. All that has changed now though…

I digress. In that Summer of exploring South African cuisine while sitting at their bar, I fell in love with one particular sandwich they had on the menu, sadly it is no longer served there, that was so simple and so tasty. I still make it at home on a regular basis. Today was one of those days I decided to make it.

Bacon and Banana Sandwich

• 3 strips cooked Bacon
• 1 Banana
• 1/2 Baguette 

1. Slice Banana length-wise into about 4 or so slices
2. Slice Baguette in half length-wise.
3. Place Bacon and Banana strips onto bread.
4. Cover with other half of bread and enjoy.

If you ever are in Ft. Greene Brooklyn, stop by Madiba and tell Denis I said to put the Bacon & Banana Sandwich back on the menu!!

Serves 1
Time 5 mins. 

• Butter
• 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread
• 1/2 Banana
• 1 Tbs Nutella (about)

1. Place a pad of butter in a medium skillet and bring to medium heat.
2. Slice banana.
3. Spread Nutella on one slice of bread (just enough to cover it, so it doesn’t squish out the sides when it gets hot) and place in skillet. Place banana slices on top of Nutella and then cover with other slice of bread.
4. Cook until browned. Squish whole sandwich down a bit with spatula, lift up with spatula, place a second pad of butter in skillet and flip sandwich carefully.
5. Cook this side until browned.
6. Serve.