Since we got home from Italy, I’ve been focusing on making a lot of American food, mostly because everyone has been tired of anything even slightly Italian! My latest foray is the Philly cheesesteak, which I’ve redesigned to make a little more highbrow.

Crazy Philly Cheesesteak

1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

6 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

6 cups fresh spinach

1 lb flank steak, sliced paper thin against the grain

1 tbsp Worchestershire

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tbsp A1 steak sauce

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tomato, thinly sliced

6 slices provolone cheese

4 ounces goat cheese

6 small sub rolls (about 5 inches)

Cook the onion in 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat until partially caramelized (about 15 minutes). Remove from skillet.

While this is cooking, mix the steak with the Worchestershire, olive oil, garlic, A1 and salt and pepper, and allow to rest.

Cook mushrooms in a teaspoon of olive oil until cooked through. Remove from skillet. Cook spinach in 1 tsp olive oil until completely wilted. Remove from skillet.

Cook the beef in the skillet until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes on medium high.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the sub rolls. Cut them in half and scoop out some of the bread from the bottom half (use to make breadcrumbs or stuffing for another recipe). Spread goat cheese on the bottom half of the rolls. Place one slice of provolone cheese on the top part of each roll, and place under the broiler until melted.

Assemble the sandwiches by placing onion, mushroom, spinach, and tomato on the bottom half of the roll. Top with the beef and place the top of the roll on it.

Serves 6.

This was a huge hit. I served it with sweet potato fries and green beans. My preference would be for whole grain sub rolls, but I couldn’t find them. It’s very important that you cut the beef paper thin or it will not be tender. If you’re having trouble, pop the meat in the freezer for about 15 minutes and slice it after removing.

 

Since we got home from Italy, I’ve been focusing on making a lot of American food, mostly because everyone has been tired of anything even slightly Italian! My latest foray is the Philly cheesesteak, which I’ve redesigned to make a little more highbrow. Crazy Philly Cheesesteak 1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced 6 Baby Bella … Read more →

We went to Alaska this past summer. It was an amazing trip. Mr. NoPot and son caught salmon we’ve been eating. They didn’t catch any halibut, but we did have the opportunity to have fresh halibut while we were there and it was wonderful. I’m back to frozen halibut now from the grocery store, but I have a great little cookbook I picked up in Alaska called Fishes and Dishes, which inspired this recipe.

4 4 oz halibut filets
3 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp dried dill
4 ounces frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry
salt and pepper to taste

Place one filet on each piece of parchment (and remember, you can find folding instructions and other tips on the “Technique” page of this blog). In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients. Spoon 1/4 of the sauce on top of each filet. Fold the packet and bake at 400 degrees for 17 minutes. Serve with some wedges of lemon to squeeze.

I love the light creaminess of this sauce and I am also a big fan of spinach. The flavors go so well with the light flaky halibut. I loved this quick, no mess, delicious dish!

We went to Alaska this past summer. It was an amazing trip. Mr. NoPot and son caught salmon we’ve been eating. They didn’t catch any halibut, but we did have the opportunity to have fresh halibut while we were there and it was wonderful. I’m back to frozen halibut now from the grocery store, but … Read more →

Once in a while I hit on a Martha recipe that just makes me swoon. This is one of them. This recipe is from Oct Everyday Food and is part of a section about rotisserie chicken. I don’t buy rotisserie chickens (not organic!) so I roasted my own chicken breasts for this one.

Preheat the oven to 450. Mix 2 cups torn up bread pieces with 1 tbsp olive oil and some salt.

In a pot, heat 1 1/2 tsp oil and cook 4 cups spinach and a little salt until wilted (I think you could totally use frozen spinach and skip this step). Squeeze the water out of the spinach and chop.

Wipe out pot and cook 1 1/2 tsp oil with 1 chopped up onion and 1 garlic clove, chopped. Cook 8 min until soft.

Add 1/4 cup white wine and cook until almost evaporated, 5 min. Add 2 tbsp flour and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups half and half and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

Add 1 cup shredded cooked chicken and spinach to cream mixture and pour into 2 quart baking dish. Cover with bread. Bake 8-10 minutes.

OMG. This dish was insanely good. And I really did not expect it to be that fantastic. The sauce is velvety and smooth and rich with lots of flavor. This knocked my socks off and I’ll be making this one again and again and again.

Once in a while I hit on a Martha recipe that just makes me swoon. This is one of them. This recipe is from Oct Everyday Food and is part of a section about rotisserie chicken. I don’t buy rotisserie chickens (not organic!) so I roasted my own chicken breasts for this one. Preheat the … Read more →

Somewhere recently I saw a mention of lamb meatballs and it’s been haunting me ever since. I definitely had to do something to get it off my brain. So I decided to play around with the concept. Here’s what I came up with:

Greek Meatballs over Couscous with Yogurt Sauce
1 cup couscous
1 onion
parsley
1 lb ground lamb
1 garlic clove
Greek seasoning (mine comes from Penzey’s)
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup feta cheese
4 cups spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
8 oz plain yogurt
1 small cucumber
4 tbsp lemon juice

Cook 1/4 of the onion in a few tsp of olive oil. Add the couscous and some chopped parsley. Add water as instructed by couscous package and cook according to direction.
Make lamb meatballs by combining lamb with 1/2 cup chopped onion, egg, cream, chopped garlic clove, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup feta, and breadcrumbs. Mix and form meatballs.
Place meatballs on greased baking sheet and add cherry tomatoes and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Wilt spinach in a pan with a small amount of olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Mix yogurt with remaining onion, remaining feta, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper and small cucumber which has been peeled and chopped.

Serve by placing couscous on the bottom and topping with meatballs, spinach and tomatoes and yogurt sauce on top.

This was SO good. A wonderfulm lighter alternative to regular spaghetti and meatballs and easier to eat than souvlaki pitas. I loved it. The meatballs are tender and flavorful and the yogurt sauce is creamy and delicious. Absolutely fantastic. And my kids love Greek food so it was a hit all around.

Somewhere recently I saw a mention of lamb meatballs and it’s been haunting me ever since. I definitely had to do something to get it off my brain. So I decided to play around with the concept. Here’s what I came up with: Greek Meatballs over Couscous with Yogurt Sauce 1 cup couscous 1 onion … Read more →