Proud Italian Cook

Steak Pizzaiola That’s Worth Repeating

September 26, 2018 by Marie 3 Comments

Steak pizzaiola, a quick and easy stove to table recipe, top quality in taste, a truly uncomplicated comfort food. It basically means meat in “pizza style”. The pizza style is referring to the sauce that the steak mingles in, which is not to be confused with a marinara.

This pizzaiola sauce uses fresh tomatoes, garlic and good oregano, I like to use the imported one from Sicily that’s still on the branches where you just shake off what you want, it has such a distinct earthy flavor and so delicious in this dish.

Even though it’s autumn here in my area I can always find fresh tasting cherry tomatoes even throughout the winter, so that’s what I use in this dish, I prefer not using any canned tomatoes, it’s so much better with fresh.

There are hundreds of ways to make steak pizzaiola, some add peppers, some top it with melted cheese. Also, the meat you use can vary, you could use a less tender cut of meat but then it would have to braise in the sauce longer. I much prefer using a tender thin cut, boneless steak like a rib eye or a strip steak, then just like I said in the beginning this will be a quick and easy stove to table recipe.

This dish can be perfect for mid week when you’re rushing around or fancy enough for a dinner party. Back in the day I experimented making pizzaiola quite a few different ways, but this is my favorite and so worth repeating!

This is an adaption from an old Gennaro Contaldo recipe, he added anchovies which I don’t think is necessary at all, ( but then I’m not fond of them either.)

I promise you will love this as is, how can you not? Tender steak smothered with plumped tomatoes in a rich, zesty sauce spiced up with a few simple ingredients, it’s comfort food at it’s best.

You can serve it with pasta or polenta on the side or the way I did with a green vegetable and a few roasted potatoes, either way it’s amazing!

You can find me on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

Steak Pizzaiola

Adapted from Gennaro Contaldo

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 thin cut boneless steaks, preferably a strip or ribeye, sometimes I buy one thick steak and have the butcher slice it in half horizontally, or you can buy 4 super thin steaks ( note: if it's thicker you just have to simmer it longer)
2 pints, cherry tomatoes sliced in half
3 large cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
a good handful of capers, rinsed of brine
red pepper flakes, according to taste
½ to 1 cup of white wine, depending on how much steak you're cooking
kalamata and cerignola olives, a good handful of each
1 tablespoon or so, good quality oregano, dried
½ cup water, Optional if sauce is too thick or if you think it's too thin add a few tablespoons of marinara
olive oil
parsley for garnish

Instructions

Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper.
Add a drizzle of olive oil to your pan, place steaks in and brown each side but don't cook through.
Remove steaks and set aside.
Add another little drizzle of olive oil then add in the garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano along with the capers and olives.
Deglaze with the wine and let it reduce a little.
Add the sliced tomatoes.
Add the steaks back in and let it simmer until the tomatoes burst and all the juices flow and thicken up a bit. Remember if too thick add a little water and if too thin add some marinara to make. sure you have enough sauce, it will all depend on how much steak you're using.
Finished when steaks are fork tender.
Place on a platter and garnish with chopped parsley, enjoy!

3 Comments Filed Under: Meats, Sauces Tagged: steak pizzaiola, strip steaks

How To Make A Savory Veggie Strudel

September 19, 2018 by Marie 4 Comments

Crispy layers of phyllo pastry is the perfect wrapper to hold in tender roasted veggies and creamy, melted cheese to create this savory veggie strudel. This dish could be a served as a veggie main course, a starter or even a side.

It’s easier to make than you think and I’m going to show you how!

First of all you can use any combination of vegetables that you like, all is good. Maybe you have some odds and ends leftover in your fridge, or some that need to be cooked before they go bad, or like me maybe you just went a little over board when shopping for produce.

It doesn’t matter what combination of vegetables you have, the only thing you need to do is to precook them so they can be ready to assemble, they can be either grilled or roasted, I roasted the majority of mine except for the beans which I steamed.

The next thing is get yourself a box of phyllo pastry, you’ll find it in the frozen section, it’s very accessible these days. Don’t be intimidated by it, it’s so easy to work with and so forgiving, trust me. I always defrost mine overnight in the fridge and then take it out of the box to warm up to room temp before rolling it out, leave it in the plastic wrap though.

Phyllo needs to be covered while you’re working with it, it tends to dry up fast so it’s important that you cover it with a damp kitchen towel when you unfold it from the roll.

To further prep for this veggie strudel you have to make sure all the vegetables are cut into bite size pieces, so cut them up and set them aside.

There are six layers of phyllo here, the first five are sprayed one sheet at a time with olive oil spray then sprinkled with grated cheese like pecorino or parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper all over. Then you’ll want to continue layering the same way with each five sheets until you reach the sixth one, the top.

Next you’re going to spread your chopped veggies all around the pastry sheet, whatever combination you have, fill up the space like I did above leaving a border of a little over an inch on all four sides.

Dice up fresh mozzarella into cubes and add that on top of the mixed vegetables, equally distributing it all around, then grate more pecorino or parmesan on top of it. I also had a very small chunk of fontina cheese and I grated that onto the mixture as well, you get the picture, you don’t have to be so precise.

Any cheese combo will do, but it helps if you have at least one good melting cheese in there because it will help bind the veggies together.

Then your filled veggie strudel gets rolled up and baked seam side down until it gets nice and golden.

Let it rest before cutting!

Layers of crispy phyllo, tender roasted, savory mixed vegetables with warm melty cheese inside, oh yes, you’re going to love this!

Add a little dipping sauce and you’re good to go, enjoy!

Follow prouditaliancook on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

How To Make A Savory Veggie Strudel

I always roast my veggies in a 400F oven, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, making sure the moisture is roasted out.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

6 sheets of frozen phyllo pastry, defrosted according to the box and set out to get to room temp before using.
roasted veggies, cooked and cut into bite size pieces, enough to spread out onto a 14x18 sheet of phyllo, choose your favorites with a variety of color.
fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes enough to spread all over the top of the veggies
pecorino or parmesan for spreading on each layer
an additional small amount of cheese to crumble on for added flavor like blue, fontina, goat, or feta
olive oil spray
granulated garlic
italian seasoning
FOR DIPPING SAUCE;
Roasted red peppers and a little marinara

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400F.
Place parchment paper onto a half sheet pan with rimmed sides.
Carefully place one sheet of phyllo onto the parchment, while making sure the others are covered with a damp kitchen towel.
Spray phyllo sheet all over with olive oil spray then sprinkle with grated cheese and black pepper.
Repeat above on each remaining phyllo sheets including the last one, the top.
On the top layer spread out your veggies leaving an 1-1/2 inch border all around.
Sprinkle lightly with granulated garlic on the veggies for added flavor.
Spread the diced mozzarella all around, evenly distributing it.
Add the small amount of the additional cheese of your choice.
Looking at the sheet pan horizontally, fold the left and right sides of the phyllo where you made a border onto the veggie mixture.
Then gently start at the bottom and slowly start to roll it up making sure the sides are still tucked in and covered.
Place the rolled strudel seam side down.
Spray the top with olive oil, black pepper, some Italian seasoning and some shredded cheese.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or under golden and crispy.
Let it rest before cutting then gently cut with a serrated knife.
RED PEPPER DIPPING SAUCE;
I whirled roasted red peppers and a little marinara in a food processor to make my sauce.

4 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Savory Tarts, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: phyllo pastry, roasted veggies, strudel, veggie strudel

Shrimp and Sausage Paella on the Grill

September 10, 2018 by Marie 1 Comment

I’ve made paella many times but honestly I never made grilled paella until recently, and now I don’t think I’ll ever make it any other way. Making paella on the grill gives you a larger cooking surface which gives you more even cooking all around as opposed to using just a burner on the stove.

Having the rice spread out evenly on the wide, shallow paella pan creates the perfect condition for socarrat, which is the crunchy, crust that forms on the bottom, known as the prized part of eating a paella. I once read that socarrat is to a paella what the smoke ring is to a brisket, and by making a grilled paella it’s easy to achieve.

Let me just say I’m no expert on making paella, but I do love making it. The presentation is dramatic and it’s cooked all in one vessel! There are so many versions of paella, seafood, vegetarian, meat, I could go on and on, but for this grilled version I kept it simple by using shrimp with andouille, a spicy smoked sausage.

For paella you have to use a short grain rice, you can find the brand above or a rice called bomba but if not, arborio or carnaroli will do.

Another key ingredient is the spice saffron, a little goes a long way. I found this spice packet from Spain on Amazon which has just the right amount in it along with some other spices to flavor the paella so well.

Making a grilled paella gives you a rich, smoky flavor and it’s fairly easy to do providing you have all your ingredients prepared and ready to go.

I have two paella pans, a 15 inch and a 22 inch depending on what ingredients you decide on and what you’ll be serving with it, you can feed quite a few people, so it’s a great dish for entertaining.

A beautiful grilled paella is a wonderful option for a special occasion or just a casual dinner with friends. It’s still grilling season, so get on out there and make this!

Look at that crusty bottom, the famous socarrat! That’s exactly what you want to see as you’re serving it up.

I hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Follow prouditaliancook on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

Shrimp and Sausage Paella on the Grill

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1 lb. jumbo shrimp, cleaned and deveined and tail on, dried of all moisture and tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper
½ lb. smoked andouille sausage or any smoked sausage of your choice, sliced
1½ cups of short grain rice, valencia, bomba, arborio or carnaroli
1 white onion, finely chopped
4 small fresh tomatoes, chopped
5 cloves, garlic chopped
1 Paellero spice packet or a pinch of saffron and a teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 heaping Tablespoons of a roasted red pepper sauce, store bought or made by whizzing roasted red peppers in a food processor
1 quart of chicken broth, warmed up
1 red, yellow and orange pepper sliced thin
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted
parsley and lemon wedges for garnish
olive oil

Instructions

Heat your grill up, for gas have all burners on and leave on medium high
Put the paella pan on and drizzle the bottom with olive oil.
When pan is hot add the sliced smoked sausage tossing for a couple of minutes.
Add the onions and garlic until you start to smell them.
Add chopped tomatoes, the rice and the spices, tossing and toasting the rice for a few minutes.
Add the roasted red pepper sauce, mixing until incorporated.
Then add in 2 cups of the warm broth making sure the rice is evenly spread across the bottom of the pan, now is the time you do not stir. Just make sure the sausage is evenly distributed as well.
Place the thinly cut peppers all around.
Add 2 more cups of warm broth then distribute the shrimp all around the paella pan.
Toss in the peas and put the lid on the grill down and let it go for a few minutes.
If it's looking dry add 2 more cups of the broth, but no stirring.
You can taste test the edges, because that will be the last to get tender, so you'll know when it's ready when the rice is tender but firm to the bite.
Remove, garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
Serve it up right in the pan.