 Philly is most commonly known for its cheese steaks and roast pork, but this sandwich takes the two and combines them into a happy marriage of delicious sandwich goodness! Leave it cook in the slow cooker all day and come home to the most amazing smell and dinner on the table with very little effort! This is a winner in everyone’s book because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a sandwich?! Serves 6 Shredded Beef with Onions
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 Pasta is my ultimate comfort food. There is just something about a big bowl of noodles covered in a thick, rich sauce that warms me to my core. On weekends, I will sometimes spend all day laboring over a big pot of Bolognese or "Sunday" sauce but I don't have as much free time these days so I decided to create a version that was easy to pull together but didn't lack that slow cooked flavor. My original inspiration for this recipe came from a tomato sauce recipe I discovered in Food52's Genius Recipes by Kristen Miglore. It's a simple sauce of tomatoes, butter and onions that takes literally almost zero effort to whip together and delivers a delicious result that can be used on just about anything. I tweaked their version a bit and added meatballs to the simmering sauce to create a version that can be made on a week night when you have a little extra time. I hope you enjoy! Serves 4 Easy Tomato Sauce 1 28 Ounce Can of Whole San Marzano Tomatoes 5 T Butter 1 Medium Onion, Sliced 1 T Honey ½ tsp Salt ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon Meatballs 1/2 lb. Lean Ground Beef 1/2 lb. ground pork 1 Large Egg 1/3 Cup Whole Milk 1 Cup fresh ground day old white bread crumbs (I give mine a spin in my food processor) ½ Cup Parmigiano Cheese, ground (I grate my cheese in the food processor until it looks like coarse sand) 1 T Chopped Fresh Parsley 1 Large Garlic Clove minced fine 1/8 tsp Fresh Grated Nutmeg ½ tsp Salt Fresh Ground Pepper to taste 2 T Olive Oil Rigatoni, cooked to package directions. Grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Cheese for serving. In a Dutch oven, add the tomatoes, butter, onion, cinnamon, salt and honey. Heat until the sauce begins to simmer and the butter has melted. Cover and continue to simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can prepare the meatballs while the sauce cooks. After 30 minutes, the onions should be tender. Add the sauce to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return the sauce to the pot and continue to simmer. Add the ground meat to a medium size mixing bowl. Whisk together the milk and eggs and add to the beef. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together until they are well combined but be careful to not over mix or your meatballs will be tough. Gently press the meat mixture into the bowl and make a cross using your hands into the top of the meat to divide it into 4 equal portions. Take each quarter of meat and roll it into two equal size meatballs. Continue with the rest of the mixture until you have 8 meatballs in total. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the meatballs for 3-4 minutes until a crispy, brown crust forms. Flip the meatballs and repeat on the other side. Remove the meatballs from the oil and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel for a minute. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes at a simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. I usually cook my pasta while I wait for the meatballs to finish cooking. Spoon the pasta into shallow bowls and top with two meatballs and a ladle full of sauce. Grate fresh Pecorino or Parmigiana over the top and enjoy!  I’ve recently been inspired by a lot of Indian and Pakistani cuisine and wanted to create a dish that highlighted some of the unique flavors and ingredients found in that style of cooking. Garam Masala is a blend of spices used frequently in Indian cooking. It is smoky and sweet and packs a punch without having to use a ton of spices. Pomegranate molasses is another ingredient that is frequently used in Pakistani cooking and delivers a sweet, rich flavor to the marinade. That hardest part about this recipe is letting the steak marinade for a few hours but after that, it’s a relatively easy meal to throw together. You can use this marinade on a variety of meats but I choose skirt steak because it’s what was on sale that week. Feel free to experiment with different cuts of beef, chicken or even lamb! Serves 4 1 ½ lbs. skirt steak ¼ cup sunflower oil 1 lime, zest and juice 1 ½ tsp garam masala 1 T pomegranate molasses 1 T cilantro finely chopped 1 tsp salt fresh ground pepper to taste Add the oil through pepper to a baking dish large enough to accommodate your steak. Wisk the ingredients thoroughly until well combined. Add the steak to the dish and coat with the marinade. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking, you want to take the chill off. Pre-heat your grill to high heat. Once the steak has rested, coat your grill with cooking spray and cook the steak 2-3 minutes on each side depending on how you like your steak cooked. I had I thin cut of meat and I like a medium rare steak so I only cooked it for a quick 2 minutes per side. Once the meat has reached your desired level of doneness, transfer the steak to a rimmed dish to cool, you don’t want to lose the juice while the meat is resting. Let the steak rest for about 10 minutes then, using a sharp knife, cut the steak in thin strips at an angle, against the grain. Top with fresh cilantro and serve. *This dish goes great with a fresh salad or some roasted sweet potatoes.  The weather is just starting to get warm and it has me itching for some summer cooking! I decided it was time to break out the grill and pregame! This grilled steak and corn succotash was exactly what I had been missing all winter long! Its what summers are made of! For the Spice Rub Makes about 1/4 cup 1 T Brown Sugar 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Garlic Salt 1 tsp Coriander 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice 1 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder Mix all of the spices in an airtight container. Can be stored in the pantry for up to a month For the Steak Serves 2 2 NY strip steaks at room temp ( I usually opt for free range, grass fed, medium thickness) 1 T Olive Oil 2 T Spice Rub Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Rub the olive oil onto the steaks. Sprinkle the dry rub onto the steaks and massage into the meat. You want to cover the whole steak. Let them rest for about 15 minutes with the rub mixture before throwing them on the grill. While they rest start the Succotash. Spray your grill with nonstick cooking spray (I like canola oil spray) and grill the steaks on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side depending on your desired degree on doneness. I like a medium rare steak. Take the steaks off the grill and let them rest in a baking dish for 10 minutes, you don't want to lose any of the juice! Slice the steaks and serve over the corn succotash with a spoonful of the steak juice. Top with the avocado slices and serve You can serve this divided between two plates or double the recipe and serve it family style for your guests to serve themselves and enjoy! For the Succotash Serves 2 2 T Olive Oil 1 medium zucchini chopped 1 red bell pepper chopped 1 bag frozen corn kernels 1 bunch of scallions, white and light green parts chopped 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp salt fresh ground pepper to taste 2 tsp sherry vinegar 2 tsp agave nectar 2 T chopped fresh cilantro 1 avocado sliced Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 2 T of olive oil. Saute the zucchini and red pepper over medium heat until they begin to soften and start to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the corn to the pan and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Add the scallions, garlic salt, salt, pepper, sherry vinegar, and agave to the corn mixture and continue to cook another 2 minutes, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan as you go. Turn the heat to low and start the steaks. Once the steaks are cooked, let them rest for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off the corn and stir in the cilantro. |