It’s warmer today. I shoveled snow and scraped ice off the sidewalk without wearing a coat. And so, I wanted to celebrate this beautiful, sunny day with a simple lunch. The Oscars are on television tonight. I do not want to be cooking, or eating during the presentation, but I do want to be drinking a nice wine.

I pulled this bottle out of the cellar this morning and brought it upstairs, planning on finding a mouth watering French, beef dish to pair with it. But ahh……instead I ended up, at 4:30 this morning, choosing this Steak With Mushrooms recipe from my favorite Italian cookbook, The Silver Spoon.

What I didn’t photograph is the Caesar salad I served along side of the steak. Really great match. All of it. Enjoy!

Bistecche Ai Funghi  (serves 4)

1/4 cup butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 2/3 cups sliced mushrooms

5 Tbsp. dry white wine (I added a little extra)

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 thick bread slices, crusts removed (I used a rustic Tuscan bread)

4 tenderloin steaks (mine were so thick, I sliced them in half)

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt

Melt half the butter in a large pan, add the shallot, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, mix well, the add the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Mix the tomato paste with 3 Tbsp. warm water, add the mixture to the pan, and season lightly with salt. Cover and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the slices of bread, and cook until brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spatula and drain on paper towels. Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet, add the steaks, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Season lightly with salt, place a steak on each side of bread, spoon the mushroom sauce over them, and sprinkle with the parsley.  Note* I removed the mushrooms from the pan and put them aside and cooked the steaks in the same pan to add extra flavor. I also, as I said, cut my tenderloins in half, so I served two steak rounds on each piece of bread.

This recipe comes from the Food and Wine magazine which was delivered to us just yesterday. It grabbed my attention right off, and although I have a stack of pages ripped from foodie magazines, ready to be tried, this recipe made it to the top of the pile. It’s snowing outside, and almost intolerably cold, so this seemed appropriate. While this dish is going in to our “must have” category, there is only one suggestion I have, and that would be to add just a few more breadcrumbs. The meatballs are so tender, they began falling apart when I turned them so they could brown. Most were saved, but four or five fell apart. Outside of that, the flavors in this dish are incredible. Dropping a slab of Parmesan into the simmering chicken broth is pure genius! Wine served: Louis Latour, Vire-Clesse. Enjoy!

1 cup fresh ricotta (8 oz.)

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish

1 large egg

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/2 grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and pepper

1 1/4 Lbs. ground pork

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Qt. low-sodium chicken broth

One 3-by-1 inch piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 cup thawed frozen peas

2 cups baby spinach

Egg noodles, for serving

In a large bowl, stir the ricotta and 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano with the egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 cup water. Add the pork and combine. Form into 12 meatballs

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook over moderate heat, turning, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Stir I the broth and piece of cheese. Cover and simmer gently over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through and the broth is slightly reduced, about 20 minutes. Stir in the peas and spinach, season with salt and pepper and simmer until the peas are warmed through.

In shallow bowls, spoon the meatballs and both over egg noodles. Garnish with grated Parmigiano and serve.

Today’s lunch is another dish from La Cuisine by Francoise Bernard, a book of everyday French home cooking.  Now, I know I’ve declared many recipes easy, but you have to believe me when I say this is the easiest recipe with the greatest reward. Simple and exquisite. I served it as a main meal for our lunch, but this would also be a fabulous starter to a larger more complicated dinner with friends. I had everything in the house, including some leftover rustic white bread that was still fairly fresh, but was going to the birds! Instead, the crusts came off and it was pulled into small pieces. Sorry birdies…..next loaf is yours! Enjoy!

5 cups chicken broth

2 large eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (grind crustless bread in a food processor)

Freshly grated nutmeg

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer over medium heat.

In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Whisk in the cheese and bread crumbs and season with nutmeg to taste.

Whisk the egg mixture into the simmering chicken broth, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk again just before serving.

We brought French fries home from a pub the other day, because they were just too good to throw away. And so, after a few of them were snacked on I decided to have fun and make up a dish. I love making frittatas and I love poutine. I put the two of them together and came up with this. Now…this is not for someone who’s watching their weight. This might not even be for someone with a heart problem. This is a decadent dish. I’d spent the morning with the snow blower and shovel, and I deserved poutine!

For anyone who doesn’t know what poutine is, it’s a dish born out of Quebec in the 1950’s. Poutine is French fries, covered by 50% cheese curds and 50% brown gravy. I didn’t have cheese curds, but I had shredded cheddar cheese, and I had brown gravy. While the frittata was in the oven and getting firm, I dropped the fries and cheese on top, then covered it with gravy when I took it out of the oven. I served it with sliced avocadoes and pink grapefruit. Delicious!

This recipe comes from the January edition of Bon Appetit magazine and I’ve already made it twice. That is because the first time, I made it for a party and was too busy to stop and photograph the dish.  I made many more for the party, but was able to taste one before they were gone… in a hurry. People loved them. I love them. In the magazine there is one more ingredient they put into the sauce, but I removed it, deciding it was better without that particular spice. The carrots are a little spicy and the yogurt sauce cools it down, a delightful combination. Enjoy!

2 Tbsp. vadouvan

2 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided

1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, divided

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 Lb. small carrots, tops trimmed, scrubbed

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix vadouvan, half of garlic, 1/4 cup yogurt, and 3 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Add carrots and toss to coat. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred in spots, 25-30 minutes.

Whisk lemon juice, remaining garlic, and remaining 1/4 cup yogurt in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Place carrots (along with crunchy bits on baking sheet) on a platter. Drizzle with yogurt mixture and serve.

From the French cookbook by Francoise Bernard I took this simple recipe known in English as Spiced Chicken Pilaf. The only thing I did differently is where is calls for curry powder, I substituted it with Vadouvan, a French curry blend. Where it calls for chicken cut into serving pieces, I used chicken thighs we had in the freezer, cutting them in half. I partnered the pilaf with a spinach salad. Enjoy!

2 Tbsp. butter

3 1/2 Lbs. chicken, cut into serving pieces

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and sliced crosswise

1/2 Tsp. curry powder

Pinch of saffron

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 bouquet garni made with parsley, thyme, and bay leaf

Salt and pepper

3/4 cup rice

In a flameproof casserole, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and lightly brown all over. Remove to a bowl. Add the onions and carrot to the casserole and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Stir in the curry powder, saffron, garlic and bouquet garni. Return the chicken to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

Rinse the rice in cold running water and drain well. Add to the chicken and cook until tender, 17 to 20 minutes.

Remove the bouquet garni. Transfer the pilaf to a warmed serving dish and serve.

Wine served: 2009, Robert Foley, The Griffin