Veal Involtini with Breadcrumbs, Herbs & Parmesan

A little while back I got a very nice email from Blake at Strauss Brands. She told me that Strauss is passionate about food, that they offer natural, antibiotic- and hormone-free veal. That their veal is humane, pasture raised, and have free range to mother’s milk and grass pastures. She also offered to send me samples.

I’m not sure that I mention this too often here, but I’ve made a commitment to buying the most humane and environmentally friendly meat I can find. That might mean that I spend double or triple the price of the meat at the regular grocery store. I make up for that by eating much less of it, but the meat I do eat, is more sustainable and considerably more delicious. So I did some digging and found that the veal from Strauss was exactly the kind of meat I like to eat.

So now let’s get to the good stuff – how did it taste? It was delicious, of course. I used the scaloppine, which is a very thin cut and made involtini. Involtini just means that I rolled the meat with a filling. I used breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic chives and lots of freshly grated Parmesan. The Parmesan kind of falls out a little and turns into melty, caramelized goodness, imparting that heavenly toasted cheese flavor. (Who doesn’t love that?)

This is by far one of the easiest entrees I’ve ever made – 20 minutes start to finish – and a very, very good one. Next time I have to throw something together for last minutes guests, this is my recipe.

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Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Jicama Slaw

If you’re looking for a killer grill recipe for Memorial Day, I’ve got one for you. It’s one of those dishes that everyone from your little brother to your cranky old aunt just loves. They always come back for seconds and thirds so make sure you make a lot. They’ll tell you it’s their new favorite way to eat skirt steak and ask you for the recipe. And best of all, it’s super easy and can be done mostly in advance. Except for the grilling of course, but isn’t that always a group activity on holidays?

The steak is marinated overnight in soy sauce, orange juice and a little sugar, which makes it super tender and caramelizes nicely when it hits the grill. And I’ve said it before – Argentinians know their beef. Nothing is better with beef than vibrant, garlicky chimichurri. I make mine with parsley, olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. It makes the jicama burst with flavor. If you’ve never cooked with it, jicama (HICK-ah-mah) is a root vegetable with mild flavor and the texture of a firm pear. It’s crunchy without being overly so, and is a cool contrast to the steak.

If you’re still deciding on your Memorial Day menu, give this a shot. You and your guests will not be sorry!

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Caramelized Onion & Shiitake Pasta

This is one of those weeknight meals that I’m always a little hesitant about posting. Caramelized onion and mushroom pasta – isn’t that too easy? Are people going to roll their eyes at this? They might. Yes, it’s a very simple recipe, but everyone needs simple recipes to add to the weeknight repertoire, so I’m posting it anyway.

This pasta is just easy enough to make after work, but still interesting enough to make a Tuesday a little more exciting. It starts off with some onions caramelized in butter. Once they start to melt into sweet deliciousness, add some shiitake mushrooms and cook until everything browns and melts together. To brighten it up, make a quick pesto-like sauce with Italian Parsley, olive oil and lemon juice.

Toss some pasta with the mushrooms and onions, top with some parsley pesto and dust with Parmesan cheese. The pasta gets a nice, deep brown flavor from the shiitakes and an herby lift from the parsley. It’s a really simple, really delicious dish any night of the week.

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Steak, Asparagus & Chimichurri Pasta

Around here everyone dresses their skirt steaks with a dollop of Chimichurri. If you’ve never had it, you’re definitely missing out. Chimichurri is a steak condiment originally from Argentina and made from parsley, olive oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. It’s rich and herbal, tangy and a little spicy. It’s the perfect accompaniment for grilled beef.

Since Chimichurri also resembles pesto, I figured it would make a great pasta sauce. And I was right. I grilled a skirt steak and some big, purple asparagus and tossed them with Rigatoni and a fresh batch of Chimichurri. I loved the grilled flavors with the pasta and garlicky sauce.

This is the perfect meal to eat outdoors when the weather is nice and you have a big frosty beer or chilly glass of wine. Is it the weekend yet?

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grilled chimichurri tofu sandwich

Is it wrong to dress tofu in chimichurri? Maybe. But, it makes a damn good sandwich. Chimichurri is a delicious Argentinian sauce usually drizzled over freshly grilled meat, and most often over skirt steak. It’s made by blending olive oil, parsley (I like Italian Parsley myself), lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt together like you would a pesto. The bright green sauce is rich, herbal, tangy and a little spicy. Just the thing for grilled meats, and apparently just the thing for spicing up an otherwise bland piece of tofu.

As you all know, I’m by no means a vegetarian. I love my bacon, beef, pork and lamb. Seafood, too. Yum! So, it may seem surprising that I’ve also grown to love tofu. You just can’t think of it as a meat substitute. It’s no replacement for steaks and burgers, but it has its own unique flavor and texture. I love how it soaks up its marinade and develops nice, crisp grill lines. Paired with some greens and piled onto toasted pumpernickel, it made a hefty and flavorful sandwich.

My beef-jerky-loving Midwestern man ate it up and asked for seconds. Chimichurri and a grill are always a winner, and can probably turn the most rabid tofu haters into tofu lovers.

Related: Steak Sandwiches with Chimichurri Jicama Slaw

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