Happy Memorial Day my friends!!!

I hope you are celebrating our country’s warriors with your closest friends and family and truly remembering what today stands for.

And while you are contemplating all the sacrifices our servicemen and women have made, you should also have some beers and fire up your grill.

If you haven’t nailed down what you should grub on for the holiday, here is a great beginning of the summer option.

You will need…

4 10-ounce strip steaks

2 tablespoons finely ground dark-roast coffee beans

2 tablespoons chile powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Chimichurri sauce

In a small bowl, combine the ground coffee, chile pwder, brown sugar, paprika, cumin and salt.

Rub the steaks all over with the dry rub and let them stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat the grill to a medium high heat.

Grill the steaks, turning once until they are charred on the outside and medium rare on the inside. 

About 12 minutes.  Transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum and let rest for 10 minutes.

After the meat has rested, slice against the grain into slices about ½ inch thick.

Drizzle with Chimichurri sauce and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Grilled Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

4 10-ounce strip steaks

2 tablespoons finely ground dark-roast coffee beans

2 tablespoons chile powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Chimichurri sauce

In a small bowl, combine the ground coffee, chile pwder, brown sugar, paprika, cumin and salt.

Rub the steaks all over with the dry rub and let them stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat the grill to a medium high heat.

Grill the steaks, turning once until they are charred on the outside and medium rare on the inside. About 12 minutes.  Transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum and let rest for 10 minutes.

After the meat has rested, slice against the grain into slices about ½ inch thick.

Drizzle with Chimichurri sauce and serve hot.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really like make ravioli.

I might even go out on a limb and say it is my favorite thing to make. Mostly because good ravioli is probably my favorite thing to eat.

There are few things better in this world than a delicate pasta filled with a decadent filling and topped with a scrumptious sauce.

Seriously, the only things I can think of better than that are massages, vacations and baby animals.

And it really is amazing how many delicious combinations of things you can put in and on top of a ravioli.

This here combo is different and unexpected, but oh so delicious.

You will need…

¼ cup minced shallots

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems removed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 packed cups arugula

¼ cup mascarpone cheese

¼ cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 small can water chestnuts, rinsed and dried

Pasta Dough

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all purpose flour

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have given off most of their moisture. About 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While the mushrooms are cooling, blanch the arugula in boiling water for about 30 seconds. 

Remove the arugula from the boiling water to an ice batch and then squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible.

In a food processor, blend together the arugula and mushroom mixture until smooth.

Add in the soy sauce, cheeses and tahini. Blend until all combined.

Season with salt and pepper and add in the water chestnuts. Blend until the water chestnuts are well chopped, but not pureed. You want the filling to have some texture.

Spread out your thinly rolled pasta dough on a well floured surface.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling every 2 inches on the pasta dough. Gently wet the bottom pasta sheet with water just so that it is lightly moist but not damp. Place a second pasta sheet over the first and push the air out around each filling. Gently press the pasta dough together. Cut out the individual raviolis and pinch closed with the ends of a fork.

Gently dust the ravioli with flour

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

When the water is at  rapid boil, cook the ravioli for 4 to 5 minutes. Just until they float to the top.

Drain the pasta an serve hot with Arugula and Soy Shitake Brown Butter Sauce

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

¼ cup minced shallots

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems removed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 packed cups arugula

¼ cup mascarpone cheese

¼ cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 small can water chestnuts, rinsed and dried

perfect pasta dough

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups all purpose flour

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have given off most of their moisture. About 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While the mushrooms are cooling, blanch the arugula in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove the arugula from the boiling water to an ice batch and then squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible.

In a food processor, blend together the arugula and mushroom mixture until smooth.

Add in the soy sauce, cheeses and tahini. Blend until all combined.

Season with salt and pepper and add in the water chestnuts. Blend until the water chestnuts are well chopped, but not pureed. You want the filling to have some texture.

Spread out your thinly rolled pasta dough on a well floured surface.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling every 2 inches on the pasta dough. Gently wet the bottom pasta sheet with water just so that it is lightly moist but not damp. Place a second pasta sheet over the first and push the air out around each filling. Gently press the pasta dough together. Cut out the individual raviolis and pinch closed with the ends of a fork.

Gently dust the ravioli with flour

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

When the water is at  rapid boil, cook the ravioli for 4 to 5 minutes. Just until they float to the top.

Drain the pasta an serve hot with Arugula and Soy Shitake Brown Butter Sauce.