Ribeye Grilled with Rosemary

(Serves 2-3)

1- 12oz. ribeye steak
Salt & freshly ground pepper
4-6 sprigs of rosemary

- Let meat come to room temperature

- Meanwhile, start the coals in your grill (or turn on your gas grill)

- Season meat with salt and pepper on both sides

- Put steak on grill, and top with a sprig of rosemary. Close the grill.

- When you flip the steak, the sprig of rosemary should be dried out. Discard and replace with a new one. Continue replacing the rosemary as the sprig dries out.

- Remove from grill, let rest, remove fat, slice thinly and serve.

Braised Kale

(Serves 2)

1/2 head of kale, thick stems removed, leaves torn
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper
dash red pepper flakes
dry white wine

- In a pan saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until just softened, seasoning with salt, pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes.

- Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt.

- Add enough white wine just to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to medium low, cover pan and let steam until the liquid has been absorbed. Try a piece, if the kale is still tough add a little more wine and repeat.

Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes

- As many plum tomatoes as you like
- Olive oil
- herbs de provence
- salt & freshly ground pepper

- Preheat oven to 200

- slice tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a baking sheet lined with tin foil

- drizzle with olive oil, herbs de provence, salt and pepper

- roast in oven overnight or about 8 hours

Tuscan Beans with Sage and Garlic

2 cups dried cannellini beans
1 head garlic*
3 sprigs sage
6 cups water

1/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
Dash red pepper flakes

- Wrap the head of garlic in cheesecloth

- Add the beans, garlic, sage, and water to crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours

- Drain excess water, discard sage and remove and save garlic

- Dress the beans with the olive oil, a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes

*optional- the garlic ends up being fully cooked and similar to the texture of a garlic head roasted in the oven. Remove the cheesecloth, cut open, and spread the cooked garlic on bread

Sunday Supper - Tuscan Style

Fall is definitely in the air. Cooler evenings are beginning to lend themselves to jeans and sweaters. We pulled out the crock pot last weekend to make a large batch of Tuscan white beans, dried cannellini cooked with sage and garlic. Beautiful plum tomatoes from my mother's garden needed to be used and were slow roasted in the oven for hours with a dash of oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. We decided to eschew the Tuscan tradition of salt-less bread and picked up a crusty french baguette. A beautiful rib eye grilled with rosemary, a side of braised kale, and dinner is served.

Tuscan Beans with Sage and Garlic

Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes

Braised Kale

Ribeye Grilled with Rosemary

Japanese Inspired BBQ Menu

In lieu of a more traditional Labor Day BBQ, Jason and I decided to give things a little twist. We came up with a Japanese inspired BBQ meal. We pieced together recipes we found online, from the Nobu cookbook, and that we made up on our own to create what was probably one of our best meals in quite awhile. We are already looking forward to leftovers tomorrow! Follow the links for the recipes...

Beef Yakiniku skewers
Marinated Japanese style chicken thigh skewers
Shrimp skewers
Soba noodle salad with scallions and cabbage
Green beans in a black bean paste dressing
Tomato ceviche, Nobu style

Marinated Chicken Thigh Skewers

MARINATED CHICKEN THIGH SKEWERS

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp sambal
1/2 tsp grated ginger
*scallions optional

- If thigh meat is flattened, thread 2 skewers through each thigh. Otherwise, cut into pieces and thread onto skewers. Lay in a 9x13 baking pan

- Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over skewers.

- Cover and marinate for at least an hour.

- Heat coals and grill until just cooked through.

Beef Yakiniku - Japanese style beef skewers

BEEF YAKINIKU (from Food.com)

1/2 lb beef
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp sake
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 apple, grated to release the juices
2 Tbsp roasted and partially crushed sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp mustard
*scallions (optional)

- Slice beef, thread onto skewers* and lay in a 9x13 baking dish. *optionally, alternate with slices of scallion

- Roast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Remove to a plate and crush lightly with the side of a knife, or grind with either a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and pour over beef skewers.

- Cover and let marinate at least an hour.

- Heat coals and grill until just cooked through.

Soba Noodles with Scallions and Cabbage

(adapted from yummly.com)
8 oz soba noodles
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup chili oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 Tbsp brown rice vinegar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 bunch scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 1/2 cups thinly shredded cabbage
handful chopped cilantro

- Pour soy sauce into a small sauce pan and reduce by half over high heat.

- Combine soy sauce, tahini, sugar, oils, and vinegars. Mix well.

- Bring a pot of water to a boil, cook soba noodles for 3 minutes and drain. Rinse with cold water.

- Combine noodles, sauce, and scallions in a large bowl and refrigerate

- Before serving, stir in cabbage and cilantro

Green Beans in a Black Bean Dressing

8 oz green beans, trimmed and sliced in half

1 Tbsp black bean paste

3 Tbsp oil

2 tsp sake

1/2 tsp sambal

a squeeze of lime

- Steam the beans until they are bright green. Remove from heat and run under cool water to stop cooking.

- Whisk together the rest of the ingredients

- Combine beans and sauce in a bowl and serve

Tomato Ceviche, Nobu Style

This is the best tomato salad I may have eaten. Ever. We tweaked the recipe for the ceviche sauce, omitting the salt & pepper it called for, improvising a yuzu sauce we didn't have, and subsituting sambal for aji amarillo paste. This recipe will amaze you. I plan on eating it plenty until we are out of heirloom tomatoes for the season!

TOMATO CEVICHE, NOBU STYLE

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3 heirloom tomatoes, various colors and sizes, chopped
4 teaspoons cilantro leaves
1/4 cup Ceviche Sauce (see below for recipe)

- Combine the tomatoes and cilantro in a bowl
- Toss gently with the Ceviche Sauce

Ceviche Sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
Juice of 1/2 small orange
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sambal

- combine all of the ingredients