Boneless rib eye for 2 with Latin American Seasoning

1 Recipe for Latin American Spice seasoning (rub)
2 boneless rib eye steaks total weight 1 ¼-1 ½ pounds

Pat the seasoning onto both sides of the rib eyes. Allow the meat to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to pick up the flavorings of the rub. Allow meat to rest at room temp for about 20 minutes before grilling. Turn grill to medium heat and cook until med rare in the center. The thickness of the cut can often vary so you will need to alter cooking times depending on the size of the steak. Grill approx 4-5 minutes per side, but be very careful to check as you go and not over cook the meat.

Bobs request

Yesterday my husband was telling everyone around us about our Saturday night steak dinner. Our friend Bob laughed “are you going to put it on the blog?” I had wanted to put the recipe for the steak seasoning mix on the blog. The truth is that it had not yet been posted because up until now, the mix that goes on the steak I had been calling, Latin Spice Rub. Honestly, I thought the name might bring some unwanted traffic to the web page so I put off posting it until I could re-name it.

The second problem is that the mix is quite spicy (hot). If you love a spicy food this might just be the perfect mix for your steak. If you prefer more mild fare, go lightly with the mix.

The dried chilies I have used were all delivered to the house via ups from the Mexican Grocer- the link is on the web page so there is no need to run around to a million stores.

Cranberry and Pistachio Couscous Salad

The small Moroccan couscous often found in braised dishes is not what I have used here. Instead, I have opted for the larger (peppercorn size) couscous. This variety, made of semolina wheat often goes by the name Israeli or Middle Eastern couscous. Look for it under both names – it is often sold along side the bins of other grains at gourmet markets or ethnic stores. This dish is a perfect for a ladies lunch, picnic, or as part of a light dinner because it may me made in advance and served warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry and pistachio couscous salad

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of Israeli/ Middle Eastern couscous
3 cups chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raw pistachios (look for these in your local gourmet store as well- they are greenish in color)
1 tablespoon very good olive oil
(Additional salt, such as sea salt, and pepper to season after cooking)

Into a medium size non-stick saucepan I place my olive oil. Turn the heat to medium /medium high. Once the oil is warm, add in the Couscous. Toast the couscous stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until golden. Add in the stock and the kosher salt. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook coved, for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 20-30 minutes covered. Remove cover, stir to fluff the couscous and then add in the cranberries, pistachios, and very good olive oil. Re-season with additional salt and pepper if you like. Toss and serve. This salad goes wonderfully with a nice baby arrugula salad.

Spa Time

When one of my little angles first entered school, a calendar was sent home, on which a special date was marked for eating dinner with your family. I laughed. We ate dinner together every night and most often with candlelight and music. Marking one day a year on the calendar to eat dinner with your family seemed silly. As children grow older there are an increasing number of meetings to attend, sports schedules to keep, after school events and business dinners. Dinner by candlelight becomes harder and harder to maintain daily and becomes a great treat.

Often we are so busy we even forget to eat a proper lunch. As we become more pressed for time it is increasingly important that we take time to nourish our bodies. Sometimes it’s as simple as a beautiful scent in the air. I like the woodsy aroma of Patchouli Sweet Orange Mist (whole foods). Or maybe there is an extra 20 minutes for a quick warm bath. Perhaps a quick trip to a farmers market. This week I have a great “ladies” lunch salad for you. It is so simple to make and can be left in the fridge for you to nourish yourself with whenever you are feeling in need of that “spa” moment during the day.

Baklava (chocolate with pistachio nuts)

2 sticks and 3-4 tablespoons melted butter (its always good to have at least 1 stick of extra butter around when working with filo dough – sometimes you will use a little more sometimes less depending on how dry the dough is)

20 sheets of filo (buy 1 box – you will have extra but that ok)

1 large pinch of sugar for every filo layer, so have at least 1 cup of sugar handy

Filling-
1 cup raw pistachios
1cup walnuts
¼ cup sugar
1teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt

Place all of the above in a mini food processor and pulse about 12 times, move mixture to a bowl and add in 1 cup mini chocolate chip morsels

Start by thawing the filo dough overnight in refrigerator. To begin creating the baklava have handy a 9x12”pan or baking dish. Have ready the filling and melted butter as well as a pastry brush and sugar.

Baklava is simple enough to make- brush the pan with melted butter- add 1 layer of filo, brush the liberally with butter then sprinkle a large pinch of sugar over the dough – repeat this until you have 5 layers of filo. Top the fifth sheet with butter then add on 1 scant cup of filling and spread evenly over the pan.

Repeat process starting again with filo then butter and sugar- do another four layers for a total of five- then top with the filling.

Repeat process until you come to your last batch of filling then top with a final layer of filo –

Please note- the filo will not fit exactly in the pan – you may either trim it down or leave it – trimming it to fit the pan looks a little nicer, but I rarely have the patience for doing that, and it still comes out fine…you may also use extra layers of filo as you go- 5 layers is a guideline but 6 will do no harm. – Do not stress if some sheets get torn, once its baked you will not be able to tell at all.

Preheat the oven to 350

Once you have finished the top layer you must cut the baklava (before cooking) into square or diamond shapes – a small-serrated knife works best for this.


Place the baklava in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes

While the baklava is baking you can make the syrup.

Syrup-
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon

Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil- remove from heat and strain out the zest-
Once the baklava has finished cooking – remove from oven and let cool. After it is has cool for about 2 hour pour the syrup over the baklava. Let the syrup soak in for at least a few minutes before serving

Searching for Baklava

Searching through piles of books and magazines can be fun. Coming across old lost treasured recipes often remind us of the people with which we shared a meal. Though, not finding that old recipe can be quite frustrating. I spent hours this past week looking for a great recipe that I had for Baklava. Baklava is a delicious Greek dessert made with layers of filo dough, brushed with butter and filled with nuts and honey or sugar syrup. The best recipe that I had for it came from Cooks Illustrated.

One bite of that delicious baklava sent me straight back to the Greek fairs of my childhood. My parent’s friends, who were Greek, would often make and donate the baklava for the local Greek Church fair.

A little love of mine had developed the same fondness for baklava just recently, after a visit to a local Greek restaurant. I keep all of my magazines from Cooks Illustrated magazines neatly stacked in a certain spot but the baklava recipe was nowhere to be found- so I decided to go it on my own.
I bought and defrosted a package of filo dough, then, melted what seemed like a pound or so of butter. I remember the Cooks version called for clarified butter so that the filo would become more golden rather than brown. I went with the regular melted butter instead. In place of some of the nuts I also decided to add an element of chocolate. Mini morsels seem to work out the best. Everything worked out quite well. I hope you will enjoy my new recipe for baklava. The main thing to remember is not to get worry about the filo dough. People seem to get all worried about weather or not it will tear. Just try to work quickly and have plenty of extra butter handy in case you need to melt more.

Grilled fresh figs with Gorgonzola and honey

1 package fresh figs stems removed and sliced in half (about 8-10 figs)
1 package of Gorgonzola cheese
Honey

This is another appetizer that is so simple and delicious when fresh figs appear at the market (about September near me) – on high heat simply grill both sides of the figs for just a minute or two. Place the figs on serving plate and place a slice (or small chunk) of Gorgonzola on top of each fig and drizzle with a drop or two of honey. This cam be made for a large crow or plated individually- leftovers are great with crusty French bread.

Place a decorative toothpick through the figs to hold them together for easy serving