steak with mango & scallions

Based on this recipe from Everyday Food, but if you're too lazy to click the link, here's what you need to know:

-Flatiron steak, seasoned with salt & pepper, cooked medium-rare under the broiler (10 minutes, flipped halfway through). After cooking let it rest for 10 min., then slice thin, against the grain (you'll have more tender steak that way).

-Arrange the steak on a leaf of boston lettuce, with some sliced mango and scallion.

-Vinaigrette for the top: 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 TBSP oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and chopped cilantro.

On the side is just some cooked Chinese noodles, tossed with sliced scallions, a bit of oil, salt & pepper.

homemade pizza

I started out by making this whole wheat pizza dough, and then topped the pizzas with some of my favorite things...

pizza #1: Mix ricotta cheese + generous amount of dried basil + 1 minced garlic clove, and spread on the pizza. Top with sliced prosciutto and shallots (the prosciutto gets nice & crispy in the oven, like bacon).

pizza #2: Jarred pizza sauce + sliced fresh mozzarella + sliced olives and marinated mushrooms.

The pizza bakes for 18-20 minutes on 450º, and if you follow the recipe's instructions to make the dough and freeze pre-made pizza shells ahead of time, it makes for a very quick weeknight meal. You can pull them right out of the freezer, top them, and bake them. No need to even thaw them.

eggs for dinner

Who doesn't love eating breakfast foods for dinner?
This was a little experiment, which happily turned out deliciously.
You'll need:

1 egg
vinegar (for poaching the egg)
olive oil
butter
1/2 c dry white wine
shallot
lemon (zest + juice)
lime
parsley
salad greens
dried apricots
whatever kind of bread you like (toast for on the side)

Start with a poached egg: Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil (there should be bubbles on the bottom of the pan, but the surface should not be rolling). Add 1 tsp vinegar per cup of water that you're using (the acidity helps the egg hold together in the water). Drop the egg in, and cook for about 4 minutes (this will give you a runny yolk—if you prefer a more solid yolk, give it a couple more minutes).

The sauce (amounts are approximate—it depends on your taste):
Mince a shallot and sauteé in a small amount of oil with a dash of salt for a couple minutes on medium heat, until it's softened but not brown. Add the white wine, some lemon zest (about 1 tsp), and a squeeze of lemon juice (not quite half a lemon's worth). Bring to a boil, and boil until reduced by half. Melt in a few pats of butter, and turn heat off. Add some chopped parsley, and finish off with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice (just a few drops).

The salad: mixed greens + thinly sliced shallot + sliced dried apricots.

The dressing: roughly equal parts fresh lime juice + olive oil, seasoned to taste with salt & pepper.