Signs of Fall

Now that it is September (!), the first signs of fall are everywhere. Pumpkin beer is popping up on restaurant menus and grocery store shelves; my teacher friends are heading back to work; wool blazers are making their way into my closet; and Hallmark is starting to put out its Christmas ornaments. But while some are starting to think of pot roast, I am still holding on to the last vestiges of summer making meals that focus on corn and tomatoes rather than meat and potatoes.

Last night, for example, I whipped up a pasta dish whose star was corn cut fresh from the cob. Cooked in bacon fat and pureed with pine nuts and parmesan, it is pesto by way of creamed corn. Once the corn is added to the long strands of tagliatelle pasta and topped with bacon and basil, the dish is almost carbonara-like in its creaminess. If I have a chance to make it again before fall is totally upon us, I think I would leave more of the corn whole. It seemed almost blasphemous to not eat it in its purest state. Other than that, and not making this recipe sooner, I have no regrets.

Pasta with Bacon and Corn Pesto
Adapted slightly from Serious Eats

Ingredients:
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
3 cups of fresh corn (from about 5 ears)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 TBL olive oil
12 ounces of tagliatelle or other flat, wide pasta
¾ cup basil, julienned

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels.
2. Add corn and garlic to bacon fat and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until corn is tender. Reserve ¾ cup (or more) of corn. Scrape remaining corn into a food processor (or blender). Add pine nuts and parmesan and process until smooth. With the machine running, add olive oil.
3. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain pasta reserving a cup of the cooking water.
4. Add corn pesto back to the skillet and heat over low. Add ¾ of the bacon and basil. Add in pasta and toss until well coated (use cooking liquid to thin out the sauce if it is too thick). Top with remaining bacon and basil and serve.

Chimichurri....It's What's for Dinner

This is going to be a very foodie week, you guys. I have several exciting new recipes to try out (chimichurri! scallops! pasta with goat cheese!) AND Jason is taking me to see Anthony Bourdain (infamous chef/author and host of Travel Channel’s No Reservations) and Eric Ripert (renowned chef, host of PBS’ Avec Eric and recently named Top Chef judge) give a talk at DC’s Warner Theater on Friday. It’s going to be a great week!

And to start it all off I have two good recipes to share: Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Roasted Corn with Cilantro Butter. While drinking coffee and eating pancakes one weekend a few weeks ago, I watched as Bobby Flay made a delicious looking appetizer on his show Boy Meets Grill --sliced flank steak crostini with chimichurri sauce. I’ve been thinking about trying out some sort of dish with chimichurri for a  while now as it is something both Jason and I have enjoyed at various restaurants over the years.  Tonight I decided to give a try, turning it into an entrée instead.

It was a definite hit. We both ended up eating way too much (so much for my plan for leftovers later in the week)—it was that good. The only thing that would make it even better, in my opinion, would be to spice up the chimichurri next time around. At the last minute tonight I stirred some red pepper flakes in but it wasn’t quite right. Next time I might throw some jalapeno or serrano chile into the mix.

As per usual, we had no grill to use. One day perhaps we’ll have an outdoor space that looks like this:

From Google Image Search

Until then, I will continue to use our broiler instead.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients:
1 flank steak
2 cups red wine
¼ cup canola oil
6 cloves garlic, 3 minced and 3 roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup Italian parsley
½ cup mint leaves
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar

1.Mix wine, canola oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a non-reactive dish. Add steak, turn to coat, and marinate at room temperature for one hour.
2.Preheat broiler.  To make the chimichurri, pulse mint, parsley, cilantro, and remaining garlic until coarsely chopped. Add olive oil, vineagar, salt and pepper and pulse until you have a vinaigrette-like consistency. Check for seasoning. (May also add some red pepper flake, jalapeno or serrano chile to the mix if you want a little spice.)
3.Remove steak from marinade and season with more salt and pepper. Broil 4-5 minutes per side for medium temperature. Remove from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
4.Serve with chimichurri sauce.


Roasted Corn with Cilantro Butter

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn
1 TBL butter, room temperature
1 TBL chopped cilantro
Salt and Pepper

1.Preheat oven to 400. Mix butter, cilantro, salt and pepper together.
2.Place each ear of corn on its own piece of aluminum foil. Spread half of the cilantro butter on each ear (be sure to cover all sides). Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
3.Wrap aluminum foil around corn and place on a baking sheet. Roast corn for 30 minutes or until soft.