Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California (16 page)

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with the herbes de Provence. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steaks from the heat and allow to rest.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs directly into the pan and season them with salt and pepper. Cook until the egg whites are set, 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, place the steaks on 4 serving plates. Carefully top each steak with an egg. Sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Basil-Curry Mayonnaise

You can’t really go wrong with a beef tenderloin. It’s a prime cut of meat that can be pricey, but I consider it for the holidays and special occasions. Really, it’s so tender and flavorful that you don’t have to do too much to make it taste delicious. The crust on this tenderloin, with garlic paste, cumin, and coriander, is so simple yet a wonderful surprise, and the basil-curry mayo is perfectly herby, spicy, and creamy. With any leftovers, you can make some pretty gourmet sandwiches, too.

For the beef: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a heavy rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, coarsely grind the cumin seeds and coriander seeds (see Cook’s Note). Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, or until aromatic and toasted. Scrape the spices into a small bowl.

Finely chop the garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Holding a chef’s knife at a 45-degree angle, scrape the garlic and salt together to form a paste. Spoon the garlic paste into the bowl with the spices. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, the black pepper, and the oil. Stir until smooth.

Place the meat on the prepared baking sheet and rub with the spice mixture. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 125°F for medium-rare. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 20 minutes.

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mascarpone cheese, basil, curry powder, and paprika until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, slice the meat into ¼-inch-thick slices and arrange on a platter. Spoon the curry mayonnaise into a small bowl and serve alongside the meat.

COOK’S NOTE:
You can also crush the spices by putting them in a small resealable plastic bag and pressing down on them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a small saucepan.

This homey one-pot meal is reminiscent of the stews you find in Tuscany and Umbria, which are loaded with vegetables, potatoes, and herbs. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a dish to serve to a crowd; the succulent stew can simmer for a long time—the sauce just becomes richer and more intense—and it’s hard to believe you can get so much flavor from a relatively inexpensive piece of meat. Just be sure to use a Chianti that’s good enough to serve along with the meal.

Place the beef in a 13 × 9-inch glass baking dish. Pour the wine over the meat and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours, turning once halfway through.

Remove the meat from the wine and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the wine.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the meat to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the pancetta to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, olives, green beans, potatoes, rosemary, and sage. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour the reserved wine, tomatoes, and beef broth into the pan, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the meat to the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 3 to 3½ hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Remove the meat and the rosemary and sage from the stew. Put the meat on a cutting board and cut into quarters. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Add the shredded meat to the stew and heat to warm through before serving, about 5 minutes.

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Cutlets cooked
à la milanese—
breaded in a cheesy crumb coating and pan-fried until crisp—are popular in every part of Italy (and here, for that matter!). They are usually made with veal, but my little aunt Carolyna wanted something she could serve her college friends, many of whom don’t eat veal. So I substituted chicken for the veal and added fennel to the quick pan sauce in this dish I devised for her; it is quite light and fresh-tasting, yet still true to the original.