On Steak

After Tuesday's steak fiasco, I thought it best I give grilling another go. I feel fairly certain I won't ever be working the line at a steakhouse, but you never know. And knowing how to cook a steak without killing someone is a skill that might come in handy someday. And let me tell you that as stress-inducing as class has been that is how relaxing "studying" is. Cooking for and with people, I think, will always be one of my favorite things. It's right up there with sleeping and drinking wine. And thankfully, I have a number of friends ready to help me study for culinary school.

With two big ribeyes from Wohlner's wrapped up in my fridge, I called on Liz and Sean to come to the rescue and help me eat the meat. I like steak. A good steak is simple; it consistes of a nice cut, salt, pepper and a little bit of oil and yet the end product is complex in flavor. Even considering this, I am not a big fan of steak. First of all, there's just always something else I'd rather eat. Like vegegtables. For me, meat alone is lifeless, but served alongside sauteed or braised vegetables and you've got something.

Because I don't currently have a grill (a travesty, I know), I had pan sear the steaks to medium rare, which involves heating a sauce pan (or sauteuse, as I now snobbily know) until scorching in a 500-degree oven, searing the seasoned and oiled steaks for 30 seconds on each side before popping it the 500-degree oven to cook for 2 minutes on each side. My steaks were pretty thick, and this didn't quite do the trick. But this time I recognized that they were still raw and threw them back in the oven for a bit. They came out tender and juicy and, as you can see below, medium rare.

I served them with a side of creamed spinach that Chef O'Donnell apparently pilfered from some famous steakhouse in New York. The spinach was more the sort of thing that you dip tortilla chips in, which also meant it was really hard to stop eating. As I was stirring together the concoction of wilted spinach, cream cheese and yogurt (instead of sour cream) I decided the dish was missing some toasted pine nuts. I was right. Topped with parmesan cheese and scattered with pine nuts, the spinach seemed more like an American version of Florentine classics verses the spinach and artichoke dip one gets at a bar and grill.

Even better than the cooking was the eating and wine drinking. Liz, Sean and I made quite the ruckus going on about boys and girls and love and whatever other topics one covers after a satisfying meal. All these things, the prep, the cooking, the serving and revelry-making, that is most definitely why I come to the table night after night.

Straciatella Soup -- Egg Drop Italian-style

I don't know how I'm able to maintain it: Life has been so busy lately--but not rushed. We're in the thick of things at the magazine, plus going through a major revamp; I had two stories and a book due this week for the class I'm enrolled in; I volunteer; I'm trying to recruit players for the high school lacrosse team I coach, plus find a decent field on which to play games. Come Friday, I'm exhausted. But not stressed (for the most part).

I think I have to give God a bit of credit here. I've been more intentional about prayer and meditation since this series my church did on prayer late this summer (check out the mp3s of the sermons here--so. flipping. good.). Spending five to 10 minutes in quiet reflection before going to bed has a greater impact on a number of areas, but specifically I've noticed things. Noticed things like immature bald eagles (!) and ferringus hawks harassing birds in my office parking lot. Or leaves. I love leaves; they're like flowers except they smell bad. Or new songs. I received so many little gifts every day. And ohmygosh, this little girl just walked by saying/singing "I like to move it move it/I like to move it move it."

However, yesterday I got some big gifts. Meg and I went to Coco Key last night because it was free (!). Yeah, we waited in line for 20-plus minutes just to get in because they were over capacity, yeah, we got splashed in the hot tub, yeah, kids probably peed in there and I'm definitely going to get the Swine Flu now. But we went down the waterslides, in tandem, in the dark and laughed the ENTIRE way down each time.

At home, I pulled out the old standard, Giada's Family Dinners. There was only 15 minutes before The Office came on, so we didn't have much time. But I finished the straciatella soup in less time than it took for Megan to take a shower.

It seemed too simple. Chicken stock, eggs, herbs, spinach, parmesan. We took our bowls, bread and salad out to sit in front of the TV and watch Michael Scott make an arse of himself, while sipping down the kind of soup that clears your throat when you've got a cold. It was so salty and homey. The whole evening made me love the new apartment all the more and so thankful for the life I have. Just so thankful for all the moments, even the worst ones, but crazy, funny, quiet, soft instances.

Staciatella: from Giada's Family Dinners

6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh
2 teapsoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh
2 cups spinach, torn into small pieces

Bring the stock to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat. In a separate, small bowl, whisk eggs, herbs and parmesan. With the stock on medium-low, stir while slowing pouring the egg mixture into it. Let eggs cook for a minute or two then stir in spinach. Season with salt and pepper and serve.