My first blog entry

Hello and welcome to my blog!

Today my husband and I took a lovely drive around the Niagara Escarpment. We stopped in at one of our favourite grocers, Denninger's on Upper James St in Hamilton. There, we picked up a lot of goodies, and my eye steered directly towards some beautiful NY strip steaks. It was the beginning of my menu planning for tonight's supper.

On our way back home, we stopped in at another favourite place of ours, The Harvest Barn, located both in St. Catharines and in Virgil. We found some lovely new potatoes, local asparagus that looked impeccable, and fresh local strawberries. The asparagus I am going to save for tomorrow's creation in the kitchen. :)

So, for tonight's dinner, I served...

Mediterranean grilled NY strip steaks

Thyme scented new potatoes

Simple green salad with dijon and anchovy vinaigrette

And although I would normally pair this with wine, my thirst could only be quenched with a gin & tonic....paired half decently too!

The Mediterranean sauce is an adaptation of the recipe "Skate with Capers", found in "French Women for all Seasons" by Mireille Guilliano. Thank you Mireille! You are truly an inspiration for all of my cooking.

Here are the recipes...the entire meal serves 4 to 6.

Mediterranean Grilled NY Strip Steaks

2 NY strip steaks, about 8 to 10 oz each

Hy's seasoning salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

1/4 cup capers, drained

juice of 1 small lemon

Preheat grill over medium high heat.

Pat steaks dry with paper towel, and season liberally with seasoning salt and pepper. Set aside in preparation for grilling.

To prepare sauce, combine butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When butter has melted, add tomatoes, stir, and let cook gently for about 2 minutes. Lower heat and add remaining ingredients. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Grill steaks to your liking, although rare to medium is best. Remove from grill and let rest on plate for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, thinly slice meat on a diagonal. Serve sauce over meat.

Thyme Scented New Potatoes

2 pounds of new potatoes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

fleur de sel

freshly ground black pepper

Add potatoes to a large pot. Add water just to cover. Bring to boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium high, place lid 1/2 way on pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Potatoes are done when a knife can easily pierce through them.

Drain, add back to pot. Drizzle over oil, and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss together to distribute oil and seasoning all over.

Simple Green Salad with Dijon and Anchovy Vinaigrette

1 large head of lettuce, such as romaine, red leaf, or green leaf

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium avocado, pitted and chopped

squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 English cucumber, chopped

1 tsp anchovy paste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 large garlic clove, smashed and minced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine anchovy paste, mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt & pepper. Let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the salad ingredients.

Prepare salad greens, tomato, avocado, and cucumber in a large bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over avocado, and season liberally with salt & pepper.

Slowly add oil to dressing mixture, whisking constantly. Drizzle vinaigrette over just before serving to avoid wilting the salad. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Refreshing Gin & Tonic

1 oz gin

approximately 1/2 12 oz can tonic water

1/2 lime

In a tall drink glass, fill 1/2 way with ice. Add gin and squeeze 1/2 lime into the glass. Fill with tonic water to the top. Stir and enjoy! Such a great summer time drink...