Spring Cooking and Spring Showers

I consider myself to be a fairly patient person; however, when it comes to the arrival of Fall and Spring I just get flat out impatient. It is almost April, Easter has come and gone, our azaleas are blooming, we have had a few warm days, everything is turning green, and it is officially Spring now… but we still have colder days and I haven’t worn my flip flops yet. Today has been gorgeous our and sunny and warm and just how I like Spring to be. So, we decided to dust off the grill and have some friends over to eat outside tonight. Well, I managed to forget another major characteristic of Spring is rain. After the major drought last year I am not going to complain about the rain, but it did remind me that for some reason though we always manage to pick nights when it rains to grill out. Tonight was no exception. While today was gorgeous and sunny it started raining just about the time that Russ was starting up the coals for the grill… Lucky for me Russ doesn’t seem to mind grilling in his rain coat.

Tonight we did a somewhat early Spring meal that came from my new Jamie Oliver cookbook, Cook with Jamie. I also made an appetizer from my other new cookbook, Jamie’s Italy. Elizabeth, Seth, Mary Catherine, and Allen (and their furry ones, Wagg and Bitzy) all came over to eat with us tonight. For the appetizer I did crostini with mozzarella and chiles and some with cherry tomatoes instead of chiles. Russ grilled the slices of baguette for me and then I rubbed garlic on one side of each. I topped them off with pieces of fresh mozzarella and either some of the red chile or tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and torn pieces of fresh basil.

For dinner we decided on Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks. Russ and I both like a traditional steak and potato meal, but I love it when I come across a recipe that takes a new twist on the traditional. Here Jamie keeps a creamy starch in the picture, but uses white beans and leeks instead of potatoes. The recipe calls for canned lima beans and while I am a fan of canned beans I have never used canned lima beans and the thought kind of scared me (especially when I looked at the sodium in them). I do use frozen lima beans fairly frequently and decided to use those instead because while I am sure the canned are fine I am much more comfortable with the frozen. I just cooked the frozen lima beans until they were done, but not too soft in water with a little salt and pepper. When the beans are cooked go ahead and drain them and set them aside. While the beans were cooking I put the sliced leeks, thyme, and chopped garlic into the pan with a little olive oil and butter. I kept it over low heat for about 20 minutes. Many of you may already know this, but if not then here comes a fun cooking fact. The combination of olive oil and butter here is not an uncommon combination and there is a reason why he is using both. Oil has a much higher threshold for heat and butter has a lower threshold for heat, but it has more flavor than oil. So combining them the oil will help keep the butter from burning and the butter will add flavor. Back to the recipe now… Once the leeks are soft and sweet then you turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to boil and then add the beans and a little water until the beans are almost covered (don’t cover them or it will take too long to reduce). Let the beans simmer and reduce a little until they are creamy. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed for taste. Last add the chopped parsley, crème fraiche, and a little olive oil. For the steaks, Russ got some really pretty looking New York Strips and salt and peppered both sides. He then grilled them to medium and pulled them off to let them rest. While resting he drizzled them with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. He decided to not carve the steaks into thin slices, but rather serve them whole. We served the steaks over the beans and with a simple side salad of mixed greens with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

The crostini were really simple and quick to put together. Russ grilled the baguette slices on the grill which was complicated by the fact that it was raining and since the grill was hotter than it needed to be (since he had prepared it for grilling the steaks since I forgot to mention to him that I needed him to do the bread too), but other than that is only took a couple minutes that had a great toasty texture to them. The mixture of mozarrella with the red chiles was wonderful! I was a little worried about the red chiles, so I did some with tomatoes too. Both were really good and I enjoyed having a little variety to them. I love simple appetizers like this and think you could come up lots of easy variations based on ingredients you have on hand or ones you love. Russ rates the crostini a 10.

Russ did a fantastic job on the steaks and they grilled perfectly. They were flavorful with great color and texture. The beans were fantastic! I love lima beans and leeks and the combination was wonderful. The crème fraiche at the end really added an extra creamy touch to the creamy beans and the parsley added a punch of flavor and freshness. The beans definitely take center stage in the dish with the other ingredients just adding to their flavor and creaminess. The steak and lima bean combination was fantastic and they both complimented each other well in texture with the chewiness of the steak and the creaminess of the beans and flavor. This was a great meal for entertaining and if I had been a little better organized and started the beans earlier then I think this is a dish that you could have ready before your guests arrive (up to where you add the crème fraiche, parsley, and olive oil) and then just turn off the heat and put the lid on it until a few minutes before you serve when you can reheat it and add the last few ingredients. Had it not been raining then we would have been outside before hand which would have allowed Russ to grill the steaks while still being with everyone. This is definitely a dish that I would recommend for Spring entertaining. Russ rates the Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks a 10.

Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks, Cook with Jamie
Serves 4

4 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
A small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
A knob of butter
A wineglass of white wine
1lb. 2 oz good-quality canned lima beans, drained and rinsed
A small handful of freshly picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
Good-quality peppery extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz. well-marbled fillet steaks, preferably free-range or organic, 1-1 and ½ inches thick
1 lemon

Sweat the leeks, thyme, and garlic with a splash of olive oil and the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to the boil, then add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are lovely and creamy. Add the parsley, crème fraiche and a good glug of the extra virgin olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Heat a griddle pan until white-hot, season your steaks and pat with olive oil. Grill a 1 and ½ inch steak for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. You can keep them on there for longer, turning as you go, until cooked to your liking. Remove from the grill on to a dish and rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze over some lemon juice and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil. Carve the steaks into thick slices. Divide the creamy beans between your plates and place the steak on top, drizzling over some of the resting juices.

My Notes: I used frozen lima beans and just cooked them first. Russ grilled the steaks on the Egg and let everyone slice their own steak.

Crostini, Jamie's Italy

Ingredients:
1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Grill your slices of ciabatta. While they're still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Finish with your favorite toppings.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Chili

Tear 3 5 oz. balls of buffalo mozzarella into quarters, then top each of your hot crostini with one of the quarters. Deseed and finely chop a fresh red chili and sprinkle this over the mozzarella. Add a little seasoning and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lovely with a little fresh basil torn over it.