Steak Night

If there's one thing my husband Christian and I can easily agree to, it is steak night. It's easy for me and for him, something to look forward to at the end of a long week. The guys at The Meathook cut this gorgeous 1.5" 1.4 lb ribeye for just for me. And after salting the hell out of it (and a little pepper), I seared it in a cast iron skillet for about 4 minutes on each side for a lusciously crispy fatty rare goodness.

It's important to mention that the meat was from a local farmer who uses humane and healthy practices. We agreed that this greatly impacted the beefy flavor, which was almost gamey - in just the best way you could imagine. Buy local grass-fed, grain finished if you can.

While the meat rested, I threw together a light salad of arugula, heirloom tomato, watermelon, feta and red onion. It's dressed with nothing more than lime and a basil-mint oil I made earlier in the day. Christian loved every bite!

for Basil-Mint Oil:

Throw a handfull of basil and a handful of mint and 1 small clove of garlic into your processor and pulse together with about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Press through a strainer so only the oil remains. Salt to your liking and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

GOGI 10K Pre-Race Dinner

On Sunday, I ran the Get Outside Governors Island 10K. If you're a runner in NY, you should do it. The island itself, an old military base is full of historic abandoned buildings which color the atmosphere eerie in the fall and winter months and almost ... during the Spring and Summer. And it's flat unlike Central Park so the race itself is easy, beautiful and lots of fun. It's sponsored by The North Face which provides great sweat wicking shirts, while other sponsors ensure plenty of food and great music.

Not wanting to "carbo-load" like Michael Scott during The Office's Fun Run for Rabies, I opted to get my carbs the night before. So I made Tagliatelle with Pancetta and Tomato Sauce. All of the ingredients were local, including an amazing hunk of pancetta from The Meat Hook - just the best thing ever to happen to meat!

Here's the how-to:

Saute 1//3 chopped pancetta or lardons on olive oil over medium heat until golden, 7-9 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion, 4 cloves of chopped garlic and as many pinches of red pepper flakes as you like. Saute another 5 minutes until softened. Pour in 1 28oz can of pureed tomatoes. You can use diced or whole, but there's something magical to the smoothness of the sauce when the pancetta fat mixes with the pureed tomato.  Let this simmer for at least 15 minutes while your pasta water boils and the past cooks.

Just before the pasta reaches al dente, about 2 minutes shy of the suggested cooking time, pull it out of it's water with tongs and transfer into the pan with your sauce, allowing some of the pasta water to tag along and loosen the sauce. Mix well, but gently and serve with grated parmesan or other hard cheese and fresh basil or parsley or both.

Because of the richness of the pancetta, I served this dish with sauteed bitter greens.

The recipe and clean-up were simple enough to allow me to dine early, relax and get to bed at a reasonable hour. And throughout the race, I felt strong and full of energy.