I'll Have a Bloody Mary, a Steak Pizza, and a Steak Pizza

Hethyr:  If we could eat pizza for dinner every night and not feel guilty about it, we probably would.  I know we've already done several pizza posts, but we haven't yet done this pizza post.  Bear with me - it's worth it.

While Jon was out of town recently, I was craving pizza so badly that I went out and picked up the ingredients (including goat cheese, which I've been allowed to add back in!), got home and realized I didn't have any crust, then debated whether to make my own or drive back across town for some already prepared gluten-free, vegan crust that is really, really good.  Not just acceptable, but actually good.  The stuff that I make at home is really good, too, but it takes a decent amount of effort.  I decided on convenience on the day in question.  And while I was at the bakery, I picked up two more packs of crusts (each pack contains two). 

Pre-baking and cheese

 

So, we had this one crust left in the refrigerator from the pack I opened while he was gone, and we had a little bit of leftover steak with sauce.  With a few other items on hand, we had an incredible dinner... definitely one worth sharing!  I love that some of my best recipes are inspired by leftovers, and that nothing goes to waste in this house!  You get a bonus from this post, too, because you can have the flank steak for dinner on the first night and use the leftovers for the pizza the second night.  Enjoy!

Night #1...

Marinated Flank Steak 

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_marinated_flank_steak/

*** Note:  We use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) and we always save the marinade, boil it, then use it as a dipping sauce for the steak.  You'll need it for the pizza recipe...

Night #2...

Gluten-Free Steak & Chard Pizza

Serves 2-3

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large Swiss chard leaf (including stem), chopped

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp cold water

1/2 cup reserved, cooked marinade from Marinated Flank Steak (see above)

1 prepared gluten-free pizza crust (or make your own... here's the best recipe)

Approx. 6 ounces leftover Marinated Flank Steak, thinly sliced and cut into bite-size pieces

8 ounces cheddar-style goat cheese, shredded

1.  Place pizza stone on center rack of oven and preheat oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes.

2.  Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and chard and sauté until just wilted, about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3.  In a small dish, combine cornstarch and cold water and set aside.

4.  Heat cooked, reserved marinade from flank steak in a small saucepan over medium heat.  When simmering, whisk in cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until thick (should be a paste-like consistency).  Remove from heat.

5.  Top prepared crust with thickened marinade, shallot and chard, steak, and shredded goat cheese.

6.  Bake on pizza stone for 12 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and cheese is bubbly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jon:  I noticed Hethyr said that if we could eat pizza every night for dinner and not feel guilty about it, then we would.  Um, hello?  I would feel no guilt.  In fact, I would feel the opposite of guilt.  What's the opposite of guilt?  Joy.  Bliss.  Enlightenment, perhaps.  In fact, with pizza everyday I would probably have a Buddha belly to accompany that enlightenment.  Sweet.

What?!  A Buddha wood fired brick oven!
Pizza & Buddha were meant to be together.
(Photo from backyardovensbook.com.au)

When Hethyr first told me the flank steak marinade would be entering the blogosphere, I must admit that I felt a little hesitant, like an over-protective father.  A father to my flank steak... a flankster, if you will.  Anyway, for many years, the flank steak recipe has been one of my only successful contributions to our regular cooking routine.  Could I really let it go?  After I - yes, I, not Hethyr - claimed ownership of this delicious, simple, sweet, savory, understated, satisfying marinade?  This marinade that pairs with flank steak like peanut butter with jelly, like Mario with Luigi, like McDonalds with salmonella?

Then it dawned on me.  I had just stolen the recipe from some website.  Whoops.  I guess that means it isn't mine.  But I still feel proud that I found it myself, and even was capable of making it myself after stealing it.  Wow, even I think that's pathetic.  I'm lucky that Hethyr can cook, because I'm like Lennie from Of Mice and Men when it comes to kitchen skills.

Enjoy the pizza.

Much Love,

The Flankster

Curry Up Or You'll Sleep With The Fishes

Hethyr:  With the start of Spring already a few weeks in the past, I started thinking that maybe I should try to use up the remaining winter squash that we still have.  We've still got a couple of Butternuts and Orange Hopis, but for this particular recipe I decided to use two small-ish Red Kuris that we received in our CSA.  

 

It was a cold night and a warm soup sounded good - perfect for squash.  Of course, because I'm a huge dork, I had to make it curry.  If you'll remember back to our Valentine's blog post, Jon and I often speak in movie, and this Red Kuri Curry Soup reminded me of one of my favorite mob movies.  See if you can figure out which one, which one...

Narrator:  And then there was Jimmy Two Times, who got that nickname because he said everything twice, like:
Jimmy Two Times:  I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers.

Jimmy Two Times' Red Kuri Curry Soup

Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium celery stalk, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, seeded, ribbed and diced

2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 small jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and minced

2 tablespoons curry spice blend

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup coconut milk

2 Red Kuri squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 small kale leaves, ribbed and julienned

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Peanuts or cashews, chopped for garnish

Lime wedges, for garnish

1.  Heat coconut oil in a soup pot over medium heat; add onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, ginger and jalapeno.  Cook until veggies are just softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add curry seasoning and stir for another minute.

3.  Add broth, coconut milk, squash and kale and stir to combine.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until squash is easily pierced with a fork.

4.  Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro and nuts, and sprinkle with a little bit of lime juice.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jon:  I'm gonna go get a spoon, get a spoon.