Finding Paradise at Home

On June 7th, my husband and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary. As a splurge to ourselves, we booked a week-long stay in St. Lucia. We had not ever been on a tropical vacation together and it was extremely relaxing. The food was solid, but not mind blowing by any means and the wine selection grim at best. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time, and we knew what we were in for. You don't book a vacation in the Caribbean for the wine. Everything we ate tasted fresh and was seasoned well and I made Sangria in my mini-fridge with pilfered fruit from the breakfast buffet so it was all good, however I was very happy to be back home cooking creatively in my own kitchen and enjoying a quality glass of wine.


Our timing was perfect to begin eating great again, the week we got back from vacation we had our first CSA pick up of the season with our favorite farmers Half Pint Farms. Fresh produce is so simply satisfying and I incorporated it into every meal. Salad for breakfast? Sure. Below are a couple of recipes I made for dinner after returning from vacation. You'll notice they both feature fresh produce, can be made quickly on a weeknight, and go wonderfully with wine (or Sangria for that matter). Please enjoy!




Steak Sandwiches with Feta Aioli

Serves 4
*You can use any steak you want really, I found small strip steaks that fit English muffins perfectly, but if that’s proving difficult you can always slice the steak to the amount you want on each sandwich.


Ingredients
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 NY strip steaks, about 4 oz per steak, about 1 ½ inches thick
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter
4 English Muffins

Topping suggestions: lettuce, tomato slices, sliced red onion


Prep
Heat grill to medium-high. Brush steaks with oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Grill the steaks over moderately high heat, turning them occasionally, about 10 minutes for medium-rare meat. Let the steaks rest on a cutting board while you make the aioli.

To prepare aioli, combine feta, mayo, yogurt, garlic, mint and pepper in a bowl and mix well, mashing the feta into the other ingredients.

Butter English muffins and grill until desired toastiness is achieved.

Build sandwiches by smearing aioli on English muffins, place cooked steak and top with desired veggies. I recommend a classic LTO.

Chilled Seafood Salad

Serves 2-4

*This recipe makes a light easy meal mid-week or unique salad to bring to a pot luck, leftovers make an impressive 'desk lunch'. 

Ingredients
1 fennel bulb, cored, fennel fronds reserved
1 bunch radishes
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
zest and juice of one lemon
1 small chili pepper (jalapeno or fresno), thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers, rinsed
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, cooked and chilled
1 can Razor Clams, such as Donostia brand (you can substitute any cooked and chilled seafood you like)
1/3 cup mixed, chopped fresh herbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Prep

Thinly slice fennel and radishes.

If shrimp are large, slice in half.

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper as needed, mix well so that all ingredients are incorporated.

Chill for about 30 minutes so all ingredients come together and everything's the same temperature. Serve on chilled plates with reserved fennel fronds for garnish.