Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 300g beef steak mince
• 1 egg
• 40g fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Small bunch fresh parsley –chopped

To Sear

• 10ml vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce

• 10ml olive oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic – chopped
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 100ml strong beef stock =1 stock cube dissolved in 100ml water

To finish

• 20g butter

Directions

1. Mix together all the meatball ingredients and form into small balls (Makes 20)
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and in batches sear the meatballs well on all sides.
3. To make the sauce heat the olive oil in the saucepan and fry the onion and garlic till softened but not brown.
4. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes until the consistency has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
5. Stir in the meatballs and cook with the lid on over a low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Stir in the butter and serve with the fresh basil leaves.
7. Serve with either spaghetti or rice.

Serving

Serves: 4

For more information

For more information on pots and pans to use for this recipe visit Le Creuset site at www.lecreuset.co.uk .

The meal is a steak wrap eaten with a flour tortilla, and served with a delicious garlic, yogurt dill sauce that is both easy to make and healthy. I really love to yogurt sauces compared to say, ranch dressing, because they are healthier and much more nutritional. Before you serve up the tortillas, go the extra mile. Get a pan warmed with some olive oil and toss in the tortillas until they start to bubble up on both sides. Also, if you prefer pitas, they work great as well.

The Steak

As I said before, I like flank steak because it’s lean and easy to cook. Sometimes with thicker steaks it’s hard to get that perfect medium/medium rare, but flank steaks are easy. Be careful when you cook them, with a nice hot grill they literally only take about 3 minutes a side for a nice pink link in the middle. For this meal, I just like to season the steak with some salt and pepper and maybe a bit of lemon, preferably the night before to help make everything more tender.

The Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• ¼ cup diced fresh dill
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 cucumber diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 6 cloves garlic diced
• 1 lemon squeezed

Directions

Mix all of these ingredients together. These are not super specific quantities. What you’re going for is this tasty yogurt sauce that is covering all of these little pieces of fresh vegetables for the nice crunch and texture they provide. It should look less like a runny sauce, and much more lumpy.

Serving

Cut flank steak in thin angled pieces against the grain. I like to dice those up into smaller, bite sized pieces. Take a freshly heated tortilla out of the skillet, add some steak, and cover generously with vegetables covered in yogurt sauce. I like to serve this meal with a mixed greens salad.

About the Author

Cooper Elling is passionate about food, fitness & blogging. When he’s not having fun he writes about Sono Bello, cooking, Footbag and a myriad of other topics.

Personally, I think there should be a division within the Oscars for food!

Photo: culinary.careeredublogs.com

10.  Guy Fieri – Host of Triple D (Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives), Host of Guy’s Big Bite, and others. What’s not to love about a guy who goes around the country visiting everyone’s favorite hole in the wall eateries? Plus, Dude’s hair ROCKS!

Photo: brokeassstuart.com

9.  Tyler Florence – One lazy, hung-over morning I woke up to find myself on my couch with the TV still on (of course it was on Food Network).  It was that morning that Tyler Florence taught me how to make the world’s best ricotta pancakes from scratch (recipe available on foodnetwork.com).  I love this recipe so much that I’ve memorized it.

Photo: twincitiesrestaurantblog.com

8.  Susur Lee – He’s appeared on several shows as a judge, and competed in season 2 of Top Chef: Masters. Chef Susur Lee is a culinary master; though I enjoy his calm, zen-like demeanor more than anything else. There is something to be said for keeping one’s cool in the kitchen heat. An international chef-owner, you can find Chef Susur in a Canadian Kitchen at one of his restaurants.

Photo: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-8/bio/tre-wilcox-season-3

7. Tre Wilcox – He has the best laugh of any male chef on TV at the moment. Personally, I think he was let go too early the first time he appeared on Top Chef, so I’m excited to see him back to redeem himself! He recently commented that his wife is his only “Sous Chef” – very cute!

Photo: travelchannel.com

6.  Andrew Zimmern – Nothing is too wild, crazy or weird for this guy. As host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel, he has helped open many culinary minds, including my own.

Photo: Twitter, @ericripert

5. Eric Ripert – Are you following him on Twitter? Chef Ripert tweeted quite the controversial comment about Chef Jamie Lauren’s performance on last week’s Top Chef episode stating, “SPOILER! Dear Jamie: Sorry to see you go. But I gladly offer you a free training at Le Bernardin on how to cook a fish. #topchefallstars” We’re not sure whether he meant that with sincerity or not, but he’s sexy, so who cares? According to @BravoTV, “UPDATE! @chefjamielauren has accepted @ericripert‘s offer to stage at Le Bernardin. Video blogs connect people. #foodbybravo”

Photo: fabioviviani.com

4. Fabio Viviani – Voted fan favorite on Top Chef. Fabio makes me laugh. You men in the kitchen looking for the way to a woman’s heart could take some lessons from this guy – and not just his impeccable knife skills. They say the quickest way to a man’s heart is his stomach; the quickest way to win a woman’s heart is to make her laugh.

Photo: mercurynews.com

3. Michael Symon – Cleveland’s own Chef Michael Symon is also one of America’s Iron Chefs. He’s got major creative talent, and I love seeing him compete. He might also be my only reason to travel to Ohio…

Photo: bloggingbravo

2. Richard Blais – This was a really tough choice to put Chef Richard Blais as #2. Richard is my current foodie obsession. I am still at a loss for words as to what happened huring his first go on Top Chef, which is why I’ve picked him to win this season’s Top Chef All-Stars. He’s a family man, about to be a father for a second time, and has some great things going on. He’s known as the culinary scientist, using molecular gastronomy to create some of the most innovative and delicious dishes the judges have ever tasted. His wife is a lucky woman.

Photo: noclipmode.com

1. Alton Brown – There’s a reason the above photo says, “I’m much smarter than you.” He’s a walking, talking encyclopedia of food knowledge-and a true “Culinary Genius.”  Alton Brown truly does what no other TV food star, man or woman, could ever hope to do–he teaches his viewers how to cook. Most cooking shows are more about a recipe and watching things come together. Alton Brown’s show “Good Eats” does more than give you a single recipe. He teaches you what you need to know to make your own recipes. It is because of him that I know how and why I’m either successful or unsuccessful in the kitchen. And without his help, I wouldn’t have a clue as to how to help my novice cook-boyfriend learn to cook. That is why he is my #1 Favorite Man on my Kitchen TV.

Who are your favorite chefs? Share with us who and why in the comments below.

So, in case your lover isn’t so in love with meat, here’s an alternative entree that is sure to dazzle!

Red Wine Mushroom Risotto

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced (I prefer Shitake & Cremini)
1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme (or 2 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium shallot, minced (or you can use a garlic press)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or use a garlic press)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup red wine (I use the red we will be drinking with dinner)
~ 1 litre vegetable stock at room temp.
1/4 cup grated Parmagianno

If you’re making reservations, good for you! Do it fast before all the good tables at all the best restaurants are taken. If you’re planning to stay in, then keep reading because we have a great post for you!

So, You’re going to use that Manly Oven of yours–eh? Here is a menu you can make at home that’s as easy to execute as it will be to impress your lady. We’ve even included links to our favorite versions of these recipes that have been tested and approved!

3 Course Menu:
-Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
-Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Risotto
-Chocolate Soufflé with Espresso Crème Anglaise

For those that regularly watch Bravo!’s Top Chef, season 8 has caught a lot of flack from twitter critics and fans for a lot of reasons. Some have been dissatisfied with the judging, others aren’t happy with the challenges themselves. Criticism aside, Bravo! has done a fantastic job of including “After Hours” footage of the cast on the Bravo! TV website.

The above video gives viewers a neat glimpse into the personalities of the Men of Top Chef while they discuss competing against Tom Colicchio. Talk about personality… I feel like I know each and everyone of them personally!

Tell us who your favorite contestant is and why!

My version of the Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 cup of butter, room temperature (it’s about two sticks)
3/4 cup of organic white sugar (if using granulated, I would use 1/2 a cup…since granulated white sugar is a tad bit sweeter…but if you like it sweet go for 3/4 cup or up to 1 cup)
3/4 cup of organic brown sugar (again..see description above)
2 tablespoons of honey (you can use any type of honey, I’ve used orange blossom or regular honey..up to you)
2 whole eggs, I use the large ones
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of semisweet chocolate chip
1 cup of chop bitter-sweet chocolate (those chocolate bars you find in the grocery store, I normally buy one and chop it up and throw it in the recipe…I like bitter-sweet but if you like milk chocolate, or even white chocolate go for it…

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit thats 175 degrees Celsius

First, take the flour, salt and baking soda and sift it through a large bowl. Set it aside for now. (I always sift my dry ingredients, it weeds out any lumps, adds air to make it lighter and softer.) I’ve never tried this recipe without sifting, but if you do, let me know if it works.

Take the butter, sugar, and honey, place it in a mixer or stainless steel bowl and cream it. Creaming in lamest terms is mixing the butter and sugar until it becomes one. It will take a good 5 minutes, depending on the temperature of your butter. If it’s straight out of the refrigerator, it’s gonna take a tad bit longer.

When the butter, sugar and honey are creamed, slowly add one egg at a time. You want to mix it, until the egg is completely incorporated. After it’s incorporated, I will add the vanilla.

What you would have now is two bowls, one with the “wet mixture” and the “dry.” Slowly add the dry into the wet. You want to do it in batches. Add 1/3 of the dry at a time. If you throw the flour in one shot, it’s gonna be one big o mess. After the flour is incorporated, add the chop chocolate and chocolate chips, mix to combine.

The cookie dough will be dense, and it will feel like it needs more liquid. However, just be patient, and work with it until it’s one solid ball. It’s not as wet as most cookie doughs.

Portion the cookie dough, into small balls, and place them on a greased cookie sheet.  If you have foil, parchment or those beautiful silicone mats, those work too.  If you use foil, and parchment, make sure to spray it with non-stick spray.  I like making them into balls, and letting bake as is.  Don’t push down the cookie, it will naturally fall into shape when it bakes.  This recipe should yield about 2 dozen…give or take how big you make the cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven.  I normally place them in the middle rack.  Bake until the sides are a tad golden brown, it won’t get fully golden but its ok.  Take it out, let it rest for 20 minutes and dig in!

For me, my fondest memories of food, is when I’m sharing it with someone.  Eating alone for me is about subsistence, it’s a means to quite my aching belly, a way to take care of myself.  However,  in my opinion, food is elevated when shared.  You make a connection, a reference to an exact moment where it can related, adapted and most importantly relived.  It’s hard to do that when dining alone, you can tell someone that the burger at so and so is great, but it’s always different experiencing, then hearing about it.  What I love about cooking is the immediate response I get to the dish.  The ethereal warmth, that esoteric feeling, the sounds of “MMM” or “this is so good” makes the entire process worth it.  I don’t mind spending all day chopping onions, pealing potatoes, washing dishes, if it means that my hard work and soul is appreciated, enjoyed by the person I’ve chosen to share it with.  Sometimes I make a bad dish, sometimes I make a terrible dish…but on those days where you know you have something special in that pot braising, or in the oven roasted, that initial aroma that attracts everyone to the kitchen…in the end it’s all worth it.  And that’s why I do what I do.

For a simpler and cheaper meal, try out this guys quick meal…